Dragon-Capricorn
Can someone help out a newbie? I know the decks are different - less cards and such. What else?
Difference between Tarot and Oracle?
Gavriela
Tarot is a form of oracle cards based on a gaming deck. It usually has four suits, plus 21 trumps, and an excuse (fool). Sometimes it's a deck of 21 trumps and an excuse only.
Lenormand uses a euchre deck, with 36 playing cards - 6s - Aces, omitting the 2, 3, 4, and 5 of each suit.
Skatkarten are also based on - well skat gaming decks, and omit the 2, 3. 5, and 6 of each suit.
Sibillas usually have 52 cards and follow a regular playing card deck.
And there are also free-form oracles out there, which involve a different number of cards, or no cards at all - runes, stones, crystal balls, dice, etc.
That probably didn't help much, did it?
Lenormand uses a euchre deck, with 36 playing cards - 6s - Aces, omitting the 2, 3, 4, and 5 of each suit.
Skatkarten are also based on - well skat gaming decks, and omit the 2, 3. 5, and 6 of each suit.
Sibillas usually have 52 cards and follow a regular playing card deck.
And there are also free-form oracles out there, which involve a different number of cards, or no cards at all - runes, stones, crystal balls, dice, etc.
That probably didn't help much, did it?
Dragon-Capricorn
Ha! No ... I'm more confused. It seems posters here clarify if they are oracle or Tarot readers, so I thought there must be some major defined differences.
I am familiar with runes, having owned some for "fun" back when I was in high school.
So Tarot can have different numbers of cards in the deck, also?
I am familiar with runes, having owned some for "fun" back when I was in high school.
So Tarot can have different numbers of cards in the deck, also?
Gavriela
There are some tarocchi games that have different numbers of cards (they skip some of the suit numbers too), and people have divined with them.
Sometimes in tarot packs created for divination people put extra cards - a few decks seem to have more than one Lovers card, or sometimes they just tack on extra cards, or rarely, leave out some.
But for the most part, it's 4 full suits, plus 21 trumps, plus fool.
I don't see a huge difference myself if you're talking in terms of what people do with tarot or other cards or astrology or runes or i ching if you're using them for oracular purposes. Different techniques to arrive at the same result.
It may be all the pop decks that have proliferated the market over the past 20 years or so that don't have systems that causes the confusion. Cards with affirmations printed on them now count as oracles - though I'm not really sure if that's an accurate use of the word 'oracle'. And those decks do seem to have fairly random numbers of cards.
Stichomancy (opening a book at random to receive a message) and bibliomancy (same except with a sacred text) are both considered valid methods of oracular divination and have been for a long time.
If you're talking about cards, I'll read Lenormand differently to how I read tarot, but I'm generally doing either one for the same reason, and they both are fairly standardised - tarot is always going to have 22 or 78 cards with certain names (aside from minor nitpicks like wands or staves, pages or princesses, etc), Lenormand will always have the same 36 cards with certain names and symbols, and traditional sibillas will have 52, but they follow a pretty close pattern, too. Sometimes someone will go so creative it's hard to tell if it is a tarot deck, but that's pretty rare.
Interpretations may differ wildly between readers, but the decks themselves have the same basic structure, artistic liberties excepted.
Sometimes in tarot packs created for divination people put extra cards - a few decks seem to have more than one Lovers card, or sometimes they just tack on extra cards, or rarely, leave out some.
But for the most part, it's 4 full suits, plus 21 trumps, plus fool.
I don't see a huge difference myself if you're talking in terms of what people do with tarot or other cards or astrology or runes or i ching if you're using them for oracular purposes. Different techniques to arrive at the same result.
It may be all the pop decks that have proliferated the market over the past 20 years or so that don't have systems that causes the confusion. Cards with affirmations printed on them now count as oracles - though I'm not really sure if that's an accurate use of the word 'oracle'. And those decks do seem to have fairly random numbers of cards.
Stichomancy (opening a book at random to receive a message) and bibliomancy (same except with a sacred text) are both considered valid methods of oracular divination and have been for a long time.
If you're talking about cards, I'll read Lenormand differently to how I read tarot, but I'm generally doing either one for the same reason, and they both are fairly standardised - tarot is always going to have 22 or 78 cards with certain names (aside from minor nitpicks like wands or staves, pages or princesses, etc), Lenormand will always have the same 36 cards with certain names and symbols, and traditional sibillas will have 52, but they follow a pretty close pattern, too. Sometimes someone will go so creative it's hard to tell if it is a tarot deck, but that's pretty rare.
Interpretations may differ wildly between readers, but the decks themselves have the same basic structure, artistic liberties excepted.
rcb30872
As far as I know there already an existing thread on this in the oracle section, I will go and check it out and give you the link.
Basically, with tarot, you might get one card, but there are so many different meanings that can be attributed to the one card, sure the card has its particular meaning, if you get my drift, but that can be expanded on in so many ways, and well, with the oracle there is less leeway, if that makes sense.
Difference between tarot and oracle
Difference between oracle and tarot
Basically, with tarot, you might get one card, but there are so many different meanings that can be attributed to the one card, sure the card has its particular meaning, if you get my drift, but that can be expanded on in so many ways, and well, with the oracle there is less leeway, if that makes sense.
Difference between tarot and oracle
Difference between oracle and tarot
thorhammer
My simple line in the sand is as such:
Oracles can be anything - stones, cards, collections of random "given" objects, etc. Lots are sets of cards, and here there can be any number of cards, divided into groups or not.
Tarot has two groups of cards - the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.
The Majors are usually 22 cards, including a Fool, usuall numbered 0 through 22.
The Minor Arcana are usually 56 cards, four suits of 10 numbered cards (Ace through Ten) plus four Court or face cards per suit. The suits usually correspond to the four ancient Western elements (Earth, Air, Water and Fire).
Of course, these rules are kind of like the Pirate's Code in Pirates of the Carribbean - "more like guidelines"
. There are decks with extra or rearranged Major cards, like the Babylonian and Tarot de Herstelde Orde (sp??). There are decks with an extra suit, like the Deva Tarot, and decks with extra Courts (Babylonian) or no courts ("Oracle Tarot", just to confuse the issue ). Have I helped, or confused further?
\m/ Kat
Oracles can be anything - stones, cards, collections of random "given" objects, etc. Lots are sets of cards, and here there can be any number of cards, divided into groups or not.
Tarot has two groups of cards - the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.
The Majors are usually 22 cards, including a Fool, usuall numbered 0 through 22.
The Minor Arcana are usually 56 cards, four suits of 10 numbered cards (Ace through Ten) plus four Court or face cards per suit. The suits usually correspond to the four ancient Western elements (Earth, Air, Water and Fire).
Of course, these rules are kind of like the Pirate's Code in Pirates of the Carribbean - "more like guidelines"
. There are decks with extra or rearranged Major cards, like the Babylonian and Tarot de Herstelde Orde (sp??). There are decks with an extra suit, like the Deva Tarot, and decks with extra Courts (Babylonian) or no courts ("Oracle Tarot", just to confuse the issue ). Have I helped, or confused further?\m/ Kat
Dragon-Capricorn
I think I finally get it now! LOL
Gav thanks for staying with me for the great explanation.
rcb - thanks for the link - very helpful!
thorhammer - "pirates code" - love it! I will remember that forever!
Gav thanks for staying with me for the great explanation.
rcb - thanks for the link - very helpful!
thorhammer - "pirates code" - love it! I will remember that forever!
