For curious beginners
Magic, explained plainly.
Everything I write here is magic explained plainly: where tarot, witchcraft, runes and the old grimoires really come from, what the sources say, and how to start a practice in my eleven free courses.
Choose your path
Six doors into the same house. Pick the one that pulls at you today.
- Tarot Learn the 78 cards, simple spreads and how to read for yourself with confidence.
- Witchcraft Small, practical rituals with candles, herbs and the moon, without expensive kits.
- The Ars Goetia The history of the 72 spirits, read carefully and with the safety notes first.
- Runes The Elder Futhark as it really was: an alphabet, its inscriptions and careful reading.
- Art history Learn to look at a painting in five steps, from cave art to tarot art.
- Hekate, Lilith and Lucifer Where their stories come from, and how to approach them with care.
Continue where you left off
Your courses in progress, saved to your account. Pick up at the next lesson.
The School is free
The free School
Every course is free. You can read without an account, and your progress stays in this browser. If you sign in, I save it to your account so it follows you to any device. Finish a course and print your certificate.
- Tarot for Beginners 30 lessons · Free · Open now
Start reading here
One good first read from each part of the site.
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The Fool: meaning, history and how to read it
the first card of the Major Arcana and the best place to begin.
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Witchcraft for beginners
what witchcraft is, a short honest history and three first practices.
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Goetia safety, ethics and mental health
read this before anything else about the 72 spirits.
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Runes for beginners
the 24 runes of the Elder Futhark, with their oldest inscriptions.
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Art history for beginners
how to look at a painting, and where the esoteric hides in art.
My books
Friendly beginner guides with history, safety and practice side by side.
These are my own books. The Amazon links are paid links: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Novice's Guide to Tarot
Kindle · Paperback · Hardcover
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Buy on Amazon , Paid link
The Novice's Guide to Witchcraft
Kindle · Paperback · Hardcover
Free with Kindle Unlimited
Buy on Amazon , Paid link
All my books on Amazon , opens in a new tab
Every book I have published, in every format, on my Amazon author page.
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Hello, I'm Lauri
I am Lauri Mukkala, a tarot reader and writer from Finland. I wrote The Novice's Guide books because I wanted beginners to get the history and the practice together, without fear and without hype.
A reading from me
I pull your cards myself, film the pull and send you a written PDF reading with images of your cards. For reflection and entertainment, adults only.
- Past, Present, Future: three cards for where you have been, where you are and the direction you are traveling.
- Love reading: four cards on a relationship or on love in your life.
- Career reading: cards for a work question or a crossroads in your career.
Letters from The Esoteric Witch
Longer essays on tarot history, witchcraft and art, in your inbox. When you sign up, I send you the free Novice's Mini-Grimoire as a welcome gift.
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