What are Oracle Cards?
Oracle cards, if you’ve never heard of them before, are kind of like tarot cards but can have different meanings with completely different pictures. You can read them along with tarot, or you can read them by themselves for regular readings; it’s up to you. I like adding oracle cards to my readings because it adds to the message. Just like my other post, How to Read Astrology Dice, where I talk about how to add astrology to tarot readings, oracle cards are a similar concept. The two oracle cards I’ll be referring to in this article are moonology and herbalism oracle cards.
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You can get the Moonology Oracle Cards: A 44-Card Deck and Guidebook on amazon
What is an Oracle reading?
Oracle card reading is done strictly with oracle cards and not with tarot, although they can be used together. The difference between oracle cards and tarot is that tarot has the major and minor arcana.
The major arcana describes milestones and long-term events in the fool’s journey through enlightenment, while the minor arcana describes details of the fool’s journey.
Cups are emotions, pentacles are material gain, swords are action and intellect, and wands are passion and creativity.
Some oracle cards have the same meaning and some mean completely different things. Some oracle cards use the same method as traditional tarot, such as wands, cups, swords, and pentacles as their category but may name them differently.
Some oracle cards have a set of cards that are personalized by an author and illustrator. I love oracle cards because the art work can be *chef kisses* and the decks can morph into collector items from your favorite artists.
I have a lot of oracle cards that are on my wish list but the minimalist in me prevents me from buying more decks!
Most oracle decks have different meanings, but all decks come with a small booklet to explain what the cards mean.
How to read Oracle cards?
My favorite way to read oracle cards is in conjunction with tarot and my astrology dice. You can read them by themselves though and still have a meaningful reading.
When there’s a new or full moon, my favorite deck to use is moonology cards because they have the different phases of the moon with explanations; plus it feels more personal using cards geared around the moon.
You can get the Moonology Oracle Cards: A 44-Card Deck and Guidebook
My favorite way to read them is by doing a basic three-card pull, even though the readings can get complicated.
Such as doing a Celtic reading or a 10-card pull; it really depends on what you’re asking. Always refer back to the booklet that’s provided with the cards to get a better understanding of the cards or if you have some knowledge of astrology you can attempt to read the cards as is.
Another oracle favorite of mine is the botanical-inspired oracle deck. I’m very interested in herbs, and the thought behind purchasing these cards was to get more familiar with different herbs.
I like to think of these cards as messages from my ancestors because herbs have been around for so long. I like to read these with tarot or by themselves, depending on what I need.
Questions to ask your Oracle Cards
You can ask oracle cards any type of question, just like you can with tarot. That’s why I like oracle cards because it’s so versatile in image and message.
The best part is, you can use your own oracle cards and form your own meaning; this makes your deck one of a kind. I’ve asked oracle cards all types of questions; how will my week go, is there something I should pay attention to this week, etc.
Different types of Oracle Cards
There are so many different types of oracle cards and some, as I mentioned before, have the same setup or they are unique to the author and illustrator. I think that’s why oracle cards are popular because they have different meanings and pictures than traditional tarot cards.
Plus it can spice up your readings when people see a different type of deck, it’ll get people asking where you got the deck from or depending on what the message is, it will end up being different overall.
I value the personalization that oracle cards give, and because I use astrology as a major tool for reference, it gives me the opportunity to alway utilize it.
Even though traditional tarot cards have astrology references, it’s nice that I can purchase cards with the symbols of astrology on them.
How to shuffle Oracle Cards
It depends on the deck you purchase. Some decks don’t read reversals, so it’s advisable to shuffle the cards in a way that doesn’t turn them around. But if the cards do have instructions to read reversals, shuffle the cards any way, you want.
In my opinion, the best way to shuffle is back and forth for cards that don’t have instructions to read reversals. You can feel free to interpret them in any way you feel is appropriate.
I tend to refrain from it, at least when getting to know the cards’ meaning because I like the suspense of a reversal; sometimes they’re not always negative.
Can Tarot and Oracle cards be read together?
As I mentioned before, my favorite way to read tarot is with the help of other cards. Sometimes the cards will point out situations that don’t involve your question and sometimes oracle cards help tie in the whole message.
Aside from the cards itself, I value the artwork that most people put into their decks. Some can tie into your interests, such as dogs or cats, astrology or the woods. The best part is the variety, because how many times can you buy the same traditional tarot cards that appear different?
A little about me – My name is Anya Thomas, and I’m a writer and illustrator that loves to create. I’ve been reading tarot for two years and each time is always a fun experience. If you’d like me to give you a reading you can check out my Etsy Shop or contact me through my website.