Mellow Schema Tarot

Created by graphic designer and artist Arum Lee, based in Paris, Mellow Schema Tarot is an abstract and minimalist reinterpretation of the Rider Waite tarot, expressed through a unique visual language and soft textures.

The deck was born from a period of personal transition and inner exploration in the creator’s life, when tarot became a comforting companion and a gentle way of looking inward. Rather than simply seeking answers, she found in tarot a space for reflection, reassurance, and self discovery. Drawing from this experience, Mellow Schema was created as a tool for self exploration, encouraging the reader to slow down, look inward, and leave space for their own intuition.

The meditative quality of the deck also reflects the artist’s own practice of meditation and her approach to abstract art. Each card is conceived as a visual meditation, translating this sense of stillness into an abstract visual language that invites the reader to pause, breathe, and connect with subtle energies through a delicate balance of form, color, texture, and open space.

Rather than figurative illustration, each image evokes its archetypal essence through distilled gestures: a singular form, a shift in texture, or the space between shapes. From a soft circle resting on the horizon to a red hue dissolving into violet, these meditative cues arise before language, like the quiet space between thoughts.

Thanks to its abstract nature, meaning is suggested rather than declared. Symbolism and intention are gently woven into every image, yet the cards leave space for each reader to encounter them through their own intuition. A familiar card may reveal a different feeling or perspective depending on the moment, allowing the imagery to take on new meaning with each reading. The Minor Arcana follows a consistent visual system of geometric forms, with each suit carrying its own symbolic atmosphere, offering subtle guidance without overwhelming the reader.

The name Mellow Schema reflects the contrast between softness and structure, a framework that guides without imposing and a metaphorical map leading toward a deeper part of oneself. The two words also evoke “외유내강 (外柔內剛),” meaning “soft on the outside, strong within,” an idiom commonly used in Korea. Mellow carries a sense of gentle softness, while Schema suggests an underlying framework or system. Together, they form the idea of a gentle blueprint for the inner world.

Mellow Schema Tarot was first launched on Kickstarter in 2025, where it was successfully funded within its first 24 hours and brought to life with the support of its community. This original production run was created following the Kickstarter campaign, and fewer than 20% of the copies now remain.