The Gentle Thrills Tarot - hand-painted deck with meanings printed on the cards
Most tarot cards leave the meaning up to you. This deck paints it right on. The Gentle Thrills Tarot by Isa Beniston includes short texts on every card for both upright and reversed positions, which means you can read immediately without flipping through a guidebook.
Beniston painted the deck in 2020 at her dining table in Los Angeles, in the middle of lockdown. You can see it: vivid colours, playful compositions, imagery that clearly responds to the constraints of that time with colour and movement.
What you see on the cards
The imagery follows the structure of a classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck, but the execution is entirely offbeat. Bright pinks, oranges, turquoises and yellows dominate. The symbols are recognisable but simplified, with a clear emphasis on readability.
Below each image are two short sentences: one for the upright meaning, one for the reversed. That makes this deck practical. You draw a card, you read, you make a connection. No lengthy interpretation needed.
How it stands apart
The biggest difference from other decks lies in those texts on the card itself. It speeds up the reading, especially if you do not yet know all 78 cards by heart. The deck is therefore accessible to beginners, but also useful for quick daily pulls.
The guidebook contains astrological and elemental information, but you do not need it to use the deck. Everything you need is on the card.
Draw one card in the morning and read only the short text. Let the colour and the words together give you direction for the day.
About Isa Beniston
Isa Beniston works as an artist in Los Angeles and has run Gentle Thrills since 2015, a line of quirky products based on her collections. The tarot deck emerged during the 2020 lockdown as a combination of artistic expression and spiritual exploration.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78
- Card size: 89 x 146 mm
- Language: English
- Material: Sturdy cardstock with high-quality finish
- Includes: Sturdy storage box and guidebook with astrological and elemental information
- Publisher: Hay House LLC
- Creator: Isa Beniston
Questions we often get
Are meanings really printed on every card?
Yes. Each card has two short sentences at the bottom: one for upright, one for reversed. That makes the deck very practical for daily use.
How does this deck differ from a classic Rider-Waite deck?
The structure and symbolism are based on the RWS system, but the imagery is hand-painted, colourful and much more playful. The addition of text on the card is unique.
