.png)
When it comes to oracle and tarot cards, there's a whole lot that can be said about the plethora of decks out there and what they might mean to the individual who comes into contact with them. In my experience, I've found that these cards not only have a vibe of their own, but may also be a preferred mode of communication for the various guides in our lives. Sometimes it is the cards themselves who are talking to you- sometimes it's your guide(s) using it as a tool of their own. Either way, it's fuckin' magical and it rocks.
I've found that I can tell the difference between Asking the Cards and Talking with Guides. The easiest and obvious first clue is the intentions set before busting into the deck. If I'm feeling a guide nearby and get a nagging feeling to get into a certain deck, I'll know I'm about to chat with one of my guides. Sometimes, when I'm working with a deck, a guide will just pop up, as if to reiterate and confirm the messages I'm receiving- so not quite them communicating with me directly, but them applauding the various ways the deck I'm using is reading me to filth.
I was chatting with a friend about Communication earlier today and this got me thinking about the different deck types and how they are essential to our growth. In my experience, there are 3 types of decks, and being your friendly neighborhood Libra, I recommend you check them all out and give them equal consideration. I find the different types of decks (not just the specific decks!) have their own role within my collection.
The first deck type is the obvious one: the Tarot Deck. There are so many different tarot decks on the market, you can find a deck for about any interest you have- from favorite shows and movies to even genres of art styles and characters- there is a deck out there for every person!
I tend to use tarot decks as a main star of the show, and will often turn to my oracle decks for clarification or depth. Tarot cards are enough on their own, of course, but I personally LOVE the deep diving that oracle pulls allow a tarot spread. One thing about tarot decks, is you will hear folks talking about the vibes of their different decks. This is a Real Thing! I'm telling you! I have a "working" deck, that is my general go to deck, then I have a deck that feels very gentle and nurturing that feels very excited to explore past life and karmic lesson work- this deck, specifically, is one that I've tried to let go of a few times, but I'm never able to actually commit to saying goodbye. I've definitely taken that as a sign to do a little more work with it, as I believe that great connections, in person and with your decks, can be built and don't always have to be instant.
The next two types will be oracle decks; Intuitive and Wordsy.
When I say Intuitive, I mean that it comes with no phrases on the cards and no meaning guide with the deck itself. There are plenty of oracle decks that have no phrases on the cards that DO come with guidebooks that one can use intuitively, but because the intent of the creation of the deck wasn't exclusively intuitive, I hesitate to categorize them as Intuitive decks in my own collection. A Wordsy deck often has key word meanings or even whole paragraphs on each card, and sometimes still comes with a guidebook that further offers explanations.
When it comes to the Wordsy decks, I DO have a newfound appreciation for the decks that feature a few key words or an actual meaning onto the cards themselves. I've found myself being impatient for the decks that have a title and a guidebook that demands being looked into for interpretation- especially if the title of the card or the imagery isn't necessarily intuitive itself. For an example, after excitedly checking out The Wild Unknown's Archetype deck, I suddenly was grateful for the decks that have information on the cards themselves! (Don't get me wrong, The Wild Unknown has some amazing decks and I have not done the work with the Archetype deck that the guidebook recommends, because there is a blatant intuitive force to work with there, but it wasn't one that I felt connected to- BUT! It does deserve more of my time and effort!)
I love using Wordsy oracle decks when I'm having conversations with my guides. I have a deck that I use exclusively for working with Freya and Odin (and now Baldur & Loki every so often), it is, surprising no one, the Yggdrasil Norse deck.
This deck is proof that sometimes we don't have much of a choice over our tools of communication; I find the art on these cards mostly horrifying and seeing that I have practically zero knowledge in Norse Mythos, the guidebook and the intent of the use of these cards are largely outside of my immediate scope of practice. However, what saves me from total incompetence is the fact that each card has a key word or phrase- and my guides will capitalize on these phrases, allowing me to have literal conversations with them. I won't often feel the need to look into the guidebook for further information, as my questions are being answered through the key phrases alone. However, there have been plenty of times where I have been nagged to flip through the guidebook for emphasis.
Another Wordsy deck I love for a specific use is The Inner Child Oracle. There is no real guidebook, save for a piece of folded cardstock with some suggested spreads, but each card features its own title and meaning right on the card itself. When I feel the pull from Baby Tay, I shuffle the deck and let them tell me when to pull a card. There's no desire for real conversation, it seems, but every so often I will sit down and do a small spread, since Baby Tay seems to enjoy the collaboration!
The same gal had a deck for a bit called Into the Mystick Pocket Oracle, that unfortunately is no longer available, but I enjoyed more than I thought I would, and I'm mentioning it here because it is moreso Wordsy where the focus of the card's meaning is quite literally the phrase, and it was my introduction to this sort of card and aesthetic; I have a hard time dealing with cards that have little to no symbolism or imagery in general, so I enjoyed this deck because it pushed my boundaries and I started to feel myself soften up to these kinds of decks.
Obviously, they have plenty of imagery, but I hope that I make sense when I say the focus is the words; even in the Inner Child Oracle, there is an entire paragraph at the bottom of the card, but the imagery is the focus taking up most of the card.
I've found Intuitive oracle decks to be a much rarer gem, as many seem to come with a guide of some sort- but they are out there and I will sing praises of their work!! I find these decks to be very versatile, in that I can use them for conversations (like Freya pulling the Sleep card on me a few times when I was relentlessly bugging her at 4am instead of going to bed lol), and add them to my tarot spreads as a way of clarification. As mentioned in previous posts, the intuitive oracle deck was what really broke the barriers I had in reading tarot cards- so I cannot recommend enough everyone getting one for their collection. I use Skull Garden's Earthbound Oracle deck, but also have enjoyed Shadow Art Finds's Spirit Oracle deck (and am excited to see their collection has grown to include a new oracle deck and now a tarot deck!).
So, depending on the needs of you, the deck, your guides, etc- all three of these deck types allows a wide range of communicating to happen. And if you're working with cards in the first place, that's probably exactly what you're encouraging! If you haven't worked with any of these decks, I urge you to do so ASAP- whether you're too intimidated by tarot decks, or don't like the aesthetic of words/paragraphs on the card- I respectfully grab you by the collar and give you a loving shake to try them out anyway! Given enough wiggle room, you'll likely be surprised by the connections that open up!
Again, I broke up these cards this way to highlight the differences of techniques one can use to communicate and read- you can, of course, treat any deck as an Intuitive deck, and most card folks will recommend you sit with your decks of cards and build a relationship with them outside of their guidebooks regardless.