Tag: Benebell Wen

Astrology Course for Beginners (Independent Study)

On By benebellIn astrology, divination, personal spirituality, promotional13 Comments

$65.  USD

Custom: Including your birth charts in 4 systems:

$75. USD

This is a beginner’s course on how to read both a Placidus and a Whole Signs astrological chart with the tropical zodiac (the sidereal zodiac is not taught in this course, though we will cover the differences between a tropical and a sidereal zodiac). Yep, that’s right. Both will be taught. The mission of this course is to get you to know how to read both Placidus and Whole Signs, even if Whole Signs is my preferred system. (Meaning, there’s going to be a bias in favor of Whole Signs…)

This course does not teach chart construction and will only cover how to read a chart that you already have on hand, Placidus or Whole Signs. After covering the basics, you will learn how to read a natal chart, perform transits astrology readings, get a sense of both traditional astrology and modern astrology, dwarf planets and asteroids included, and if I’ll be damned, you are going to have one rock solid foundation in Western astrology that won’t be beat.

Competitive in content, by scope and depth, to beginner astrology courses that cost in the hundreds, Astrology Course for Beginners is intended to be budget-friendly, so everyone can learn how to simplify the complexities of Western astrology.

Continue reading “Astrology Course for Beginners (Independent Study)” →

Holistic Tarot Free Study Guides: Advanced

On By benebellIn cartomancy, divination, Holistic Tarot (book), professional tarot, tarot, tarot symbolism5 Comments

Holistic Tarot Study Guides Advanced 4

Okay, people, I get it. I’ve heard it. Holistic Tarot is a big book. How does one even wade through that thing? Fear not! I’ve got study guides! To demonstrate how the book can be used as a textbook for the independent study of tarot, I’ve created study guides that will help you navigate the book at a beginner level, intermediate, and advanced. Here are the first two study guides:

Don’t forget the supplements! Those are very helpful (or so I claim). Be sure to check out all Holistic Tarot study guides and supplemental downloads here.

Now I bring you the Study Guide for the Advanced Tarot Student, and also for the tarot practitioner who is seeking to go professional. If your objective is to go professional, however, this study guide alone (and the Holistic Tarot text) is not going to suffice. That’s why I have several great book recommendations in the study guide that I know will be indispensable to the aspiring professional.

Who might find the Advanced study guide helpful?

The Advanced study guide may be right for you if…

  • you have been reading Holistic Tarot by following along through the Beginner and Intermediate study guides and now see there are still chapters that the guides didn’t cover and you want to cover those chapters, or
  • you’ve been studying tarot for some time under the Rider-Waite-Smith system, are proficient at the Intermediate level, and now you want more, or
  • you’re thinking about going professional with tarot and offering your reading services to the public.

If that sounds like you and you want to continue your studies with Holistic Tarot, then download this study guide and the recommended supplements.

Holistic Tarot Study Guides Advanced 3

STUDY GUIDE FOR THE ADVANCED TAROT STUDENT

Click on the radio button below to download the PDF.

download-study-guide

The Study Guide for the Advanced Tarot Student presumes that you have completed the Study Guide for the Intermediate Tarot Student, are proficient with the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, and have a copy of the Holistic Tarot book. For Session 4 in the Advanced Study Guide, it is also recommended that you have a Tarot de Marseille deck and a Thoth deck to work with. Click on the above button to download the PDF. Also be sure to download and save the below supplements. Note: In traditional esoteric tarot teaching approaches, astrology and the Qabalah basics would be taught at the beginner’s level concomitant with the tarot basics. The approach here is to integrate these areas of knowledge after a strong foundation in tarot has been built.

Supplemental Downloads

Sample Code of Ethical Conduct for Tarot Professionals

DOCX

PDF
Glyph Correspondences for the Opening of the Key

PDF
Interpreting Tarot through Astrology

PDF
Sample Written Reading Templates

DOCX

PDF
Log of Professional Readings, Events, and Parties

DOCX

PDF
Detailed Summary of Professional Readings Log

DOCX

PDF
Sample Privacy Terms for Tarot Reading Websites

DOCX

PDF
Sample Schedule of Fees and Terms of Service

DOCX

PDF
Sample Services Agreement (for Parties and Events)

DOCX

PDF

You can order your copy of the book on Amazon, through the publisher’s website at North Atlantic Books, or through the distributor, Random House.

All Holistic Tarot study guides and supplements are available for free download here on this website at HOLISTIC TAROT STUDY GUIDES. I hope these study guides are helpful in your learning and if you do use the Advanced Guide, please let me know about your experience with it!

Interview on Christiana’s Psychic Café

On By benebellIn divination, Holistic Tarot (book), personal, tarot2 Comments

I chat with tarot grandmaster Christiana on the Psychic Café about the process of writing Holistic Tarot, using the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, a little bit on the I Ching, and, of course, my signature discursive splattering of chatter.

Christiana’s Psychic Café is aired every Sunday at 9 p.m. Eastern time. If you miss it live, you can watch the recording on Christiana’s YouTube channel. She has interviewed some amazing people in tarot and the spiritual community. I’m a loyal follower of the Café. Also be sure to check out Ms. Gaudet’s tarot blog, Tarot Trends.

 

Holistic Tarot Free Study Guides: For Intermediates

On By benebellIn divination, Holistic Tarot (book), professional tarot, tarot6 Comments

HolisticTarot_Intermediate_2

My first book Holistic Tarot was released in paperback this past Tuesday, January 6, and I am grateful for the overwhelming support I have received. First, thank you.

To demonstrate how the book can be used as a textbook for independent study of tarot, I’ve created these study guides that will help you navigate the book at a beginner level, intermediate, and advanced. I talked about the Beginner Level here and we’ll get to the Advanced shortly.

The following Study Guide is for an Intermediate student in tarot learning under the Rider-Waite-Smith system.

You are Intermediate if…

  • you have a working tarot journal of some sort;
  • you can draw any one of the 78 cards and interpret it with semi-confidence;
  • you have a basic, working knowledge of all RWS card meanings;
  • you’re familiar with the Celtic Cross spread and read proficiently with it;
  • okay, you don’t want to brag, but you’re kind of a pro with the three-card reading (or some other simple spread equivalent);
  • you’ve dabbled with different tarot spreads before and have a strong sense of what works and doesn’t work for you; and
  • you’ve done a minimum of 50 tarot readings (closed book, that is!).

If that sounds like you and you want to continue your studies with Holistic Tarot, then download this study guide and the recommended supplements.

HolisticTarot_Intermediate_1

STUDY GUIDE FOR THE INTERMEDIATE TAROT STUDENT

Click on the radio button below to download the PDF.

download-study-guide

Supplemental Downloads

Reading with Signifiers

PDF
First Operation Practice Log

DOCX

PDF
Court Cards Practice Exercises

PDF
Elemental Dignities and Affinities

PDF
Daily Readings

DOCX

PDF
Ruminations on the Major Arcana

DOCX

PDF
The Three Septenaries

PDF
Card Counting (Majority View)

PDF
Worksheet for Devising Your Own Spread

PDF

You can order your copy of the book on Amazon, through the publisher’s website at North Atlantic Books, or through the distributor, Random House.

All Holistic Tarot study guides and supplements are available for free download here on this website at HOLISTIC TAROT STUDY GUIDES. I hope these study guides are helpful in your learning and if you do use the Intermediate’s Guide, please let me know about your experience with it!

Holistic Tarot Free Study Guides: For Beginners

On By benebellIn Holistic Tarot (book), tarot14 Comments

Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen Beginner Study Guide 2

Holistic Tarot is now out in stores! You can order your copy of the book on Amazon, through the publisher’s website at North Atlantic Books, or through the distributor, Random House.

I hope you will find the book to be a timeless go-to reference source for all your tarot needs, but I also know that the sheer size of it can be intimidating.

So. I’ve created study guides and supplements for free download that will help you navigate the book and learn tarot. These study guides and supplements contain additional exercises and information that dovetail on the contents of the book.

The guides are subdivided into sessions with suggested reading, practice work, ruminations, and supplemental downloads that will help you learn tarot on your own and at your own pace. They will help you navigate the book, whether you’re reading at the beginner, intermediate, or advanced level.

Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen Beginner Study Guide 3

If you’re just starting out, I recommend following the Study Guide for the Beginner Tarot Student, a syllabus for learning tarot on your own with the Holistic Tarot text.

You are a Beginner if…

  • you are not sure exactly how many cards are in a standard tarot deck;
  • some of the imagery on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck seem a bit intimidating to you;
  • you’re kind of wondering what all this Rider-Waite-Smith tradition talk is all about;
  • when I say “tarot journal,” you draw a blank;
  • you are not familiar with the Celtic Cross; and
  • you find it incredulous that anyone in this world could know from memory the meanings to all those cards.

STUDY GUIDE FOR THE BEGINNER TAROT STUDENT

Click on the radio button below to download the PDF.

download-study-guide

Supplemental Downloads

Rider-Waite-Smith Flash Cards for Rote Study

DOCX
Log of Celtic Cross Practice Readings (Version: Waite Cross)

PDF
Tarot Spreads Practice: Quick Reference Sheets from Appendix A (for printing convenience)

PDF
Log of Readings

DOCX

PDF
Morning Routine Reading Practice (Template) DOCX

Beginner Guide Created: 12/17/2014

All Holistic Tarot study guides and supplements are available for free download here on this website at HOLISTIC TAROT STUDY GUIDES.

I hope these study guides are helpful in your learning and if you do use the Beginner’s Guide, please let me know about your experience with it!

Chatting with Kate from Daily Tarot Girl

On By benebellIn Holistic Tarot (book), personal, tarot1 Comment

How do you not adore Kate from Daily Tarot Girl? She’s the author of The Ultimate Tarot Journal, which is a comprehensive tarot journal that is indispensable to anyone who is just starting out in activating their intuitive juices. Outside of tarot, she has many different talents and all sorts of knowledge, which is probably why she’s a great life coach.

We chatted for an interview and other than the fact I may have a little too much makeup on and rambled a whole lot, going off on tangents that now in retrospect make no sense, I had a lot of fun. This was my first video interview for Holistic Tarot and I hope the rough-around-the-edges-vibe (from me, not her– oh goodness, Kate was all professional and graceful and stuff) isn’t too off-putting.

She and I talked about first getting into tarot, our approaches to tarot, and the misunderstandings about tarot we both face. I also plugged my book, of course, and we talk about what inspired me to write it. (Actually, I don’t think I really answered her question… that turned into one of those tangents… so sorry…!)

If you’re looking for a professional tarot reading, I highly recommend contacting Kate. Just watch her weekly card readings to get a great sense of her style.

A Tarot Reader Guest Blogs at Best American Poetry

On By benebellIn cartomancy, divination, Holistic Tarot (book), personal, professional tarot, promotional, tarot, tarot community43 Comments

bap

I am the guest blogger this week over at Best American Poetry and am feeling a bit like a fraud since I’m not a poet, at least not since the angry-histrionic adolescent years of poems about boys who won’t give me the time of day, printed in font size 14 in comic sans or some other curly girly font and center-aligned down the page. Hm, actually in college there was a brief period of doing slam poetry on themes of an Asian Diaspora ravaged by post-colonial ambivalence and cultural imperialism but that period is really best left forgotten too. I am, however, an avid consumer of poetry and have bookshelves at home filled with poetry collections and chapbooks, half of poets you’ve all heard of and half of poets you’ve probably never heard of.

I’m trying to think of when I first learned about the Best American Poetry series, and it turns out I can’t seem to remember a time when I was aware of literature and not aware of BAP. I read it in high school, college, and even recall sending a letter to David Lehman directly one time about a decade ago telling him I felt the BAP series didn’t include a fair representation of Asian American poets. The current series has been much better, I think, about diverse representation.

This week BAP is letting a tarot reader (me) run loose on their blog (http://blog.bestamericanpoetry.com/) and here’s what’s going to happen:

Continue reading “A Tarot Reader Guest Blogs at Best American Poetry” →