Jung's Active Imagination and the Tarot
with Mary K. Greer
Have you ever wished the tarot cards would speak directly to you, rather than having to interpret their meaning through keywords and memorized definitions? In this two-class workshop, Mary K. Greer teaches you Carl Jung’s technique of active imagination as a way to enter into genuine dialogue with the archetypal figures living in your cards.
Active imagination is not guided meditation, creative visualization, or daydreaming. It is a focused encounter with the inhabitants of your own psyche, where you participate as yourself, ask questions, receive answers that surprise you, and bring the insights back into your waking life. Mary has spent decades developing ways to combine this powerful Jungian technique with tarot, and the results can be extraordinary.
A two-class exploration of Jung's Active Imagination technique, using tarot cards as doorways to your unconscious. Taught by one of the world's most respected tarot teachers, Mary K. Greer.
What Students Are Saying
What's Included
What You Get
Two In-Depth Workshop Classes
Class One introduces Jung’s active imagination technique and guides you through your first inner encounters. Class Two, recorded after a homework period, explores how to apply these methods in readings for others, with student experiences discussed and built upon. Together they form a complete learning journey from theory to practice.
Active Imagination Exercises
A set of structured exercises designed to be practiced between the two classes: meeting your inner guide, exploring the Seven of Cups, creating three-card drawings, and dialoguing with contrary archetypes. These are the same exercises Mary uses in her live workshops, refined over decades of teaching.
The Exercises Handout
A 4-page PDF with Mary’s steps for active imagination and the homework exercises: the inner guide, the Seven of Cups, the three-card drawing, contrary advice from the archetypes, and a Tarot commentary. Practice at your own pace between the classes.
Lifetime Access
No deadlines, no expiry. Return to any session as your practice deepens and revisit the handout whenever you need them. Many students find they get something new from the material each time, especially as their reading experience grows and earlier lessons reveal deeper layers.
Your Practice
What You'll Learn
Foundation
Jung's Active Imagination Technique
Learn the method Carl Jung considered the most important tool for exploring the unconscious. Mary explains how it differs from daydreaming, creative visualization, and guided meditation, then walks you through the process step by step: entering the inner world, interacting with what you find there, recording your experience, and bringing insights back into daily life. You will understand both the power and the necessary safety precautions.
The Psyche
The Map of the Psyche in Tarot
Mary presents her own model (developed over thirty years) mapping Jung’s psychological concepts onto tarot cards. The Magician as ego, the Chariot as persona, the Devil as shadow, and more. Once you can see these Jungian structures in the cards, every reading gains a new dimension of psychological depth.
Signature Exercise
The Three-Card Drawing
Mary’s original technique, born in a live class: draw three cards, then combine them into a single image without planning or analysis. What emerges often reveals things the conscious mind cannot see.
Inner Dialogue
Dialogue with the Archetypes
The Major Arcana and court cards have opinions about your life, your choices, and your situation. In this course, you learn to ask them directly and listen to what they say. As Mary puts it, you don’t have to go along with what the Hermit says or the attitude of the Knight of Swords, but you need to hear them. These contrary voices are all parts of you, and hearing them changes everything.
Heart of the Course
Using Active Imagination in Readings for Others
Class Two focuses on bringing these techniques into your work with clients. Mary demonstrates how to invite a querent into brief active imagination encounters during a reading, safely and without pushing past resistance. You learn to ask “What is this sword used for?” and “If you did know what she thought, what would it be?”, unlocking insights neither reader nor querent would have reached alone. This is where the method becomes genuinely transformative.
What Students Are Saying
Who This Class Is For
This course is for anyone who senses there is more to the tarot than keywords and memorized meanings. Whether you are drawn to Jungian psychology, fascinated by the idea of talking directly to the figures in your cards, or simply looking for a deeper, more personal way to read, Mary K. Greer’s active imagination methods will open doors you may not have known existed.
Because the course covers both personal practice (Class One) and reading for others (Class Two), it serves solitary practitioners and professional readers alike. The techniques work with any tarot deck and complement whatever reading style you already use.
Free companion resource: keep our free Major Arcana chart beside you as you study · a printable reference to all 22 cards.
- Tarot readers seeking deeper engagement who have been reading with keywords, spreads, and positional meanings, and sense that the cards have more to say than surface interpretation reveals.
- Students of Jungian psychology who want to apply Jung's active imagination technique to tarot in a structured, guided way, with proper safety precautions and clear distinctions from guided meditation or creative visualization.
- Professional readers wanting client techniques who would like practical methods for inviting querents into brief, safe encounters with card imagery during readings, producing insights that neither reader nor client could reach through interpretation alone.
- Journalers, artists, and creative practitioners who are drawn to the three-card drawing exercise and the idea of using tarot as a springboard for creative expression, dream work, and personal ritual.
- Anyone who has studied "A Jungian Approach to Tarot" and wants to go deeper. This course builds on the theoretical foundation of Mary's companion course, moving from understanding Jung's map of the psyche to actually entering it through active imagination.
Class Outline
Mary designed this class to build on itself. Each session adds a new layer of experience so that by the end, you are not just understanding active imagination in theory: you are practicing it. The progression moves from the foundations of Jung’s technique and its safety precautions, through a detailed mapping of the psyche onto tarot cards, into personal practice with the three-card drawing and closet visualization, and finally into applying active imagination in readings for others. Handouts and practice exercises accompany each session.
Class One: Entering the Inner World
Mary opens with a clear explanation of what active imagination is and how it differs from daydreaming, guided meditation, and hypnosis. She maps Jung’s psychological structures onto tarot cards, creating a framework you will use throughout the course. You learn the step-by-step process for entering an active imagination, the safety precautions Jung himself emphasized, and the critical rule: you maintain moral authority over any inner figures you encounter.
The class includes several vivid examples, drawn from her own long practice. Mary then leads a guided closet visualization as your first entry into the inner world, and assigns five homework exercises to practice before Class Two.
Class Two: The Art of Inner Dialogue in Readings
Class Two shifts focus to applying active imagination in readings for others. Mary shares the transformative story of Dana, whose encounter with the Seven of Cups’ veiled figure revealed an animus that changed the course of her life. She reads directly from Jung’s Red Book, demonstrating how sensory description strengthens the inner experience.
The heart of this session is learning to facilitate client insights: asking what objects in the cards are used for, having court cards voice their opinions about other cards in the spread, and finding where you are within the image. Mary closes with the importance of ritual as a way to make inner insights concrete, sharing a deeply moving story of healing through symbolic destruction.
Your Guide
Meet Your Instructor
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- 11 Published Books
- 50 Years of Practice
- M.A. English Literature
Mary K. Greer
Tarot Scholar & Author
For nearly five decades, Mary K. Greer has been one of the most influential voices in Tarot. Her groundbreaking book Tarot for Your Self started the self-reading revolution, and her eleven published works have shaped how an entire generation approaches the cards. She spent fifteen years teaching Tarot at the college level and co-taught with Rachel Pollack at the Omega Institute for over three decades.
Enroll Now
Payment Plan
- Two recorded workshop classes with Mary K. Greer
- Active imagination exercises (practiced between sessions)
- 4-page exercises handout (PDF)
- Professionally translated subtitles in 11 languages
- Access to the community discussion forum
- Lifetime access to all course materials
- Flexible payment plans available
- 30-day satisfaction guarantee
Special Price
5 monthly payments of
$29
$19
10% of your enrollment supports student scholarships
Full Payment
- Two recorded workshop classes with Mary K. Greer
- Active imagination exercises (practiced between sessions)
- 4-page exercises handout (PDF)
- Professionally translated subtitles in 11 languages
- Access to the community discussion forum
- Lifetime access to all course materials
- Flexible payment plans available
- 30-day satisfaction guarantee
Special Price
$129
$89
10% of your enrollment supports student scholarships
Study Without Hesitation
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need experience with Jungian psychology to take this course?
No. Mary explains every Jungian concept as she introduces it, with clear definitions and tarot correspondences. A basic familiarity with tarot is helpful (knowing what the Major Arcana are and having done a few readings), but no psychology background is needed. If you are curious about Jung, this is an excellent way to begin.
Do I need to have taken "A Jungian Approach to Tarot" first?
It helps but is not required. That companion course covers Jung’s map of the psyche and the four Jungian methods in detail. This course builds on those ideas but Mary reviews the key concepts before moving into active imagination. If you want the fullest experience, taking both courses gives you a complete Jungian tarot foundation.
How long are the two classes?
Each class is approximately 90 minutes. The workshop format includes homework exercises between the sessions, which you can practice at your own pace. The homework deepens the experience significantly, and Mary discusses student results in Class Two.
Is active imagination safe?
Mary addresses this directly in Class One with clear safety guidelines from Jung himself. The three key rules: maintain your own moral authority, never hand control to inner figures, and keep the boundary between inner and outer worlds. Having a trusted person to discuss your experiences with is helpful but not required. Mary emphasizes that most people practice active imagination without any difficulty.
What are the homework exercises?
You choose two from five options: meeting your inner guide, exploring the Seven of Cups, creating three-card drawings, dialoguing with contrary archetypes, and using tarot for commentary on your active imagination experiences. These exercises are designed to be done on your own between the two classes.
Which tarot deck should I use?
Any tarot deck works. The examples in class primarily use the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, but the techniques apply to all tarot decks. Some students have had powerful experiences using the DruidCraft, Thoth, and other decks. For the three-card drawing exercise, Mary recommends a deck with detailed imagery.
Is there a community or forum where I can discuss what I'm learning?
Yes. Every course includes access to the Global Spiritual Studies community forum, where you can share your active imagination experiences, post three-card drawings, ask questions, and connect with other students exploring these techniques.
How does the payment plan work?
Choose the payment plan option at checkout and pay in five monthly installments of $19 (on sale from $29). You get full access to both classes immediately with your first payment. Subsequent payments are charged automatically each month.
Do you offer scholarships?
Yes. 10% of every purchase supports the Global Spiritual Studies Scholarship Fund. If financial circumstances make it difficult to enroll, we encourage you to apply. The application takes just a few minutes.
What if I don't enjoy the course?
We offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you complete the classes and find that the material does not enhance your practice, contact us for a full refund. No questions, no conditions.
How long do I have access to the course?
Lifetime access. Both classes, the handout, the exercises, and the subtitles are yours to revisit whenever you like. Many students find they return to the three-card drawing exercise and the dialogue techniques repeatedly, discovering new layers each time.
What Students Are Saying
Scholarship Fund
Financial Need Should Never Stand Between a Seeker and a Teacher
10% of every course purchase goes directly to the Global Spiritual Studies Scholarship Fund. We believe that the inner dialogue Mary teaches here, the ability to meet the living figures in your cards and listen to what they have to say, should be available to anyone who feels called to explore it, regardless of financial circumstances.
If you would like to apply for a scholarship to study Jung’s Active Imagination and the Tarot, the process is simple, confidential, and takes just a few minutes.
