Tarot vs Oracle decks

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 12 Feb 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

seapearls	12 Feb 2005
Do you prefer one over the other and if so which one? Do you think one is easier to work with and understand than the other? In your opinion, pros and cons of each. Elaborate if you wish. Wanted to make this a poll but the option didn't appear.

Cerulean	12 Feb 2005
I liked learning tarot and there is lots of history and different regional patterns--so it is my favorite. But when I use tarot cards, I use it like an oracle. I also like fun variations that sometimes you can get with oracular games, so it is refreshing sometimes to have a card deck that isn't quite tarot, but you can use it with some kind of similar system...say the Book of Doors Divination deck which helps me get a feel of Egyptian ideas and old myths...or the Cards of the Radiant Sun (Caroline Smith), which has an astrological basis. I prefer tarot and close-to-tarot art decks. Once in awhile I look at the I-Ching, but I'm using an art card deck, so not using it traditionally like one person that I knew-she read for people native to Hong Kong in the late 1990s. She used sticks. She was from Shanghai originally. Best wishes, Cerulean

HudsonGray	13 Feb 2005
I use the Animal Lords Tarot as an oracle deck even though it's a tarot deck, but the other decks I've got are all tarot & used that way. The ALT is the only exception. It reads well that way, with no set meanings just the image on the card 'saying it all'.

Stregaverde	13 Feb 2005
I just ordered my first oracle decks, it will be interesting to see how they work as opposed to Tarot. The Faerie Oracle I wanted mainly for the artwork, but the Nature's Healing Oracle really interests me, as I study aromatherapy and herbalism. I personally have some problems using the Tarot for healing and health-related questions, so I'm looking forward to working with this.

seapearls	13 Feb 2005
The Faery Oracle deck was my 1st deck so I have no experience with Tarot decks yet and will be getting some soon. How do they work differently for readings?

WolfSpirit	13 Feb 2005
Tarot decks: the great advantage is they all follow the same system, so if you can read one, you can read all of them - or at least, for the major part. There are still different systems and some decks have unique characteristics - but still, for the major part they are the same. I also think tarot can cover everything and is applicable for every aspect in your life. Oracle decks: well, sometimes I want to get away from that fixed tarot system and want to use something that is much more freely. As every deck makes its own rules, there can be a lot of originality. And you don't need discussions what is "better" or "more authentic" as you don't compare them that way - that is sometimes a relief for me ;) Also, I love working with animal decks, and there are some cool oracle decks with animals.

seapearls	13 Feb 2005
WolfSpirit wrote: Tarot decks: the great advantage is they all follow the same system, so if you can read one, you can read all of them - or at least, for the major part. There are still different systems and some decks have unique characteristics - but still, for the major part they are the same. I also think tarot can cover everything and is applicable for every aspect in your life. Oracle decks: well, sometimes I want to get away from that fixed tarot system and want to use something that is much more freely. As every deck makes its own rules, there can be a lot of originality. And you don't need discussions what is "better" or "more authentic" as you don't compare them that way - that is sometimes a relief for me ;) Also, I love working with animal decks, and there are some cool oracle decks with animals. Thanks for your reply, its helped me learn the difference more.

Bean Feasa	13 Feb 2005
Hi seapearls, Welcome to Aeclectic! I think you need to be a subscriber to initiate a poll - that's probably why the option didn't appear for you. I find it hard to say which I prefer - I like the stability and tradition of Tarot, but sometimes those very features can get in the way of reading well with it - I get obsessive over whether I've got the meanings right etc., and then I lose the flow. Oracle decks inspire less anxiety in me - I only have two, The Green Man Tree Oracle, and the Tao Oracle. And when I read with them it's totally intuitive, and I don't feel, as I sometimes do with Tarot (being only a beginner, essentially) that I have to get it right. So sometimes it can be a freer experience. I think though, if I had to plump for one or the other in a poll, it would probably be the Tarot itself.

Melpomone18	13 Feb 2005
Of the 35 decks that I own only 2 are oracle decks, Froud's Faerie's Oracle and the Lo Scarabeo Silver Mantegna (although the latter is titled "Tarot" I can't see it as anything other than an oracle). So, I definitely lean more towards (RWS-inspired) Tarot as the symbolism is more or less in line from deck to deck. I have more experience with Tarot, so it's easier for me. But like others have mentioned I like being able to take a Tarot break every now and then. It helps to work with fresh symbols when my mind gets bogged down with cups and wands and swords. I find that sometimes when I've been over-reading with Tarot and my brain's all muddled Oracles can be a little more clear just because they give a different perspective. When I started my job I asked about challenges that I may face and things that I would have to conquer. I used the Mantegna deck and "Arithmetic" came up. I just about fell over laughing. (I do arithmetic and bits and pieces of algebra all day long, so conquering that math block that has plagued me since middle school was very important.) Since there's no arithmetic card in any tarot deck that I know of it turned out that my choice to use the Mantegna that day was perfect. So while I don't own many oracles I find that the ones that I do own are absolutely invaluable.

WalesWoman	14 Feb 2005
I've never used oracle decks before, so the main difference is oracle decks are more free association?

contrascarpe	14 Feb 2005
This topic has been discussed a few times - here are a couple of the more popular links: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=23136 http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=30347 The common feeling is that Tarot decks are an oracle deck. The difference is that Tarot is more structured in nature, i.e., you have a Major and a Minor Arcana, and the Minors are split into four suits of typically fourteen cards each. Non-Tarot Oracles pretty much run all over the place (no set structure) - number of cards, etc. There are a few decks which fall into a grey area, but for the most part it is fairly easy to categorize them. Dan

tarotbear	14 Feb 2005
NOT to imply that Oracle decks are not structured, but those of us who use tarot know that there is (supposed) to be an underlying structure within a deck of tarot cards, which is why if you can read with one Tarot deck, chances are that with a few shifts in thought processes, you can read with any tarot deck - although maybe not as well as you like. I also have the Medicine Cards, the Power Deck, Dream Cards, and the Moon Oracle. If you use any one of these and then try to apply what you know to any other of these, it would be like 'throwing the bones' and trying to apply Rune definitions to chicken bones. Even if someone created a card version of throwing the bones (there are card Runes out there), using them with another card-based system's rules and spreads might be disaterous. To create a card-based version of the bones and label them with Tarot labels - would make no sense to anyone. Oracle decks usually are the makings of someone's one vision and how they are read and used applies only to that deck.

Samweiz	14 Feb 2005
I am a subscriber now .. I have been lurking into the community for a while. I have several tarot decks .. most of which are Rider Waite style. Some having Native American themes, dragons, mermaids, etc. I have the Deva Tarot deck which has a fifth suite! I have used the I-Ching as well as runes almost as long as I have tarot. I use rune stones but also have 2 rune decks which I have used for readings and possibly would be classified as Oracle decks. I have a medicene card deck which its purpose is to help 'find' your power animals or help you discover which animal spirits have an affinity toward you. So I am thinking that there are very specific Oracle decks and there are very general ones like the Rune decks and I-Ching decks which are like the tarot in that they are useful in readings dealing with every aspect of life.

seapearls	15 Feb 2005
I'm wondering if I will like Tarot cards better than Oracles because I like structure when it comes to things like this.

tarotbear	15 Feb 2005
seapearls - The point is also that Tarot and Oracle decks will present you information in different ways, even if it is the same information. Some decks will work better for different types of questions, or for the type of question that you tend to ask. This is why we are deck collectors! For instance, the Medicine Cards have many properties of Tarot cards - even use some of the same card spreads and have upright and reversed meanings. It is even possible to use them in a Tarot spread and read them like Tarot. However, the Animal Medicine Cards deal with aligning yourself with animal energies and characteristics ... example LYNX knows the secrets, but does not reveal the secrets, SQUIRREL gathers for the upcoming changes that are due, WHALE with his long lifespan represents the library of cosmic knowledge. It is possible to pull these three cards as Past/Present/Future and even apply them to your life, but that is 'not quite' what they were designed to do. Divination is a very personal thing, so you should open yourself to as many different possibilities as possible and see what works best for you. You may find Runes give you better answers than chicken bones, and find you like Tarot better than tea leaf reading.

seapearls	15 Feb 2005
tarotbear wrote: seapearls - The point is also that Tarot and Oracle decks will present you information in different ways, even if it is the same information. Some decks will work better for different types of questions, or for the type of question that you tend to ask. This is why we are deck collectors! For instance, the Medicine Cards have many properties of Tarot cards - even use some of the same card spreads and have upright and reversed meanings. It is even possible to use them in a Tarot spread and read them like Tarot. However, the Animal Medicine Cards deal with aligning yourself with animal energies and characteristics ... example LYNX knows the secrets, but does not reveal the secrets, SQUIRREL gathers for the upcoming changes that are due, WHALE with his long lifespan represents the library of cosmic knowledge. It is possible to pull these three cards as Past/Present/Future and even apply them to your life, but that is 'not quite' what they were designed to do. Divination is a very personal thing, so you should open yourself to as many different possibilities as possible and see what works best for you. You may find Runes give you better answers than chicken bones, and find you like Tarot better than tea leaf reading. Hey someone on here today just told me about your book.

The Tarot vs Oracle decks thread was originally posted on 12 Feb 2005 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.