Tarot vs. Oracle Cards & How To Use Them

If you’ve been following The Energy Boutique for any amount of time, you’ve likely seen a Weekly Insights post (normally on Tuedays) where you get to choose a card that you are most drawn to, and later in the day, the messages are revealed. This is a very simple exercise to help strengthen your intuition. The Weekly Insights have been a huge hit on my page for many years now, and the most common questions I get asked, are: “What are the cards that you use?” and, “How do you use them?”. I myself gravitate to Tarot, but always have multiple Oracle decks available for my own personal use.

So What’s the Difference?

Tarot is a deck of cards that has been divided into 4 suits much like a normal deck of playing cards. The four suits (Cups/Wands/Pentacles/Swords) have Ace to 10, a Page, a Knight, a Queen, and a King. In addition to these suited cards, there are 21 Trump cards that carry a certain life lesson, message, or meaning. Learning Tarot takes a bit more time to fully absorb and get familiar with, but once you’ve learned the basic messages of each card, how to interpret them, and how to link the messages together, you can trust the Tarot to reveal the guidance in which you need at the time of consultation.

I tend to recommend Oracle cards for those who are just getting into the Spiritual world, and trying to strengthen their intuition. Oracle cards are much more to the point, and through the illustrations and short messages contained on the card, the seeker can receive validation and guidance instantaneously without having to learn hidden meanings, patterns, combos, etc., - like you do in using Tarot.

Both the Tarot and Oracle cards are a form of divination, trusting that when you are in a state of calmness and asking the Universe to provide you with guidance through the messages of the cards, you will in fact get the guidance and/or validation you need. Making it a practice to consult the cards for validation will strengthen your connection with your guides, with your own intuition, and allow you to trust that you are divinely guided and will receive the information you need at the time of your path and journey.

How Do You Choose A Tarot or Oracle Deck?

There are many Tarot and Oracle decks to choose from, and depending on what calls to you, you really can’t go wrong. Using your intuition to purchase your deck of guidance is the very first step in using your intuitive muscles and listening to your inner voice.

The first Tarot deck I started with was The Easy Tarot which came with an easy to read and understand handbook to make the Tarot interpretations fun and easy to learn. It blended the classic and traditional Tarot fundamentals with beautiful colourful artwork and imagery to really translate the meanings of each card easily for memorization. I still consult that deck to this day, and use it frequently in my Weekly Insights.

Since my very first Tarot deck, I have added the traditional Raider Waite deck, The Witches Tarot, and my two most favourite that I use the most for the Weekly Insights are the Dreams of Gaia deck, and the Angel Tarot. There are so many decks to choose from, but I highly recommend starting your Tarot journey with The Easy Tarot.

Oracle cards are so much easier to use right away, as you really don’t have to do a lot of learning or memorizing as far as the messages go. They are very simplistic in the way that you ask a question and you receive your answer with the card you pull.

It’s literally that easy!

I started out with the Life Purpose Oracle deck. Since then, I’ve accumulated quite the collection ranging from angels, cats, dogs, animal totems, Unicorns, fairies, chakras, moon, astrology, the list goes on! I love oracle cards for their simplicity and their straight-shooting messages compared to the intricate and complex interpretations of the Tarot.

How To Use Your Tarot or Oracle Deck

Regardless of whether you gravitate to the Tarot or the Oracle deck, (or both), there are a couple of things you should always do when receiving a new deck to work with. The minute I receive a new deck, I open the deck and scan through all of the cards very quickly and see what catches my eye. It’s important to keep them in order and not rearrange them just yet.

It’s important to cleanse your deck. This means lighting sage and smudging your deck, cleansing it of all the negative and fragmented energies it may be carrying from its journey to your possession. I always sleep with my decks under my pillow for the first night, and enter them into a crystal grid to charge them the next day.

If there is a full moon around the time you receive your deck, place it on the window sill to charge in the moon light. Most people want to jump right in, but I really do recommend you sleep with the deck the first night to allow your energy to connect to the deck.

You want to always say a quick little prayer before entering a card session, asking for the love and light of the universe to protect and guide you through the session. State that you request guidance and validation at this point in your path, and ask that they send you the answers you need. Always connect with a higher source before entering into a session.

When you are ready to dive into your deck, it’s good to sit in a quiet state and allow yourself to connect with each card as you flip through the deck. If you want to keep notes on your first impressions, do so, but concentrate more on the gut feeling you get when you first see a card. How does it make you feel? What in the imagery to you connect with? Are there any memories, thoughts, or feelings that get triggered for you?

It’s important to establish your own connection and interpretation of your cards. Every reader has a different spin on what each card means to them. Once you’ve spent the time really connecting with your deck, go ahead and shuffle. It takes some time to fully infuse your energy into a deck, so be patient. If you have any “pop-outs” while shuffling (cards that literally jump out of the deck) pay special attention to their message as they’ve gone to great lengths to capture your attention.

Once your prayer has been said, your questions have been asked, and the deck has been shuffled, you can either draw one card, or follow the many spreads that normally accompany the deck in it’s booklet.

Always thank the Universe (source) when you are ending your session. It’s a good practice to keep your cards in a pouch, even tossing in a protective or charging crystal to anchor the energy of the deck while not in use.

If you leave your cards out in the open, make sure they are not being touched by other people, as the deck will absorb the energy of others. In an open setting, it’s always recommended to anchor your deck with a crystal to ensure the energy is contained in the deck.

Also, it’s a really good practice to understand that when you draw or lay cards, you are in a direct communication with the universe. Think of it as a phone. I say this, because when you are done, the phone DOES need to be hung up. It’s not okay to have your cards still open, face up, if you’re not in a session with them. Do your guides a favour and release them of the session by closing the session with a “thank you” for their guidance, and putting your cards away either in a box, bag, or anchored with a crystal on top.

I really do encourage you to jump in and get yourself a deck (or two, or three, or four…once you pop you just can’t stop - LOL!). It’s the easiest way to practice using your intuition, strengthening your connection to the Universe, and provide yourself (and others) with guidance and validation. The biggest hurdle many people have to overcome is TRUSTING yourself, the Universe, and the messages you receive.

Interested in learning more? I have a Tarot & Oracle Online Workshop coming soon! Sign up here to be the first to know the details once its ready to launch.