Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen

Where do I begin with Holistic Tarot. It’s encyclopaedic in scope and volume. Check out the contents list below and you’ll see what I mean. And, those chapters aren’t brief. This book is nearly 900 pages long but Benebell Wen’s clear and accessible writing style make this comprehensive exploration of the tarot thorough without being overwhelming. In this multifaceted book, Wen incorporates Eastern and Western teachings as well as psychology to provide something for all.

I have to say I’m a fan of Holistic Tarot. I like Wen’s approach because it aligns with my own notions of tarot. She writes, “My approach to tarot is not predictive. It is analytic” adding that “this book will present tarot as a holistic tool that can help us mine our own unconscious to find answers.”

Holistic Tarot provides a thorough overview of the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck before delving into an extensive exploration of the art of reading tarot both for yourself and for others. For example, in the chapter “The Fundamentals of Reading Spreads,” Wen includes different spreads and their uses, with some further dissected through case studies. There are thirty-three spreads in all. This book feels as if Benebell Wen sat down and thought about every question she had ever had about tarot and then proceeded to share what she had discovered through her in depth research and experience.

On her website, Wen offers several excerpts from the book including Chapter 1 which is presented in full. If you’re considering Holistic Tarot I would recommend you read this first chapter as it provides both a brief overview of the book and a clear insight into Wen’s approach to tarot. Reading the chapter will give you an understanding of the overall tone of the book which I think is really valuable especially since I read a review recently in which the writer took offence to Wen’s approach. Reading this chapter can help you to decide for yourself if you feel this book is for you.

About the Author

Benebell Wen is a certified tarot master, a feng shui consultant, an I Ching practitioner, a numerologist, an author, a practicing lawyer, and a deck and content creator. Her other book is The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition and at the time of writing this review the Revelation Edition of her Spirit Keeper’s Tarot is available for pre-order.

Holistic Tarot Contents

• Tarot Analytics: A Holistic Approach
• A Concise History Lesson
• Allaying Fears and Offering Theories
• Choosing your Deck
• Anatomy of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot
• The Personal Journal
• Beginner Rote Learning
• Keywords
• Cyclopedia of Card Meanings
• Signifier Cards
• The First Operation
• Interpreting Court Cards
• On Shuffling, Cutting, and Drawing
• The Fundamentals of Reading Spreads
• Consideration of the Spread Landscape
• Devising Tarot Spreads
• Tarot Readings: A Step-by-Step Analytical Process
• The Five Components of Circumstance
• Assuaging Seekers When a Reading Seems Negative
• Reading Tarot for Yourself
• The Setting of a Tarot Reading and Energetic Supplements
• Intermediate Ruminations and Practicum
• The Value of Meditation to Tarot Practice
• Inappropriate Questions
• Ethical Considerations of the Tarot
• Tarot and Love
• Tarot and Professional Development
• Using Tarot to Build Resilience
• Depth Diagnostics
• The Opening of the Key
• Tarot de Marseille and the Thoth
• The Professional Practice of Tarot
• A Personal Essay: How I Started
• Appendix A: Tarot Spreads Quick Reference
• Appendix B: Astrological Symbols and Elemental Associations
  • B1 Solar System Symbols
  • B2 Zodiac Constellations
  • B3 Traditional vs Modern Rulership Distinctions
  • B4 Alchemical Symbols of the Elements and Associations
  • B5 The Classical Elements, Western Astrology, and Tarot
  • B6 Astrological Complements
  • B7 Fire Associations in the Major Arcana
  • B8 Water Associations in the Major Arcana
  • B9 Air Associations in the Major Arcana
  • B10 Earth Associations in the Major Arcana
  • B11 Papus Mandala on the Elemental Affinities
  • B12 Astrological Correspondences of the Minor Arcana
  • B13 Tarot and the Tree of Life
• Appendix C: Ruminations on the Major Arcana
• Appendix D: Profile Tables and Ruminations on the Minor Arcana
  • D1 Suit of Wands
  • D2 Suit of Cups
  • D3 Suit of Swords
  • D4 Suit of Pentacles
• Appendix E: Profile Tables for Interpreting Court Cards
• Appendix F: Numerological Associations
  • F1 General Numerological Associations
  • F2 Numerology and the Four Suits
• Appendix G: Pythagorean Numerology
  • G1 Calculating the Life Path Number
  • G2 Name Correspondences in Numerology
  • G3 The Decisive Age
• Appendix H: Sample Logs and Templates
• Appendix I: The Marseille Major Arcana
• Endnotes

If reading through that wasn’t enough and you would like a full rundown of the subtopics covered in each chapter, you can click here but as you can already see there is a lot on offer in this book. For this reason I feel the appendixes are a really valuable addition as they provide a useful summary of the information found throughout the book.

Sometimes when books try to cover too much material they start to lack substance, but I don’t find that to be the case with this book. Wen has integrated her various talents within this wonderful tarot resource. So if I were I to find myself only able to recommend one tarot book, I would suggest this one because of its overall scope.

Publishing details

Published by:

North Atlantic Books

Pictured version:

2015

Pages:

874 pp,