Difference between Oracle and Tarot

Colby

Hi everyone, I'm writing this with an "L" plate on my chest... I realise that a Tarot deck has the major cards and minor cards and Oracle cards have different cards.

Other than this, what is the difference between Oracle and Tarot decks?

Thanks in advance :)
 

Fatima

None!
It is pure snobbery.
It has become a very superior thing to be into Tarot and to look down on oracle and other fortune-telling. People have been pasting on the Tarot deck all kinds of theories that may or may not be part of its origins (think Kaballah, Astrology etc. correpondances).
Evidence, research and history so far tells us that Tarot is nothing else than a card game that evolved into fortune-telling, like plenty other oracles out there (dice, dominos, bones, etc.).
If you get a chance, get yourself a copy of "A wicked pack of cards" by Dummett, Depaulis. It is oop, but you never know...

F.
 

Simone

Technically, there are differences though :)

And not due to snobbery - just in the structure of things.

A tarot has the structure of 22 major cards and 4 suits with 4 courts and 10 minors. This is usually how a tarot is "built".

An oracle has a non-fixed number of cards, varying from 36 (or less?) to 200 (or more?) and is not so much subject to a structure that is universal to the decks. Here each deck has its own built-up and system.

Other than that, they are similar. Actually I use tarot like i would an oracle - pulling a card or a few and see what they tell me. It all depends on the methods you use (Lenormand Oracle cards have a spread where you use the whole deck, for example) and your very personal preferences.

:)
 

Colby

Thanks ladies, I appreciate you both responding.

Cheers!
 

Sophie

I don't think the difference is due to snobbery either.

Apart from its structure, which Simone has explained, Tarot can be used as a form of oracle but also for other things that are specifically linked to its structure - games, Tree of Life meditations, Progression of the Soul meditations, Numerological correspondences (either psychological or predictive) are some of them. Divination with tarot can be as simple or as complex as you choose, because of its esoteric nature and its structure, which incorporates all sorts of levels and elements.

The Major Arcana of the Tarot also represent a series of 22 archetypes that are arranged sequentially according to a logical philosophical or esoteric progression. As a product of the Renaissance, these archetypes and their progression derive from the Christian-inspired neoplatonism that was popular at the time. But they have proved wider than their origin - and can be thought of as universal archetypes arranged in a universal progression of the soul - or indeed, a Hero's Journey.

Oracle decks are often more free-form, with no set structure, though their creators may well devise a structure for them. You tend to read them in a more intuitive, free-associative way. A lot of so-called oracle decks are not really divination tools, but more tools for meditation, self-help, magic or psychological exploration. Or even for cheering yourself up on a rainy day, which is a lovely gift!

As Simone said - it's perfectly possible to read tarot purely intuitively, like an oracle deck, but that's only one way of reading it. Many readers use a mix of intuition and system (numerological, kabbalistic, you name it) that suits them. Despite the intuitive readings, there are meanings that are commonly accepted for tarot cards, which is not the case, of course, for oracle cards, since they are one-off creations.

One more thing - there are many other oracles that are, like tarot, organised systematically and which have stood the test of time: runes and i-ching are among those.
 

Fatima

Helvetica said:
Apart from its structure, which Simone has explained, Tarot can be used as a form of oracle but also for other things that are specifically linked to its structure - games, Tree of Life meditations, Progression of the Soul meditations, Numerological correspondences (either psychological or predictive) are some of them.

You can do any of these with *ANY* oracle that is designed for that purpose.


Helvetica said:
The Major Arcana of the Tarot also represent a series of 22 archetypes that are arranged sequentially according to a logical philosophical or esoteric progression. As a product of the Renaissance, these archetypes and their progression derive from the Christian-inspired neoplatonism that was popular at the time. But they have proved wider than their origin - and can be thought of as universal archetypes arranged in a universal progression of the soul - or indeed, a Hero's Journey.

Again, any oracle could acheive that. It's all about *which* one, Tarot being nothing else but an oracle among others.
Example: take the simple Mlle Lenormand deck. All 36 cards are achetypes too, they also refer to deeper truths: the Fox, the Serpent, the Key, the Heart etc.
Of course these symbols are not as *elegant*, *refined*, or *evolved* as the High Priestess, the Empress... in other words SNOBERY.

Helvetica said:
Oracle decks are often more free-form, with no set structure
Depends on which one. You can design highly structured oracles if you want.

Helvetica said:
You tend to read them in a more intuitive, free-associative way.
Lots of people do that with Tarot. You only have to read up in this very forum the number of people who read the Tarot only by relying on images, completely discarding the theory, tradition etc.


Helvetica said:
A lot of so-called oracle decks are not really divination tools, but more tools for meditation, self-help, magic or psychological exploration.
Absolutely. And that's what you've claimed Tarot could also do, so see, not much difference between Tarot and Oracles.
It's just the structure of it, the hype around it, the fact that people have started pasting all kinds of correspondences on it.

Tarot is nothing else than a game that evolved into a fortune-telling tool and then into an occult tool.

F.
 

Colby

mmm... very interesting. Thanks ladies {big smile}.

Now... with me being the "Learner" I had only ever read my tarot deck (motherpeace) intuitively. Obviously I have a lot to learn about tarot and oracle decks... {big smile}
 

midnightmerry

Fatima said:
All 36 cards are achetypes too, they also refer to deeper truths: the Fox, the Serpent, the Key, the Heart etc.
Of course these symbols are not as *elegant*, *refined*, or *evolved* as the High Priestess, the Empress... in other words SNOBERY.

Tarot is nothing else than a game that evolved into a fortune-telling tool and then into an occult tool.

F.


Since when does elegance or evolution = snobbery?? I'm confused by the whole 'snobbery' line of thinking...aren't Tarot & Oracles just different methods? I think each has their place in history, in fortune telling, and in personal growth meditations. Tarot has always seemed more involved than most oracles I've used, but how does that equate to snobbery?
 

Colby

I've not got caught up on the 'snobbery' thing... I feel that Tarot and Oracles must have a place otherwise there wouldn't be so many of them... I was just unsure about the difference between the two.

I've now got a clearer understanding and based on the tarot and oracle decks I have, I can see that my tarot deck is more structured compared to the oracle decks I have. I have 4 oracle decks compared to my 1 tarot deck and 1 oracle tarot deck.

I've been drawn to the oracle decks because I saw them easier to learn than the tarot deck and I felt a little more comfortable with them, even though I love my tarot deck.