The Alchemical Tarot: Reimagined

In August 1987, during the Harmonic Convergence, Robert M. Place was studying an alchemical image of the Philosopher’s Stone when he had a flash of insight: the alchemical Great Work and the story told in the Tarot’s trumps were interchangeable. He picked up Jung’s Psychology and Alchemy and began making notes in the margins, comparing the images to Tarot cards. This was the beginning of a process that led to The Alchemical Tarot, first published in 1995.

Thirty years later, after six previous editions, Robert has redrawn the cards. Through years of observing how the images communicate in readings and recognizing his artistic growth, he felt it was time to redesign and reimagine the deck.

Like the sixth edition, this version includes a twenty-second trump, Veritas, described at the end of the trumps. The Fool and trumps in The Alchemical Tarot each relate to an alchemical material or process, part of the Magnum Opus that leads to the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone. This mystical catalyst transforms what it touches into its highest form. Composed of the mysterious fifth element, it can cure any illness, turn lead into gold, and turn an ordinary person into an enlightened sage. Each trump displays a symbol of its alchemical process, with the Philosopher’s Stone represented by the World card.

The four minor suits are related to the four alchemical elements—Earth, Water, Air, and Fire—and each element corresponds to one of the four functions of consciousness described by Jung: sensation, intuition, thinking, and feeling. Thus, the feminine elements align with the passive observational functions: sensation and intuition, and the masculine elements align with the active decision-making functions: thinking and feeling.