While Tarot holds the lion’s share of popularity in the world of divination, its younger cousin, the Oracle deck, also deserves attention and appreciation. Using oracle decks offers a different, often more accessible, form of guidance and personal reflection. Today, we’re diving into what makes Oracle decks unique and how you can incorporate them into your spiritual practice. (Note: links to specific decks in this post are affiliate links, but I’ve only listed decks I truly do recommend, unless otherwise clarified.)
Understanding Oracle Decks
Unlike the structured 78-card system of Tarot, Oracle decks are incredibly diverse, with no set number of cards or established symbolic system. They often revolve around a specific theme, such as angels, animals, crystals, or whimsical elements like mermaids or unicorns. Each card holds a unique message, often expressed directly through a keyword or phrase printed on the card itself, making them relatively easy to interpret.
Using Oracle Decks
Every oracle deck comes with either a booklet or a complete book, explaining what the deck is for and how to use it. The obvious first-line approach to using an oracle deck is to read and follow this included advice.
That said, there’s no reason you have to limit yourself to the directions included with your deck! The wide variety of oracle decks available means these cards provide a wealth of images, topics, and themes that you can use and adapt to whatever purpose you can think of. Below are a few suggestions of how you might use your oracle decks:
- Daily Draw: Pulling a card each morning is an excellent way to tap into the deck’s wisdom. This practice can set the tone for the day, offering guidance, insight, or a focus for reflection.
- Guidance Spreads: Oracle cards can be used in simple spreads similar to Tarot, such as past-present-future, or situation-action-outcome. Even a single card pull can offer substantial insight.
- Meditation: Oracle cards can serve as a focus for meditation. Drawing a card and contemplating its image and message during your meditation can provide spiritual insight and personal guidance.
- Affirmation Cards: Many Oracle decks are filled with positive affirmations. These can be used to foster positivity, self-love, and confidence in your daily life.
- Magick and Manifestation: Just as you can use the Tarot for magick, you can use oracle decks in all the same ways. Indeed, some, like the Seasons of the Witch series of oracle decks by Juliet Diaz and Lorraine Anderson are designed specifically for magick and ritual.
Integrating Oracle and Tarot Decks
Despite their differences, Oracle and Tarot decks can work harmoniously together. Using an Oracle card in conjunction with a Tarot reading can add an extra layer of insight. An Oracle card can serve as an overall theme, an underlying energy, or a conclusive advice for a Tarot reading.
Need some extra clarity about a particular card in a Tarot spread? Rather than laying out extra Tarot cards, try instead pulling a card from an oracle deck. You could even do a full spread from the start by laying out both a Tarot card and an oracle card in each position. For extra credit, try designing your own spreads that incorporate different positions for both Tarot cards and oracle cards!
Choosing Your Oracle Deck
When choosing an Oracle deck, trust your intuition. Explore different decks and pay attention to your emotional responses to the images and themes. The right Oracle deck for you should resonate deeply and inspire a sense of connection and insight.
There are countless oracle decks available, but a few types/themes are common. Here are some of them, along with some of my own recommendations. Recommendations are personal, of course—what resonates for me might not resonate for you. Consider wisely!
- Divine Wisdom – Many oracle decks fall under the heading I’d call “divine wisdom” decks. Very, very often that means they’re themed to a specific goddess or group of goddesses, but they can also be gods, angels, faeries, or general messages with a particularly divine tone. A couple of my favorites are the Isis and Kali oracles by Alana Fairchild. I don’t have personal experience with Angel oracles, but Oracle of the Angels by Mario Duguay is a very popular deck. A new one I haven’t had the opportunity to check out yet but that looks very good is the Goddess Power Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid. One of my favorite oracle decks of this type is The Faeries’ Oracle by Brian Froud and Jessica Macbeth.
- Mythology and Magic – Some oracle decks lean into themes of mythology and magic. A deck I haven’t checked out yet, but that falls neatly into this theme (and has great reviews) is the Viking Oracle by Stacey Demarco and Jimmy Manton. As mentioned earlier, the Seasons of the Witch series are all about magick and ritual. A magick-forward deck I haven’t tried out but that looks intriguing is The Practical Witch’s Spell Deck. Less an “oracle,” than a spellbook in card form, I can imagine ways of using this oracle-style, by drawing a card and using the theme of the spell as a message.
- Astrology, Numerology, and Other Disciplines – Many oracle decks are themed to a specific topic or system, such as astrology or Sacred Geometry. An older deck that I love is Karma Cards by Monte Farber, that use astrology to present answers in straightforward sentence form. I love using these cards alongside a difficult-to-read Tarot spread, and find them especially helpful when getting a client to see the answer more clearly. I’m still looking for a good Sacred Geometry deck—if you know of a good one, let me know in the comments! Trying multiple searches on Amazon, I was able to find decks specific to sacred geometry, numerology, meditation, mindfulness, the chakras, yoga, herbs, flowers, trees, animals, crystals… you get the idea!
- General Wisdom and Inspiration – Some oracle decks are more about inspiration than divination. These types of decks often feature more words and abstract designs than rich images, and are used for meditation, affirmations, etc. I have the Sacred Creators Oracle by Chris-Anne. The phrases on the cards are intended as inspiration and guidance specifically for creative pursuits, but many of them can apply to other situations as well. A general search of “affirmation cards” on Amazon will find you countless options for decks of daily affirmations, from basic to theme-specific, to rude and hilarious.
Conclusion
Oracle decks are a powerful tool for personal growth, introspection, and divination. While they might not have the long, historical lineage of Tarot, their intuitive, thematic, and often self-explanatory nature makes them a valuable addition to anyone’s spiritual toolkit. Whether used alone or alongside Tarot, Oracle decks offer unique and profound ways to connect with our intuition and the divine wisdom that surrounds us.