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Rating: 
Summary: My first Tarot book. Good for beginners.
Review: I first got this book in 1979. While I agree with one other reviewer that the beginning of the book with the meditation practices are a bit farfetched, the analyzation of the cards and the spreads are good. Her next book For the Journeyman is all very good. I, however, have to discount all the religious hangups that she has, but her interpretations are OK if a bit brief.
Rating: 
Summary: marvelous and easy to use
Review: I love this amazing book. After years 15 years of studying the Tarot, I picked this old classic up and it is teaching me new things, bringing my knowledge to new levels, giving me new insights. I am awed. The meditations are beautiful and very helpful in establishing your own link to the cards, no matter what your religion. I highly recommend this book for anyone at any level of Tarot study. Whether you are interested in doing Tarot readings for yourself and others, or using the cards for spiritual growth, or both, this book will become a well-loved, well-used favorite.
Rating:
Summary: A really good book for me.
Review: I notice there are both negative and positive comments about Eileen's book, and I can understand both sides of the Argument. The clever thing Eileen teaches, is to learn the tarot by meditation and symbology - rather than by rote. By learning to 'feel' each of the cards, I quickly learned to form my own image as to their meaning (although guided by Eileen). I have to confess that the meditations with a strong Christian bent, left me a little cold. But as most folk with a truly 'world view' have come to realise - the Christian 'God' is merley one description of what is out there. I skipped 'third eye' and 'solar plexus' bits too - but freely accept that 'rituals' are an important part of many peoples beliefs.As a complete beginner, this was the best book I read - much preferring to 'tune in' to the symbology of the card. You don't have to be psychic - just be able to think about the symbology and feel the emotions these symbols generate for each of the cards as you come across them. Buy it!
Rating:
Summary: I think it is the best tarot book around for the Beginner
Review: This book will give you a good idea of what Connally was hoping to do with this deck. If you are reading with this deck, you may find some of the mentors helpful, though I think the court mentors are a bit weak. The exercises for becoming familiar with the energies of the different cards are also helpful. At the end of the book, she explains a few different spreads, which is helpful for beginniners. I had a hard time getting over some of the religious overtones, as I am not Christian, and they tended to clash with my worldview. (Basically I rewrote all of her meditations.) Also, I disagree with her fundamental keys for the suits. Example: I have always seen wands as concerning spiritual matters, while she uses "enterprise and distinction" as the suit key. I also had some issues with her ideas about time and season cards. I would strongly advise looking at a copy of this book prior to purchasing it.
Rating: 
Summary: Good parts and Bad parts
Review: This book will give you a good idea of what Connally was hoping to do with this deck. If you are reading with this deck, you may find some of the mentors helpful, though I think the court mentors are a bit weak. The exercises for becoming familiar with the energies of the different cards are also helpful. At the end of the book, she explains a few different spreads, which is helpful for beginniners. I had a hard time getting over some of the religious overtones, as I am not Christian, and they tended to clash with my worldview. (Basically I rewrote all of her meditations.) Also, I disagree with her fundamental keys for the suits. Example: I have always seen wands as concerning spiritual matters, while she uses "enterprise and distinction" as the suit key. I also had some issues with her ideas about time and season cards. I would strongly advise looking at a copy of this book prior to purchasing it.
Rating:
Summary: This insightful guide facilitates quick intuitive learning
Review: This handbook is clear in its explanations, and allows the beginner to develop an intuition with one's chosen deck. Though Connolly prefers Rider-Waite her insights are not limited for that deck alone. I have several decks (none of which are R.W.) and have been reading Tarot for fifteen years. This was my first book on the Tarot, I highly recommend the rest of her series of "handbooks" (journeyman and master). Connolly's personal method stimulates the intuitive connection of sybolism, numerology and the study of human nature to the work with the Tarot. Quite a lot of emphasis is placed on meditation. Again, I believe she is trying to guide the beginner to develop intuition necessary for accurate divination and self-empowerment. This is excellent especially for anyone who is connected to the Eastern philosophies. A modern "pagan" may not care for the emphasis on chakras and the spiritual eye exercises, but anyone who is a student of Western meets Eastern philosophy/ religion will greatly understand the meanings in this book.
Rating:
Summary: This insightful guide facilitates quick intuitive learning
Review: This was the first in my growing collection of tarot books (I have been studing for 6 months). It starts out with the minor arcana and does a very good job with these. Two charts are presented which I still look to for guidance. The first explains the associations of the four suits and the second presents five ways of looking at the numbering. Most books I have seen (except ones specifically based on numerology) give only cursory attention to the information contained in the numbers. The suggested meditations on the court families are also good for tuning into the family charateristics. Her treatment of the specific members of the family, however, leaves a little to be desired. In other words, you get a feel for the royal court of staffs but not for the role of kings, etc. Where Connolly loses me in the discussion of the major arcana. She begins with a prayer to each card. I am pagan and found little in the prayers that jived with my own spirtuality. A prayer to one card spoke of the evils of polythesim. Probably more useful to a Christian or Jew. The next "excerise" is actually a story. A paragraph is written about each card in sequential order. The story too has a decidely monotheist bend. The "excerise" is too recite the prayer to each card and then read that card's story out loud. All this did for me is make my voice grow hoarse. The last half of the book consists of card "mentors" and instructions for performing a reading using the Celtic Cross. The mentors are each one page the contains a picture of the Rider Waite deck version of the card in question, a few sentences on the possible upright interpretations , and a few sentences on the possible reversed interpretations. This sort of information can be found virtually anywhere and I have seen in done better and in more detail in other books. The Celtic Cross information is brief but quite good. Connolly's descriptions of the card positions are very insightful and it is her intreprations that I turn to when doing this layout, even though it is featured in three of my other tarot books.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book For Learning Minors
Review: This was the first in my growing collection of tarot books (I have been studing for 6 months). It starts out with the minor arcana and does a very good job with these. Two charts are presented which I still look to for guidance. The first explains the associations of the four suits and the second presents five ways of looking at the numbering. Most books I have seen (except ones specifically based on numerology) give only cursory attention to the information contained in the numbers. The suggested meditations on the court families are also good for tuning into the family charateristics. Her treatment of the specific members of the family, however, leaves a little to be desired. In other words, you get a feel for the royal court of staffs but not for the role of kings, etc. Where Connolly loses me in the discussion of the major arcana. She begins with a prayer to each card. I am pagan and found little in the prayers that jived with my own spirtuality. A prayer to one card spoke of the evils of polythesim. Probably more useful to a Christian or Jew. The next "excerise" is actually a story. A paragraph is written about each card in sequential order. The story too has a decidely monotheist bend. The "excerise" is too recite the prayer to each card and then read that card's story out loud. All this did for me is make my voice grow hoarse. The last half of the book consists of card "mentors" and instructions for performing a reading using the Celtic Cross. The mentors are each one page the contains a picture of the Rider Waite deck version of the card in question, a few sentences on the possible upright interpretations , and a few sentences on the possible reversed interpretations. This sort of information can be found virtually anywhere and I have seen in done better and in more detail in other books. The Celtic Cross information is brief but quite good. Connolly's descriptions of the card positions are very insightful and it is her intreprations that I turn to when doing this layout, even though it is featured in three of my other tarot books.
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