White Witch Tarot - 22 Major Arcana for alchemical self-reflection
This is not a full tarot deck. Anyone looking for 78 cards should look elsewhere. The White Witch Tarot contains only the 22 Major Arcana, and that is a deliberate decision: for Maja D'Aoust, these 22 archetypes of human development are already more than enough to work with.
D'Aoust is not an illustrator who decided to make a tarot deck. She is a practising White Witch who has spent decades researching Western esotericism, astrology, alchemy and Hermeticism. That foundation shows in every card.
What you see on the cards
The illustrations are minimalist and line-driven, yet precisely unsettling. Floating eyes, geometric shapes, subtle anatomical accents: the imagery is surrealist and hypnotic. This is not a soft or pastel tarot.
Each card is directly linked to a planetary force, an element and an alchemical phase. That is visible in the images and developed further in the guidebook, which goes well beyond what you would expect from a standard booklet included with a card set.
The alchemical angle
D'Aoust is clear that 'White Witch' does not mean good versus bad magic. The term refers to the Albedo, the alchemical phase of white light and inner purification. The deck is designed as a tool for shadow work and meditative self-reflection, not for prediction.
She also describes a specific working technique: cards are placed opposite each other as protagonist and antagonist, working toward unification, in a way she compares to how Shakespearean theatre examines problems through a different lens. That method is laid out in the guidebook and gives the deck a clear approach of its own.
How you work with it
The deck can be used as a traditional Majors-only system, but the guidebook also offers the protagonist-antagonist technique as an alternative method. The focus is on meditative work, visualisation and philosophical self-enquiry, not on quick daily readings.
Place two cards opposite each other and ask not what they predict, but what they resolve together. That is the core of the method D'Aoust describes.
About Maja D'Aoust
Maja D'Aoust is known as 'The White Witch of Los Angeles'. She holds a master's degree in transformational psychology with a focus on Shamanism and the I Ching, and writes about alchemy and esoteric sciences. Her interest in Western esotericism spans her entire lifetime.
The deck draws on decades of research into alchemy and various divination systems. That background makes the content of the guidebook considerably more substantial than what typically accompanies a card set.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 22 (Major Arcana only)
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9780764353673
- Publisher: Schiffer Publishing Ltd
- Weight: 1050 g
- Dimensions: 102 x 25 x 127 mm
- Packaging: Magnetic closure box with gold foil details
- Contents: 22 cards and guidebook
- Author: Maja D'Aoust
Questions we often get
Does this deck include the Minor Arcana?
No. The White Witch Tarot contains only the 22 Major Arcana cards. It is not a full 78-card tarot deck, but a specialised set focused on the major archetypes.
What language are the cards and guidebook in?
Both the cards and the guidebook are in English.