So what’s the difference between an oracle deck and a tarot deck?
Both are used to answer questions, make decisions, and show us where we need work. So why use one over the other?
Tarot decks follow a system that is agreed upon by most users and deck designers. There are 78 cards in a deck. Twenty-two of them are called “major arcana.” They represent the most important lessons and events in our lives.
The other 56 cards are called “minor arcana.” They are divided into suits, Cups, Swords, Wands, and Pentacles (coins), and run ace through king, like a deck of playing cards (where they have their roots) except there are four face cards instead of three.
As I said, most users and designers agree on the names and meanings of the cards. Sometimes Death is called “Rebirth”, or the pages are “daughters” and knights “sons.” Or, as I discussed a few weeks ago, (click here to read) the Hanged Man might mean a new perspective or it could mean a pause, but for the most part there is concurrence.
Oracle cards, on the other hand, are unique to each designer. They can be based on crystals, goddesses, the moon, affirmations, the myth of Avalon, Wiccan sabbats—almost anything.
There can be parallels and overlaps. For instance, the Quantum Oracle deck has a card called the Loving Woman which is similar to the Queen of Cups. Both represent nurturing female energy. In that same deck there is a card called Victim Mentality that relates to tarot’s 8 of Swords’ self-imposed restriction and negative thinking.
And, because the Universe loves synchronicities, here is mine from this week. I pulled the Page of Cups, which has a young man holding a cup with a fish in it (surprise!) from a tarot deck. The next day I got Archangel Raphael from an oracle deck, Raphael who is sometimes depicted holding a fish.
And, just for shiggles, a friend randomly emailed me a photo where he’s holding a fish. You know, as a way for my guides to get my attention and nail down the message.
Again I say, Hey, Universe, you got something you want to say to me? Like maybe I’m feeling like a fish out of water lately and I need some self-care?
So how do we know when to use which?
That’s personal choice. I like oracle cards because their message seems straight-forward and clear. I like tarot cards because their themes are universal. Some readers use one system exclusively, others, like me, mix them together. Both offer a means for Spirit to communicate using energy and synchronicity.
Whether we choose tarot or oracle, we open ourselves up to the messages available to us to make decisions, to discover patterns and behaviors that help and hinder, and to get advice.
If you’d like to learn to read cards, I encourage you to seek out one of the many free classes online. Or if you’d like a reading on either a specific question or your life in general, contact me. I’d love to show you how tarot and oracle cards can change your life.
