€ 35,00
Chris Adams is an artist and amateur mycologist from Oregon, and that shows in every card. Each one depicts a specific mushroom species, drawn with field-guide accuracy and the visual energy of punk graphics. The structure follows the classic Rider-Waite-Smith system, but the imagery is entirely its own.
The three extra cards, the Mycoguide Significator cards, serve as reading aids and are not part of the standard Arcana.
Most tarot decks draw their symbolism from astrology, alchemy or medieval allegory. This one takes a different route: mycology. Every card shows a specific mushroom species or genus, illustrated with the precision of a field guide and the visual punch of underground comics.
Chris Adams lives in Oregon, a state with a strong mushroom culture, and combines his work as a graphic artist with a serious interest in mycology. His label, Sporelust!, brings together graphic art and mycological illustration. The second edition came out of demand for a more durable version: improved print quality, copper metallic edges and better packaging, with the original artwork left untouched.
The illustrations are sharp line drawings: stem, cap, gills, growing environment. The style sits somewhere between vintage nature guides and 1960s posters. This is not soft imagery. The lines are precise, the contrast is high.
The Major Arcana links mushrooms to archetypes based on their growth form and characteristics. The Minor Arcana follows the same logic, with suit assignments drawn from mycological reasoning: Wands are Cordyceps, Swords are Psilocybe, Cups and Pentacles are paired with cup and star fungi. The lifecycle of fungi as a metaphor for human processes: growing on decay, feeding what lies hidden beneath the surface.
The guidebook explains how each mushroom species connects to the traditional tarot meaning. You do not need any knowledge of mycology to read the cards, but if you recognise mushrooms on a forest walk, that adds another layer.
The deck contains 81 cards rather than the standard 78. The three additional cards are A: The Mycelium, B: The Hyphae and C: The Spore. They function as reading aids, not as extra Arcana. The guidebook explains how to use them.
Draw a card after a walk in the woods and see if you can find the mushroom you spotted in the deck. That link between fieldwork and card reading gives the symbolism a very concrete anchor.
Chris Adams runs Sporelust!, a label for graphic art and mycological illustration, out of Oregon. His work combines punk rock aesthetics with a genuine attention to precise nature observation. That is not an obvious pairing, but in this deck it holds together.
The second edition exists because the first one wore out its welcome in the best possible way. Adams improved the print, the edges and the packaging. The illustrations themselves are unchanged.
Why does this deck have 81 cards instead of 78?
The three extra cards are the Mycoguide Significator cards: A: The Mycelium, B: The Hyphae and C: The Spore. They work as reading aids, not as additional Arcana. The guidebook explains how to use them.
Do I need to know anything about mushrooms to use this deck?
No. The guidebook connects each mushroom species to the traditional tarot meaning. The mycological layer adds depth, but it is not required to read the cards.
| Auteur | Chris Adams |
| Uitgeverij | Self-Published Decks |
| Taal | English |
| SKU | 2066-FA12 |
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