Divination: The Tarot Nefertari

 

Tarot Nefertari 

Created by Pietro Alligo 

Published by Lo Scarabeo

The Tarot Nefertari is one of the most visually striking Egyptian-themed tarot decks ever produced by  Lo Scarabeo⁠.

 First published around 2000, it was created by Pietro Alligo with artwork by Silvana Alasia. The deck is dedicated to the legendary Egyptian queen Nefertari and seeks to recreate the beauty, symbolism, and spiritual atmosphere of ancient Egypt.  

What makes this deck famous is its lavish use of gold foil although some reproductions lack this ( sadly mine doesn’t).

Almost every card features a shimmering gold background, giving the deck the appearance of a treasure recovered from a pharaoh’s tomb. Many readers consider it one of the most luxurious decks Lo Scarabeo has ever produced.  

The artwork incorporates:

• Egyptian gods and goddesses
• Hieroglyphs
• Temple imagery
• Sacred animals
• Ankhs, scarabs, and solar symbols
• Ancient Egyptian dress and architecture

The cards are fully illustrated, including the Minor Arcana, making them easier to read intuitively than many older pip-style decks. 

The deck has a typical tarot function and layout .

One interesting Egyptian touch is the frequent use of the Ankh, the symbol of life, in place of or alongside traditional pentacle imagery.  

Relationship to the Tarot of the Sphinx

An interesting fact known by collectors is that the Nefertari Tarot is closely related to another Lo Scarabeo deck, the Tarot of the Sphinx. The imagery is largely the same, but the Nefertari edition adds luxurious gold foil and altered coloration, creating a much richer appearance.  

Although the deck is Egyptian in appearance, its structure is broadly compatible with the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot system. Most experienced tarot readers can use it without learning an entirely new symbolic language.  

The deck tends to appeal to readers who enjoy:

• Ancient Egypt
• Mythology
• Esoteric symbolism
• Ceremonial magic
• Historical tarot themes

Many readers describe it as having a regal, solar, and mystical atmosphere. The gold backgrounds often create a feeling of illumination, as though the figures are emerging from sacred temple walls.

The deck deserves praise as one of the most visually stunning Egyptian tarot decks available.  The imagery draws heavily upon authentic Egyptian motifs rather than modern fantasy interpretations.  

Unlike some Egyptian decks that rely on abstract suit symbols, the Nefertari Tarot provides scenes that aid interpretation.  

The most common criticism however is that the accompanying booklet is quite brief. Some owners have noted that it provides standard tarot meanings but little explanation of the Egyptian symbolism appearing throughout the artwork.  

Additionally, the reflective gold foil can sometimes make details harder to photograph or view under bright lighting.  

A Pagan and Occult Perspective

For many modern Pagans, witches, and occultists, the deck functions as more than a divination tool. The imagery invokes the spiritual world of ancient Egypt—particularly concepts associated with:

• Divine kingship
• Sacred femininity
• Solar power
• The journey through the afterlife
• Balance and cosmic order (Ma’at)

As someone who has a keen interest in both tarot and ancient Egypt I like working with these cards.

The presence of Nefertari herself gives the deck a distinctly feminine yet regal energy. Some readers work with it during rituals honouring Egyptian deities such as Isis, Hathor, Ra, or Anubis.

The Nefertari Tarot is best suited to readers who appreciate beauty, mythology, and historical symbolism. It combines the accessibility of modern tarot with the splendour of ancient Egypt, resulting in a deck that feels both mystical and majestic. More than two decades after its publication, it remains one of Lo Scarabeo’s most beloved Egyptian-themed tarot decks.  

For someone interested in witchcraft, Paganism, Egyptian mythology, or ceremonial symbolism, it is often considered a collector’s piece as well as a practical reading deck.

About the deck creator 

Pietro Alligo is one of the most influential figures in the modern tarot world, although he is often less well known than the artists whose names appear on the decks. He is an Italian publisher, writer, researcher, and creative director best known as the founder of the tarot publishing company  Lo Scarabeo⁠, established in Turin in 1987. Over the decades, Lo Scarabeo has become one of the world’s leading publishers of tarot, oracle, and divination decks.  

Founder of Lo Scarabeo

Alligo founded Lo Scarabeo together with business partner Mario Pignatiello. What began as a small publishing venture grew into an international company whose decks are now translated into numerous languages and sold worldwide. The company became known for combining artistic excellence with serious research into tarot history, symbolism, mythology, and esoteric traditions.  

His Role in Tarot Deck Creation Pietro Alligo

Many tarot collectors notice that Pietro Alligo’s name appears on dozens of decks and wonder what exactly he does.

According to people associated with Lo Scarabeo, Alligo often acts as the conceptual designer and creative architect behind a deck. In some cases he develops the entire symbolic framework and writes the card concepts, while professional artists create the illustrations. On other projects he serves primarily as editor and art director.  

Examples of decks associated with him include:

• Tarot of the New Vision
• 78 Doors Tarot
• Before Tarot
• Nefertari Tarot

Several of these decks introduced innovative concepts that expanded traditional tarot imagery beyond the standard Rider–Waite–Smith scenes.  

Tarot Historian and Researcher

Beyond publishing, Alligo has conducted research into tarot history and early editions of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck. He has written about tarot symbolism, contributed to exhibition catalogues, and participated in projects exploring the historical development of tarot from the Renaissance to the present day.  

One aspect of his work that historians appreciate is his effort to bridge three different approaches to tarot:

• Historical scholarship
• Artistic expression
• Practical divination

Rather than seeing tarot solely as fortune-telling tools, he has often treated the cards as cultural artifacts and symbolic works of art.  

Influence on Modern Tarot

It is difficult to overstate Alligo’s influence on contemporary tarot publishing. Since the late twentieth century, many popular decks have either been created, edited, commissioned, or overseen by him. His approach helped popularise themed tarot decks based on mythology, fantasy, history, folklore, and esoteric traditions.  

For tarot readers interested in Egyptian symbolism, the Nefertari Tarot reflects several hallmarks of Alligo’s work:

• Strong historical inspiration
• Rich symbolic layering
• High production quality
• Accessibility for modern readers
• Integration of traditional tarot structure with cultural mythology

From an Occult Perspective

Although Alligo is primarily known as a publisher and researcher rather than as an occult teacher, many of the decks he has helped create draw upon Hermeticism, alchemy, Kabbalah, Egyptian religion, mythology, and Jungian symbolism. His contribution has been to make these traditions visually accessible through tarot imagery rather than through lengthy theoretical texts.  

For many tarot enthusiasts, Pietro Alligo’s lasting legacy is that he helped transform tarot publishing from a niche market into a vibrant artistic and symbolic field, bringing together historians, occultists, writers, and illustrators from around the world.  

About the deck artist Silvana Alasia

Silvana Alasia is an Italian artist, illustrator, and tarot designer best known for her richly detailed historical and mythological tarot decks, particularly those inspired by ancient Egypt. She was born in Turin, Italy, in 1963 and studied at the Aldo Passoni Art Institute, graduating in 1982.

Work with Lo Scarabeo

Since the late 1990s, Alasia has collaborated extensively with  Lo Scarabeo⁠, becoming one of the publisher’s most recognisable artists. Her decks are known for combining historical research with visually attractive symbolism.  

Why Tarot Readers Appreciate Her Work

Among tarot enthusiasts, Alasia is respected because her decks are not merely decorative. She combines visual beauty with symbolic clarity, making the cards suitable both for collectors and for practical divination. Readers who enjoy mythology, ancient history, archaeology, and esoteric traditions are often drawn to her work.