Fountain Tarot - MJS Tarot

The Fountain Tarot is a balanced deck aimed at elevating our perceptions of ourselves and our place in the Universe. Jason Gruhl writes, “The Fountain Tarot mixes classic symbolism with contemporary art, melding the past and present to express the divine.” It’s haunting yet beautiful, subtle yet powerful. This is a great combination for a deck focused on personal development.

The Fountain Tarot Cards

Often times, counter to what we might think, we don’t need to make bold and drastic changes. And, more often than not, rather than the grand sweeping gestures that gain the most attention, it is the little things in life that have the greatest meaning. The quiet energy of this deck brings this sentiment to the fore. It encourages you to look at the small details. To look at the aspects within the card that may initially be overlooked. In those little things, deeper meaning hides in plain sight.

Take the Two of Cups pictured above. I see the curve at the bottom of the card as both a portal and a cup. Then I notice that both people are both reaching for and focused on the same cup. Part of me thinks that is wonderful, but I do also wonder what the lack of attention given to the other cup signifies. Has one partner surrendered their own needs in favour of those of the other? Is it that in coming together the focus naturally becomes what will fill both their cups? Or is it that they were separated and now they have come together? Did they close the gap on something? Are they reaching for something more?

As the back of the box says,

Awaken the Questions. You are the Answer.

As you can see, The Fountain Tarot definitely does that for me.

I find these cards really talk to each other. When I was flicking through the deck I felt the Nine of Cups had something to say to the Two of Cups. In the two, they are reaching for something bigger, something more. Whereas the man on the Nine of Cups looks generally happy with what he has right in front of him. He is focused on the tangible. This serves as a reminder that it is easy to get caught up in the beauty and wonder of what’s “out there”. Nevertheless, that should never be at the expense of what exists in material form and the everyday lived experience. The Nine of Cups shows this.

The white table suggests that he knows Spirit is right there in front of him. It is a natural part of him. It’s something that glows within him, rather than something that he needs to find elsewhere. I see his cups as singing bowls and I imagine being in this space with him. This feels like a collective energy, one to be shared. These two cards work so well together.

They are not the only ones. In fact, so many pairs jumped out at me as I went through the deck that choosing only a few to talk about has been a challenge. Take the Four of Cups and the Page of Cups pictured above as another example. I see the lethargy and overall lack of enthusiasm often associated with the the Four of Cups. Here, not only does he have four cups, he also has four shining boxes, each of which is providing light to the otherwise dark space. Just like in the Two of Cups previously, the dark blue feels significant here also.

However, it is when I looked at the Four of Cups and the Page of Cups together that things came together. The child-like wonder and fascination of the page as he studies the cup is in stark contrast to the man’s experience of his environment. For the Page, his environment is bright, hopeful, fascinating and the blue, whether representing Spirit or the “blues” is now within the box. Sometimes, maybe way too often, as we “mature” our beginner’s mind is replaced by a sense of “knowing,” (an illusion that should be challenged), and we lose the sense of magic that curiosity conjures.

It’s not just within suits that the pairings stand out to me. The Ten of Wands and the Eight of Coins, also pictured above, is another. The progression of the Knights to the Kings pictured below provides another set of examples. I also see the potential issues suggested with the Kings here too. Have they become trapped and do they need to return to the energy of the Pages occasionally?

But I’ll stop talking about the cards in this vein and move on. Albeit, I feel each pictured pairing speak to each other in some way. That may be through repeated shapes, colourings, or even as in previous examples through the idea of energy/issue and solution/advice.

The Fountain Tarot is actually a 79 card deck. The Fountain pictured below is the additional card. This card represents the space “beyond human experience in which anything and everything can happen.” To date, I haven’t had it appear in a reading so I’m not sure how I find it as yet.

Apart from The Fountain card everything else in The Fountain Tarot aligns with the decks said to inspire it, (Rider-Waite, Robin Wood Tarot, The Steampunk Tarot, Aquarian Tarot and Visconti-Sforza). The only exceptions are that Pentacles are Coins, Justice is VIII and Strength is XI. The court cards remain as Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings.

The cards have silver gilding on their edges and measure 7 x 12cm. The cardstock is flexible and I’m happy to say that the gilding doesn’t impair shuffling or handling in any way. Regardless of the method chosen they were a pleasure to shuffle straight out of the box. The low sheen cardstock ensures that glare doesn’t become a problem on the darker coloured cards. Since the canvas texture shows through on the cards, linen cardstock may have been nice. This is a thought rather than a criticism.

I also like the contemporary, upper-case font used on the cards. It is easy to read and yet doesn’t overwhelm the artwork in any way. The Major Arcana titles are printed at the top of the card. Their name is in grey yet the colour used for the Roman Numerals differs. The Minor Arcana titles are spelled out in full across the bottom of the card. I also like how they have created the border within the white outer border. It is subtle but nevertheless it enhances the appearance of the cards.

The Book

The Fountain Tarot comes with a card sized, 104-paged book. It opens with a brief overview of the Major and Minor Arcana. The author views the Major Arcana as divided into three realms: the physical, the spiritual and the ethereal. They don’t go into this in any detail though. The information about the Minor Arcana here introduces the number, the court, and the suit associations. Again, there isn’t much information, but there is definitely enough to get you started.

Following a few spreads which I’ll discuss later, the book dives into the card meanings. Each card is represented by its title and a two word description. For example 0 The Fool is Boundless Innocence. A message about The Fool follows. Then, the card information wraps up with meanings for both upright and reversed presentations. No card image is provided. The Major and Minor Arcana both receive the same attention.

Spreads

Six spreads are included in the book:

Quick Draw (1 -2 cards)
- 10 question suggestions are provided
3-card Spread
- 4 suggestions are provided
The Fountain Tarot Spread (5 cards)

Overall I would say this is a great meditation deck. It unfolds as you allow yourself to see. There is always the risk that you can grab at more superficial meanings if you focus purely on the strongest elements in the card but even still I feel you’ll uncover a lot. This deck prompts question after question after question if you let it. You may have guessed that I like to let it.

Even though The Fountain Tarot Spread is quick and easy to use I don’t think The Fountain Tarot is the deck you grab when you’re after a quick answer. Instead I feel this is the deck I will reach for when I’m considering new beginnings or new directions and I want to explore them more deeply. Although, like all decks, this can be used in any way you feel drawn to do so. It is beautiful, insightful and supportive.