Tarot for Spellcasting
Introduction
Course 12, Module 0
By: John Beckett
Transcript by KD Echols
Hi, I’m John Beckett, Druid, priest and writer.
Like many of us, I learned Tarot for divination. I have experimented with some other systems, but I mainly use Tarot because I get good results from it. Over the years, I learned to use Tarot for meditation and as a focus for magical workings.
Wherever you are in life, there are cards that can represent you and your situation. They can represent your goals, your dreams, your plans and your methods. These cards can be used as a focus for visualization, energy work and other magical operations. You can use just the cards and your own will, or you can incorporate them into a larger working with candles and stones and herbs, with invocations and offerings, or with whatever else you use in your magical practice.
I learned Tarot for divination. But over the years, I’ve come to use it more and more for spellcasting. The more I use it, the better results I get.
Now, I’m happy to introduce the twelfth online class from Under the Ancient Oaks, Tarot for Spellcasting. It starts January 29 and runs for four weeks.
I hope you’ll join me.
Goals for the Course
Let’s talk about the goals for this course.
Our main goal is to learn to use Tarot cards as a foundation for magical workings, to use those archetypes and energies and all the things that are associated with the cards and with their images as a foundation for working magic. And as we do that, to refine our ability to turn dreams into goals, goals into plans, and plans into action.
So much of magic is about selecting the right target, figuring out what you really want, and once you figure out what you really want, figuring out how you can get from where you are to where you want to be.
Some of that is going to require magic. Some of that is going to require ordinary effort. It works better when you do them together.
When you do, you can create the future you want, whether that’s big or small, whether you want a simple four-card Tarot Spell to help you out of a difficult situation you’re in at the moment, or if you want to create a series of spells to try to build a whole new life. Big or small, this is how we do it.
What This Course is Not
This course isn’t everything. It may not be what you have in mind. I want to make sure everybody understands what it is, what it isn’t.
This course is not the Fool’s Journey. There are lots of people who will work through primarily the Major Arcana. They will start with card 0 and work all the way up through the 22 cards of the Major Arcana. There’s a step-by-step plan for spiritual development. It can be a very good thing. This isn’t that. This is using Tarot as a focus for magical workings.
It’s not divination. I’ve got a class on divination. This isn’t it.
It’s not a deep exploration of the cards. If you want those things, take Course 8, Tarot for Divination. We cover divination in depth. We spend six weeks going over the cards. Obviously, in a course this short, we can’t do that deep dive into the cards.
And if what you want really is more depth in magic, take Course 3, Operative Magic.
This class is on using Tarot as a focus for our magical operations.
Who Should Take This Course?
Well, it’s intended for Pagans and witches, people who have a magical worldview, a spiritual worldview, but anybody with an open mind is welcome. If you’re an atheist, a non-theist, even a materialist, there’s things in here that you may find helpful. I’m not going to change the class to speak directly to those people, but you may be able to get something out of it.
A basic familiarity with Tarot is a plus, but it’s not required. You don’t have to be a highly skilled Tarot reader to take this. It helps to be familiar with the cards, but there’s many ways to get familiar with the cards. Working with them in magical operations is one of them.
Also, no second sight is required! I still see people who insist that if you weren’t born with The Gift, you can’t read Tarot. That’s simply not true. Almost anyone can learn to read Tarot and read it well. I have about average, maybe slightly above average natural psychic abilities. But I’ve been studying Tarot for a long time, and I’ve gotten to be quite good at it because I practiced it. So can you.
Modules
So what’s in the class?
There are four modules. Actually, there’s five modules. We start here with Module 0, this module here, the “Introduction”.
Our first module is, “Foundations: Magic and the Tarot”. We’re going to do a deep dive into magic, a deep dive into Tarot. If you’ve taken Course 3 or Course 8, some of this will be familiar, but we need a foundation of: What do we mean when we talk about magic? How does magic work? How do we make it work with Tarot?
Module 2 is “Meditation and Visualization”. Of all of the magical techniques that can be used, these are the ones that are most useful with Tarot magic.
“Designing a Tarot Spell”: How do you make a series of cards represent who and what you are, where you are, where you want to go, how you’re going to get there, and how you set that up, how you begin the process of putting your visualization and your energies into that, to manifest it in the ordinary world.
Module 4 is about “Effective Tarot Spells”, how do you make them more effective? How do we look at some larger Tarot spells, not just three cards, four cards, five cards, but fifteen or sixteen cards, if that’s what is needed?
We will conclude the course with a “Video Q&A”. If you’ve taken classes with me before, you know I usually mix the Q&As in during the class. For a course this short, I think it’s going to be better to put the Q&A at the end. So after you’ve taken all four modules, you’ve worked through it, you’ve got your questions, now we’ll sit down and answer them. Of course, you’re always welcome to ask questions at any time we’re working through this. But this is where I’ll take your questions, turn them into a video and release it just like the other modules.
So, a 4-week class. I see six lines here. I have six videos to make.
Tarot Decks
What Tarot deck should you use? I mainly teach from three decks. The Robin Wood Tarot was my first deck I bought over 30 years ago. I still get great results from it. I use Waite-Smith sometimes. I’ve been using Celtic Tarot a lot since it came out a few years ago. There are several different decks called Celtic Tarot or sound kind of like that. I use the one by Kristoffer Hughes.
When I did the Tarot for Divination class, I said that you have to have one of these three decks for this class. For this class, I think you can use any deck you like. That said, I strongly recommend you use a deck based on the Waite-Smith system. You’re going to have to do less translation.
If you don’t have a deck, get one of these. If you’ve got a novelty deck, get one of these. But at the end of the day, you know if the deck speaks to you. If you resonate with those images, you’re free to use it.
Course Format
If you’ve taken classes with me before, the format will be very familiar.
There are weekly videos. They are on-demand, meaning you do them when you want to do them. Typically, they come out on Thursday mornings. A few people do them on Thursday mornings. A lot of people do them over the weekend. If you don’t get to it till Monday or Tuesday. That’s fine.
There are so many good teachers out there who teach live classes, and it seems like my schedule and their schedules never match up. So when I started doing classes, I said, I’m going to make my classes on-demand so people can do them when they want to do them, when it works for them.
There will be examples in each module, at least one example in each module. It’s not just going to be theory. I’m going to walk through some examples of Tarot spells I’ve done/am doing so you can see what it looks like.
There will be weekly homework. You’ve got to practice.
You’ve got to practice.
Also, in each of the four modules, I’m going to be recommending some long-term practices, some things I’m going to encourage you to start doing and keep doing even after the class is finished, some things that will be helpful in your spiritual growth, in your growth as a Tarot reader, in your growth as a witch, as a magician. These are some practices that will help you. Start now. Keep doing them.
UTAO Facebook Group
We will be using the Under the Ancient Oaks Facebook group.
It is a secret group. Only members can find the group and see who’s in it and what they post. If you’re not a member, you can’t find it. You got to tell me. It’s easier if we’re already Facebook friends. Send me a Facebook friend request. Send me a private message, tell me who you are. Request access to the group, and then you can be a part of it and part of the conversation.
It’s a good place for questions. I’m happy to answer questions, but sometimes your fellow students have better answers than I do.
It’s a place for conversation.
It is one group for all of the Under the Ancient Oaks class participants. So, you’ve got people there who took Course 1, Course 2, all the classes that we’ve had so far. It’s not just the people taking this class. I don’t think there should be anything that would be confidential for this class, but not for other classes. If there is, let’s talk about it. But yes, it’s for all class participants.
If you took Course 8 you know there is a Under the Ancient Oaks Tarot group. We’re not going to use that for this class. I want to keep that group focused strictly on divination and interpreting the cards in readings, not for working magic.
If you don’t like Facebook, if you don’t like Facebook groups, you don’t have to do it. It is completely voluntary. For some classes, the conversations in the Facebook group are really good. For some classes, they’re not so good. I have no idea what this will be. It will be what you make it.
Cost
This is a shorter class. That means I have less work to do to get ready, which means I can charge less for it. The cost of this class is $50 for the entire class.
I prefer PayPal. I can take Venmo, I can take Zelle. I can take credit cards. You’re going to have to email me all that information, card number, expiration date, zip code, CVV code that you’re not supposed to do. Some people don’t like doing that, and I don’t blame you.. I’ve never had a problem with it. That doesn’t mean that an email won’t get intercepted somewhere, but I can take credit cards if you want. For other forms of payment, if you want to pay me, I’ll do my best to find a way for you to pay me.
Scholarships
There were no scholarships in Course 11, for reasons we discussed in that course. We are returning to scholarships in this class.
A limited number of scholarships are available for people who are experiencing financial difficulties. If you need this class, it’s something you think would be helpful to you, and you just can’t swing $50 right now, apply for a scholarship.
The more paid registrations and sponsorships I get, the more scholarships I can offer. For previous classes, y’all have been very generous, and I have gotten a fair amount of sponsorships. If you’re doing well, maybe you want to sponsor another student.
Each sponsorship fully funds one student, and it counts as a regular registration toward the number of scholarships that I fund.
If we run up against the limit, priority will go to previous Under the Ancient Oaks students.
The application deadline is January 24, 2026.
Schedule
Monday, January 12
- Module 0 is released, what you’re watching now.
- Registration opens.
- Scholarship applications are accepted.
Saturday, January 24
- Deadline for scholarship applications.
Monday, January 26
- I will inform all of the applicants, “Yes, I can fill your scholarship request,” or, “Sorry, we ran out of slots.”
Thursday, January 29
- Module 1 is released.
So four weekly modules, plus the Video Q&A.
- Thursday, January 29: Module 1
- Thursday, February 5: Module 2
- Thursday, February 12: Module 3
- Thursday, February 19, Module 4
- Thursday, February 26, Video Q&A
I normally do Q&A’s on Tuesdays, but since I’m doing this one at the end, and since I’ve got some stuff going on about that time, we’re going to move the video Q&A to Thursday.
Questions
If you have questions, you ask, I’ll do my best to answer, whether they’re questions you have right now about what’s in the class – you’re trying to decide if you want to sign up or not – or during the class, you have a question about something we discuss. Or it’s two years later and you’re just now taking the class, or you came back to it, and you have a question, I’ll do my best to answer.
The response format varies. I’d like to put as many questions in the Video Q&A as I can. I do my best to answer questions by email so you don’t have to wait on the video Q&A.
You may want to ask the Facebook group, particularly if it’s something more tangential, and I may not be the best person to answer it.
Occasionally, people ask questions that I start writing them, and they end up as a blog post. I like those.
I’m always available to answer class-related questions. The class is on demand. If it’s 2027/2028 and you’re taking this class, and you have a question, send me an email. I will do my best to answer.
That said, I don’t do casual conversation. Don’t send me a link and say, “Hey, read this and tell me what you think.” I don’t do that with my close friends. I don’t do casual conversation, but class-related questions I’ll do my best to answer.
Signing Up
Are you ready to sign up? Send an email to: john@undertheancientoaks.com or use the contact form on the website.
When you do, I will send you a PayPal invoice. When that’s done. I’ll register you for the class.
Expect a 24-hour turnaround. If you catch me when I’m sitting at my computer and I’m not terribly busy, registration can be done in a matter of minutes. If you catch me when I’m traveling, it may be a day or two. Expect a 24-hour turnaround.
We will certainly get all of the initial registrants registered before the class starts on the first run.
M0dule 0 Introduction
This is it. I didn’t invent Tarot magic. I didn’t invent Tarot for spellcasting. People have been doing it for a long time.
But over the past few years, I’ve started doing this more and more often. It is quick and easy. It forces me to spend my time figuring out where I am, what I really want, and how I’m going to go about getting it.
Magic works best when it’s specific. Vague targets yield vague results. Specific targets yield specific results. This method has really helped me focus in on just what it is I’m working magic for and just how I’m going about it.
It’s been very effective. If it works for me, it will probably work for you. I’m happy to walk you through my method of Tarot for spellcasting.
I hope you’ll join me for the class.