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.

If Pre-Qin shamanistic-historical traditions and their legacy as found today in modern folk practices is of interest to you, then you might also like:

Chinese Shamanism Meets Taoism: The Hidden Link in 3,000 Years of Magic and Mysticism

Let’s time travel and step into the mystical lineage of the Neolithic Wu 巫 shamans that laid the foundation for Taoist mysticism. This free public video lecture explores the birth of Taoist magic and the enduring legacy of Wu shamanism.

The written article accompanying the video lecture delves further into the semantics of translating the word Wu 巫 into English, clarifying between lineaged Taoists and the Wu, and also commentary on white academia vs. native practitioners and who gets to speak as authorities on living traditions.

+ Download the lecture outline notes

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Taoism: A Decolonized Introduction

This is a video lecture on Taoism from the perspective of its native, lived cultural roots. It frames Taoism as an indigenous Chinese tradition and the fundamental assumptions that tradition is grounded upon. Drawing from classical texts and references, the lecture explores Taoist beliefs and practices as a dynamic, syncretic tradition that bridges philosophy, religion, and mysticism. It reclaims Taoism as a rational metaphysical system born from the ancestral soul-DNA of the Yellow River civilization.

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What is the I Ching (易經, Yìjīng) Book of Changes? This is a free video lecture series and companion course to the text, I Ching, The Oracle. Also be sure to check out the free downloadable and printable Practicum Worksheets.

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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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CURRENT PROJECT: ETTEILLA

The Grand Etteilla Book of Thoth-Hermes Tarot, inspired by the late 18th and early 19th century French Etteilla tarot divination system. I’m both the illustrator of the deck art and author of the companion guidebook on the Etteilla system. 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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WORK-IN-PROGRESS

This project of translating and annotating the Tao Te Ching is a personal journey as well as a public offering. My goal is to explore the text from the perspective of a Taoist mystic. The project will be dedicated to the public domain, which means anyone, anywhere, can freely access, use, and share this work. I endeavor to contribute to the ongoing tradition of sharing ancient wisdom openly and inclusively.

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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 Resources

I wish I could present you with a library of free resources and educational downloads, but really this website is more like a hoarder’s attic randomly stockpiled with treasures and tidbits accumulated over the decades. What you can find and discover depends entirely on how motivated you are. Here is a repository of downloadable guides, free courses, articles, studies, practical resources, instructions on techniques, charts and tables, and loads of printables for you to fill your personal grimoires with.

I believe that knowledge is meant to be shared, and that by offering these resources without cost, I can do my part to help make esoteric wisdom accessible to all who seek it.

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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.

An online tarot course taught from my book Holistic Tarot. Begin the course by watching the video lectures, all freely available on YouTube.

Learn Tarot with Holistic Tarot (Video Playlist)

I also offer a structured, self-paced tarot tutorial series. This tarot tutorial is a companion course to Holistic Tarot, meaning it’s keyed to the contents of that book. While someone proficient with the tarot can follow along the above-linked video playlist with complete ease, it may be more difficult for a total beginner, unless that total beginner has my book and is following the free course syllabuses provided here, “Holistic Tarot Study Guides.”

If, however, you’ve got a handy copy of Holistic Tarot and you’d like a self-paced, guided, well-structured tarot beginner course, then start by downloading the “Study Guide for Tarot Beginners” (PDF) check out the below linked Companion Course, and go from there.

Holistic Tarot: A Companion Course

A free online tarot course taught from my book Holistic Tarot. Enter the companion course at any level–beginner, intermediate, or advanced. Organize a tarot journal in a three-ring binder by downloading the study guides and handouts. Begin the course by watching the video lectures.

Sightsee the Tarot

Take a tour of the tarot with this ongoing educational video series. Discover new books and tarot thought leaders. Workshop classic tarot spreads or specialized reading techniques. Let’s explore all the different perspectives of tarot reading through the ages. This video course series of hands-on tarot workshops, 10 to 30 minutes at a time, will introduce you to a diverse range of approaches to the cards.

Sightsee the Tarot Video Series Page

Many of the video workshops include free tarot resources, reference charts, handouts, and workbooks for free download, so be sure to check the Series Page linked above.

LEARN THE TAROT CARD BY CARD

Tarot Card Meanings with Bell

This is an 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.

TAROT CARD MEANINGS Video Series Page

Be sure to check the Series Page linked above to download free references, correspondence tables, video transcript, recommended reading or study techniques, and more.

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.

Free E-Book: Key of Solomon, et al.

A 560-page digital book for free download. You can also order a physical paperback copy if you’d like.

What you will discover within the pages of this book I’m sharing, you’re going to find to be the keystones of Persian magic and witchcraft, the magical practices of Muslim-influenced Southeast Asian countries, the Golden Dawn (though many of their correspondences differ), hoodoo, Wicca, and maybe even the traditions you’ve inherited, though perhaps you’ve always wondered where those traditions might have come from.

If you’re serious about your occult studies, then I hope you’ll add this text to your library and read through it cover to cover at least once.

CLICK HERE to read more about the book and then download the PDF.

Last Updated: 2019 Oct 12

Free Astrology References

For those learning astrology and keeping a study binder, there are lots of printable astrology resources you can download here.

CLICK HERE for all Free Astrology References.

Last Updated: 2019 Oct 21

Glossary of Gemstone Correspondences

This is a free download that has been provided here on this website since 2016. The glossary file was revised and updated on October 21, 2019, so if you haven’t downloaded the latest version, then be sure to do so.

CLICK HERE to download the PDF and DOCX files of the Glossary.

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TERMS OF USE & PRIVACY POLICY

SITE MAP

Note on Web Content Accessibility (per Web Content Accessibility Guidelines): ADA website compliance is important to us, and even as a small business proprietor, just a husband and wife team working from our home, we try our best to make our content accessible. Where there’s audio, there’s closed captioning. Where there are visuals, the corresponding text is the alternative, which can be converted via text-to-speech. If there is ever any confusion or difficulty navigating our website (and to be fair, fully-abled individuals tell us all the time our website is a hot mess and difficult to navigate…), never hesitate to e-mail us at abelldelivers@gmail.com for free one-on-one navigation guidance.

264 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

    Reply
  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

    Like

    Reply
  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

    Like

    Reply
  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

    Like

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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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