Welcome to Gaia! ::

Uhm, thought I would kick this off with my own thoughts xd

I've used both tarot and oracle cards. I feel there is a strong difference between the two.

I don't really have a preference. It depends on the reading. If it's a simpler question I use tarot, if it is a bit more complicated or has been nagging at me, I use oracle cards. The results are different in an odd way. They might give the exact same answers, but they feel different and have a different way of telling me or assuring me. I know the oracle cards were much harder for me to connect with, I guess you could say. I worked with them for months with screwy answers that made no sense before I started asking the right questions in the right ways. Tarot was much easier, as in almost as soon as I started using them everything was clear.

I don't really have a favorite tarot deck, but I absolutely love 'The Faeries' Oracle' by Brian Froud and Jessica Macbeth, and 'The Heart of Faerie Oracle' by Brian and Wendy Froud.

I think the two also work differently. When I use tarot I always feel like the answer is coming from myself, like it's something I know but I'm not aware of, but when I use the oracle decks it feels like the answer comes from somewhere else.

I have some fiends that really love Ciro Marchetti's decks. One of them has even made a point to collect all of them. Personally, the art's a bit too slick and shiney for me. My personal deck is the Archeon tarot, and I think it's beautiful. And Brian Froud is one of my favorite artists so I've been wanting the Fairy Oracle for years. The Heart of Fairy has also been added to my list.

I know it's seems like I'm sidetracking on the art but I'm really not. I'm a very visual person and a hobby artist so a deck's art is actually really important to me and how I connect to a deck. Things like imagery, the use of light and shadows, and texture in the art are what draw me to work with a deck and they help me associate meanings to the cards as well (outside of the standard tarot definitions usually). I also have to admit that I sometimes collect decks as art rather than metaphysical tools.

As to Oracle vs. Tarot, I have no preference and haven't really found any difference between them for myself. Specific decks, yes, but not between tarot and oracle as larger catagories.

All that said, I don't acutally use either very often and don't really care much about divinatory magic and means. You'll find the future when it becomes the present. And the stuff you get doing personal, for the moment, readings is generally old news to me. Even when others are doing the reading. I know myself prety well, strengths, dreams, fears, flaws, eccentricities, and all. So there's not much for a deck of cards to tell me. No matter where the info is coming from.

By the way, I think there's a third option about the origin of the knowledge you might find reading tarot and similar. What about using the cards as a metaphysical focus for your own abilities? They basically allow you to find the answers from whatever source has them, be it an outside entity (from deities to your massivly empathic friend in the next room) or the depths of your own mind.

Both of Froud's oracle decks are a great investment, Raven, even if you only intend on having them for their art. The images on the cards are rather complex with many layers and possible meanings, not to mention his art is just amazing.

Concerning not using divinatory magic often, I realized I don't really use them for much else other than reassurance. I find that my questions are rarely in need of specific answers. I usually just need to be told not to worry. Anyway, that's almost always the answer I get; don't worry so much, it's all turn out for the best, the world isn't going to end lol

And I think that's a great option. It makes sense, and I feel like I have been made more aware of certain abilities through using the decks I own, both tarot and oracle.

Sanguina, is it ok to ask what oracle deck you own? Just curious. I just wondered if it was simply differences in decks or if you just understand oracle decks better than I do...because I know I find the oracle decks I use to be REALLY complex, and sometimes a bit cryptic. It's not unusual for me to leave the cards I draw in my spread out for a day or so just so I can sit them on my desk and look at them from time to time, and try to understand them more.

I've never used an oracle deck, but I really enjoy Tarot. I started out with two decks in a beginner's pack that came with the Rider-Waite and Crowley Thoth decks, but I lost my CT deck and the Rider-Waite deck, I feel, doesn't like me very much. Unfortunately, I'm broke and can't buy a new one, but has anyone else experience a deck that just didn't feel right to use? I mean, the R-W deck still responds to me, but I feel as though we almost have one of those "I guess I'll do this for you, but don't expect great results" relationships.

What precisely is an oracle deck?

Well I bought the Tarot beginner's pack or something, whatever it's called. It came with the two decks, and it was only then when I was reading about being called to a deck. I just wish I hadn't lost the Crowley-Thoth deck.

And thanks for the info on oracle decks. smile

Two years ago I wanted to become a real wiccan. I studied with some friends and tought I was doing pretty well. Ofcourse I sometimes had the wrong image of things. However, my best friend gave me an oracle deck and I read about it so I could learn to use it. I never succeeded to use it correctly or to have a real result. I would love to try it again but I don't realy believe in it anymore. I also think that the cards work for those who put all their efforts in it, keep on practising and are able to interpret the meanings. Because science became a very important part of my life I learned to think different about sorts of things. But this doesn't mean that I can't learn about these things and maybe find a way of thinking that may become important to me , even though I do not believe in it right now.
(sorry if I typed bad english ._.)

Rather than make another tarot thread, thought I'd bump this one ^_^ So I changed the "or" to an "and" in the title, sorry Corabella.

I'm interested in buying a new oracle deck (rather than a new tarot, as I have three and don't use them often enough) and was wondering about what others would recommend.

I've been looking through Aecletic Tarot's oracle decks but haven't gotten far yet. I quite like this one's art but I don't get a tug from it or anything so I think I'll keep looking.