How I use Oracle Cards as my personal guide
A way to connect to my spirits, angels & ancestors and deepening the relationship with my own soul.
I first came across Oracle Cards when I attended a Crystal Singing Bowl Sound Bath many years ago. This was long before I embarked on the training to become a Sound Practitioner myself, and frankly, a time when I was full of scepticism towards anything spiritual. It took a long time for me to open myself up to the magical world of things unexplained and intuitive, but once it started to creep in it was unstoppable… Funny what the universe does sometimes!
I can’t remember the message it gave me all those years ago but I remember thinking how very accurate it was, yet totally dismissed it. The resistance was strong. However, the deck which was so beautifully designed that it stayed in my memory. Months later I came back to the same Sound Bath for a well needed rest and this time, I took note of the deck which I ended up ordering online and to this date is a regular companion of mine.
What are Oracle Cards good for?
Let me start by introducing Oracle Cards first. There are hundreds/thousands of decks out there. Type it into Amazon and you will be served 10,000 search results. It’s safe to say that when everything falls apart (aka COVID, politics, the environment, injustice left, right & center…) that’s when people look for a deeper meaning and guidance. Which explains why we’re seeing such a huge increased interest in spirituality.
Astrology, Tarot Cards, Kundalini Yoga and Shamanism, they’re all havin’ a ‘moment’. This New Age movement we’re experiencing is an era of personal transformation and healing, which we last experienced on this scale in the 1970s and ʾ80s, especially in the UK and US.
Oracle cards are a tool of self-reflection to add to your magical and spiritual practice, or just to use for fun. They can offer insights and give answers to your questions. A kind of entry-level spiritualism so to speak, which is very easy to digest for someone curious but new to this occult world. A world in fact that can seem a bit daunting at first. It was for me.
A common way to using them is to shuffle a deck and pull a single card for inspiration or insight into a situation. You can also do spreads, but the rules are more loose than with Tarot varying from deck to deck and their creators preferences.
Whether you want to connect with sacred parts of yourself or just starting out with a daily message, Oracle Cards can be a wonderful addition to your daily rituals. For instance, perhaps you are feeling really stressed out but stuck and without a sense of purpose. You may pull the ‘Align Your Life’ card asking you to reflect on what might need to change and embrace who you truly are.
The difference between Cards and Oracle Cards
In the Tarot, there are some pretty standard structures in place. For example, each deck always contains 78 cards. Although the artwork may vary depending on the design of the card, the symbolism in each card is nearly always the same. Unlike the Tarot, in an oracle deck there's no set universal number of cards included. There can be as many as the deck's creator decides are needed and themes are wideranging from spirit animals, shamanc healingm, goddess-themed art to moon imagery. Furthermore, in addition to be being presented as a deck of standard rectangular cards, oracle cards can appear as circles, squares, or any other shape.
Personally, I find Tarot to be brutally honest - a bit harsh even. Oracle cards send you a more gentle message that you can reflect on.
My three go-to’s
1) Work Your Light by Rebecca Campbell
My first and for that reason closest to my heart is the Work Your Light deck by Rebecca Campbell. It has been a very important companion these last past years, often surprised at what it has unlocked in me. Each of the 44 cards has a mysterious message that becomes clearer as you re-read it. With one of the first and also most important life questions I have ever asked I got the clear answer: YES. And OH YES it is… There’s also a NO card. I like the boldness.
I keep being reinforced where it is I need to be heading and what path to take, which becomes so clear with the messages I keep pulling over and over again.
2) The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit by Kim Krans
is a beautifully designed set created by Kim Krans, a visionary artist, author, and creator of The New York Times bestseller ‘The Wild Unknown Tarot’. This deck features 63 creatures from both the earthly and mystical realms, which is accompanied by a 200+ page guidebook making it easy to use and interpret the cards, give readings, and delve into the mystery of each creature.
I don’t always feel like I need to read the guide book and sometimes just inspired to take the teachings from the creature itself. For example if I was to pull the ‘Stingray’ I think of its behaviour in nature. Stingrays do not use their eyes for hunting prey. Instead, they use special sensors that are located on their undersides, which help to detect tiny electrical charges that are emitted by their prey. What this tells me is to listen to my gut rather then look at the obvious.
3) Shamanic Healing by Michelle A. Motuzas
a slightly more serious deck, which is my go to for any more difficult life decisions. For that reason this deck is probably the one I use the least. When I do, it’s with intention and more time on my hands as I like to combine it with a grounding ritual beforehand and afterwards.
The natural imagery allows an exploration of human and spiritual existence that looks into the energies, fears, and wrong beliefs that can hold us us back from our full potential. The Author Michelle A. Motuzas started painting in answer to the requests of her fellow students of Shamanism, which is beautifully crafted with the use of soft and caring language. The 44 cards can help you to discover the energies surrounding situations in life that can hinder or assist along the path of self-awareness and healing.
I find the messages found in these cards to be very clear and spookily accurate to the situations that I have enquired on. Sometimes I don’t see it immediately but it always, without fail, ends up making complete sense.
How I use my Oracle Cards
I have two approaches I use regularly.
Number 1: The quickie
I shuffle the whole deck and spread them out in front of me. I take a deep breath and swing my pendulum over the cards to guide me to the one card to pull. There’s no question or intention attached to it, I am just finding guidance or an inspiration for the day. I use my intuition what deck to use and it varies on the mood of the day.
I give a moment of silence with my eyes closed to thank my guides and the cards for today’s message. I feel it’s a very important small, yet powerful detail to include in the practice.
Number 2: The morning ritual
Then there is a more time-consuming ritual that I like to perform which happens first thing in the morning after my daily meditation and cacao practice. I lay out all three decks and my pendulum, which I cleanse with sage or palo santo before using. I call in my ancestors, spirit guides and archangels to guide me, with my eyes closed. I thank them for protecting me always and wait until I can feel their presence, usually a tingling sensation in my arms or legs or both.
As I shuffle I ask the same question for each deck. Then I lay all cards, each deck separately, out in front of me. My pendulum guides me on how many cards to pull from each deck. This varies from time to time but the norm seems to be just a card or two per deck. Once I have all cards in front of me I turn them around individually in the same order as I have pulled them and read their individual meanings, taking a moment after each card to let the message sink in.
When I am done I thank the cards, the spirits, archangels and ancestors for the guidance as I tidy away. Finally, I journal to process the meaning of the message/s I have received that day and maybe even find a solution or plan resulting from that practice. Personally, I don’t use my Oracle Cards on a daily basis, but like to keep it to those moments when I feel the calling. There is no set rule and for me that fluidity seems to work really well.
Next on my shopping list
As there are so many more Oracle Card decks out there to explore, I didn’t want to stop here and have curated those select few for you that I have an eye on for future purchasing.
The Supra: Sacred Geometry Oracle Deck is definitely more of a show-off investment piece, which deserves a place at the coffee table retailing at $185. What I love about this deck other than the beautiful minimal and geometrical artwork is its interpretations of Jungian psychology and magical Gnosticism (the belief that human beings contain a piece of God). Unfortunately it’s sold out at the moment, meaning I am not the only one who appreciates it. I shall save up for this one then, whilst I am waiting for it to be back in stock!
An equally tastefully designed option is the OKANA Oracle Deck which bought as a bundle with the Tarot Set will save you few bugs. Costing $60 and $79 or as a bundle $135 it’s more friendly on the wallet. Printed on rose-petal finish black with gold foil and silver ink these cards are an homage to the variety in the spiritualities that make up the African Diaspora. To be used together for in-depth shadow work and personal exploration.
Last but not least I’m really into the Amenti Oracle Feather Heart Deck designed by Jennifer Sodini, founder of the conscious media platform Evolve + Ascend, and illustrator Natalee Miller. It brings the wisdom of Ma'at, the ancient Egyptian concept of truth and balance by tapping into the concept of having a heart "as light as a feather," from £13.99 available at Blackwell’s what’s there not to like!?
