It seems like most of us start with more traditional RWS Tarot cards, but I’m curious about people’s best advice for getting started with Oracle cards.
Some Oracle decks keep catching my eye, but they’re so different. No structure like the major/minor arcana thing.
Do you just pull cards and read what they say? Or is there more to it? Some of the cards are fairly straightforward, but others I’m having trouble interpreting in actual readings. Some of these decks just spell it out on the cards, but that seems too simple. Oracle cards are way more intuitive, I guess?
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I used to think of them as “cheating” because they’re so much easier to work with, at least for surface-level stuff.
The obvious place to start is the booklet that comes with your deck, and make sure you understand the difference between Tarot and Oracle. Don’t skip that if you really want to get a proper reading.
With Oracle, the booklet is a starting place and then let your intuition guide you. You need to go beyond the basics of just pulling a couple of cards and winging it. Look at the guide on giving better Tarot readings and just repeat that.
As long as you’ve got the basics down, oracle will fit neatly into your reading. For some, even easier than RWS Tarot cards.
Oracle cards are easier to learn than traditional Tarot for beginners.
I’ve found oracle decks can be a bit too rose-tinted for my taste. They often feel like that friend who insists everything’s fine even when you’re drowning in reversed Swords. The exception being something like the This Might Hurt Tarot Deck.
My approach is to use them sparingly as accent cards with regular tarot spreads. They can add some optimism or a theme without replacing the deeper work. If interpretation is tough, maybe just use them to set a mood before your tarot reading.
At least they’re pretty to look at.
When I switched from RWS to Threads of Fate, I had that same feeling, like going from reading sheet music to improvising. Felt lost without the traditional structure.
I ended up doing a 30-day thing where I pulled one card each morning and kept a journal with two columns. Left side was the guidebook meanings, the right side was what actually happened that day and any actions I took based on the card.
Around week two, I started noticing patterns, but I must have pulled hundreds of cards throughout those two weeks, and I kept getting deeper and deeper and seeing deeper messages.
If you’re finding the deck too simple, maybe try linking each pull to something you can actually do within 24 hours. Oracle readings feel unique when they’re tied to actions instead of just thinking about them.
I’ve been doing this thing where I combine tarot and oracle cards in the same reading.
I do my tarot spread first to get the main story, then I put oracle cards right on top of each tarot card. The oracle cards help me dig into the feelings and what needs healing in each position. It’s like reading the spread twice but from different angles.
The tarot gives you the hard truths and the oracle softens it a bit.
Yeah, I think you meant ‘no universal structure.’
A lot of oracle decks actually have their own patterns hidden in them, like color families, numbered cycles, or elemental sets that the guidebook barely mentions. I’d start by sorting the cards into those smaller systems first.
Then make a spread that works with them: Theme card (like a noun), Obstacle card (the shadow), and Action card (verb). The reading basically becomes a sentence. If you can’t figure out a card, just put it in a separate pile. Come back to it after you’ve written about some real examples from your life.
One deck is enough. I’ve used the same Moonology deck for 7 years and know every card by heart. When you stick with one set instead of buying new ones all the time, you actually get to know what the cards mean for you personally.
Really, it is the same as using a normal RWS deck. Just practice and eventually you just know what the cards are trying to tell you.
I used to think that Oracle cards were “cheating” or just “not as good” because some decks just spell everything out rather than having to read into the card meanings like RWS tarot cards.
I think there’s still the same amount of nuance there, but it takes longer to find it. It’s easier to get the basics from Oracle cads, but harder to get into the details.
Start by taking the cards literally (most of them will just spell out the meanings) and then you’ll get a feel for them.
You don’t need to use just one or the other.
Oracle pulls before a normal Tarot reading can show you what influences are at play. They set up the energy before you dive into tarot. After readings, oracle cards can point to specific actions to take. The messages tend to be more direct than tarot. There are some issues, though.
Oracle decks lack a structured arcana system. You have to interpret them differently. And honestly, sometimes they feel too simple when the cards spell everything out. For example, I had a terrestrial fauna deck show a stubborn animal after a tarot spread. Clear message about needing to release rigid thinking.
Without established tarot meanings, you’re relying on intuition and the deck creator’s vision. My go-to method is using oracles as bookends - one at the start for context, one at the end for action steps. Though I’ve found that extra cards can sometimes muddy the core message instead of clarifying it.
I always finish my tarot readings with an oracle card pull. It helps soften things after the tarot gets heavy. Sometimes the Celtic Cross ends on a rough note, and the oracle card gives people something gentler to take home with them. It’s like a buffer between what the reading showed and what they need to do about it.
Oracle decks work differently from tarot since they don’t have that built-in structure of majors and minors. You’re stuck with whatever system the deck creator made up, which is why I mostly just use them for meditation.
The exception is decks that follow older card reading systems. Lenormand-style ones with clear symbols work better than the ones full of generic positive messages. At least you know what the symbols mean. If interpretation is difficult, you could use oracle cards as add-ons to tarot readings rather than doing full oracle spreads.
The tarot gives you the main message, and the oracle fills in some details.
I struggled with oracle cards too. Started using tarot spreads like the Celtic Cross with them and it helped give some structure.
The keywords work as starting points, like if you pull ‘Apologize,’ it might bring up stuff about forgiveness or letting go, not just saying sorry. Helped me stop overthinking the cards so much.