Best Tarot Books for Intermediate & Advanced Readers (2025 Guide)
Once you’ve moved past the basics of tarot, it’s natural to want more depth than beginner books can offer. At a certain point, you’re not just memorizing keywords anymore. You’re looking for different systems, symbolism, and tools. How can you expand your intuition and personal connection with the cards?
This is where intermediate and advanced tarot books come in. These titles go beyond simple card meanings and invite you to dive into reversals, astrology, history, esoteric knowledge and advanced reading techniques. They’ll help you slow down and study tarot from different perspectives.
Whether you’re ready to refine your skills, add new layers of symbolism, or simply explore tarot on a deeper level, the books below are excellent companions for your next stage of learning.
PS – This list is just a handful of my personal recommendations. It’s not meant to be a complete guide to every great tarot book out there!
Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen
If you’re ready to take tarot study seriously, Holistic Tarot is one of the most comprehensive resources available. At over 800 pages, this book is less of a casual read and more of an in depth reference manual you’ll return to again and again.
Benebell Wen approaches tarot with a mix of scholarship and practicality. This book covers everything from symbolism and spreads to ethics and reading for others. It’s structured almost like a textbook, making it especially valuable for readers who enjoy detailed study and want to see tarot from multiple angles. This book dives deep into the psychological, historical, and spiritual aspects of the cards.
Because of its size and depth, this isn’t the easiest book to start with, but once you’ve built a foundation, it becomes an invaluable tool for expanding your knowledge. If you want one book that will grow with you throughout your tarot journey, Holistic Tarot is an excellent pick.
Advanced Tarot by Paul Fenton-Smith
Advanced Tarot is a great step up book for readers who already feel comfortable with the basics and want to stretch their skills further. Paul Fenton-Smith presents a structured approach to more complex readings, including timing techniques, layered spreads, and deeper symbolic connections between the cards.
The book is written in a clear and practical style so it doesn’t feel overwhelming. It’s especially helpful if you’re looking to refine how you interpret multiple cards together or learn more about how each card can show up in different situations.
While it is called “Advanced Tarot”, it’s not necessarily the most advanced book out there. I think the title might scare someone away who’s more intermediate, yet I’d say this book is quite perfectly an intermediate tarot resource.
The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals by Mary K. Greer
Reversals can be one of the trickiest parts of tarot for readers to learn and that’s exactly where this book shines. In The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals, Mary K. Greer offers thoughtful interpretations for every card when it appears upside down. This book also includes practical exercises to help you integrate reversals into your readings.
Rather than treating reversed cards as simply “the opposite” of upright meanings, Greer explores them as layered, complex shifts in energy. The card meanings range from inner experiences and blocks to shadow aspects and hidden opportunities.
If you’ve been avoiding reversals or only dabbling with them, this book will give you the clarity and confidence you need. It’s a must have for intermediate and I’d argue even advanced readers who want to expand the depth and subtlety of their interpretations.
Tarot and Astrology by Corrine Kenner
If you’ve ever wanted to blend tarot with astrology, this book is the my favorite guide. Corrine Kenner lays out the connections between the two systems in a way that feels approachable, even if you’re not an astrology expert. This book explores how each tarot card is linked to astrological correspondence through planets, zodiac signs, and elemental energy.
What makes this book so valuable is its practicality. Kenner doesn’t just explain the associations but she shows you how to use them. This makes it a wonderful resource for deepening your understanding of both tarot and astrology simultaneously.
For intermediate and advanced readers looking to expand their toolkit, Tarot and Astrology is a great book to add to your collection. It adds richness and layered nuance to readings that has helped me so much as a reader.
A quick caveat: not every tarot reader needs to learn astrological correspondences. Think of it as an additional language used while reading. It’s a lens that can enrich your readings if it interests you, but it’s absolutely not essential for everyone.
The Tarot: History, Symbolism & Divination by Robert Place
In The Tarot: History, Symbolism & Divination Robert Place guides us on a journey through the origins of tarot. Rather than focusing on quick card meanings, this book dives into where the cards came from, how their symbolism evolved, and why that matters for modern readers.
What makes this book stand out is its blend of history and practice. It explores the influences of art, religion, and mysticism in tarot while also showing how those threads can inform your interpretations today. It’s written in an accessible style, so even though it’s rich in history, it doesn’t feel like an academic textbook.
For readers who want to understand tarot on a deeper symbolic and historical level, this book is a gem. It helps you see the cards not just as tools for divination, but as part of a long and very fascinating tradition.
The Psychic Art of Tarot by Mat Auryn
Mat Auryn is so skilled at bridging intuition, psychic development, and witchcraft. In The Psychic Art of Tarot, he seamlessly brings all of those threads together. This book is filled with exercises that focus on building your inner senses so that tarot becomes a living and intuitive practice rather than a memorization exercise.
This book is ideal for readers who feel called to work with tarot as both a spiritual and psychic tool. It’s not just about “knowing the cards,” but about learning to channel and interpret energy through them in a way that feels empowering and personal.
