Introduction


I’m Benebell Wen, author of I Ching, The Oracle (North Atlantic Books, September 2023), a guide to the history and cultural heritage of the Book of Change. The text features my English translations of the Zhouyi  in an effort to reclaim its shamanistic origins.

I’ve previously published Holistic Tarot (2015) and The Tao of Craft (2016), also through North Atlantic Books. Holistic Tarot was my debut into the Mind, Body, Spirit space, intended to be a reference book on using the tarot for decision-making and self-reflection. The Tao of Craft introduced Fu sigil and talisman crafting to a Western audience, with historical context and practical guidance.

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FREE ONLINE COURSES is a repository of free, transformative learning materials that are self-paced video lectures, supplemental written handouts, workbooks, and downloadable guides that explore tarot, Taoist mysticism, Chinese esoteric traditions, various divination systems, and creative practice. These courses are designed to expand spiritual insight and practical skills, offered with the mission to democratize esoteric knowledge and remove economic barriers to entry.

What is the I Ching (易經, Yìjīng) Book of Changes? A VIDEO LECTURE AND WORKSHEET SERIES that brings the Book of Changes to life with guided talks on its cosmology, on traditional divination methods and interpretive frameworks rooted in Taoist metaphysics, step-by-step tutorials, and deep-dive explorations of the Lo Shu magic square, Wu Xing five dynamic elements of change, the Ba Gua eight trigrams, and the philosophical foundations of this 3,000 year old oracle. These lectures and their printable transcripts are available at no cost. Be sure to also download the printable PRACTICUM WORKSHEETS that guide you through selected Practicums excerpted from I Ching, The Oracle (North Atlantic Books, 2023).

Empower Your Tarot Studies with this FREE COMPANION COURSE to Holistic Tarot, a self-paced series of video lectures and downloadable study guides for navigating tarot symbolism, deck structure, and interpretive practice, dispelling superstitions and myths, deconstructing both classical and modern approaches, and to help you build a meaningful tarot study journal. Here is quality tarot education accessible to the public and to students at any level.

Then check out SIGHTSEE THE TAROT, an immersive tour of influential tarot books, tarot spreads, reading techniques, and diverse practices with the cards. These are hands-on guided workshops that will help you to refine your tarot practice. Each video episode explores specialized methods, introduces you to established voices in the tarot community, and gives you practical exercises to try, complete with downloadable handouts and reference tables for your tarot journal. This is the course for deepening your study of the tarot, great for both the curious beginner and the seasoned practitioner.

There’s also the educational series TAROT CARD MEANINGS WITH BENEBELL, which helps you to learn the tarot card by card. This is an ongoing educational video series covering the 78 keys or cards of the tarot, showcasing the distinct attributions for four different deck systems: the Tarot de Marseilles (TdM), the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS), the Thoth deck by Crowley-Harris, and my own deck, the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot. Using audio-visual learning methods, the series facilitates reading fluency with the four listed tarot systems. The card by card primer is designed to help with memory retention in a more visually engaging way than studying them out of a book.

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In addition to the free guided, self-paced course offerings, click on the category label “Free Download” for a DATABASE OF FREE RESOURCES.

TAROT. Download complimentary STUDY GUIDES that supplement my book Holistic Tarot (North Atlantic Books, 2015) designed to cover tarot education at three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. For those looking to launch tarot reading services professionally, check out these TAROT BUSINESS & LEGAL FORMS.

I CHING. For those studying the I Ching alongside I Ching The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes (North Atlantic Books, 2022), you can download many of the REFERENCE TABLES & DIAGRAMS from the textbook to integrate into your grimoire, study journal, and notes. Also check out the digital files for a COMPANION ORACLE DECK.

SIGIL CRAFTING. Download REFERENCE MATERIALS for Fu sigil and talisman crafting in the Eastern esoteric traditions. While these reference materials are provided freely, please note that the full explanation for how to use them, their historical and cultural background, and the practical context can be found in my book The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition (North Atlantic Books, 2016).

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My CURRENT OFFERINGS are the 2026 METAPHYSICIAN’S DAY PLANNER (MDP), a personalized organizer blending daily planning with astrological, tarot, I Ching, lunar-solar, and other forecasting insights to help you navigate 2026. The offering provides the PDF digital file only, with instructions on how to print out your physical spiral-bound copy via a third-party print-on-demand service. Your MDP is customized with your  birth chart and 2026 solar returns chart.

Also check out the current roster of INDEPENDENT STUDY online course offerings for learning at your own pace. These courses cover tarot, astrology, folk magic, and occult theory with expert-level depth and self-empowering practicums. Strengthen your divination skills and expand your metaphysical knowledge.

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Here is an overview of my works-in-progress:

THE BOOK OF THOTH-HERMES

The Grand Etteilla Book of Thoth-Hermes Tarot is my current work-in-progress tarot deck inspired by the late 18th and early 19th century French Etteilla cartomancy system. I’m both the illustrator of the deck art and author of the companion guidebook. Learn more about the project and track its progress HERE.

ABOUT ETTEILLA’S BOOK OF THOT

In 1789, Jean-Baptiste Alliette, writing under the pseudonym Etteilla, creates a tarot deck based on his revelations from the Divine Pymander (or Poimandres), a foundational tract of the Corpus Hermeticum. Etteilla believes his deck reconstructs the true tarot of the Egyptian high priests from the Temple of Ptah, and is thus encoded with ancient knowledge about the creation of the cosmos and the nature of the soul. … That, or he was a business-savvy hustler with a knack for marketing and PR. Learn more about the historical Etteilla tarots HERE.

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I have been curating metaphysics related content on this website since 2012, so there’s a lot here. From deck reviews and book reviews to handbooks and insider information for artists, nonfiction writers, and deck creators to social commentaries, to legal forms and templates in various areas of the law that might be useful to you, guided meditations, journaling workbooks, and resources for your personal grimoire. If you’re interested, there’s also a lot recorded here on my past projects.

Spirit Keeper’s Tarot

Although now out of print, the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot was my first major published art project.

The first edition was a limited print run of 1,000 decks, which were direct scans of my black and white line drawings in ink.

During the pandemic while we were sheltering in place, I taught myself digital art to produce the SKT’s third and final edition. Learn more about the deck’s premise HERE.

Cultural Integration & the Prisca Theologia

Medieval philosophers and mystics on the quest to memorialize a single, universal theology searched beyond the borderlines of their own traditions. While their doctrines were based largely in Christian and Jewish mysticism, metastasized by the integration of Platonic philosophy and Sufism, the quest for that universal theology led these thinkers to consider Hinduism, Buddhism, and even a return to unearth the deeper heritage of their own pagan roots.

Cultural integration is conceptual alchemy that blends what had been separate artistic, intuitive paths of wisdom into one unified system of evolved thought.

CONTINUE reading HERE

Disputa, or Disputation of the Holy Sacrament (1510) by Raphael. Visual allegory of the union of the Church Triumphant in heaven and the Church Militant on earth. Mystery reveals itself through faith and divine illumination. “Disputa” was the scholarly theological debate during the late medieval and Renaissance period over the mystery of transubstantiation.

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FREE DOWNLOAD of Kuan Yin’s Great Compassion Mantra 大悲咒. You can also download the above high-res religious art print featuring the Mantra in Siddam Sanskrit, and an invocation of Kuan Yin in Traditional Chinese.

DECK REVIEWS

I get sent lots of decks and books for review from publishers and indie deck creators, and on occasion, I’ll review some of the ones I’ve been loving.

CLICK HERE to look through hundreds of tarot and oracle deck reviews.

265 thoughts on “Introduction”

  3. E's avatar E

    Roll over factor.. I see what is real but you have to tell me why… Right? No… I ahbe more an answers fpr you senpy… Idk jk sorry.. Dont mean to disrespect also.. Love cututure.. Cant spell for shit iam Russian anyways.. Please contact me.. Some strange… I need answers.. Witch… Sorry.. Jk peace out gangster
    P. S.
    You asian people dont see the truth in this yes??
    Please make me wrong women..

    Like

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  4. E's avatar E

    Actually magick is something i cannot talk…
    Have no identifed fear factors… Of any sort.. You i connect to in a philosophical way only.. Sorry to disturbe you normal day.. Sorry

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  16. Jonah Liston's avatar Jonah Liston

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  18. Ruth's avatar Ruth

    Hi. I was wondering whether you could offer me some advice on the Eden Gray’s 3 ace yes no spread
    I’m finding the information on receiving two aces in a spread but one of the aces are reversed and the other isn’t confusing.
    Firstly, Could I confirm that the immediate answer is definitely the right ace and the future the left? As I always thought the furthest right was the future and the left the past or current situation
    Also, I do a spread and ask the question… Will I hear from Dave again?
    When I draw out the cards I have a reversed ace in the first like And the right pile there is an upright ace.. How would that be interpreted?
    I’m confused 😩
    Thank you in advance

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  19. Minda Monroy's avatar Minda Monroy

    Hello, I was just checking out your website and filled out your contact form. The feedback page on your site sends you these messages to your email account which is why you’re reading through my message at this moment right? This is half the battle with any type of online ad, making people actually READ your ad and this is exactly what you’re doing now! If you have an advertisement you would like to blast out to millions of websites via their contact forms in the U.S. or to any country worldwide let me know, I can even target particular niches and my pricing is very reasonable. Shoot me an email here: trinitybeumer@gmail.com

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  22. A modern masterwork in the analytical tarot canon. The depth of Wen’s research and the breadth of her scope are truly stunning. Her work will sit comfortably on the bookshelf with that of Stuart R. Kaplan, Mary Greer, and Rachel Pollack as defining works in modern tarot. Kat Black, author of

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  23. Sherri Norris's avatar Sherri Norris

    I have been looking, rather unsuccessfully, for information about how to heal my Saturn. Does this mean purely in an astrological sense, or does that include the Saturn archetype I wonder now? The more I look, the more confused I become. My history with knee issues is what has brought this about. Any suggestions? You are the most intelligent, most learned astrologer of whom I am aware. Thank you.

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  26. Luis Aponte's avatar Luis Aponte

    I have been a practicing witch for over 22 years I started when I was 8. Never was I drawn to tarot or even astrology it was always salves and read. Helping and healing those who needed it. Until one night I had a dream that has started me on this journey. Thank you for creating all of these guides and lessons

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  29. Yetta Haigh's avatar Yetta Haigh

    Hi, I was just on your website and filled out your feedback form. The contact page on your site sends you messages like this to your email account which is the reason you are reading my message at this moment right? That’s half the battle with any type of online ad, getting people to actually READ your ad and this is exactly what you’re doing now! If you have something you would like to promote to thousands of websites via their contact forms in the US or to any country worldwide let me know, I can even target your required niches and my prices are super low. Write a reply here: Phungcorsi@gmail.com

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  33. Nick Steffanoni's avatar Nick Steffanoni

    Hello, I was just taking a look at your site and filled out your “contact us” form. The “contact us” page on your site sends you messages like this via email which is why you are reading my message right now right? This is the most important accomplishment with any type of online ad, getting people to actually READ your message and I did that just now with you! If you have an ad message you would like to blast out to lots of websites via their contact forms in the US or to any country worldwide send me a quick note now, I can even target your required niches and my charges are very affordable. Send a message to: cluffcathey@gmail.com

    unsubscribe your site https://bit.ly/3aELXYU

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  34. Brenda Berger's avatar Brenda Berger

    Nice to hee what a professional has to say. Been somewhat interested all my life…but at 66…I feel its now or never. Staring with a used deck of Raider Wait Smith. Used Sage on both side of each card. I’m interested in personal growth only. Maybe a little bit of what’s the future hold might be fun too! Thank you. Starting chapter 3 right now!

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  44. May I just say what a relief to uncover an individual who really knows what they are talking
    about over the internet. You definitely understand how to bring an issue to light
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