A Tarot Mentorship Programme For Western Esotericists On the Right Hand Path
e.g: Hermeticists, Rosicrucians and Theosophists
Overview
Focus: The Art of Tarot Divination (Communication with the Divine).
Philosophy: Right Hand Path occultism; perennial philosophy and Emanationism (e.g: Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, Hermeticism).
Ideal Student: You are a practicing occultist who wishes to master tarot divination in order that you may serve others
Format: Weekly 1-to-1 mentorship, video lessons, and practical assignments
Duration: average 5 years
Weekly Workload: 8-10 hours
Goal: Become a Master Tarot Diviner: someone with advanced professional competency who gives affordable readings to the public.
Introduction
Toby’s Tarot Apprenticeship programme is a comprehensive online training in the art of tarot divination (communication with the Divine).
It combines personal (1-to-1) mentorship, applied theory and actual,hands-on experience to help students reach genuine mastery within 4-6 years.
Taught through Emanationist and (non-sectarian) perennialist philosophy with a twofold focus on 1. how tarot divination actually works 2. pro bono tarot reading, the course may appeal most to Western Esotericists on the Right Hand Path (e.g. Theosophists, Rosicrucians, Hermeticists, Christian esotericists and perennialists/ancient wisdom seekers).
Who is this apprenticeship for?
This path is demanding. It is designed for a specific type of student.
It’s for you IF:
You are serious about mastering the art of tarot divination (communication with the Divine).
You identify with, or have non-conflicting beliefs with Right Hand Path occultism, particularly Emanationism and the perennial philosophy/ancient wisdom tradition.
You understand the workload, time commitment and humility required for genuine mastery.
You are self-motivated, resilient, and open to the challenges of a rigorous, long-term training.
It is Unsuitable For You IF:
You are seeking a casual, short-term mentorship with optional homework.
You are a professional reader seeking advanced training (this programme is for beginners and intermediates).
You are unwilling to join the Pro Bono Tarot Guild to help ALL sincere seekers (regardless of their financial circumstances).
The Problems That The Student Faces
For Those Beginning the Journey...
You may feel a profound calling to the art of tarot divination. But you are either confused by too many options, or haven’t been able to find a path suitable enough for you to gladly invest your energy into.
You want to avoid years of confusion and lack of progress that comes from unstructured self-learning. You are looking for the clear direction and experience of a teacher and mentor who can guide you towards mastery within several years.
For Intermediate Practitioners
You may have already spent 1-3 years practicing tarot. But sober self-reflection reveals that you have not yet got a grip on the art.
You have likely read some popular tarot books (Holistic Tarot and 78 Degrees of Wisdom?), watched a lot of YouTube tarotscope videos, and perhaps taken some tarot courses or mentorship programmes. But in spite of all this work, you cannot confidently give fluent and insightful readings.
For example, you might still struggle to read court cards, contradictory cards, reversals or some combination of the three. Your practice is regular but gives you little progress. You may be unable to read accurately for yourself, give useful predictive readings or to apply Hermetic qabalah to a reading without sounding confusing or vague. Or, maybe you have tried to apply Hermetic qabalah to your readings but you aren’t really sure what hyper-specific, practical information it could add to your divination.
You are looking to unlearn bad habits and rebuild your practice with the depth and integrity it deserves. This means you are willing, despite your length of experience, to start from the very beginning of a teaching curriculum. Since you are familiar with spreads, card meanings etc. already, you will be able to make it through the theory and practice of Stage I relatively quickly. But you will still be doing the full work with patience and diligence so as to build the stable foundation that you currently lack.
Novice Or Intermediate, Your Path Is The Same
We begin by establishing the essential philosophical and practical grounding. We then put you through 400+ hours of public practice readings before proving your proficiency with a masterpiece and pro bono work. Here are the full details.
The Philosophical Foundation
The curriculum is grounded in the principles of Right-Hand Path (RHP) occultism, specifically Emanationism and perennial philosophy/ancient wisdom tradition).
It draws largely from sources of non-ritualistic British occultism within the late 19th and early-mid 20th century, especially Blavatskian Theosophy and some of it’s offshoots.
We are using tarot as a magical art, not a psychological tool. Although my Bachelors degree is in Psychology, at no point in the curriculum will I start banging on about the Jungian psychoanalysis or any other psychobabble nonsense.
My Promise To You: An Uncompromising Commitment To Genuine Tarot Divination Mastery
This Tarot Apprenticeship programme is designed to solve the specific problems faced by the magical tarot diviner on the Right Hand Path. You will:
Assimilate, Not Memorize, The Tarot Card Meanings: Based on principles of modern memory science, you will be taught methods to genuinely master the tarot card meanings in an engaging manner (without the cumbersome rote learning of the past).
Understand the Metaphysical Laws of Divination: You will be given a clear, metaphysical answer to how tarot works, allowing you to serve others with greater accuracy and compassion.
Practise with Integrity. Avoid Causing Unintended Harm: We will explore the vital questions of ethics in-depth, ensuring your good intentions pave a road to genuine healing for others.
Discern Spiritual Insights From Psychic Visions: Learn to safely develop your higher faculties and manage your aura when reading, ensuring you are not overwhelmed by unpleasant visions or entities.
Master predictive tarot reading within a greater spiritual framework that acknowledges free will. Help your querents to accept what they cannot control and work on what they can control so that they can become truly empowered.
Learn in order that you may serve; not for spiritual initiation, a hobby, or to start a “spiritual business”.
Your Mastership Journey: How The Programme Works
Your journey is broken into three distinct stages:
Stage I: Apprentice - Foundational Mastery (50 credits, avg. 18 months): Building deep philosophical knowledge, ethical grounding, and self-reading proficiency with the Rider Waite Smith tarot cards.
Stage II: Journeyman - Applied Competence (50 credits, avg. 18 months): Developing fluency through intensive mentored practice, including conducting approximately 400 hours of required free practice readings for the public.
Stage III: Master - Consolidation & Specialisation (75 credits, avg. 24 months): Synthesising all learning, demonstrating advanced proficiency, and completing a masterpiece/capstone project (such as a tarot book or deck).
Visualising Your Apprenticeship Journey
To make the experience more tangible, here is a look at how your work will evolve during Stage I: Apprentice
In Month 1…
Reading for yourself with the Major Arcana cards.
Practising with 3 or 5 card spreads.
Overcoming common beginner issues in the mentorship sessions. Examples include; preparing for a reading, interpreting card combinations, reading contradictory cards and choosing whether to learn reversals now or wait until you have more experience.
By Month 6…
Reading confidently for yourself with the full deck of 78 cards.
Reading 10+ cards tarot spreads such as A.E Waite’s original celtic cross
Integrating reversals into your divinatory readings
Learning how to read tarot with esoteric correspondences (e.g. astrology, Hermetic qabalah) in a mentorship session
What You’ll learn
All 78 Rider Waite Smith tarot card meanings in depth (predictive, spiritual, money, love, karmic, etc.)
The fascinating scholarly history of tarot cards and their usages (fringe theories debunked!)
Clear explanations of the symbolism (often esoteric and in plain sight) on the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck, including the important influence of the female artist, Pamela Coleman Smith
Effective and engaging methods for assimilating card meanings, symbolism and correspondences (astrology, numerology, Kabbalah etc.) No rote memorization necessary.
How to apply these correspondences for both spiritual evolutionary and practical divinatory purposes
Divination (communication with the Divine) vs fortune-telling (predictive readings) compared and contrasted for wiser readings
The true dangers of divinatory tarot reading (yes, they do exist) that many diviners deny and how to mitigate them.
How to give free readings with joy (as part of your selfless spiritual service to others).
A deep, metaphysical explanation of how tarot divination actually works (that you can actually understand) so you can give more accurate, ethical and compassionate readings.
How to safely and sensibly develop your psychic abilities and awaken your intuition (for this life - and those to come!)
How to manage your energy and ensure your “psychic protection” when divinatory tarot reading so you don’t burn out or become overwhelmed by unpleasant visions and emotions.
How to give predictive tarot readings (e.g. specific events and timings) to help people avoid unnecessary life dangers and inform them of their overall fate - as far as spiritually permitted (yes, fate exists in spite of free will).
A detailed look at different tarot layouts and techniques; spreads, lines, tableaus and reading methods so you can answer any appropriate tarot question asked of you.
How to design your own tarot layouts and techniques so you can develop your own flair for the art and stop being dependent on the techniques of others.
How to read your own cards as part of your spiritual journey to Self Knowledge. (Plus, if you can read for yourself then you don’t have to spend money on other tarot readers.)
Essential and avant-garde issues of ethics, legality and professionalism so you can a) pave the road to Heaven (rather than hell) with your good intentions b) differentiate yourself from your competition in the saturated marketplace
Ethical marketing for divinatory tarot readers (e.g. content marketing, branding, pricing) so you can sell people what they actually need without coming across as pushy or sleazy.
My hand-picked list of tarot books and other resources to help you master your craft.
There is much more to the training; these points are just the highlights.
The State Of Mastery…
Self-Knowledge as you read accurately for yourself on the spiritual path.
Earned Confidence that only comes from thousands of hours of dedicated, structured work.
Great Joy as you serve a dedicated niche of tarot querents who respect your ethics and integrity.
Deep Purpose as you cultivate your own flair for the art and connect with the Divine on your own terms.
Lasting Gratitude: as you empower your querents with spiritual wisdom, faith and resilience.
About Your Mentor: Toby
I have built the Tarot Apprenticeship programme on a foundation of rigorous study and hands-on experience. When you enrol, you will:
Learn from a tarot master’s personal experience: I have conducted over 2,000 readings for the public, bringing practical, tested insights to your training.
Walk a meticulously designed path: This curriculum is the result of over 3,000 hours of dedicated development, ensuring a structured and coherent path to mastery.
Engage with a broad occult tradition: I have been on the Right Hand Path since 2019. Whilst I am not a spiritual teacher, I am here to teach you tarot divination as a (white) magical art.
Join a service-oriented community: Gain automatic membership into the Pro Bono Tarot Guild, a de-centralized association of tarot readers who give back without giving up (Note: not a frivolous group chat/forum)
Testimonials
“I think that the work you are doing is important, Brother. Especially as more diviners continue to ‘entertain’ us daily”
“Hello Toby. I just came back [to this livestream] to tell you that your reading [last week] was accurate.”
“I’m recommending you to my friends and family!”
“He helped me to get the breakthroughs I needed as a professional tarot reader working on a psychic chatline.”
“Finally, an ethical tarot reader.”
“I’ve been using your Rider Waite Smith articles [i.e. the RWS cards in context series] to help me in my tarot studies.”
Become An Apprentice: Requirements
Two Rider Waite Smith tarot decks. One normal size and one miniature.
A desktop computer or laptop. This is essential: you cannot reliably complete this multi-year programme from a mobile phone.
A working headset, microphone and webcam.
A Google account (phone number verified).
A university degree is preferred but not essential. If you have no degree then any significant and formal adult learning is a plus (e.g. a serious diploma from an adult college or night school).
[Optional] £400 to spend on the reading list.
How Pricing/payment Works
Cost: effectively £120 to 166 per month, dependent on pacing. About £140 for average 5 year duration.
Instalments: you pay with 5 credit instalments (amounts of £250) or by Stage, as follows:
Stage I: 50 credits. 10x instalments of £250 or £2,000 pay in full.
Stage II: 50 credits. 10x instalments of £250 or £2,000 pay in full.
Stage III: 75 credits. 10x instalments of £250 or £2,500 pay in full.
‘Pay What You Can’ option: if you genuinely cannot afford the listed price, there is one PWYC (pay what you can) place available for one applicant deemed a very good fit. If offered this, you must pay what you can honestly afford with a minimum of £150 per 5 credits (equivalent to £87.50 per month for a 5 year duration). To be considered for this place in the programme, please apply as normal with a 300 word statement of financial need appended to your letter of suitability.
Nota Bene: PWYC Applicants who do not follow this instruction will not be considered or allowed to re-apply.
Your Full Stage I Investment Includes
A comprehensive, 12-module video course from beginner to foundational mastery (with hand-picked reading list).
18 months of potentially weekly 1-to-1 mentorship
Actionable feedback on all weekly assignments.
Automatic membership in the Pro Bono Tarot Guild.
Upon successful completion of Stage I: Apprentice, you will:
a) Be able to read competently for yourself with the full deck and a wide variety of techniques (spreads, lines and tableaus).
b) Be ready to take on Stage II: Journeyman (the public readings period).
The Application Process
Fill out the initial application form.
Attend a short video meeting to discuss your tarot divination goals and experience.
Sign the indenture (contract) within 4 weeks.
You will then be invoiced for the first month of learning. Once payment is confirmed, you will start the training as a Novitiate (not as an Apprentice).
The Novitiate
The first 20 credits of Stage I are considered a Novitiate or probationary period.
This is offered as a way to ensure mutual fit and mitigate the risk of students dropping out later on.
If you have not kept up with the necessary standards and pace of work during this period, or if you have broken any of the programme policies agreed to, or if you are not very sure that the full, multi-year training is right for you, there will be no continuation beyond the Novitiate period.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Click on a downward arrow icon (orange) to expand or collapse the answer to a question.
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The programme combines a credit structure (flexible progression pace) with both personalisation and flexibility in the forms of 1-to-1 mentorship and tuition.
This ensures you receive the specific guidance you need to succeed whilst walking a carefully crafted path to mastery - at your own pace.
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Around 8-10 hours per week.
For 30-38 weeks each year, dependent on pacing.
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The curriculum is built around the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck. You will need two standard RWS decks to begin.
From Stage II onwards, you will be encouraged to explore other decks that align with your personal practice.
This will include discussions on tarot deck aesthetics in accordance with the Emanationist and ancient wisdom (perennial philosophy) ideas which premise the programme.
This will mean that some decks (such as Crowley’s Thoth tarot) will be considered unsuitable for efficacious divinatory work (within our framework).
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Yes. I believe that predictive reading is a key component of a diviner's skillset.
Specifically, I teach it within an ethical framework that respects the complex interplay of fate and free will.
This programme won’t just show you how to predict events, timeframes and circumstances, it will show you how to wield the weapon that such predictive power gives you for the good of all and any involved.
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The programme teaches esoteric correspondences (including to Hermetic qabalah) in a non-sectarian manner.
This ensures that the curriculum respects your individual path and any specific set of correspondences you may already use.
If you would prefer to learn a specifc system of correspondences (such as BOTA’s, HOGD ones or Thelemic/Crowleyite/Thoth ones) then you may wish to either 1. find a different tarot teacher 2. plan to deliberately study under more than one tarot teacher. -
As some have caught on to, the pro bono reading goes far beyond the extensive practice hours performed in Stage II to develop professional competency.
It comes down to this: selfless service is a core part of the programme's ethos.
Conducting free/low cost readings on the public is not just about building justifiable confidence, developing professional competence and upholding high ethical standards in your public practice.
It has a further esoteric dimension which comes down to the philosophy of Right Hand Path spirituality in general. Selfless service done right is a way of connecting with the Divine.
Reading at pro bono rates then, is actually a method of give more effective divinatory tarot readings.
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There is one place for a PWYC (pay what you can) student who is deemed a very good fit for the programme.
See the pricing section for details.
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I understand that life can get in the way of even the most organized folks.
If you need to defer your studies, you will be able to do so for up to a year.
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A full, detailed contract will be provided to you after your interview. You will have 4 weeks to ask any questions and sign the contract.
This ensures you have complete transparency and can ask any questions before a final commitment is made.
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The application & enrolment process involves three steps:
Fill out the initial application form
Attend a short, informal interview to discuss your tarot divination goals and experience.
Sign the indenture (contract) detailing the course deliverables, rules and policies. You will have four weeks to do this.
There will be no need to send any payment until you have signed the indenture. However, the first session will not begin until the first payment has been made.
Ready To Become An Apprentice?
If you are serious about mastering your craft in an ethical, service-oriented way, apply today to begin your Tarot Apprenticeship journey.