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Your Tarot Guide, by Melinda Lee Holm

Your Tarot Guide: Learn to Navigate Life With the Help of the Cards, by Melinda Lee Holm and illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason
CICO Books, 1800652607, 160 pages, October 2023

Does the world really need another guide to reading tarot? Well, if it’s Melinda Lee Holm’s Your Tarot Guide: Learn to Navigate Life With the Help of the Cards, then the answer is absolutely yes! This book is a fresh approach on helping novice and experienced readers use the cards to literally navigate life–imagine a guide to help you through the rough times, the murky times, the times when the path seems unclear.

Holm views the tarot as a “language and a tool,” and guides the reader into using it to navigate “life using tarot as a compass.”1 While applicable to all tarot decks, she uses her two decks, Elemental Power Tarot and Tarot of Tales, as the illustrations in this book. They were both illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason, the illustrator of this book too! What I found interesting is that the imagery in these decks do not include human figures as Holm believes that tarot is for everyone.

Holms reminds the reader that the cards do not foretell the future but rather offer a way to move through your life toward the life you desire. There are no bad cards, she explains, there is only information and conversation, thus removing the fear of using tarot the wrong way or receiving bad messages. Phew! That is a weight off my shoulders, giving me more room to open up and discern the card’s symbolism and meaning instead of becoming bogged down with worry.

The start of the book provides a comprehensive section on tarot basics, where it comes from, how the cards function as a whole, and how to choose and care for your deck. There are accompanying exercises to help you “get acquainted with your new best friend.”2 I loved the friend description of the deck. Yes, a good friend will help guide you through the challenging times, celebrate the good times, be honest without being judgmental and always have your best interests at heart!

For those new to tarot, the descriptions of the major and minor arcana are easy to understand. There is a big, wonderful table that makes it easy to understand correspondences. The major arcana overview includes astrological associations, crystal connections, apothecary associations in the form of essences, herbs, and flowers, and also affirmations. The minor arcana descriptions have association with card numbers as well as elemental correspondences for example, swords/air.

I did the exercises in the beginning section and found them to be a fun, non-intimidating way to connect with the cards. Although I’ve been using tarot for over three decades I enjoyed taking the time to do the exercises such as associating people I knew or famous people, characters from books, etc. with each of the major arcana cards.

I agree with Holm’s recommendations for how to choose a tarot deck, namely use the one you’re drawn to and make sure it has a “tone” that resonates with you. Ensure the images are ones that you welcome into your life. And, use the same deck for a year to allow yourself to open to its messages. She provides marvelous rituals to opening up and caring for the deck as well as keeping a tarot journal – all things that I do. And I love anyone who recommends keeping selenite, one of my favorite mineral cleansers, with the deck. I wish I had this book when I first started using tarot as a guide. 

Also, of particular help to the tarot reader is the questions that she answers that most of us have probably asked at some time or another while using tarot, such as what if someone touches my deck, what if I don’t get the answer I want, why am I getting bad news?

As a good guide, Melinda offers different tarot spreads ranging from a single card to an ambitious twelve card spread. For each spread she posed a different general question and the detailed question that each card would answer. The twelve-card spread was on the year ahead which is one that I have never done. For each group of three cards she referenced them to equinoxes and solstices. I will definitely put some quiet time aside at the end of December to do this spread. 

The majority of the book is Holm’s take on the major and minor arcana. Readers can look up the card they’re curious about and find descriptions that are  easily understandable and unintimidating. Both beginners and experienced readers will benefit from her descriptions of each card because Holm’s explanation brings unique insight.

For each of the Major Arcana she offers comments on the meaning of areas such as love and relationships, career and money, and challenge/reversal. She also associates each card with astrology, a Hebrew letter, a crystal, apothecary, and an affirmation. The first couple descriptions of each Major card vary, however. For The Fool she writes about Practicing Presence, for The Hermit about Seeds of Invention, and for The Moon about Reflections on Reflecting. The questions she poses for each card are not static but rather, prompt reflection.

For the Minor Arcana she describes what each of the four suits corresponds to and what they support. She offers general crystal associations and apothecary associations for each suit. The card descriptions are less probing than those of the Major Arcana but very clear and concise.

I’ve been working with Tarot for over three decades, but to be honest, I’ve always had trouble understanding the Court cards. Actually, I disliked it when I pulled one. I had never received a clear understanding in any guide I read about their meanings. Until now. Melinda descriptions were so relatable to me that now I actually want to draw Court cards!

Rohan Daniel Eason’s striking artwork fills the book. As I mentioned, he illustrated Melinda’s two tarot decks, Elemental Power Tarot and Tarot of Tales, and illustrations from each deck are offered for each of the 78 cards. Just like in those decks, illustrations for this book are the perfect companion to Holm’s text.

This book is filled with vivid imagery that keeps the reader visually engaged while flipping through it. The cover is framed by the tentacles of an octopus framing a rough sea with a pirate ship attempting to get through the storm. Birds serenely watch the scene, not phased by the storm, similar to how readers will feel about life when they read Holm’s take on the tarot. It’s wonderful to see how well the imagery and words bolster each on in this book.

Overall, I highly recommend Your Tarot Guide  for all who are interested in tarot, novice and experienced. Holm’s expertise as an author and experience of creating her own tarot decks  comes forth in this book to provide a guiding light for reading the cards. All that you need to navigate the wisdom of the tarot is held within these pages!

Elemental Power Tarot, by Melinda Lee Holms

Elemental Power Tarot, by Melinda Lee Holms
CICO Books, 978-1782499220, 64 page, 2020


Elemental Power Tarot is a beautiful deck, which uses rustic, muted tones and hand-drawn images to create an earthy look. What is unique about this deck’s approach to the tarot is that none of the cards feature images of people — only inanimate objects and animals are featured in the images.

The author and designer, Melinda Lee Holm, explains in the book accompanying the deck that it is her intention the querent superimposes themself in the images instead of see another person there. So, for example, The Fool card depicts a winding dirt pathway that meanders out off the side of a cliff, as if the querent themself were taking this risk instead of watching it be taken by somebody else. Likewise, the High Priestess, Empress, and Emperor all depict empty, yet appropriately decorated thrones. Meanwhile, the Heirophant depicts a Buddhist meditation shrine on the side of a path.

I quite like this approach as it challenges the querent to truly see themselves in the midst of the situation at hand and not simply as a passive observer. Some of the cards seem to present environmental messages as well — the Death card portraying a bee on a skull and crossbones, and Judgement shows pollution buried underground. Each Major Arcana features both an astrological symbol and a Hebrew glyph to invite the querent towards further insight into the meaning of the card.

However, the only thing I do not like about this deck is that the cards of the Minor Arcana only show the element (Swords, Wands, Cups or Disks) in the amount of the card’s number. There is no scenic image to help discern the meaning of the card. My good friend exclaimed as she picked up the deck that she would not be able to read the cards because she’s trained in the method of reading solely based in intuitively interpreting images. So from this light, this deck is not the best choice for someone who is on the newer side of reading tarot and doesn’t the meanings memorized. Still, the accompanying guidebook is thorough and easy to read, so really anyone willing to take the time can get an accurate reading using this deck.

The book accompanying this deck is actually quite exceptional. Holm starts off with instructions on how to perform a 5-element ritual to welcome the deck into your life and initiate its prophetic power. From there she includes suggestions on phrasing questions in “tarot speak” to get clearer results as well as an intuitive technique she calls “reading the room.” Holm offers her readers 3 different simple spreads to get started: classic 3-card, 5-card and 10-card spreads. The spreads are clear and easy to follow — the 10-card is based on the classic Celtic Cross spread for those who may be familiar.

The book also includes a chart of all the Hebrew glyphs and astrology symbols used on the Major Arcana cards in the deck. This quick-reference chart is something any tarot reader would greatly appreciate, as she side-steps all the esoteric rigamarole and gets right to the point with clear, one word meanings.

In terms of the individual card descriptions, the book offers each card in the deck a symbolic interpretation, a guidance, and a challenge (though it isn’t specified, a querent might favor the challenge if a card is reversed). What is remarkable about this deck is that in the book for each of the Major Arcana cards Holm includes a section called “Apothecary” where she pairs an herb with the card and offers instruction on how to use it.

For example, The Magician: “Cinnamon activates personal magick. Sprinkle it on porridge, boil the sticks to make tea, or use it as a room freshener in potpourri.”1 This was a wonderful addition that helps to connect each reading to the realm of nature, while also learning about the uses of different herbs in energy work.

Your Magickal Year, by Melinda Lee Holm

Your Magickal Year: Transform your life through the seasons of the zodiac, by Melinda Lee Holm
CICO Books, 1800650957, 160 pages, April 2022

What does it mean to live magically? If you’re on a journey to discover this for yourself, Your Magickal Year: Transform your life through the seasons of the zodiac by Melinda Lee Holm is the perfect book to use as guidance when cultivating a magical lifestyle. This book guides you through the year, tapping into the new and full moon through all the zodiac signs to facilitate personal growth and understanding through the transformation that comes from attuning to the lunar cycle.

“To follow a magickal year is to make a full lap of the stars, touching on each full and new moon, every solstice and equinox, to honor its influence and open yourself to receive it.”1

Holm is a tarot priestess, entrepreneur, and creative writer. She owns her own beauty line that creates all sorts of goodies, such as fragrance oils, natural deodorant, detoxifying cleansing masks, face oil, and more. She published her own Elemental Power Tarot deck and is also co-author of Divine Your Dinner: A cookbook for using tarot as your guide to magickal meals, which made me hungry just hearing the name and curious enough to order it.. review most likely coming soon. 🙂

But let’s focus on Your Magickal Year for right now! First of all, it’s absolutely stunning to look through with gorgeous, hand-drawn images by artist Rohan Daniel Eason filling each page. The beautiful blue hardcover makes it perfect to  keep on one’s coffee table for decoration and necessity, as you’ll need it every two weeks if you’re following the lunar cycle.

As for the interior, there’s the perfect amount of negative space in the content of the book to really allow one’s eyes to focus on the information and pictures to indulge in the joy of fantastic aesthetics. The visual appeal and organization is what makes this book perfect to work with because one can open to a page and fully immerse themselves without having to flip back and forth. Rather than be overwhelming, there’s an invitation to dive in that comes when flipping through the pages. What’s also really unique is how Holm’s Elemental Power Tarot cards are featured as sample readings and as depictions of the tarot cards to use in the rituals. If you love her deck, you’d really enjoy seeing all the artwork in this book.

Holm starts off by providing the reader with a 101 lesson on astronomy, astrology, and magick. From there, the essential tools of the book are covered: tarot cards, a journal, energy clearing tools, candles, crystals, and other supplies that might be needed, including herbs and oils for dressing candles or making offerings. Holm provides plenty of advice about these tools and how to use them, so even someone new to magical workings would feel comfortable getting started. There’s even a very helpful crystal guide of the energy each crystal is best for cultivating.

From here, Holm introduces the reader to four principles that will guide their work, as well as the four elements. She provides a brief overview on timing and preparation for working with the book and then offers answers to some FAQs about the book. The whole introduction is short and sweet, but definitely a solid foundation to begin with.

Now here’s the good part. For each astrological season, Holm writes about the zodiac sign’s symbolism, the magical energy of the season, tarot cards representing the sign, seasonal activities for this time of year, journaling for that season with prompt or suggestion about what to focus on, and a tarot spread for the season. She definitely provides a multi-layered approach to connecting with each season from both an intuitive and astrological perspective. Then there is a section on each zodiac sign’s new moon and full moon, with a little description about the significance of the time and how to connect with the lunar energy, and a ritual.

Since we are approaching a full moon, where the Sun in Taurus will be opposite the Moon in Scorpio, I’ll share the example of what Holm has to say about this time:

“The Taurus/Scorpio axis reveals areas of tension between stability and transformation. It invites conflict between our need to ground and our need to reinvent, what sustains life and what beckons the release of death. Whatever area of life you are ready to  bravely see, accept, and seriously overhaul is lit up by this moon.”2

The ritual provided is “designed to help you focus your energy on what you value most, releasing emotional attachment to things, tasks, situations, or relationships that are no longer important to you or relevant to your personal development.”3page 53[/efn_] The ritual involves use of a cleansing tool, the two tarot cards associated with Taurus (Hierophant) and Scorpio (Death), candles, oil, something symbolic of what you want to release, and purpose, white, and black crystals.

What I like about each ritual is they are fairly simple to do, but the combination of candles, tarot cards, and crystals makes them very potent. Admittedly, some people might not have all the materials readily on hand, so I suggest looking over the ritual about a week before to make sure you’re prepared. I also think this helps you to start connecting with the ritual and setting your own intention.

So far, I’ve worked with the Aries season of the book and the Taurus new moon. As an astrologer, I can vouch for Holm’s interpretation of each zodiac sign. She is definitely skilled in her craft and does an amazing job of translating the energy of the seasons into insightful, transformative practices that are fun to incorporate into one’s daily life. The journal prompts are helpful for focusing my awareness on the energy of the season, allowing me to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves. And the rituals make me feel like I am grounding the energy and honoring the lunar cycles through my intentional alignment.

For easy access to the timing of the  lunar cycle, there is a “Key Dates” section at the end of the book with the date and time of all the new and full moons from 2022 to 2030. Plus, there’s a very helpful index for reference. For instance, if you’re reading with book with a background in tarot, you can quickly look up in the index a tarot card of interest and find the page it’s discussed on.

All in all, Your Magickal Year is an absolutely stellar book. It’s gorgeous, accessible, and most of all, extraordinarily mystical. I think it’s the perfect book for beginning a practice of connecting with the lunar year or deepening the practice you already have. As someone who’s actively worked with the lunar cycles for over a decade now, Holm’s rituals, journal prompts, and tarot spreads provided new inspiration and brought a breath of fresh air to my practice. We all deserve a magical life, and this book for sure will be of use when creating one.