PSA: You Need Oracle Cards in Your Life

You know tarot cards, but have you met oracle cards? Think of them like your tarot deck’s free-spirited little sibling—while tarot cards follow a structured format (typically 78 cards, divided into a Major Arcana and Minor Arcana, with traditional card names, like Death, the King of Wands, and the Lovers), oracle cards can be...pretty much whatever the creator wants.

There’s no typical number of cards in an oracle deck, or set names of the cards—which means that creators can really let their imaginations go wild. Tarot cards can cover themes from the phases of the Moon to your favorite books to popular TV shows; some come with text, some with imagery, some with both. You can use oracle cards alongside your tarot cards in a reading, or you can use them on their own. There are no rules!

Some tarot readers like to draw an oracle card before or after doing a spread with tarot cards. Some like to use them in spreads on their own. Just like tarot cards, you can draw an oracle card every morning to meditate on throughout the day, or whenever you feel like you could use a little guidance.

To do a single-card oracle reading, simply ask your question (like, “How do I get to the next step in my career?”), shuffle your oracle deck, and draw one card. Consider the card’s meaning—first by what it makes you think about/how it makes you feel, then by looking it up in the guidebook that came with your deck—and write it down, if you like. Then, keep the lesson with you as you go about your day. If you don’t get a clear message from the card, that’s okay! Sometimes more insight will come to you later on.

When choosing an oracle deck, think of how you might like to use your cards—to supplement a tarot reading? For a message of inspiration in tough times? With friends? Then, read through the deck descriptions and notes, browse the images, and choose one that ~speaks to you~. There are no wrong answers here! To get you started, check out some of our fave oracle decks.