Integral Tarot
Cracking the Code Part 2: Anatomy, Architecture, Wisdom, and Benevolence -Going Further with the Minor Arcana and the Whole Marseille Deck
with Marianne Costa
Begins: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
Introduction
Following our introductory course on the Minor Arcana, we now move into what can be called the Integral Tarot: working with the entire Tarot de Marseille as a coherent system, rather than as a set of disconnected parts.
This means learning to read with the full deck while also understanding the two numerological structures that run through it—one in base 10 and the other in base 7—and how these two logics interweave.
At first, this may sound abstract or theoretical. In reality, it is simple and practical.
Just as you cannot build or maintain a house without some knowledge of architecture, and just as a basic understanding of anatomy helps in everyday life, a genuine knowledge of the structure of the Tarot gives you real freedom and mastery.
Without this structural understanding, readings often drift into the familiar territory of spiritual clichés, vague symbolism, or improvised psychobabble. With it, the Tarot becomes a precise, living instrument that can be used with clarity, depth, and responsibility.
—Marianne Costa
Our Schedule
Begins: Thursday, March 26th, 2026
3 Two-hour Zoom lectures and Q&A with Marianne Costa
3 Weekend practice sessions with students
Lectures and Q&A with Marianne Costa (Thursdays):
10:30am PST (Los Angeles), 13:30pm EST (New York), 7:30pm CET (Paris)
Practice sessions with students (Sundays):
9:30am PST (Los Angeles), 12:30pm EST (New York), 6:30pm CET (Paris)
Schedule:
Module 1: March 26th; Practice March 29th
Module 2: April 2nd; Practice April 5th
Module 3: April 16th; Practice April 19th
Price: €260 / €200 / €100 (tiers)
Note: Completion of the introductory Minor Arcana course is not obligatory. New students are welcome.
COURSE CONTENT
🗡️ Session 1: Septenary Numerology in the Minor Arcana
We will study the base-7 structure of the Minor Arcana, and how it combines with the decimal structure already explored in the introductory course.
This perspective reveals new relationships:
Between the pip cards themselves
Between the pip cards and the Court cards
Between number, form, and function within the deck
🌿 Session 2: The Three bodies of the Tarot
We will work with a practical model of the deck as a living organism composed of three “bodies”:
The physical body — the pip cards
The subtle body — the Court cards
The causal body — the Major Arcana
Through theory and hands-on practice, we will explore different reading methods using these three bodies separately and in combination.
🪙Session 3: Toward Integral Readings
Once we are comfortable moving between the three bodies of the Tarot, we will move toward more intuitive and integrative forms of reading, including:
Readings with the entire deck shuffled together
Narrative spreads that combine abstract pip forms with the human and mythic figures of the Courts and Major Arcana
Meditation on the sacred geometry of the Minor Arcana
Open explorations and new practices that emerge organically from the work
Because, as always, this is—and should remain—a living, evolving practice.
About your instructor
Marianne Costa, born 1966, holds a M.A. in comparative literature and is a renowned Tarot expert. She has published several books translated in various languages, among which : No Woman’s Land (novel, Grasset 2004), The Way of Tarot (with Jodorowsky, Inner Traditions 2005, German edition Windpferd 2008) and Metagenealogy (France 2011, USA 2014, a study of family as both a treasure and a trap, also with Jodorowsky). She collaborates with institutions and museums as a symbology expert — most recently with the Guggenheim Collection in Venice and Accademia di Belle Arti in Palermo. Her last opus, an essay on Tarot’s history, symbolism and iconography Le Tarot pas à pas («Tarot step by step ») is already available in French, Spanish and Italian. Her polyfacetic carreer includes being a professional actress and singer, writing and translating poetry, novels and essays, and teaching groups worldwide in Tarot, transgenerational psychology and what she calls « healing fictions », an original technique that combine and surpasses therapy, self-development and artistic expression.
She is the translator of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s poetry in French. Her base is in Paris and she has been a passionate tango dancer and singer for the last decade.
key Books by Marianne Costa
Le Tarot Pas à Pas/ El Tarot paso a paso /. – A comprehensive guide to understanding and reading Tarot in a structured way, this book also provides valuable historical context, exploring the origins and evolution of the Tarot. This book has not yet been translated into English. Available here: Le Tarot pas à pas (Éditions Trédaniel).
The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards – A classic book on Tarot, co-authored with the legendary Alejandro Jodorowsky, renowned for his revolutionary work in cinema and mysticism, and translated into many languages. Available here: Amazon link
Metagenealogy: Self-Discovery through Psychomagic and the Family Tree – Also co-authored with Jodorowsky, this book examines personal transformation through family history and symbolic acts. Available here: Amazon link
Marseille Tarot: Gold and Black Edition (Marseille Tarot, 8) – A visually striking edition of the Marseille Tarot, emphasizing its symbolic depth through a refined gold-and-black design. Available here: Amazon link.