Herbcrafter's Tarot by Colbert & Guthrie, 78 Cards & Guidebook

A plant and a craft on every card. Each card pairs a specific herb with a practice (gathering, brewing, drying, making), so readings point you toward something to do with your hands, not just something to think about.

Elemental suits and renamed courts. Suits of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water keep tarot's structure intact, while the courts of Hija, Madre, Adelita, and Curandera honor the women who traditionally carried plant knowledge.

A 124-page guidebook. Latisha Guthrie's guidebook gives the plant lore, the card meaning, and craft ideas for each card, so a reading can become an afternoon in the kitchen.

• Cards: 78-card tarot deck
• Guidebook: 124 pages
• Creators: Joanna Powell Colbert (art), Latisha Guthrie (text)
• Publisher: U.S. Games Systems
• ISBN: 9781572819726
• Box: about 6.25 x 4.5 inches
• Weight: about 1.3 lb

The Herbcrafter's Tarot is used for divination and for guiding hands-on plant work in modern eclectic witchcraft and folk herbalism. It was published by U.S. Games Systems in 2019, and it grew out of the two creators' own gardens and kitchens rather than any formal magical order. The Spanish court titles (Hija, Madre, Adelita, Curandera) nod to the folk practitioners and plant keepers of the Americas; where a card touches a living cultural practice, that practice is best learned from practitioners within the tradition, and the deck presents itself as an invitation to your own craft rather than a substitute.

You can use it as a standard tarot, since the 78-card structure reads like any other deck. You can also use it as a craft prompt: draw a card, find the plant, and do the thing the card shows. Brew the tea, hang the bundle, plant the seed. That is the deck's real gift, turning a reading into a practice you can hold, and over a year of draws it quietly teaches you an herbal from the inside.

1. Read the guidebook's introduction to learn how the suits and courts were renamed. The elemental suits change how the Minor Arcana feel.
2. Cleanse the deck with plant smoke (rosemary, mugwort, or a bundle you made yourself) or by shuffling with your intention spoken aloud.
3. Draw one card in the morning and read both the tarot meaning and the plant. Ask what the card wants you to make, grow, or gather today.
4. For a full reading, use any standard spread; the Celtic Cross and three-card spreads work without changes.
5. Turn one card each week into a craft. The guidebook gives ideas for every card, and the doing is where the deck teaches most.

The book gives you the plant lore. Your hands will learn the rest.

• Magical Herbalism: The Secret Craft of the Wise (Llewellyn's Practical Magick Series) by Scott Cunningham: Cunningham's classic on herb magic, the reference most readers keep beside this deck.
• Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl: a deeper herbal for looking up any plant a card sends you toward.
• A Tea Witch's Grimoire: Magickal Recipes for Your Tea Time by S. M. Harlow: recipes for the brewing cards, when the reading says put the kettle on.
• Kitchen Witch Oracle: Spells, incantations and natural remedies (Rockpool Oracle) by Jena Dellagrottaglia: a kitchen-focused oracle that pairs well for quick pulls between full tarot readings.
• Tree of Life herb box 6" x 9": a wooden herb box for the dried plants your readings keep asking for.

What is the difference between the Herbcrafter's Tarot and the Green Witch Tarot?

Both are 78-card nature tarots, but the Herbcrafter's Tarot pairs each card with a specific plant and a craft to do with it, with elemental suits and Spanish-named courts, while the Green Witch Tarot by Ann Moura frames the cards through green witchcraft more broadly. Choose Herbcrafter's for hands-on plant work, Green Witch for earth-based ritual.

Is the Herbcrafter's Tarot good for beginners?

Yes, the Herbcrafter's Tarot is good for beginners who love plants. The 78-card structure follows standard tarot, so any beginner book applies, and the 124-page guidebook explains every card. The renamed suits and courts take a little getting used to, which the guidebook's introduction handles well.

How many cards are in the Herbcrafter's Tarot?

There are 78 cards in the Herbcrafter's Tarot: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana in the suits of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. The court cards are Hija, Madre, Adelita, and Curandera in place of Page, Knight, Queen, and King. Standard tarot spreads work without any changes.

How do I cleanse a tarot deck?

Cleanse a tarot deck by passing it through incense or dried-herb smoke, resting it overnight beside selenite, or shuffling slowly while speaking your intention. For the Herbcrafter's Tarot, a sprig of rosemary or a mugwort bundle from your own shelf is the natural choice. Repeat whenever the deck feels heavy.

Do I need to know herbalism to read with this deck?

No, you do not need to know herbalism to read with this deck. The guidebook teaches the plant on every card as you go, and the tarot meanings stand on their own. Many readers say the deck is how they finally learned their herbs, one draw at a time.

Who made the Herbcrafter's Tarot?

The Herbcrafter's Tarot was created by Joanna Powell Colbert, who painted the cards, and Latisha Guthrie, who wrote the guidebook. It was published by U.S. Games Systems in 2019. Colbert is also the artist behind the Gaian Tarot, and the same warm, detailed style carries into this deck.