The Companion Tarot

A 79-card tarot deck featuring Boston Terriers in every card, grounded in classic Rider-Waite symbolism with a playful, approachable twist. Created for readers who want to trust themselves with tarot, not follow someone else’s rules. Inspired by our beloved Boston Terrier, Ganz, who passed away just shy of his 15th birthday. His spirit lives in every card. The 79th card includes a QR code for instant access to our 109-page digital guidebook for this tarot deck, designed to support your intuition.

If you’ve been part of this community for a while, you know what Tarot of the Fool has always been about: teaching people to trust themselves with tarot. No gatekeeping. No rigid rules. Just you, the cards, and your own intuition.

The Companion Tarot deck was born from that same belief.

We wanted a deck that feels supportive and clear, not intimidating. A deck that invites curiosity, presence, and an open heart. One that always points you back to the real guide, which is you. 

This isn’t a deck that tells you what to do. It’s a deck that helps you see what you already sense is true.

Well, mostly because of our beloved Boston Terrier, Ganz, who passed away last year. We wanted to honor him. And the more we thought about it, the more it made sense.

And also because dogs simply get it.

They trust what they sense. They stay in the moment. They love unconditionally with their whole body. And they always dare to take the next step, even when they don’t have the whole map.

That’s The Fool’s energy. That willingness to leap without knowing exactly where you’ll land, trusting that the path will appear as you walk it.

Every card in The Companion Tarot features a Boston Terrier stepping into the traditional roles of tarot. Not because we’re making light of these ancient symbols, but because we believe the wisdom of tarot and the wisdom of dogs aren’t that different.

Both teach us to trust our instincts, live in the moment, and remember that every journey starts with a single step into the unknown.

As we already mentioned, this deck is deeply personal for us, and the idea was inspired by our beloved Boston Terrier, Ganz. He wasn’t a mystical dog or a tarot expert. He didn’t predict the future or offer wisdom in the way we usually think about it.

But Ganz understood something most of us spend our whole lives trying to remember: how to be present, how to trust, how to move through life with curiosity instead of fear, and how to love what was right in front of him.

Ganz passed away in October 2025, just shy of his 15th birthday.

In the months that followed, Michelle and I kept returning to the tarot table, pulling cards, seeking comfort and clarity the way we always had. And we realized something important: the lessons Ganz had been teaching us all along were the same lessons the cards kept showing us.

Trust the journey.
Stay present.
Lead with your heart.

That’s the energy of The Fool card. And it’s the energy we wanted to capture in this entire deck.

His spirit lives in this work. That loyal, brave, funny little companion energy is stitched into every card.

By now, you might know that Tarot of the Fool is run by Michelle and Vanja. We are married. And everything about The Companion Tarot was born out of our love. There’s a part of the story about the Companion Tarot deck that we almost didn’t share. But it feels important, because it’s woven into every card we created.

Only a few days after losing Ganz, we also lost our baby in the middle of our pregnancy… To experience two losses that close together was heart and soul shattering. There’s no other way to say it. For weeks, we were completely broken apart and broken down.

Ganz was Michelle’s first baby. He had been in her life for almost 15 years. I came into their world seven years ago, and from the moment I met him, I understood why she loved him so fiercely. Watching her grieve for him, while also grieving the loss of our baby, broke something open in me.

I had an extremely hard time with the baby loss, I kept breaking apart without any control over when or where it would hit me. I knew I needed to work on something creative, something to help me grieve and transform all that pain into something meaningful. At the same time, my heart ached for Michelle and her sorrow, so I also wanted to do something nice for her.

And that’s when the idea came to me: I could pour my grief into something creative to keep my sanity. And, at the same time, I could make something nice for Michelle, something that would show her that Ganz’s spirit didn’t have to disappear. That his spirit could keep living.

So I decided to make her a tarot deck with Ganz as the main character. As a Christmas gift. A love letter in 78 cards. The only problem was that I had absolutely no idea how to design a tarot deck, or where to print it, or how to make it. I didn’t know where to start, what software to use, how to handle the artwork, what dimensions to use, what resolution, any of it. But I started anyway. Because the inspiration that I felt in my heart to make it was so extremely intense!

For five weeks, I worked on it tirelessly. I wanted to give up about seven times, because I stumbled on dead ends and problems that seemed impossible to solve. I cried in frustration more than once because I honestly didn’t know how to solve some of the challenges I ran into while trying to figure out how to do this whole process. But every time I thought about stopping, I thought about Michelle, about her grief, about Ganz, and about what this could mean to her. So I kept going. Also, I know this might sound crazy, but I heard Ganz’s whisper: “You can do it!” all the time! 😀

That first version of the deck that I made as Michelle’s Christmas gift wasn’t perfect, but it was special. And when Michelle saw it, she reacted to it just like I knew she would. It was so emotional! Immediately, we both agreed that we needed to put this deck out into the world! So we started working on it together, redesigning every single card, adding more details, refining the symbolism, and creating the guidebook that would eventually become 109 pages of encouragement to trust your own intuition, not always follow only someone else’s rules.

What started as a gift for Michelle became something we built side by side. Focusing on the deck gave us something to hold onto. It helped us breathe in moments when grief felt overwhelming.

We learned something important through this whole process that we carry with us now: loss is an inseparable part of life, and grieving for what we’ve lost can find its anchor when we direct that love into something new, something beautiful.

This deck holds that entire journey. Not as sadness, but as proof that love doesn’t disappear. It just finds new places to live.

If you want to know how The Companion Tarot came to be, please read here the full story behind the deck.

79 Cards Total
78 tarot cards grounded in classic Rider-Waite symbolism with a playful Boston Terrier twist. Every card features original artwork designed to be both meaningful and approachable. The 79th card contains a QR code for instant access to your digital guidebook.

109-Page Digital Guidebook
Scan the QR code on the 79th card to download your complete guidebook. No tiny booklet you’ll lose. No overwhelming walls of text. Just clear, practical guidance that supports your intuition without replacing it.

The guidebook includes:

We created The Companion Tarot independently, from the starting concept to the final card. Every piece of artwork, every single word in the guidebook, every idea about design decision came from our minds, hands and hearts.

This is not a mass-produced deck sitting somewhere in a warehouse. It’s printed on demand through a specialty card printing service, which means each deck is made when you order it.

Here’s what that means in practice:

The good part: You’re supporting independent creators directly. Every deck matters to us personally. We’re not a faceless company. We’re two people who built something we deeply believe in, and we’re grateful every time someone chooses to bring it home.

The honest part: Print-on-demand production costs more than mass manufacturing. We don’t have control over that pricing structure, and we can’t absorb those costs without making this completely unsustainable for us.

We know this deck sits at a higher price point than some mass-market options. We thought about that a lot. And we decided we’d rather create something meaningful and put it into the world than wait until we could do it “the cheaper way”.

What we’re working toward: Our goal is to eventually move to traditional publishing, which would bring the cost down significantly. But that takes time, and we didn’t want to wait any longer to share this with all of you.

If this deck calls to you, we hope you’ll trust that every dollar goes toward keeping this small, independent project alive. And if the timing isn’t right, we completely understand. The philosophy behind The Companion Tarot, trusting yourself, staying present, leading with your heart, is available to you whether or not you ever own this deck.

But if you do bring it home, know that a piece of Ganz’s spirit, and a whole lot of love from us, is coming with it! 🙂

The Companion Tarot is available in two editions. Both include the same 79 cards and full access to the digital guidebook via QR code. The difference is in how your deck is packaged.

Your deck arrives in a soft purple velvet bag, designed to protect your cards and travel with you anywhere. A cozy edition for those who want simplicity and practicality.

Includes:

Your deck arrives in a magnetic book box, designed to sit beautifully on your desk or shelf. A keepsake edition for those who want something extra special.

Includes:

The Companion Tarot isn’t about predicting your future. It’s about helping you see what’s already true, so you can make choices that feel aligned with who you really are.

All 79 cards in this deck were designed to support your intuition, not replace it. To invite curiosity, not fear. To remind you that you already have the wisdom you’re looking for.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for trusting yourself enough to take the next step.