[ONLINE] Tarot Pathworking on the Tree of Life: Introduction

Have you ever flipped through the little white book in a new tarot deck and wondered, "Is there more to it than this?" The answer to that question is an emphatic yes. There is more than you can imagine, and it goes much deeper than the mundane interpretations of these symbolic images.

The keys to these more sublime levels of tarot work were etched almost 250 years ago in the French school of occultism, and ultimately forged in the early years of the twentieth century by the Golden Dawn. This British magical society took their cues from an arcane Judaic spiritual philosophy known as qabalah--what Dion Fortune described as the "yoga of the west."

More than an in-depth study of symbolism and mysticism, Tarot Pathworking on the Tree of Life is a practice, a standardized meditation process that clarifies our purpose, evolves our soul, and guides us toward the highest levels of union with the Divine.

Monthly Format
For 2026, Tarot Geeks and Greater Seattle Astrology • Tarot • Reiki return to this intriguing subject, taking a protracted examination of qabalah's primary glyph, the Tree of Life, and its symbolic relationship with tarot.

In this ambitious but thorough 12-month online series, we will examine each individual station of the Tree below the veil, the paths that connect them, and the layers of esoteric content that enrich the meaning of every card in the deck. We endeavor to do so with a good mix of intellectual discourse and guided meditations.

2026 Schedule, The Tree Below the Veil:
Feb 7: Introduction and Overview
Mar 7: Malkuth, the 10th Sephirah
Apr 4: Yesod, the 9th Sephirah
May 2: Path of Tav
Jun 6: Hod, the 8th Sephirah
**Jul 11: Path of Shin**Date changed to avoid July 4 holiday
Aug 1: Path of Resh
**Aug 29: Netzach, the 7th Sephirah**Date changed to avoid Labor Day
Oct 3: Path of Qoph
Nov 7: Path of Tzaddi
Dec 5: Path of Peh

Suggested Tarot Decks for Study and Pathworking:
The material is of an intermediate to advanced level, so participants would be expected to already have a basic knowledge of tarot. We recommend working with a deck that follows a Golden Dawn, Thelemic or similar magical tradition for the most relevant symbolism. Some good examples include, in alphabetical order by author:

• Builders of the Adytum by Paul Foster Case
• Golden Dawn Magical Tarot by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero
• Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris
• Golden Dawn Temple Tarot by Nick Farrell and Harry and Nicola Wendrich
• The New Pontifex Tarot by David Allen Hulse and Nil Orange
• Rider-Waite-Smith by Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith
• Golden Dawn Tarot by Robert Wang
• Any Tarot de Marseille deck

You may also wish to have one or more personal decks on hand for readings.

Suggested Reading List:
We also recommend some reading material to get the most out of the discussion. Our primary text will be:

• Paths of Wisdom: A Guide to the Magical Cabala by John Michael Greer

Additional titles, in alphabetical order by author:

• The Hebrew Letters Workbook by BOTA (Builders of the Adytum)
• The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages by Paul Foster Case
• A Garden of Pomegranates: Skrying on the Tree of Life by Israel Regardie, edited and expanded by Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero
• The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford by Lon Milo DuQuette
• The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune
• A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism by Gareth Knight
• A Garden of Pomegranates by Israel Regardie
• The Qabalistic Tarot: A Textbook of Mystical Philosophy by Robert Wang

The wisdom garnered by these and other scholars can be the keys to taking your tarot game to new levels beyond mere divination, into spiritual and ritualistic territory. As Qabala has been used for centuries as a means of personal alchemy, we trace the same path toward genuine wholeness.

General Info:
The Zoom links will be visible on the Meetup event page once you have RSVP’d.

A joint venture of the Denver Tarot Geeks and the Greater Seattle Tarot Meetup.

This is a free two-hour workshop.

We meet on the first Saturday of the month from 9:30am-11:30am Pacific time. 10:30-12:30pm Mountain, 11:30am-1:30pm Central, 12:30-2:30 Eastern, and 5:30pm-7:30 pm London time.

Image: Evelyn De Morgan, "City of Light," 1894. Wikimedia Commons.

About Your Presenters:
John Michael Allen has been a practitioner and perpetual student (and occasional teacher) of tarot for almost 30 years, employing the cards for divination, personal development, creative work, and magical applications. While being steeped in the esoteric aspects, he has a deep appreciation for the intuitive, and continuously strives to integrate both. He has been a member of Denver Tarot Meetup since 2008 and is currently its organizer, along with DTM’s esoteric sister group, Tarot Geeks.

Joy Vernon is an astrologer and tarot reader in Burien, Washington. She formerly served as the Organizer of the Denver Tarot Meetup and Denver Tarot Geeks and now runs the Greater Seattle Tarot Meetup. Joy brings expertise and practiced familiarity to her specialty of esoteric tarot, which layers astrological and qabalistic symbolism onto the traditional images. Please visit both her blog and YouTube channel for an abundance of articles and tutorials. Learn more at https://joyvernon.com/.