This workshop is being hosted live online only and will not be recorded to maintain the privacy of all attendees. Instructions on how to join will be emailed to registrants shortly before the workshop start date.

If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the workshop start date. For more information, explore our Frequently Asked Questions.

The mystic enters a heightened state of consciousness, and by intuition comes to know the spirit of the Divine. The philosopher utilizes observation and discourse, and by reasoning comes to discern the body of the Divine. Over the centuries, the Tarot—a set of cards that has integrated a concourse of cultures and theologies—was itself transformed by mysticism and philosophy. Through studying the signs and meaning of Tarot, we can embody the mystic and the philosopher.

In this workshop, professional Tarot reader, author, and illustrator Benebell Wen applies different philosophical schools of thought to interpreting the Tarot in teaching ways of using the cards to induce mystical experiences. After an overview of the history and development of different Tarot designs, along with a brief introduction to reading mechanics, Benebell shares techniques for cultivating transformative personal spirituality, from divinatory readings for yourself, to birth cards and pathworking.

Participants team up with other participants to hone skills in conducting their own readings, as well as readings for others. Benebell also shares insights and insider tips acquired from two decades of experiences in reading Tarot for others. Explore your role as a channel for guiding yourself and others toward attaining wisdom and an improved quality of life.

While a baseline familiarity with the Tarot will help you to optimize this workshop, those who are interested and new to Tarot are welcome. You will need a standard 78-card tarot deck to participate in this workshop. If you need to purchase a set, Benebell recommends:

The Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot

The Luna Sol Tarot

Benebell Wen is the author of Holistic Tarot (2015) and The Tao of Craft (2016), both published by North Atlantic Books. She is also the creator and illustrator of the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot. Her first introduction to the Tarot was in junior high, and by her college years, became known as the girl to get a Tarot reading from. Benebell has been a professional Tarot reader since 2012 and has done speaking engagements at the Tarot Readers Studio in New York, UK Tarot Conference in London, Masters of the Tarot Conference at Omega Institute, the Bay Area Theosophical Society, San Francisco Bay Area Tarot Symposium, Northwest Tarot Symposium, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, and PantheaCon. By day, she is a corporate transactions attorney practicing law in California and New York.