The Fountain Tarot - Study Group

Wardi7

I figured since people were talking about starting one, I'd take the initiative and get the ball rolling.

Let's open with a couple questions for the group:
1. What do you like most about the deck?
2. What do you like least about the deck?
3. What has been most challenging when reading with the deck? And, how have you overcome this?
4. What do you make of the Fountain Card (i.e., the extra Trump)?

Figured we can use this as a spring board and make this thread as comprehensive as possible.
 

Wardi7

My answers

1. I like the minimalist/modern images, I find them to be crisp and direct but not lacking in depth. I think the symbolism, while very direct, have a subtle depth to them that allows for deep readings. I also love that they used the more traditional assignment for Justice (8) and Strength (11); I think the cards just fit better in this order.

2. For a "modern" deck it seems very homogenous in how it depicts people. They all seem to have similar qualities and less imprintable (if that makes sense). I don't see them as people in my life, so much as people on the cards. I'm also not a huge fan of Swords/Air and Wands/Fire, I've always seen it as reversed. Swords just seem more active than Wands, just as fire is more active than air. (But I know this is more of a personal preference and it really isn't something that has impacted my readings).

3. I find the geometric symbolism the most challenging. It's not something that I have studied in depth and don't really understand. To counter this, I've been focused on the numerology realizing that the geometry is simply a "3-D" representation of the numerical meanings.

4. I'm honestly at a loss for this card. I haven't had it come up in a reading since I've gotten it and ultimately took it out. Right now it is sitting on my desk at home, giving me the chance to ponder it whenever I look up. Until I have a better understanding of how this card can be used in a reading, I think I'm going to leave it out.
 

Terrapin

1) What I find most appealing about the deck is the choice of color used. The pale greens and light oranges, subtle reds and yellows, the cool-temp medium blues. Very tastefully done and quite beautiful. Peaceful. The more I use tarot I've found that for reading purposes, muted colors seem to help my readings flow where as bold intense colors seem to distract me and throw me off. (Love you immensely Albano, but you give me a headache.)

2) There is nothing really that I don't like in the deck. If I had to choose one aspect though, it'd be the more formal dress depicted in the king of cups and the king of coins. The suit and ties are a bit jarring in a tarot deck for me, but this is being very picky and really not much of an issue for me.

3) The diaphanous quality of the images, as if seen through veils of some kind makes it a challenge to make out the finer details of the cards. Ironically, I find this quality adds to the overall beauty of the images and actually adds to their mystery and it introduces layered ideas and qualities in card meaning for me.

4) For now I'm leaving the Fountain card out of my readings, but it's occurred to me to put it in at some time in future, perhaps as the book suggests (I think) to indicate the idea of the cohesiveness of a situation. I'm not sure. I'd probably only use it in self-readings--maybe a little too metaphysical for others. Just not sure. Really pretty card though--a pretty, happy squirrel :)
 

Pixna

Thank you for getting this started. What we might want to do is set up various threads for each card (as Sulis did for The Wild Unknown). That would help us study each card individually.

1. What do you like most about the deck?
I greatly appreciate the fresh colors and modern approach. I like the "geometry" and balance with the imagery. There's a pleasing variety of men and women. I love the size, weight, and finish of the cards. The silver edging is gorgeous. The box is fabulous. The little book is much better than most LWBs and quite handy. I've found the readings I've done with this deck to be more accessible and accurate than any other deck I've worked with.

2. What do you like least about the deck?
Some of the expressions of some of the characters in the cards are a bit odd. A couple of the images are hard for me to relate to or figure out in terms of the card's meaning (or intended meaning) -- in particular the Six of Wands.

3. What has been most challenging when reading with the deck? And, how have you overcome this?
So far I haven't had any real challenges other than a few of the cards sticking together a little when shuffling. Reading with this deck has been a real pleasure!

4. What do you make of the Fountain Card (i.e., the extra Trump)?
It has come up once so far in a reading, and I found it spot on and very useful. I think you'll have to keep it in the deck and see what it means when it shows up. To me, it's a very spiritual card that goes far beyond The World and into the center or source of a person and the energy of the universe. Give it a whirl and see what you think! I was pleasantly surprised.
 

Sulis

Moderator note

Hi folks,

I've set up an index thread for the group here: The Fountain Tarot Study Group Index Thread
and added it to the main Index of study groups


I think this thread is fine for general questions that you've laid out but please start a new thread for each card or topic once you start discussing and studying each card.. That way the group is easy to navigate and future users can find what they're looking for easily.

Please let me know by private message when you start a new thread so it can be added to the index.

Thanks :)

Sulis - Tarot Study Groups moderator
 

AnemoneRosie

1. What do you like most about the deck?
I'm torn between a few different factors. I adore the sturdy box. It was a definite selling point for me, and had it not been a highlight for Beth at Little Red Tarot I wouldn't have gotten it as readily, I bet. I'm really a big fan of sturdy boxes as I'm frequently on the go.

I really like the muted colours, as mentioned above. I drew Judgement for the intuitive exchange last month and part of the exercise for me involved stepping behind the diaphanous veil that the art puts in front of you. I like that it encourages a multi-layered reading. Within the artwork I especially enjoy the how greens of the coins and the oranges of the wands. I struggle more with those suits and having the colours identify what they're about has been helpful for me.

I also adore the LWB. I rarely work with them (I tossed the LWB for my RWS post-haste, and I work with decks on a near-daily basis for whom I've never read the LWB) so my saying that I read it quite frequently is really saying something. I find it so incredibly insightful, when compared to many. I find that with this deck I do a reading and then go back and read every card again with the LWB. I've gotten good feedback from querents for having done this, too. So yay! And I like the sayings for each card.

I like the matte finish. At first it scared me but it feels nice and soft in my hands. And it means that the cards don't have that icky plastic-y smell that a new US Games deck does. I use a fair few of my senses when it comes to reading and I find that those factors can easily distract me.

2. What do you like least about the deck?
Again, the artwork. Some of the cards are very dark (such as Death, but there are others) and I struggle with that. I don't have the best lighting and so it can be difficult for me to see anything without putting my nose a couple of inches away from the card. Sometimes I need to go by the words only and that can be tiring.

3. What has been most challenging when reading with the deck? And, how have you overcome this?

I find some of the cards hard to see. As a result I've fallen in love with the LWB more than I could have imagined possible.

I also don't know very much about geometry and, while I want to be able to approach the cards from that angle, I don't know how. Unfortunately the LWB doesn't exactly point us in the direction of further resources. I've tried to overcome this by attempting to learn more about geometry but thus far have come up short.

4. What do you make of the Fountain Card (i.e., the extra Trump)?
I like it. This is not my first deck with a 79th card (nor even second), and one of the things that originally attracted me to this deck was the fact that The Fountain card existed. I really like having 79 cards. In terms of meaning it reminds me a bit of the Thoth's Aeon although I'm not entirely sure why.

I like the art on this card as well. I've had it come up in readings before and I've explained to my querent that this card is particularly special as it belongs to this deck alone. I believe that it helps my querents feel special or something to point that out.
 

kp.

i love the general tone of the deck. mystical but not over the top new age. gorgeous images. i love how each suit's colors and vibe all match. you can really see and feel emotion when looking at these cards. hauntingly beautiful!!

have to agree that some of the suited images are off putting, but maybe that adds to the story of that character so to speak, and i just happen to find suits to have a negative connotation. some of the figures look slightly distorted to me (high priestess, the world, queen of coins) which seems odd considering so many others are so perfect. the magician is so gorgeous!!

lately i have been doing daily draws with this deck in an effort to really get to know the cards. i've done a handful of readings with success and only had a few head scratching moments. just chalked it up to not being completely in tune with the deck yet. or too much wine!

the fountain card is gorgeous. i like the idea of it. kept in the deck but haven't pulled it yet. i think the mystery of it eventually showing up will hold some gravity and make it more meaningful.
 

Pixna

some of the figures look slightly distorted to me (high priestess, the world, queen of coins) which seems odd considering so many others are so perfect. the magician is so gorgeous!!

I agree with you about that. Oddly enough, it's mostly the female figures that seem slightly distorted.
 

GoldenCelt

Inspired by this thread I ordered a copy of this deck and took delivery today. First impression is very pleasing. I'm really hoping there will be more threads started so we can get into it in more detail
 

Wardi7

What next?

So lets get some crowdsourced options on where to go next? I was thinking working through the minors first in groups (i.e., all of the Aces, Twos, Threes, etc) so we can compare and contrast how the cards play together. Any thoughts?