Hermetic Tarot

The two-session course introduces methods of divination and meditation with the 78-card tarot as used in the western esoteric tradition. We will focus on the philosophy and methods of the "traditional" tarot, but this knowledge may be applied to other forms of cartomancy as well.
 
The esoteric keys to the tarot may be found in the Hermetic Qabalah, as well as in related branches of the tradition, and students will learn how to explore these keys through study and pathworking. Students will learn an integrative approach to divination, and will be taught methods for honing the intuitive faculty that lies at the heart of all divinatory methods.

If you have a 78-card deck (22 trumps, 40 number cards, 16 court cards), please bring it along with a notebook and pen or pencil. A small number of decks are available for those students who lack a deck of their own.

Course materials

Every esoteric tradition has a Guardian who is responsible for its continuity and growth within the human community, and Tarot is no exception. Students will be led to a visionary encounter with the Guardian of the Tarot in order to receive a blessing and to create a link between their deep mind and that of the tradition itself.

During the class, we will discuss the Qabalistic keys to the tarot. The 78 cards of the traditional tarot may be readily associated with the paths and sephiroth of the Qabalistic tree of life, which themselves are associated, in the Hermetic tradition, with the astrological planets and signs.

Also known as "skrying", tarot meditation is simpler than pathworking. However, you should use the same steps to prepare for both in order to achieve clarity of vision.

Skrying provides a non-immersive experience that can help you learn more about the cards. Its advantage over pathworking is chiefly its simplicity. Pathworking provides greater potential for deep exploration of each card and its meaning. Use both techniques and compare your experiences.

This technique of studying the Tarot has gained popularity in recent years, and has many variations by which it may be applied. The version presented here is derived from the teachings ofDolores Ashcroft-Nowicki in several of her excellent books on the subject.

In the second session of this course, students will learn an integrative method for reading the Tarot in divination. Before learning any tarot 'spreads', the students will learn how to enter the state of awareness that is conducive to divination as well as how to speak the truth of the divination. The spread taught here is one that the instructor has used for 30 years, and is based on a four-fold division of human experience and consciousness. Students will be able to perform simple readings for each other during class!

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