Tarot vs Oracle: Buying your first deck

The time has come, you have been thinking about it for a while now- I am ready to purchase my first deck! I am so excited for you! This is a big day! If you’re not sure where to start I am here to help. This post explores the difference between Tarot and Oracle decks and I provide a few of my favorites as recommendations.

Tarot vs. Oracle

First, decide if you want to purchase a Tarot or an Oracle deck. This decision can help you instantly narrow your search. What’s the difference? Well, a Tarot deck is a deck of traditionally 78 cards, 22 major arcana, and 56 minor arcana. The major arcana starts with card 0 – the Fool and ends with card 21- the World. The majors represent significant life events and have been described as The Fools Journey. The minor cards are represented in 4 suits, traditionally the Wands, Cups, Pentacles, and Swords- with card numbered Ace through 10 and then Page, Knight, Queen, King- representing different human archetypes. Tarot cards have been around for centuries- even as early as the 14th century! The card’s origins are shrouded in mystery and speculation and for me, is part of the wondrous appeal. The cards have been used in a variety of forms from a sort of card game, to divination, to a self-care tool. I use the cards as the latter- I do not believe that they tell the future, rather they act as a mirror reflecting back at us what we know deep in our mind, body, and spirit. For a Tarot reading, you can use as little as one card and as many as you like to create a spread based on your inquiry. It is important to connect with a deck, I have purchased decks that I thought I would really enjoy, and I have been unable to bond with. This can be because of a variety of reasons anywhere from the quality of the cardstock, the images, the size of the cards, and even a strong dislike for one or a few particular cards in the deck. Choosing a basic deck to get a feel for what is important to you in your cards is a good (and less expensive) way to start your Tarot journey. 

This is a super high-level overview, and I will create another post specifically about the Tarot. 

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Oracle cards, on the other hand, are a set of cards, any number, any style, and usually no particular order. Usually, when working with Oracle cards you choose only one and the accompanying guidebook explains the card and sometimes additional information for how to use the card in your day. The Oracle cards can range in descriptions some are a single word like “joy” or “believe” others are much in-depth. The cards are usually more high level than the tarot, providing an overview or general theme. I like to keep an oracle deck on my work desk and draw one daily to help focus my energy for that day. Because the cards don’t rely on any of the other cards in the deck if you find a card to be particularly distasteful you can simply remove it from the deck. Oracle cards provide an easy way to get a taste for using cards in your self-care practices and doesn’t require any effort to learn the structure as Tarot does. 

If you are leaning towards a Tarot deck, I recommend the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot. Most of the guidebooks for learning Tarot are based on the images and sequencing of this deck. I found it easy to connect with this deck, the images and style are really intuitive. Although this deck is less flashy than others and the images are not very diverse, I think it is a great place to start.

If you are leaning towards an Oracle deck, I recommend The Moon Deck. This deck is visually inclusive, honors the diversity of the goddess, and has a lovely guidebook and their IG community is lovely! 

I hope this provides you with some direction. I would love to hear what deck you choose!