White rose in tarot
A white rose carries the rose's sense of love and beauty but drained of heat: purity, innocence and a love that is more spiritual than physical. In the Waite-Smith deck it appears in two striking places. The Fool holds a single white rose as he steps towards the cliff, a sign of his innocence, and Death carries a black banner bearing a large white five-petalled rose, a reminder that the card is about transformation as much as ending. Waite called it the mystic rose. Notice the contrast with the red roses elsewhere: white for spirit and freedom from desire, red for passion and engagement.
Cards that show white rose
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The Fool
The Fool: The white rose
He holds a single white rose up in his left hand, barely gripping it. White roses traditionally stand for innocence and purity of motive: desire that has not yet been complicated by experience or by wanting something back.
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Death
Death: The black banner with the white rose
The flag is black with a large white five-petalled rose, a design also seen in heraldry. Waite called it the Mystic Rose, signifying life. Death carries the emblem of life on his banner: endings and renewal on the same flag.