Afro-Brazilian Tarot - tarot mapped onto Afro-Brazilian orishas
In Brazilian Santeria, the orishas are both natural forces and divine beings. They protect, heal, punish and inspire. This deck by Alice Santana places those orishas alongside the 78 tarot archetypes and shows how closely the two systems align.
The pairing is not forced. Both traditions work with forces that represent patterns in human life. Afro-Brazilian mythology brings its own visual language to that: vivid, concrete, rooted in a living religious tradition.
What you see on the cards
The illustrations are by Giuseppe Palumbo and stand out for their strong use of colour. The figures on the cards are recognisable as orishas, each with their own attributes, colours and a role that connects to a tarot archetype. The Major Arcana reflect the great divinities, the Minor Arcana the smaller forces and everyday aspects of life.
The format is compact: 66 by 120 mm. That makes the cards easy to handle, including for meditation or ritual use.
About the guidebook
The guidebook is multilingual, meaning the instructions are available in several languages. The exact languages and page count are not specified in the available product information. For anyone unfamiliar with Santeria mythology, the guidebook provides a useful introduction to the imagery on the cards.
If you already know something about the orishas, you will notice how consistently the choices have been made. If you do not, the guidebook offers enough context to read the cards.
About Alice Santana and Giuseppe Palumbo
Alice Santana wrote the texts for this deck and built the connection between tarot symbolism and Afro-Brazilian mythology. Giuseppe Palumbo created the illustrations. No further biographical information about either creator is available in the source material.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78
- Language: Multilingual
- ISBN: 9780738709604
- Dimensions: 66 x 120 mm
- Author: Alice Santana
- Illustrator: Giuseppe Palumbo
Questions we often get
Which languages does the guidebook cover?
The guidebook is described as multilingual. The specific languages are not listed in the product information. Get in touch if this is an important factor for you.
Does this follow standard tarot structure?
Yes. The deck uses the classic 78-card structure with Major and Minor Arcana. The imagery is based on Afro-Brazilian Santeria tradition rather than the Rider-Waite-Smith iconography.
