New to this video lecture series?

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The above-linked Introduction page will give you an overview of what this series is about and provide a course contents listing.

The Aces is the first of seventeen videos in this series, “Tarot Card Meanings with Benebell” (formerly titled “Learn the Tarot Card by Card”).

Closed Captioning + Read the Video Transcript

To turn on the closed captioning or subtitles for any video in this lecture series, click on the “CC” icon in the bottom right corner of the YouTube video.

Below the video just above the description box, you’ll see three horizontal dots in the bottom right corner. Click on those three dots and a window of three options will appear. Click on “Open transcript.” The text for the video will then appear along the right hand column adjacent to the video. You’ll be able to read the transcript of the video instead of watching it.

Note-Taking Recommendation

Select a notebook that is a minimum of 160 pages and optimally, around 200 pages. At 160 pages, your notebook will only have space for the card meaning entries. At 200, you can add reference material and other notes in front of and at the end of the card meaning entries.

Each page spread in your card meanings notebook will feature 1 of the 78 cards. Section each page into halves, so there are four sections displayed in each page spread, as shown above.

Then label the four sections as follows: Tarot de Marseilles, Rider-Waite-Smith, Thoth, and Spirit Keeper’s Tarot. Since one of the objectives for this particular video lecture series is to get you acquainted with the cards in SKT, that’s the fourth deck used.

However, this method can work with any other deck at all that you’re studying. Follow the TdM, RWS, and Thoth card meaning attributions as covered in the video lecture series and instead of the SKT for the fourth deck, take notes on any other deck of your own choosing.

The above image for a sample page spread is rather minimalist. If you’re a visual learner, or creativity and artistry reinforces your memory retention, then you’ll want to transform your notebook of tarot card meanings into an art project. Artistry and personal attention to aesthetics is powerful, as if weaving in the fundamentals of casting a spell, and so the more artistry you add to your tarot journal, the more attuned you will be to the tarot architecture.

For an even more comprehensive personal notebook of card meanings, get a notebook with a minimum of 316 pages. You’ll then dedicate 4 pages for each of the 78 cards. Each card entry begins with the right side of a page spread, with general correspondences, as illustrated in the sample above. The sample page shows cut print-outs of the cards pasted or taped into the notebook.

Turn  the page after the general correspondences and you’ll get the four sections for note-taking on the four deck styles.

Then the final fourth page for each card entry on the left side of the page spread will be dedicated to your own interpretation for the card, impressions, experiences you have with the card that color how you interpret it when it shows up in card readings, etc.

The right side of the page spread is the start of the next card entry, and so illustrated as an example here, after the Ace of Pentacles would be the Two of Wands.

When all is done, you’ll have created your own favorite tarot card meanings reference book!

I also like to number every page of a tarot journal or blank notebook before I start. Then leave the first few pages of the notebook blank for the table of contents. As you fill in the journal, return to the initial blank pages to write out your table of contents and include the page number each new card entry starts on.

Buy the SKT Deck

Click on the above photograph or here for ordering information on the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot deck, Vitruvian Edition. Please note that this is while supplies last.