The American Renaissance Tarot

A literary tarot celebrating the nation's most iconic literature that will guide you  through the alternative spiritual movement in 19th century America. 

Step back in time and celebrate the nation's most iconic writers with this traditional deck that blends American literature, esotericism, and Tarot.

• The Major Arcana tell the two intertwined stories that define the American Renaissance period in literature: the exaltation of the human spirit under Transcendentalism, and the epic fight to abolish slavery.
• Major figures like Emerson (the Magician), Whitman (the World), and Thoreau (the Hermit) are outlined in the short chapters that accompany each card.
• Listen as the Kings of the four suits, Herman Melville (Wands), Frederick Douglass (Coins), Edgar Allan Poe (Swords), and Nathaniel Hawthorne (Cups), tell their tales as illustrated in the Minor Arcana.

Over thirty writers from the years 1825 to 1875 are profiled in this project that expertly reveals how America’s metaphysical history is at work beneath the surface of its classic literature.

Card dimensions: 2 7/8" x 5"

Thea Wirsching is a writer, scholar, and evolutionary astrologer. Her PhD research at UCLA focused on occultism in American literature. Thea’s astrology business, The Pluto Babe, is centered in trauma healing and shadow integration. She is based in California.  

Celeste Pille is an illustrator with a talent for portraiture, and a love of art that merges pop culture and iconography. Her degree in both English and art made a literary Tarot deck a natural vehicle for her skills.