The Fountain Tarot: Illustrated Deck and Guidebook

“The Fountain Tarot” has become a go to deck for readings befitting a contemporary mood. Solidly ensconced in the Rider-Waite tradition it, like the “Linestrider’s” deck, takes a gentle, clever artistic style and mixes it with a graphical vision that leaves a true thinking experience on its readers—one that definitely fuels intuition. Oh this deck, with its focus on contemporary dress styles and wabi-sabi settings, is gorgeous. Unlike “Lindestrider’s” though, “The Fountain Tarot” is almost a completely human-focused—and geometric—art package replacing the former’s stunning white space with pictorial background ooze. It definitely encompasses the author’s interpretation of the Rider-Waite story and offers just enough curiosity to lead readers neither one way or the other in determining a meaning at hand. Manufacturing-wise, the deck uses a robust matt cardboard stock with silver edging. Now, his did result in a concave rim forming around the circumferences of my cards sufficient to hamper table fanning and an easy hand shuffle. Yet, a tumbled rose quartz crystal run over these rims flattened them out—and while being a great way to spend time with the deck, it’s now fully responsive to touch! The only downside for me, is the deck box. Merely large enough to house the cards themselves and their instructional booklet, it too is built of a very sturdy card stock. But being high gloss and silver/black toned, it glaringly shows up any imperfections—and my box had a bumpy ride from Amazon. I’d strongly recommend a box-in-box manufacture were the publishers to ever arrange a reprint. That said, I’m absolutely enamoured with the artist’s vision in these cards (my cards arrived un-dinted by the way) making reading with them, both a pleasure and a breeze. Highly recommended for experienced readers, fans of Rider-Waite, and those new to Tarot with a flair for imagination.

Oh Gosh. Well, to start I'll say straight up that this is a biased review. I love this deck. I have a copy of the self-published version, so of course I had to buy this one! (If only to have a copy I'm not afraid of getting dirty!) So parts of this review will compare to the self-published deck, which is of wonderful quality. Packaging: It comes int a self-contained box, that has a magnetic closure. It's probably my favorite box. The deck and book both fit in there perfectly, and there's a ribbon to help get it out. No messing around with giant boxes and cardboard inserts. It's the size of the deck, and absolutely gorgeous. Book: I'll admit, I haven't really gone through the book. I'm assuming that the meanings given are the same as the self published version. Assuming that--I love the creators interpretation on the cards. The meanings given add unique little insights and different perspectives I wouldn't always consider, but they don't really deviate from the standard, either. The book itself is small, the size of the deck. The contents are basically the same as the self-published version, though they are presented in a different order. A brief comparison of the Table of Contents show that this version added "Sample reading and interpretation" and lost the "Bios" section. It might still be in there, I'm just not seeing it in the contents. Overall, I have to say this is probably my favorite "LWB" to come with a deck. Artwork: Absolutely gorgeous. You should be able to look up the cards online, but these pictures are stunning. I will say, I can notice a slight difference in the colors when compared to the self-published deck, but *this* deck seems to be more vibrant--the darks are darker and the brights are brighter, if you will. But yeah, the images are breathtaking, and there is nothing I can criticize on those. (Remember, I did say biased!) Card stock: So, the cards themselves have silver gilding. I will say, picking them up right away, my hands did get a bit sparkly. I'm sure that'll go away with use. They aren't stuck together--at least not that I noticed--as is common with some gilded decks. The card stock itself is nice--I wouldn't call it *quite* as nice as the self-published version though. These feel a bit stiffer, a bit more cardboard-y. Though, and I will say this clearly, that could very easily be just from use. This is a brand new deck vs one I've used regularly. Of course the cards aren't going to be as supple. It does feel a bit thinner than the self-published version to me, but I'd say it's still far above the standard LoS or Llewellyn card stock. Overall: Should you get this deck? If you like the style--yes, yes, a thousand times yes. It's probably one of my favorites, if not my favorite. I liked it enough to buy two versions--and this is the *only* deck I own two copies of. So if you're even remotely tempted, go for it. I have a feeling you won't regret it!

This tarot deck is truly a work of art! The product is exactly as shown in the photos, and it’s even more stunning in person. As someone who was raised with tarot cards and sage, I felt it was time to step away from using my mother’s decks and find one that I could truly call my own. The moment I discovered this deck, I knew it was the one for me. The artwork is absolutely breathtaking—every card feels like a piece of art in its own right. The guidebook that comes with the deck is equally impressive; it provides clear, insightful information that complements the cards perfectly. I’ve done numerous readings for friends and family, and without fail, everyone who experiences the deck is in awe of its beauty. I’ve never had anyone leave a reading without offering compliments on the deck’s stunning design. It’s clear that a lot of care and intention went into creating this deck, and I couldn’t be happier with my purchase.

A few days ago, I found out that the Fountain tarot deck is my daughter’s favorite tarot deck for many years. I ordered mine and I just loved it right the way… The guidebook and card stock are very well made :-) .. the magnetic box is perfect. It is an easy going tarot deck with light quiet awesome imageries. It is like enjoying a warm cup of afternoon tea in the quiet backyard patio. Feeling bonded to the cards immediately. The silver gilded cards totally made the deck more tranquil filled with warmth. The card interpretations are similar to the original RWS system. It also provides a special extra Fountain card which is wonderful to have to supercharge the reading if you are able to pull this special card in your reading ;-) For the price, $24 special is a steal since it was originally sold for $40 years ago.. Get yours and enjoy .. 5 stars ..

This deck is absolutely stunning and I suggest everyone, whether they're newbies or pros, to buy it; especially when it's on sale! First off, there are a lot of complaints about cards sticking, but all it took was a couple of days of using the deck until it stopped. The glitter does come off when you first use the deck but, again, that stopped within 2-3 days for me. However, please keep in mind the card stock isn't the most durable and riffle-shuffling risks damaging the cards. I use overhand-shuffling so this wasn't an issue for me. As for the design of the cards, this is one of the most beautiful decks I have ever seen. The art is grounded enough for beginners to have a solid grasp on a card's meaning without reading the included guidebook, and it is abstract enough for more intuitive readers to take advantage of. It's common for decks to only include white people, so I was delighted to see that several people of color were included in this deck! And though I rarely care for boxes or containers, this tarot deck comes with a VERY sturdy and protective magnetically-sealed box that is named with a holographic "FOUNTAIN" on the cover and it captures the aesthetic of the deck. There is even a string tied to the box which allows you to lift your cards out without the need to throw them onto the table! Even if you can't connect to this deck for readings, it's stunning and beautiful, and it's well worth the cost just to own as a collectible.

The art for The Fountain Tarot is exquisitely beautiful, ethereal and honest. I’m new to tarot and my heart lit up like a Christmas tree the moment I laid eyes on this deck. The imagery is much softer than the traditional RWS deck, which I like. Subtlety and minimalism are my jam. Over the course of getting to know this deck and the tarot in general, I have been comparing the imagery of each card to the original RWS cards. I’ve found that doing so has bolstered my understanding of the tarot as a whole while witnessing how The Fountain has interpreted the traditional symbolism. If I could, I would purchase multiple large scale prints of certain cards from the artist in a heartbeat. My only complaints with this deck are the card stock and the way the cards were cut. The card stock on this edition is thick (imo) and matte, making it difficult to thoroughly shuffle the cards. Lots of sticking and clumping unfortunately. That problem might be remedied by breaking the deck in more and using magician’s powder if necessary. But the worst part is how the cards were cut, at least in my particular deck. The edges seem to be pushed back from the cut, leaving a tiny lip around the backside of the cards which exacerbates the clumping issue tenfold. However I found a solution that will probably make most people cringe which is filing that annoying lip down with a fine grain nail file (and if you’re really insane, smooth out the rounded corners that are badly botched). I’m personally so head-over-heels for this deck (and borderline ocd) that I will put whatever amount of effort into it to make it work. But ultimately it would’ve been nice if I didn’t have to, hence the 4/5 stars.

I really love this deck, it’s my everyday deck now. Besides the pictures being almost museum-ready, they are also very accurate in depicting the mood and the meaning of the cards, unlike many other tarot decks by artists that maybe are very beautiful, but lack the needed accuracy. And unlike other decks I own, there’s not a single card that I have a problem with, either esthetically or with the depiction of the meaning. The dreamy quality of the art is very much in tune with the state of mind I try to put myself in while working with tarot - an altered, relaxed state of alpha brainwaves, if the situation permits, of course. That way the reading and the divination are much deeper, easier and more accurate. These cards are inducive of that.

First off, this is my very first tarot deck, and I had no other prior knowledge of tarot other than the concept fascinated me. I’ve been using it everyday since I received it at the end of February (it's now beginning of April). I didn’t personally care for the look of the traditional Rider-Waite deck or other decks that were similarly designed. The Fountain Tarot is beautifully breathtaking with its softer color palette, clean and modern imagery, silver-foiled edges, and kaleidoscopic-style card backs. The card stock is a very nice weight and has held up wonderfully to daily shuffling. The edges with the silver foil so some wear, but it’s minimal (as I shuffle them 9 times before I pull a card). The little book it comes with gave me plenty of information to get started as a beginner, and I think it would even serve an advanced user as some of the meanings can be a tad different. I view that as a good thing because it’s helped me to really expand how I view each card I pull. In the end, how you “read” the meaning of a tarot card comes down to following your own intuition. Finally, the box it comes in is not only beautiful but sturdy, too. It has a nice ribbon attached that you can put under the cards when you put them in the box, so that when you pull the ribbon the cards come right out. No more dumping! If you’ve been on the fence about this deck, buy it! You won’t be disappointed. :)