Tarot and Oracle Cards : Tools for healing and inner Wisdom
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no cost to you. The products I advertise or link are the ones I believe in and have used in my own life. I am hoping you enjoy them as much as I have.
A girl holding her Tarot Cards
What do tarot and oracle cards have to do with healing? “Isn’t is just fortune telling? Isn’t it all just Hocus Pocus? “ As spooky season approaches, I thought I would have little fun talking about this topic and use this blog post to share a little education on the cards. I will also share how you might use them as a tool to get to know yourself. a little better. Because when it comes to taking care of ourselves and connecting to ourselves, why not know about all sorts of tools? Even tools you may have never even considered.
Tarot and oracles cards are everywhere! I found my first tarot deck at a Border’s bookstore way back in the early 2000s when I was in college ( RIP Borders Bookstores). The cards can be found in bookstores, novelty shops,Metaphysical shops, online stores, Amazon, places like Urban Outfitters-heck I even saw a deck at TJ Maxx recently. It seems like they have risen in popularity and more and more people seem to be curious about them.
Tarot cards are a deck of 78 cards. They depict a Fool’s Journey , which is a metaphor for the journey people take through life. There are 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards. Major Arcana cards represent life’s bigger themes and events and the Minor Arcana cards represent smaller happenings in daily life. The cards have imagery that can represent elements of astrology, numerology, color symbolism, natural elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water), life stages, and symbols in general.
Tarot was originally thought to have been created in Italy as a card game called Tarocchi, but with time it came to be associated as a tool for divination and fortune telling. While some people mostly see it as that, Tarot has also been used s a tool for psychology and for learning about the unconscious mind. Carl Jung, the famous psychologist and analyst, was known to have used tarot as a tool to understand the mind, synchronicity and the imagination. It was seen as a tool through which the unconscious mind reaches out to us and reveals itself to us.
So while most people tend to use Tarot as a tool to find out if their crush likes them or if they are likely to get a promotion, Tarot can also be used to find out about oneself. Tarot cards can be used to better know one’s characteristics, to explore how one may want to develop in the future, to engage in self reflection, while writing and journaling, to get a different perspective on a problem, to explore one ‘s values, hopes, dreams and wishes and even to find out what darker aspects and patterns of oneself one might still need to work on. All of these things can be revealed by looking at the cards, looking at symbols, tapping into your intuition and your unconscious mind. Pretty neat, huh?
While Tarot cards may seem a little more mysterious due to the symbolism and work it may take to interpret the cards, some people may find that they are more drawn to Oracle Cards. Oracle cards do not have Major and Minor Arcana cards. They don’t even have to have 78 cards. They can have a variety of themes, images and may have nothing to do with the traditional symbolism found in Tarot, although some may have some elements of Tarot in them. Oracle cards may be seen as being more straight forward .There is no need to draw a certain number of cards, or to put them into a complicated spread or structure. Most come with a little guidebook to explain each card and some have short phrases or meanings printed on them. They can be used in a similar manner that Tarot cards are used. They can be used for self reflection, journaling, writing, problem solving, creating perspective, intuitive guidance and some use them as a source of positivity and motivation. Some people love their simplicity and also use them as a way to gain insight into the future or insight into themselves.
No matter which cards you are drawn to. They are no doubt an interesting and even fun tool to get to know yourself a little better.
If this sounds interesting, how do you get started?
Find a deck that seems interesting to you. I love cards that have the Rider Waite Smith foundation. They are traditional in their symbolism and are not too abstract. Many guide books exist to help you learn about Tarot cards and many guidebooks start with the Rider Waite Smith system. My favorites include the Radiant Rider Waite Tarot, The Modern Witch Tarot Deck and the The Golden Girls Tarot Deck. They have beautiful images and symbols on each card and are very cute and colorful. If you are truly a beginner, you want to avoid decks that only have images for the Major Arcana only as they tend to leave the Minor Arcana cards with less details. You don’t want to be left wondering what a card with nothing but 5 wands means. If you want to grab an Oracle Card Deck, find one that you feel good about. What theme seems interesting? Do the images feel good to you? Do the words seem like they are what you are looking for? For both deck types, I would recommend taking a look at reviews and images of the decks on Amazon and then grab what you feel good about.
Get a reading! Find a tarot reader who has great reviews. Ask your friends if they know of a good reader. Try a few readers out. I tried a few readers out at my local meta physical shop, until I found a reader I connected with. He was kind, funny, supportive and uplifting ( I love you Branden). I felt comfortable with him, even if sometimes a difficult subject was approached. I try to get a reading a least once a year and like to plan my readings around my birthday so I can get snapshot of what my year ahead may look like. Readings provide me with insight, hope, and also give me some tidbits into what I may want to pay more attention to. If you really want to learn about cards, it is good to get a professional reading at least once.
Grab some books, take a workshop or take a course. Education is everywhere! It just depends on what type you want to dip your toes into.There are plenty of beginner books to look at and my personal fave is Tarot for Beginners: The Practical Guide to Reading the Cards by Barbara Moore ( I bought this 2x because I forgot my first one at the doctor’s office and I felt so bad that I had lost it. It’s easy to read and pocket sized!). I also found and took a fun course on how to incorporate Tarot into therapy. As mentioned above, Tarot is a tool that can be used for psychological purposes and this can totally be a fun tool to aid in your therapy journey! The author who hosted that workshop also wrote a book, The Tarot Activity Book by Andy Matzner. This book has a ton of fun exercises and I am sure plenty of people would enjoy their tarot journey with it. You can also find a local metaphysical shop that hosts workshops on Tarot or Oracle cards. Online courses or YouTube lessons also exist and believe it or not Meet Up and Facebook groups also have opportunities to learn Tarot and Oracle cards with others.
So there you have it! Tarot and Oracle cards are not just some pretty cards for divination, but also are also something that can be used as a tool to better know oneself. If you are on a journey to improve your mind. body and soul, this tool may be something to consider.
Keep reading and keep taking care of yourself,