Light-of-Day Tarot & Dream Work - A practical Guide By Gigi Miner
ID 53362 www.lulu.com
A Review (c) Guinevra 2004

The author surprises us with a slim book, packed with new and very useful information. Deliberately she left out filling page after page with information that most books - published now and in the recent past - present us with: speculations about the origin of Tarot, the history of the Golden Dawn and praise or condemnation of other authors opinions. This not only saves our limited space but also to not read once more and once more similar or comparable information, what can get very tiring.

There is no bibliography. All suggestions, and ideas originate in Gigi Miners own vast experience. She neither copied anything from other books nor used other ideas than her own. Especially interesting is the fact, that her book can be used with any deck. So we can use the deck or decks we prefer and like for our own readings. Our special decks are as good or sometimes even better than the RWS.

Additionally, it does not bore us with the detailed description of each picture and symbol of this seemingly always present deck in most of the books I own and read. Neutral books, not dedicated to a special deck are rare. Just this is one speciality in this small book.

In the last days I practiced the described methods not only for Tarot but also in connection with dream interpretation as well as both separately. I used very different decks, e.g. RWS clones, but also special decks such as the Templar deck, Roots of Asia deck, Ananda deck, Kianzalar deck and the for me borderline deck between Tarot and Oracle: The Guardian of Wisdom deck, added by the Symbolon deck for selfexploring. Gigi Miner's ideas and methods work with all these decks. Theme decks as Legend, Tarot Cabalistique Ykariel and the Mythic deck work as well. So we have a useful tool also for learning new decks and how to get connected with them.

The first part is dedicated to dream interpretation. This is part of my counselling work too, so I was especially interested how she solved this not so easy problem. Some paper and pen on the nightstand to notie down the dream with all details we can remember before it fades after waking. We can continue to sleep and maybe dream once more or leave the bed for our daily activities.

Her example uses fire, a picture, an experience, and a symbol. The signification is different for many people, ranging from beauty to horror. For me it is horror beyond all imagination. Gigi Miner used the concept of analysis and synthesis.

First she takes apart the dream and looks at each subject, person or scene as a symbol, but no try of interpreting these symbols is attempted.

Later, having time and peace, the dream is taken apart and now we have all the pieces of a puzzle that looses their power over us, if we only look at the single components. We go into a distance from the dream, from the mythic, confusing nightly mist, the uncertainty of what a symbol means to us and transports it into the light of the day and attempts to solve it. Our spirit created the symbols of our dream, so it is able to decode the signification these have for us.

When we are ready for this, we should step by step follow the advice given in the book. This is very well weighted and works much better than dream interpretation books. I remember my dreamsrarely and have mostly the same few. Of course I know the signification of these. Nevertheless I used one of them to try out Gigi Miners advice. The result was the same decoding of the dream as I found with my own more difficult method. If I have a new different dream, or someone asking me to interpret, I will surely use this method in future .

A little added suggestion: I wrote all this into a book (Ring binder) and will keep it to control if the symbols and my interpretation of them change. When the analysis of the dream is finished the synthesis begins. The putting together once more of the dream. Than one begins to understand really what was hazy, mysterious or not explainable before. A new light shines on the dream, like the difference in the light between the Major Tarot cards Moon and Sun.

To give us insight in other peoples work I do not suggest reading other books. Gigi Miner suggested that already. My own advice here is different. I think most of us know, that there is a wealth of paintings done by artists, who used symbols in different ways. This kind of art is now called Symbolism.

Gustave Moreau and Klimt are famous and many of the English pre-Raphaelite painters, like Rosetti, belong to them, to name a few. I own a collection of their art books and they helped me many times with dream symbols as well as symbols in somehow strange or extraordinary Tarot decks. So if you have access to a good library look at these paintings in art books, they can teach us a lot about symbols and their different interpretations.

The second part is dedicated to Tarot and shows the same mastery of Gigi Miner as with the dream interpretation using the same tools. I like especially the advice about choosing your own special deck. It may not even be your first. Many of us have decks, sitting in shelves never used, even if we like the art, it fails to speak to us.

Here also is the contrast to other authors, who suggest as a first deck the RWS, because it is so “easy” to learn. And some of us are stuck with the RWS and the clones for once and all, as it is not so “easy” to forget the fixed meanings attached to that deck. There is a wealth of decks that is quite different and we think: “To difficult to read”. But thanks to Gigi Miners tools and advice, we can have access to each deck that draws us. The difficulties can be forgotten and not even a companion book is needed.

We gain our own wisdom about the significance of a symbol, a colour, and a gesture. The shifting of interpretations due to different questions and spreads represent no obstacle anymore. Even the use of reversed cards is not necessary anymore. Reversals only strain the eyes. We will suddenly see in the whole context of a spread also the shadow side of the card. It leaps into our spirit. Because we interpret our own symbols here too.

My “exercise” for this was my diary with a weekly card I do since years. I chose a card from a seldom-used deck, took it apart and once more together and did all she suggested, telling my diary what happened to me the half week back and what I hope for the other half. One leg in the past and one in the future. My way to deal with Tarot in my daily life.

It fit together too, teaching me as a bonus the use of a difficult deck I had problems with before. Only my interpretation had now not much to do anymore with the companion booklet, as I found out later. But as I prefer to work without them most of the time, it did not bother me, but gave me a deeper insight into another book too. I mean the Bible. I used the Golden Tsar deck that shows entirely religious scenes and symbols. They changed for me with this method, as did the stories attached to the pictures.

In contrast to Gigi Miner I ever abhorred rules, but with this deck I thought, I have to follow them, its so fixed and rigid- But I found many new insights into the deck, the Bible and the stories about the life of the Saints, corresponding with my own opinion with this all.

So we cannot only learn to use the cards with Gigi Miners teaching, even important books can change for us. There are more theme decks with stories attached or done with a special book in mind. I think about the Shakespeare deck, that will be the next I intend to explore deeper. Till now I did not liked it, but maybe that will change too.

The combination of Dream Work and Tarot reading is the best I could find till now. My own work was and is different, but the addition of all the informations - and yes - wisdom I gained from this book, opens new horizons I am eager to explore. She says in Chapter 10, that all people can learn reading Tarot cards and interpret dreams. But that some people have a special gift, a psychic gift, for this work.

We, who work since years with Tarot and/or Dream work have learned where our limitations are, even if some of us have that special psychic gift The achievements of this book are manifold. It tells, each person can learn and use Tarot and Dream work to the best of her/his abilities. So for the beginner the obstacle is taken away “Can I? Dare I?”. You can, all of you.

But the biggest asset of this book for me is: With rejecting doubts and just beginning to explore first the symbols and the cards, after that ourselves and other people, when we dare to try reading for others, we also have here a sure tool to find out, if we are psychic gifted or not. “Who does not ask, gets no answer”. The Tarot ever gives answers, also about our abilities and gifts. Beginning the work is a question too. With time going by, we find out: *Am I a good reader or - do I even belong to the gifted ones”:

So start and explore yourself, open up to the cards, the dreams and find out more about yourself as you ever hoped to learn.