Many people are familiar with the art of tarot—using symbolic cards as divinatory tools. But how much do you know about oracle cards? 

Oracle cards are often grouped together with tarot, but they're actually quite different. Tarot cards work together as a unified set (containing the Major and Minor Arcana, similar to a traditional playing card deck), and they're normally read in systematic 'spreads'.

Oracle cards (which also encompass angel and wisdom cards) are more free-form and flexible. You often don't require special knowledge to read oracle cards—hallelujah!

The most common way to use oracle cards is to intuitively pick a single card from your chosen deck at the beginning of the day, or when you're in most need of guidance. This card will then act like your Pole Star, leading you in the right direction and helping you to make sense of life.

Just like tarot decks, there are hundreds of oracle and wisdom decks out there, produced by artists and visionaries who want to bring their own unique touch to the magical art of oracle reading. We've selected ten of our most unique (and popular!) oracle decks here - take a look!

1. The Original Angel Cards

The Original Angel Cards are a great introduction to the world of oracle. With a bright simple design, these little cards have a clear message stamped on each of them—like 'healing', 'joy' or 'celebration'—accompanied by homely images of angels. With their small size and clear imagery, it's so easy to have these cards nestled in a bowl in your home or business, for yourself or your guests to easily pick up. The message you select will help guide the rest of your day.

2. Healing With The Fairies Cards

Fairies are powerful figures. Their healing and guidance is called upon in many magical practices, and oracle reading is no exception. This beautiful fairy-inspired deck is created by acclaimed spiritual writer Doreen Virtue. Containing 44 unique cards, the colourful fairy imagery in this deck is accompanied by powerful messages like "Quiet Time", "Trust Your Intuition" and "Raising Your Standards". Pick a card from this deck, and you'll have a clear focus to channel your energies for the day.

3. Magickal Spellcards

These cards a bit different than your average oracle deck. Instead of containing an image and message, each card in this deck features a unique spell by bestselling author and witch, Lucy Cavendish. You'll find empowering spells focused on love, beauty, abundance and more, all accompanied by an in-depth guidebook to help you with your spell-casting. These cards can be used like an oracle deck (i.e. pick a card at random from the deck and let it guide you), or you can take a more organised approach.

4. Lenormand Oracle

Marie Anne Lenormand was a French fortune-teller, famous for being Napolean's card reader and guide. This oracle deck is based on the legendary clairvoyant's practice, and is a little more structured than your traditional oracle. Each card in the 36-card deck contains a number and a 19th-century inspired image, accompanied by an in-depth guide to help you read this unique set. It might take you a little bit longer to pick up Lenormand's approach to cartomancy, but it's definitely worth a try—her legacy is legendary, after all!

5. Animal Spirits Knowledge Cards

This gorgeous deck features paintings by acclaimed artist Susan Seddon Boulet, known for her images that weave magic into the animal kingdom and the natural world. Not surprisingly, animals are the muse for this deck, with each of the 48 cards featuring an animal and their spiritual profile. Intended to be used like a regular oracle deck, the animal card you pick from this selection will give you strength, guidance and wisdom to focus your day.

7. Past Life Oracle

This oracle deck is also created by Doreen Virtue, but puts a unique spin on traditional oracle reading. This set is inspired by the concept of 'past lives', and how who you were in your previous lives affects who you are today. Containing 44 cards, this deck will help you to better understand yourself so that you can overcome problems and forge a brighter future.

7. Mystical Wisdom Deck 

This vivid magical oracle deck is based on artwork by popular fantasy artist Josephine Wall. Each card in this 46-card deck features a unique angel, animal, goddess or fairy, accompanied by a bold message to guide you—such as "take a leap of faith", "open your heart" and "live life to the fullest". These gorgeous cards are sure to add light, love and wisdom into your day.

8. Kuan Yin Oracle

Kuan Yin is known as the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, and her divine energy forms the inspiration for this ethereal oracle deck. Created by Alana Fairchild, this beautiful deck brings you closer to the goddess and to the divine feminine energy inside yourself. With breath-taking imagery inspired by Buddhist spirituality, this 44-card deck also comes with a detailed guidebook to help you in your reading.

9. Flower of Life Oracle

This nature-inspired deck is guided by the 'Wisdom of Astar', a "loving energetic consciousness". Each card in this set features a gentle and calming photograph of nature's beauties, from butterflies to flowers and all in between, accompanied by special messages to help you draw wisdom from nature. Inject peace and power into your life with this unique and soothing traditional oracle deck.

10. Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

This unique deck is inspired by the ancient art of tea-leaf reading. The distinctive circular cards in this deck feature beautiful watercolour depictions of traditional tea leaf symbols. The deck is accompanied by a detailed guidebook that will help you read both the cards and physical tea leaves—absorbing this ancient divinatory practice to its fullest!

As you can see, there's so much variety and creativity to the world of oracle card reading. Each creator brings their own interpretation to the practice, so it's up to you to decide which design and structure suits you best...and don't worry, every deck contains a detailed guide to help you! But the purpose of oracle card reading remains the same, from deck to deck—to receive divine wisdom, guidance and inspiration from the cards to help you in your daily life. 

Let us know in the comments which decks are your favourites!

VIEW ALL OUR ORACLE DECKS HERE

We love the mysterious world of tarot. A while ago, we posted an Introduction to Tarot and Oracle Reading, to help you understand the basics of the sacred practice and things to consider when choosing a deck. Now, we want to celebrate the decks themselves.

There are hundreds of tarot decks out there, inspired by visuals and themes like animals, art movements, world culture, literature and more. Most standard tarot decks will still contain the traditional 78 cards, comprised of 22 Major Arcana cards and 40 Minor Arcana Cards. But each tarot deck creator will bring a unique visual flair and personal interpretation of the tarot symbols. This means that each deck is distinctive, and almost like a little treasure trove of art in itself!

Below, we take a look at ten of our most unique tarot decks. Click on the tarot titles to learn more about each deck, or to buy!

1. Mystical Cats

If you love magic, chances are you love cats too. There’s just something mystical and spiritual about these fantastic felines! This gorgeous tarot deck delves into the magical world of cats, with the Major Arcana reinterpreted as Cat Mysteries and the Minor Arcana envisioned as Earth, Sea, Fire, and Sky Cat Clans. Cat lovers will definitely feel a connection to this unique tarot deck, which will help you in your practice.

The Linestrider gets its name from the fact that is straddles two worlds - the magical and the logical. Designed by Siolo Thompson, the dreamy pastel colours and intricate detail of this tarot deck are truly unique. The deck is based on the original Rider-Waite-Smith tarot system, but is full of gorgeous new imagery that conjures up magical energy.

3. Golden Botticelli

If you’re a fan of Botticelli and Renaissance Art, you’ll be drawn to this stunning tarot deck. The art in these cards is inspired by the great Italian painter and the symbolism and imagery that he favoured in his masterpieces. Just like an art critic would examine an artwork to find deeper meaning, these cards also reveal hidden truths if you’re looking hard enough. An ideal choice for those who like to merge the artistic and the spiritual.

Paulina Cassidy’s gorgeous artwork in the Spiritsong Tarot is inspired by animals and the energy they exude. Each animal included in the deck has been specifically selected based upon Shamanic symbolism, and their unique powers have been used to accentuate the traditional tarot structure. The Spirtsong deck has four unique suits - Acorns for Wands/Fire, Feathers for Swords/Air, Shells for Cups/Water, and Crystals for Coins/Earth.

Even though tarot is centuries-old, tarot decks can include contemporary art too. This unique deck is inspired by Manga, the comic-book artform popular in Japan. The artwork draws influence from Oriental mythology and encompasses ritual, nature and legend. With powerful symbolism and fierce artwork, this should be a top pick for Manga fans.

Russian artist Yury Shakov lends his skill to this beautiful tarot deck. Shakov is known for his illustration of Russian folk and fairy tales, and there’s definitely element of story and fantasy in these boldly-coloured cards. They almost look like miniature paintings, with colours and designs reminiscent of Russian icons like Faberge eggs and matryoshka dolls. If you’ve got Russian heritage, or are interested in Russian history and culture, you’ll find strength and spirit in these cards.

7. Dreams of Gaia

The bold vivid colours of this deck - designed by popular artist Ravynne Phelan - truly stand out. The earth and her powers are a clear inspiration for the mystical imagery in this deck, and are present in nearly every card. These cards sorted into a Major and Minor Arcana structure, but offer bold new archetypes, symbology, and meanings more suited to the present. Let the earth guide you with this unique take on traditional tarot.

The artwork of Nicoletta Ceccolli is both playful and eerie. There’s an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ feel to these unique images, where joy and wonder meet hints of darkness. This deck is perfect for complex questions that don’t have clear ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers, mingling colour with shades of grey.

And of course, we have to finish with a dragon tarot! David Corsi’s dragon art is bold and realistic, weaving a legendary story among the cards. Let the wisdom and power of dragons guide you in your tarot practice, and be inspired by the formidable scenes depicted in each of these unique cards.

So there’s a selection of ten tarot decks that we find truly unique. But there are dozens more in our tarot collection to suit all kinds of spirits! Whether you’re drawn to the delicate world of faeries, or want to be inspired by the Renaissance masters of old, you’ll find a deck that’s right for you. Let us know in the comments what your favourites are.

VIEW ALL OUR TAROT & ORACLE DECKS HERE

What is the Tarot?

The first recorded use of tarot cards dates back to the 14th century. The cards' original purpose was primarily for games and gambling, like modern playing cards, but throughout the centuries they have been adapted to divinatory purposes. Tarot has had a renewed popularity in the last decades, however their use has expanded from simple divination to a tool for meditation, reflection, problem analysis and the opening of our intuitive faculties. 

Tarot is a tool for better understanding our lives through universal archetypal symbols, and how they relate to our personal journey.

A standard tarot deck contains 78 cards:

• 22 Major Arcana or Trump cards depicting the fool's journey towards enlightenment. Representative of the path of the mythical hero, this journey is one of adventure and self-discovery.
• 56 Minor Arcana cards:
• 40 Pip cards (Ace through Ten of each suit; typically Cups, Swords, Pentacles and Wands)
• 16 Court cards (Page, Knight, Queen and King of each suit)

Consulting the tarot allows us to gain fresh perspectives on situations and problems in our lives, as well as to connect to our intuition.

What is the Oracle?

Oracle cards are loosely based on the tarot system of divination, but allow for more flexibility in structure and organization. Unlike the tarot, oracle decks can have any number of cards, and can be used for general inspiration or focus on specific topics such as feminine deities or animal spirit guides. In general, oracle cards encompass other non-tarot systems of traditional divination such as runes, the I Ching, and the Lenormand.

Because of the variety inherent to oracle decks, each deck comes with a booklet instructing the user on the meaning and interpretation of each card. 

Getting started

Choosing a deck

Selecting a deck of cards, whether tarot or oracle, is a personal and subjective choice. The approach we recommend is to select a deck that appeals to your imagination and draws you in at first glance, and then to learn to associate the symbols and illustrations on the cards to form an understanding of the tarot or oracle cards that you select. As mentioned, each oracle deck will come with a resource included for reading the cards. As a standardized system the tarot has many resources both online and in print. Our best-selling beginner's guide to the tarot is Tarot: Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis.

It is important to remember that allowing your intuition to speak for the meanings of the cards is essential to personalizing the process and finding alternative solutions to the problem at hand. Definitions serve as a general basis for understanding the cards, but you will learn that each card has different meanings for different people and in different positions in a spread.

Many beginners who want to start out with a very basic tarot deck will opt for the Rider Waite. Many newer decks are based off of the imagery of the Rider Waite, while others take an independent approach to the design of the cards. To purchase a deck, please click here and narrow down your selection to tarot or oracle on the left-hand column.

Learning to read the cards

Each card in a tarot or oracle deck carries a particular meaning. Ultimately reading the meaning of a card requires an understanding of: the meaning of the card, its position in the spread, the surrounding cards, the nature of the question, and the reader's intuition.

It's important not to get overwhelmed at this initial apparent complexity of understanding the cards! Beginners can get to know their cards by looking at them carefully and creating visual associations between symbols and their meanings - for example mountains can represent obstacles, while birds can be aspirations. You can also try pulling one card each morning, contemplating it's meaning both for you personally and in its traditional definition, and at the end of each day reflecting on how the day's events connect to the ones presented in the card.

Below is an example of a card from the Major Arcana and it's associated meaning and symbolism.

The World: XXI (last card in the Major Arcana)

Archetypes according to Carl Jung are the universal situations, feeling states and behaviour patterns of the collective unconscious. The World is the last Trump card in the Tarot, and represents the conclusion of the journey of The Fool (card zero). In the depiction on the left from the Rider Waite deck, the circular wreath surrounding the figure on the World Trump symbolizes the completion of the journey, the achievement of wholeness and actualization of the self, as well as the circular nature of life.

The four symbols in the corners of the card are a human head, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. These can be interpreted as the Four Evangelists from Christian traditions, four signs of the Zodiac, or their corresponding representations as the elements. This fourfold structure of the physical world encircles the center of the world where the divine can manifest.

In readings, the card symbolizes the natural end of things, and reaching the final stage in achieving a plan or goal. The end of a journey and the sense of wholeness that accompany it are embodied in this card.

Comments or questions? Please feel free to leave them below!