Dates & Times TBA
This course offers an entry into the art of Tarot reading, interwoven with strikingly similar elements in tea traditions from around the world. Explore the symbolism of the Tarot deck and learn how to use these powerful tools for reflection and deeper self-study.
No experience with reading cards is required to participate in this course. The worlds of Tarot and tea can feel vast and complicated, and this course aims to honor their rich cultures while demystifying them enough for everyday use.
Registration includes tastings throughout the course of Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese teas. These will include extremely choice selections from the PDX TEA library, some of which are available nowhere else in the US.
A copy of The Dark Exact Tarot Guide is also included with your registration fee and will be given to you during our first class, along with tea samples and a brewing vessel for your practice at home.
Please also bring a notebook and pen, and any standard tarot deck you enjoy using. (The Smith-Waite deck is a great deck for learning to read. Decks will also be provided for use during class for participants who do not have one.)
All classes are taught by Coleman Stevenson, designer of the Dark Exact Tarot deck and author of The Dark Exact Tarot Guide, and David Galli of PDX TEA: Portland Tea Enthusiasts’ Alliance.
This course meets once a week for four weeks. Registration is limited to 8 students to allow for personalized instruction and interactive learning.
Extended Descriptions
Part I: Tea and Tarot Basics for Self-Study
In the first class, we’ll look at the basics of tea and Tarot histories, as well as beginning approaches to each practice.
We will cover getting to know the different types of cards in the deck, choosing a deck and reference/guide, some basics of interpretation, and simple spreads for reading cards.
Similarly, we’ll cover the different types of teas (you’ll see how these relate to the Major Arcana in Part II), choosing a brewing style and tea wares, and principles you can use to understand the results of your brewing decisions.
Part II: The Major Arcana Journey Through Tea
During week two, we will delve deeper into your use of Tarot as a tool, including a look at more in-depth spreads for reading and an exploration of patterns/relationships within the deck.
A focused study of the Fool’s Journey of the Major Arcana will be paired with a tasting of each of the major categories of tea. This not only creates a multi-sensory learning experience, but also reveals the underlying natures of both the seven cycles of the Fool’s Journey, and the seven classical tea types.
Part III: The Minor Arcana
This week’s class will increase your awareness of Tarot concepts in the world around you with a focus on patterns and narratives in the Minor Arcana cards, accompanied by an olfactory exploration of tea and herbal blends.
You’ll build confidence and trust in your instincts for interpretation and brewing, and learn tips and tricks for remembering cards’ meanings, and the preparation needs of different families of tea.
Part IV: Personalizing Your Practices
In the closing session, we’ll begin to explore the possibilities of designing your own spreads and other advanced techniques of reading.
We will discuss ways to enhance your readings and tea practice with the use of symbolic objects. This final class will also explore some of the intricacies of tea brewing and ceremonial traditions of Southern China, Taiwan, and Japan.