Maree Bento is a professional reader, licensed bodyworker and a perpetual student of the occult and healing arts. She is an intuitive artist, author and creator of three self-published decks: the Antiquarian Lenormand, Antiquarian Tarot, and the Divine Muses Oracle. Maree lives in Portland, Oregon with her partner, David, and loves rainy weather, and drinking hot tea cuddled up with a book and their huggable hound, Dante.

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More About Me

I'm an artist, card reader, bodyworker and seeker of truth. I'm also a deck creator. I didn't expect to do that. I kind of fell into it when I started creating a deck for my own personal use in 2012. I adore working with divination decks and I've been reading and studying them for about twenty years now. I also love astrology and use it in my readings. I've been studying it more deeply in recent years, and find it fascinating how much it adds to the overall picture of a client's reading. ​
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How I Came to Tarot?

My curiosity with divination and the mystical arts was piqued when I was a teenager in the mid-nineties. I think it all began with an antiquarian book called Palmistry or Scientific Cheiromancy by Mrs. Edwin Symmes that I bought for 10 cents at a library sale. The simple hand-drawn illustrations and astrology connections that I found in my hands captured my heart. It is a relic that I still own and treasure. Around that time, I acquired a book on cartomancy, and that was my earliest introduction to reading—by connecting with a pack of playing cards! A few years later, I picked up my first tarot deck. 
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My First Tarot Deck

Some readers like to ask what your first deck was, so I'll share mine. It was the Karma Tarot by the Danish artist Birgit Boline Erfurt. I was captivated by its dream-like artwork. It had a mysterious personality, and was an expressive deck that I used for several years, even though it was not the best deck to learn the basics, but I still have it!

​My next deck was a Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot and I bought Rachel Pollack's Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, and I was set. That was my tarot bible for a while, like it is for so many readers. Then, of course, I added other titles like Tarot for Yourself​ by Mary K. Greer to my library over the years. Looking at my tarot library & collection now, it's funny to think that at one time I had just a couple decks and books. 
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Tarot Studies & Evolution

​I have since studied and completed coursework on the Western mystical tradition of the Sacred Tarot, Hermetic magical practice, astrology, depth psychology & mediumship; and continue to attend workshops & conferences on these topics. I also work with various oracles, including the Lenormand, and teach on these subjects as well.
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Divine Muses Gratitude

I'm grateful for my allies and guides, and the teachers who have shared their knowledge and wisdom. The manifestation of my current work could not have been possible without the masters, writers, healers and artists that were so passionate about theirs. 
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Synergy of Healing & Mysticism

It is my hope that the synthesis of my studies in the healing and mystical arts will help to deliver a comprehensive holistic experience for my clients & customers, through my deck creations, card readings and bodywork.
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Thank you for visiting and for taking the time to read about me. Please feel free to contact me if you want to start up a conversation or browse my private services if you're interested in a reading or synergistic session with me.
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Ms. Maree's readings are pure magic. She is not only deeply informed on the subject matter of tarot interpretation, symbolism & archetypal meaning, but she is well versed in being a channel for her own powerful intuition. She is always right-on with her readings, getting right to the heart of the matter, offering inspired insights & helpful guidance. Getting a reading from Maree is a true treat; fun, informative, meaningful and life-affirming. 
–Tai Woodville