In this episode, I’m talking about a deck that lives right at the intersection of tarot, plant magic, and earth-based practice: The Herbcrafter’s Tarot, written by Latisha Guthrie with artwork by Joanna Powell Colbert. This deck doesn’t just show you plants, it invites you into a whole world of herb-craft, kitchen witchery, and ancestral plant relationships.

My Story with This Deck

This deck has been on my radar for a long time.

Back in Season 11: Tarot and Plant Allies, I didn’t yet own a botanical tarot deck. I was constantly looking up plant correspondences online, and the Herbcrafter’s Tarot kept popping up in my research. I found myself returning to its imagery over and over as I prepared those episodes.

I’d been searching for a plant-based tarot deck for years, but most of the ones I found either didn’t name the plants clearly or didn’t quite click with how I like to work. After leaning so heavily on Herbcrafter’s imagery for that season, I finally took the hint and bought the deck as a gift to myself.

Style:

This is a traditional tarot deck, but translated through an herbalist’s worldview. The vibe feels like standing in a kitchen with herbs hanging from the rafters, tea simmering, and baskets piled with plants from the garden. 

Structure:

The Herbcrafter’s Tarot follows the Rider–Waite–Smith structure in terms of card count, but it reimagines the suits and court cards through an herbal lens.

Instead of the traditional suit names, the deck uses the elements:

• Air (Swords)

• Fire (Wands)

• Water (Cups)

• Earth (Pentacles)

The guidebook also adds an extra layer that makes this deck feel like a full practice: each card has a short mantra-style line, an image description, a message, and crafting suggestions—ways to actually work with the plant through syrup, oxymel, jelly, teas, bath blends, or other forms of herb-craft.

Imagery:

The imagery is one of my favorite parts of this deck, because it doesn’t just show a plant floating in space. Sometimes the plant is wild in its natural environment. Sometimes it’s been harvested and laid out beside jars, spoons, bowls, candles, or baskets. Sometimes it’s shown as food or medicine. Every card gives you options for how to actually work with the plant—something you can make, infuse, steep, craft, or ritualize.

What I use it for:

I reach for this deck when:

• plant ally work and earth-based spiritual practice

• readings that focus on healing, nourishment, and slow transformation

• situations where I want the next step to be tangible (something I can craft, brew, cook, or tend)

• learning herbs through tarot, or learning tarot through herbs

• ritual-based reflection—pulling a card and letting it become a week-long practice

What I don’t use it for:

I don’t reach for this deck when:

• someone wants classic Rider–Waite–Smith imagery with people and familiar tarot scenes

• a querent wants something very “straightforward tarot” without botanical symbolism

• someone feels disconnected from plants, cooking, crafting, or nature-based metaphor

• someone is from a context where these plants feel unfamiliar, and they want symbolism that’s more culturally immediate for them

💭 Today's Tarot Pull:

From The Herbcrafter’s Tarot, I pulled the Six of Fire Nasturtium (Reversed).

Let yourself celebrate what you’ve done. Let your people celebrate you, too. Call the circle. Gather the joy. Let it count.

Reflective prompts on this card:

• What have I done this year that I’m minimizing or skipping over too quickly?

• Where am I craving celebration, but waiting for “perfect” before I let myself have it?

• Who are my people right now, and what kind of circle do I want to build or return to in 2026?

Ways to Connect & Support

• Newsletter: Get my⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ FREE 2025 5-Card Tarot Spread PDF⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ + magic straight to your inbox
• Join us for our New Year Full Moon Healing Circle on January 3rd

• Be a Guest on my Podcast!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠