He studied literature, philosophy and art history at Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, where he obtained his BA (Honours) in 1975.

He studied with James Hillman and Thomas Moore in Dallas, Texas; and Martin Bickman and Harold Schechter in Boulder, Colorado.

[6] His public intellectual life began in 1995, when he published Edge of the Sacred, a work which became a best-seller and attracted the interest of the Paul Keating administration.

It was recommended by cultural advisers as a work which shaped the direction of Australian society in its vision of Aboriginal reconciliation.

[citation needed] During the 1990s, Tacey organised conferences on Analytical psychology and made La Trobe a national focus for this field of research.

Remaking Men was voted one of the best ten books of the year by The Age newspaper in Melbourne and The Sydney Morning Herald.

He is often consulted by church leaders to foster ecclesial and lay understanding of the function of spirituality and mysticism in today's postmodern world.

His book Religion as Metaphor: Beyond Literal Belief brings together his interests in symbolism, scripture, depth psychology and literature.