The Fountain Tarot is a bold re-envisioning of the classic tarot deck, bringing the traditional archetypes and symbology of tarot into a contemporary context.
This boxed set features lush, ethereal paintings by artist Jonathan Saiz, rainbow holographic packaging by designer Andi Todaro, and an intimate guidebook by writer Jason Gruhl that teaches you how to read the cards and how to use them as a tool for introspection, empowerment, and connection.
First Impressions
Initially, some may have eye-rolled this deck when it launched, considering it another modern deck that's abstract and overly difficult, with a deck creator that prioritized millennial aesthetics over practical considerations.
However, opinions can change upon closer examination. Its arrival couldn't be better timed when re-reading Journey of Souls and imagining reincarnations, examining Earth passage, purpose, and patterns. No doubt this deck helps guide the gaze. It's a visual language that speaks spiritual intelligence.
The mathematically precise lattice of geometric shapes that go beyond science to become art, art that is intended to resonate with our intuition and trigger our awareness of the metaphysical dimension around us is such a perfect expression of where we are today in terms of our spiritual understanding.
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The Moon Card
Thus far the Moon is a favorite card...gateway and monoliths and 2001 Space Odyssey all lept through mind's eye. Those churning ocean waves renders my subconscious visceral. Eventide drawn with midnight as black as the canvass of my dreaming mind. The portal is dark, ominous yet inviting.
It’s not for those who only walk in light, it opens for those traveling into deep, cold shadows.
The Guidebook
The guidebook is beautifully written. The accompanying guidebook provides a fantastic companion, offering a glimpse of the pages with meaty paragraphs for each card in the Major Arcana entries, summarized in key words.
In many guidebooks, greater attention is given to the Majors and the Minors become an afterthought. Not here. Here you’ll see equal devotion given to the Minors. Above is a snapshot of two entries from the suit of Wands.
Because the deck’s imagery is compelling, one might wish for guidance to understand its colors, shapes, and sacred geometries. Instead, the guidebook goes the beginner route and sticks fairly close to traditional interpretations of the cards, inspired by RWS and Thoth.
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The guidebook is a disappointment since it doesn’t rise to the sophistication of the visual language. No bother. When this happens it results in considerable more work that will ultimately yield a stronger tarot practice between this deck and myself. It starts with daily pulls, continues with practice spreads, and follows with arduous and impatient writing exercises. In a year I’ll have another amazing tool in my toolbox.
Is it Beginner-Friendly?
Whether the Fountain Tarot can serve as a beginner’s deck does seem to spark a little controversy. If you’re of the school that learning tarot ultimately requires traditionalist proficiency in either the Tarot de Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith, or Thoth, then I can see why you might opine that the Fountain Tarot would not be suitable for beginners.
In terms of logistics, when a deck deviates from one of the three main traditions that pretty much every tarot how-to book out there is based on, then for it to be a good beginner’s deck would require a good companion guidebook. The Fountain Tarot provides just that-a fantastic companion guidebook.
However, as a divination tool for someone who is a beginner with tarot and who is pretty sure he or she will only be working with one deck only, then I don’t see why you can’t start on the Fountain Tarot. As a whole set, it has everything you need.
The Cards Themselves
The design of the deck has a clear 21st century aesthetic sensibility about it. The Fountain Tarot follows the older structure of tarot Majors, with Key 8 as Justice and Key 11 as Strength.
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This deck is taking elements of all three of the prevailing traditions- Tarot de Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith, and Thoth. Cards like The Moon feel like the vision is from a futuristic time. In both the above photograph and the below, you’ll see great use of three point perspective. The muted color palette and decided use of color theory, to me, conveys a philosophy of color realism, as applied to tarot.
Here you’ll also see the Fountain Tarot following the older structure of tarot Majors, with Key 8 as Justice and Key 11 as Strength. This deck is taking elements of all three of the prevailing traditions- Tarot de Marseille, Rider-Waite-Smith, and Thoth.
As I sifted through the deck for the first time, I found each suit more breathtaking than the last. This is no clone deck. It is a perfected system of divinatory tarot born out of the 21st century.
The art is hard to define here, and I love that. You see influences of abstract expressionism, but it’s not. It’s photorealistic and yet surreal, a very lyrical strand of surrealism. Overall, the art and aesthetic of the Fountain Tarot is sci-fi realistic-futuristic, like a utopian vision of science as medicine.
The Fountain Tarot deck unboxing and flip through
Packaging and Presentation
I will probably sound materialistic now for going on and on about the packaging, but seriously, I love the packaging. The attention of detail that the creators of the Fountain Tarot have put in to its production is astounding. Here are three people who cared about quality, who were not going to sacrifice that quality for commercialization in any way. For that, as a tarotist, I commend them.
In addition to the beautiful magnetic flap box that the cards came in, that box was then placed into a thick padded envelope along with lovely stickers that match the deck’s branding and trade dress. This is such a stark contrast to the many self-published tarot decks I’ve bought that were haphazardly thrown into a 30 cent envelope and arrived at my door step frayed.
Packaging isn’t a superficial consideration. Packaging speaks to the creators’ care, attentiveness to details, and thoughtfulness of others.
The Fountain Tarot: Illustrated Deck and Guidebook includes:
- 79 silver-gilded cards with original oil paintings and die-cut rounded corners
- 112-page guidebook
- Holographic shimmer box with magnetic-closure and lifting ribbon
Final Thoughts
The Fountain Tarot is a fascinating deck to work with as an intermediate or advanced practitioner because it adds another layer of interpretation to the essential 78. I also love how it feels like tradition, and yet is updated to express where we are now.
I connected very easily with the Fountain Tarot and my divination work with the deck has been spot on. I like using it for daily readings or readings about everyday concerns.
The Swords suit in this deck is just simply gorgeous. The way that the swords are depicted as both shafts of light and shadow and with a transparent and cutting quality… just wow. The depiction of the 2 of Cups is the most applicable 2 of Cups card for the analogy of love as two people not looking at each other, but looking in the same direction.
The pros and cons of this deck may be one in the same: its aesthetic beauty is both its strongest point and its biggest distraction. The geometric and sometimes abstract art could lead people to not “see their lives” in the images on the cards. Even so, the Fountain Tarot has quickly become one of my favorite decks. I believe the Fountain Tarot has that certain “love it or hate it” quality that The Wild Unknown Tarot has.
The Fountain is the unchanging, unnamable force of which everything and nothing are a part. Whether you’re selecting a card to set the tone for your day, invigorate creative energy, or navigate a specific question, The Fountain Tarot helps you to unlock your deepest longings and greatest potential.
Move your creativity and life forward with this gorgeously designed deck. The Fountain Tarot draws on tradition, but provides a modern voice and distinct approach that highlights our everyday lives as a source of insight, wisdom, and growth.
As a daily tool for reflection and a powerful vehicle for self-discovery, The Fountain Tarot reveals creative opportunities, awakens fresh viewpoints, and offers a new take on life’s possibilities. Whether you’re selecting a card to set the tone for your day, invigorate your creative energy, or inspire you before your meditation or yoga practice, The Fountain Tarot helps open closed doors and reveal new paths.