Difference between Oracle and Tarot

Helvetica said:

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.

Click to expand...

Precisely!

Tarot requires study, as in reading books, lol. You need a little background in history, numerology, iconology....

SOME oracle decks require a bit of study, as well. The Well Worn Path, for instance, requires some knowledge of Witchcraft. Any deck of rune cards would require you to learn the runes. Decks like these usually come in a kit with a real book, not a LWB.

Grand Lenormand calls for a smattering of Greek and Egyptian mythology, geomancy, and whatever else you can bring to the table!

Oracle decks such as Petit Lenormand, the Italian Sibillas, etc. are read by simple free-association. A Dog-Rider combination, for instance, might be news of a friend, since the Dog represents friendship and loyalty and the Rider brings news. Other neighboring cards might tell you the nature of the news. But a more introspective reading could be gotten from this, as well. It could represent the querant's tendency to constantly run to the assistance of others.

Stella

Fatima said:

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.

Click to expand...

The Petit Jeu Lenormand is archetypal, and in Brazil they actually correspond the cards to Orishas and Exu Spirits, but Tarot (TdM, in particular) seems much more "loaded" to me, it has more levels. A Petit Jeu card is roughly equivalent to one detail on a TdM card.

If I want a simpler, more direct answer, I go with the oracle deck. If I want depth, psychological motivations, deatails and the like, I go with Tarot. This is not snobbery. Just different decks, different styles.

Fatima said:

Again I am not talking about the Tarot of the Underwear that came out last week or the Oracle of Nail Polish coming out today. I am referring to those deks stemming from long tradtions and there are oracles like that.
The RWS or the Toth decks are not that older than the Lenormand deck.

Click to expand...

Actually, Lenormand is 19th century.
But age is not the whole show. PJ Lenormand was likely created in order to simplify cartomancy so that people could do it themselves, without memorising all the purple prose in 19th century cartomancy books.
Tarot has things hidden in it. One was designed with simplicity in mind, the other with complexity.