Do you or do you not...

Golden Moon

Read the guide book that comes with the deck? or do you just get the deck and take them for a test drive along with your intuition? I've read some guide books that come with oracle decks and I find them leaving me empty so I just use my intuition and that is that.

What about yourselves? :)
 

Miss Divine

Golden Moon said:
Read the guide book that comes with the deck? or do you just get the deck and take them for a test drive along with your intuition? I've read some guide books that come with oracle decks and I find them leaving me empty so I just use my intuition and that is that.

What about yourselves? :)

Actually, I do read the guide books that come with most oracles. But not immediately. When I get a new oracle I take them out for ''a test drive'' and see what I come up with. But that's just to give myself a first impression of the deck to see if it sparks my intuition. After that first shuffle and draw, I will read the book. Even if it's only out of curiousity.
 

autumn star

Golden Moon said:
Read the guide book that comes with the deck? or do you just get the deck and take them for a test drive along with your intuition? I've read some guide books that come with oracle decks and I find them leaving me empty so I just use my intuition and that is that.

What about yourselves? :)

I used to always read the guidebooks that came with them but I am starting to think along the same lines as you ... sometimes they leave me cold too. There are a few decks where the guide books are really helpful like Fairies Oracle & Medicine Cards but some of them not so much. I have found with the Lucy Cavendish decks that she writes really long, detailed meanings which don't leave much room for intuition. It probably depnds on what you like in a guidebook too.

Recently, I got the Earth Magic Oracle and I find that easy to use just on intution because the symbolism is quite simple and it speaks more to me on an intuitive level, but I have to admit that I have read the book too, but I need to refer back to it less. Generally, though I will use a combination of both and it depends on the guidebook too :)
 

MareSaturni

I always read the book that comes with a new deck the first times I read with it.

I just don't think intuition can come from nowhere. You must have a base of knowledge for it to work, or else you are just guessing whatever suits you.
 

Miss Divine

Marina said:
I always read the book that comes with a new deck the first times I read with it.

I just don't think intuition can come from nowhere. You must have a base of knowledge for it to work, or else you are just guessing whatever suits you.

Unless it's a Doreen Virtue type deck!:laugh:

But I agree with Marina having to have a base of knowledge for certain oracles. The Lenormand and playing card oracles (to name just 2) require knowlegde, period.
 

autumn star

Miss Divine said:
Unless it's a Doreen Virtue type deck!:laugh:

But I agree with Marina having to have a base of knowledge for certain oracles. The Lenormand and playing card oracles (to name just 2) require knowlegde, period.

I agree it does depend on the deck I don't have Lenormand decks or playing cards but if I did I know I would want to have a book to learn the new system!

I have felt with decks like the Medicine Cards that I needed the guidebook ... I don't think that I would have been very successful with the Faeries Oracle without the book either.

I have found with some decks - like the Wild Wisdom of the Faeries - that it has three key words or phrases already on the cards and then a thick book with lengthy descriptions too - at least three pages long in some cases and not a small book like the Doreen decks - a full size book :)

I guess it's after you read the guidebook - when you are reading with it if you choose to go strictly by book meanings or whether you choose to add an intuitive element. When I use the Wild Wisdom or the Dragonfae, I find that without using a little intuition and going only by guidebook then the meanings to leave me a bit cold because they are so wordy and the meanings so set.
 

Miss Divine

autumn star said:
I guess it's after you read the guidebook - when you are reading with it if you choose to go strictly by book meanings or whether you choose to add an intuitive element. When I use the Wild Wisdom or the Dragonfae, I find that without using a little intuition and going only by guidebook then the meanings to leave me a bit cold because they are so wordy and the meanings so set.

I don't have the Wild Wisdom, but I do have the Dragonfae. The book was handy to get acquainted with the deck. But I didn't get far with those set meanings either.
 

Glass Owl

I read the guidebooks. Often I will find myself reading up on a card and find a word or phrase that will jump out at me, something that didn't when I have drawn that card (and read up on it) before. I find this happens a lot with decks like Oracle of Shadow and Light, Oracle of the Shapeshifter, Heart of the Faerie, Enchanted Map, etc that have guidebooks that are in depth and have detailed card descriptions. With the Gods and Titans/Goddesses and Sirens I really enjoy the guidebooks and find myself on online quests looking for more information.

That said, I also try to look at the card and add my own twist to it. For the Wisdom of the House of Night deck I love the meanings, it is written as though you are getting advice from Nyx and I also add my thoughts about the card to the mix.
 

Celtictarot

I always read the book that comes with a new deck the first times I read with it.

I just don't think intuition can come from nowhere. You must have a base of knowledge for it to work, or else you are just guessing whatever suits you.

I do the same as well. Then you can add on to it. (and keep a journal of the readings as well)
 

HighPriestess

I always read the book first before I start doing readings with the cards. Some oracle decks are more "out of the box" than others, in my experience.