Oracle X

[Satori]

Marina, I don't have the deck yet, but perhaps you need to connect with her intuitively, let her speak to you in her own way? Each oracular system has a unique personality and flavor, and since this a very new voice maybe you should put aside the keywords and allow the images to wash over you.

Additionally, it is hard if you have found Your system, as you have connected to PCO, to consort with a new partner! Perhaps there are feelings that if you did connect to O-X it would be a bit of a betrayal to PCO. And this might be subconcious or just hogwash!!! I'm not afraid if you choose the latter, my feelings won't be hurt!

I'm intrigued by the idea of a customizable deck. I have Soul Cards I and II and I will sometimes pull out a set of cards, a few from each deck, and use it as my own little oracle. I tend to leave out "the screamers" and use the more peaceful cards, and it is a great set to have. It feels like mine, because I chose it.

Most any deck could be customized this way. You can remove whatever cards you want from the deck to make it yours, but I don't know of any deck where you build it up from a series of cards you choose.

One word of advice for the creator, PsychicLord.

I didn't like the anvil scan at first, it didn't really seem to fit the deck. As I was looking at it more I thought about what it means to be forged. I began to see that the strong lines on the edges of the person's body seemed to speak about strength and "iron". I thought it was intentional. As metal is heated it is fluid, when it cools it is stiffer, stronger. And if it is heated incorrectly or cooled too fast, becomes brittle and breaks. So the entire process seemed to be subtly shown in the card....fire as fluid, black lines as rigidity...and possible breakage.

We are all forged every day by our experiences. How does life hammer at us and how do we respond to the hammer? (I haven't read what the anvil card stands for according to the creator, this is just my own line of thinking)I think that the anvil card is important, and I wouldn't change it. Because potentially it stands as a metaphor for the entire deck and divinatory process in a way. Alternatively I'd make a second anvil card and let folks choose! Additionally, I had to hold myself back from requesting that you NOT send me the anvil card! But as I looked at it more and more I thought about it more, and came to the conclusions herein stated.

But I was thinking that as the sets get built it actually might be nice if the art is allowed to grow and shift a bit. I know the cards need to look like they came from the same pack...but I do think that if O-X is to succeed, it needs to be a fluid system. And if the cards are all generic looking it might not support the system long term.

 

[MareSaturni]

Marina, I don't have the deck yet, but perhaps you need to connect with her intuitively, let her speak to you in her own way? Each oracular system has a unique personality and flavor, and since this a very new voice maybe you should put aside the keywords and allow the images to wash over you.

Well... then I fear the problem is in me, not in the deck. I cannot use intuition right out of the box - this is not how it works for me. I need a method, a system. I cannot divide my brain into 'rational' and 'intuitive'. The system of the oracle must first be embraced by my logic side, and only then my intuition will work with it.

I find that most of reading I did with the Oracle-X, I have nothing logic to work with. I truly feel like I am guessing... I know some people work well like this freedom, but I'm not one of them. If intuition is water, I first need a bit of solid earth (logic), to give it form. Then it can flow freely.

As I said, I'm not blaming the Oracle-X at all! In fact, it's a whole new experience for me and I believe that I'll grow from trying to use it.. Perhaps I just need a bit of time!

Additionally, it is hard if you have found Your system, as you have connected to PCO, to consort with a new partner! Perhaps there are feelings that if you did connect to O-X it would be a bit of a betrayal to PCO. And this might be subconcious or just hogwash!!! I'm not afraid if you choose the latter, my feelings won't be hurt!

LOL! You could be right. The Playing Card Oracles is my 'consort-deck', lol! It's literally the deck I sleep with, and one of the reason I fell in love with it it's because it had the right balance between "system" and "intution".

I hadn't seen the situation from this point of view though - thank you!

We are all forged every day by our experiences. How does life hammer at us and how do we respond to the hammer? (I haven't read what the anvil card stands for according to the creator, this is just my own line of thinking)I think that the anvil card is important, and I wouldn't change it. Because potentially it stands as a metaphor for the entire deck and divinatory process in a way. Alternatively I'd make a second anvil card and let folks choose! Additionally, I had to hold myself back from requesting that you NOT send me the anvil card! But as I looked at it more and more I thought about it more, and came to the conclusions herein stated.

I still don't like the Anvil (bad me!), BUT I really like your idea regarding the card. It helps me see it under a different light, and perhaps I'll be more tolerant towards it now.


Overall, I confess my journey with the Oracle-X is being a bit more bumpy than I had expected. I like the idea behind the deck so much, and the art, the size, the cardstock... but when it comes to using it, I get completely lost, as if the cards spoke a language I cannot understand.

I'm not ready to give up yet, though!

 

[PsychicLord]

It is great to read the debate around Oracle-X. Its full title is Oracle-X: The Intuition Tool Of The Future.

This gives a clue that it is an intuitive deck, yet includes a 'future' element. One of my primary aims was to help folk reach their inner intuition and once found, to start to grow it.

For those folk who wish to select a card(s) and read a page of information, they will be disappointed as O-X is not a reactive deck, but rather a proactive tool.

Reading a page of information is not intuition, more a pure oracle, however working in partnership with a tool, allows you to become the oracle.

I have had folks attend my psychic awareness classes, and ask me to teach them all I know. For which they are surprised when I respond upon the lines that; if I did that you will not have learnt..... but I will show you how to access your own abilities. Knowledge cannot be rushed, it has to be nutured and fed with interaction from ones own experience.

[btw: A 'reactive' short book has been written, this will become avaiable in due course, possibly free on our website].

One observation worth sharing, O-X owners new to card reading seem to be having a remarkable success...... perhaps not having any previous reference points makes it easier to connect?

When users worry about whether they are 'guessing', they just need to relax more and listen to their inner voice. Having the confidence in that 'guess' will allow one to move forward, especailly when you treat any answer as a possibility. Experience will soon demonstrate if those possibilities are registering as 'hits' or misses'. Once you gain that confidence, you are able to increase your trust in your ability to access your inner 'knowing'.

Some owners will find not only can they access their intuition, but reach further. These will be the folk who are best able to balance their hemispheres where they can discover dimensional key to open that door. Discovering the ability to channel is but one of the wonders that lay here.

I am always here and willing to help any owner understand a particular reading, or card combination.

'We are all part of each other'.

 

[Satori]

Marina, we have so many fine new deck spreads over in the Spread area and after reviewing them I actually sort of created a spread for the O-X. I make up a lot of spreads acutally, some I record and some I forget, because I just make them up in the space of the reading for my clients.

This one presented itself for you, and if you can use it wonderful, if not, so be it! Take what works, leave the rest!!!

Three cards, or 2 per position if you want to see some chit chat around each question.

The O-X Interview

1. What does O-X want me to know about our new relationship?

2. How can we best grow/work together?

3. What advice does O-X have to help me better tune into our shared wisdom?

Funny that it is a relationship spread in a way!

Because I know the PCO you could also create a bridge reading to try, or try A Lost Man reading with the deck. Use some of the things that you love about PCO with O-X.

I think the thing to remember is that since you are a systems person you can actually create the system for the O-X that will work for you!

Also, did anyone notice that O-X is also the symbol for hug, kiss!? That is a universal thing right? I mean everyone knows that right?

 

[Guiding Cauldron]

Hey everyone , not much to report from me I'm afraid. I've been using the deck for daily guidance, insight into major upcoming life changes and friends circumstances. Honestly I'm having trouble deeply connecting!

I like the look of the deck and the fit of the deck size, as you all know, but somehow I get a feeling of "lacking" when I try accessing more detailed insights with situations. I do connect strongly with other Oracle decks I own so perhaps I'm blocking myself somehow. I also get a strong "steampunk" vibe off this deck and that is just not my thing at all.

I cant get past this and because of it I may not stay with it after this review period. My next stage is to try and do more readings publicly and see what I find. Hope your endeavors are doing better than mine

 

[Lee]

I finally received my deck, yay! It took about two and a half weeks (give or take a few days) to reach me in the US.

Mine is not a review copy, by the way. I also ordered six extra cards, so I have a 42-card deck. My random cards as part of the 36-card deck are Cactus, Laughter, Crowd, Delay, Desire, and Unconditional. The six extra cards I chose were Rollercoaster, Railroad, Glue, Chessboard, Closet, and Partner.

I've always been attracted to oracle decks which show everyday objects and concepts rather than mythological and archetypal figures. That's one reason I like Lenormand decks. But reading with Lenormand decks means learning/memorizing card meanings that can have obscure connections to the images. Star+Gate is an everyday object/concept deck with more straightforward meanings, but the author of that deck tries to connect it all into a complicated astrology-like system.

This is why I like the Oracle-X. It's simple! Everyday things and people and concepts are shown, and there are no obscure meanings to memorize. The cards in a reading can be as straightforward or as convoluted as you want them to be.

The reason I find this so interesting is that with tarot and many other oracle decks, you generally have to go through two steps to interpret a card -- first call to mind the various mythological/archetypal/psychological associations of the card, then try to figure out how that card fits into the spread and the question. With Oracle-X, the card symbols are so straightforward that you can skip the first step entirely. Of course, dealing with archetypes provides a lot of the fun and insight of tarot, but this way is interesting too -- it makes us work different psychic muscles, so to speak. I find it enjoyable to do a reading where the words and images can work on their own, without all the mythic/psychological baggage.

Marina, I read with interest about your experiences with this deck. I did a reading yesterday and another one today using David's seven-card "Smile" spread. I thought I'd quickly run through today's reading just so you can see how I interpreted the cards.

I'm basically in good health, but lately I've had a few minor health issues which make it desirable to be more careful about diet and exercise, which is difficult because my profession is very tiring, with lots of traveling around and not much chance to have a lot of control over time and diet. So I asked the cards how I can find the time/mental energy to have the necessary vigilance to stay healthy.

Card 1: Past influences: Unconditional. This shows how I've basically eaten whatever I wanted for most of my life, and gotten away with it until now. More specifically, it symbolizes the part of my brain that gives itself permission to indulge, like the stereotypical Jewish mother (I'm Jewish so I can say that) who is constantly urging food on her children. In this reading, "unconditional" means "you can have whatever you want."

Card 2: Present circumstances: Mirror. This is a mirror showing me as I am right now, in reality: someone who is not a kid any longer and who has to take care of himself.

Card 3: General future conditions: Rollercoaster. My busy life is not going to get any less busy with this new wrinkle, in fact it will probably get busier and crazier. Hang on, it's going to be a bumpy ride!

Card 4: Best course of action to follow: Chessboard. Careful strategizing and planning will help me navigate the difficulties.

Card 5: Attitudes and opinions of others: Partner. My partner, who is always encouraging me to eat better and exercise more, clearly feels that his encouragement is an important component to my staying healthy. And he's right!

Card 6: Possible obstacles hindering resolution: Clown. To me this symbolizes the craziness and unpredictability of my daily life. How can I eat right and find time to exercise when I'm basically walking a tightrope and juggling six beach balls?

Card 7: A/the likely outcome: Desire. This card invites me to consider what I desire more: the comfort I get from treating myself to the foods I like, versus the satisfaction I would get from being healthier. It also invites me to consider whether my desire for comfort food and my desire to rest when at home (rather than hopping on the exercise machine) is in the end self-defeating.

My process of interpretation was pretty straightforward, one card after another. When I got to the Clown card, I couldn't figure out how that one applied, so I simply went on with the next card and when I had done all the cards, I went back to the Clown and was now able to interpret it.

Marina, I think you may be approaching these cards too rationally. I think the way to approach them is to just let your mind go and see what connections appear. If none appear, go on and come back to that card later. Think of it like a jigsaw puzzle. Each card is a puzzle piece. You need to turn the piece around and try it from different angles. Not every card interpretation is going to be brilliantly insightful. As you can see from my reading, some interpretations were very straightforward, some were more creative, some were kind of a stretch. And that's OK. The important thing is that they work together to tell a story. Each card is like a little child who has a role in a school play. They know what words to say, but they need you to tell them how to interact with each other and how each one relates to the story as a whole.

Just some casual thoughts about the deck as a product: I like the idea of a customizable deck with new cards appearing periodically; very creative, to bring a concept from gaming decks into oracles. The cards are a nice size and seem to be made from good stock. From what I read here, I thought I'd have a problem with the logo on the backs of the cards, but now that I have the cards, it really doesn't bother me. I spend my time looking at the fronts, not the backs!

The artwork is very nice. It has a pleasant, gentle feel which I appreciate. A few people have commented about the Laughter card. I like that card, and the art style seems to me to fit the other cards. One card I didn't like as much was the Labyrinth. It shows a flower surrounded by branches on top and roots at the bottom. The design does look sort of labyrinthian, but to me it violates the design principle used for the other cards, i.e. to show the named thing/concept straightforwardly.

The booklet does a good job in introducing the cards and encouraging people to find their own approaches to it. However, I read through the material about the Grid and Runes elements, and for me personally, those elements don't seem to offer anything new.

One thing I thought was a bit curious, and this is not a criticism, but it just seemed a bit odd that everyone connected with this project is anonymous. Of course they have every right to be anonymous, and I respect their choices in that regard. It's just that I would have thought that people who have worked so hard on the difficult job of creating a successful oracle deck would want to put their name on their efforts.

I find this deck to be enjoyable to use and I expect to keep using it. I'm still going to play with my tarot and Lenormand decks, but this one will definitely join the line-up. Kudos to David and his team for a job well-done.

 

[Satori]

Great post Lee! Thanks for sharing your insights on your personal reading. I liked that you remind us to keep out of our own way and to keep things simple. Great advice! I wish you luck with your new health program too. I'm with ya' there, 2011 is about taking personal responsibility for my health too.

I'm eager to get the deck. I hope that by some miracle mine arrives without all the delays that seemed to have plagued the others folks in the USA.

 

[PsychicLord]

I concur with Satori...... great post Lee!

You instinctively knew exactly how to use O-X........ as a tool, and your advice to Marina was spot on.

It was interesting reading your thoughts on the Labyrinth card...... Moon Willow and myself spent several hours discussing this image. We wanted to get around the 'traditional' maze thinking, whilst at the same time connecting with nature. It occurred to her that a plant root system is a kind of labyrinth, and it was from that point the genesis of the image grew. We probably got so excited with the unusual approach to Labyrinth that we saw only that image from that point onwards. So I can understand exactly where you are coming from.

With regard to being curious about the deck being being anonymous.... I shared your thought with my partner, and he said to be I thought your name was on the deck box........ so even he had not noticed that I had 'hidden away'. My primary artist, Moon (nom de plume), did not want to be credited, and thus I thought it would be unfair to credit myself in that circumstance. However thinking more carefully about what you said, I will 'surface' for the next reprint..... and to try and find some room on the outer box This might help when my next project is released [shame you are so busy Lee......] This is not to be an oracle deck, instead another card based tool for the 'new age' arena.

Guiding Cauldron, it is possible the strong 'steampunk' vibe is connected to your 'block'. Since I do not know what 'steampunk' is, then you can rest assured that vibe has not been encoded into the deck. Try and feel 'neutral' with the deck, think of it as a tool driven by your intuition, do not try and force it, just let it flow, and it will.

Satori, I liked the spread you designed for Marina, maybe you could design a new spread to be included on the O-X website - perhaps an area not covered by the spreads already present......

Finally, I shall send a little remote healing to Lee..... and of course volunteer to eat any of those nasty cakes he is trying to avoid

 

[MareSaturni]

The O-X Interview

1. What does O-X want me to know about our new relationship?

2. How can we best grow/work together?

3. What advice does O-X have to help me better tune into our shared wisdom?

Okay Satori, I decided to give your spread a try

1. What does O-X want me to know about our new relationship? ~ Escape

Hum... well, the first impression I get is that it wants me to 'escape' our relationship. Perhaps it is also telling me that I'm feeling sort of trapped, by something. Could it be my wish to really like the deck, or my commitment to writing a review?


2. How can we best grow/work together? ~ Tree

I confess had to look in the leaflet . Personally, I think that we will grow together very very slowly, like a tree.


3. What advice does O-X have to help me better tune into our shared wisdom? ~ Harvest

The Harvest suggests not only it'll grow slowly, but also will require some hardworking. The O-X is advicing me to keep working, so one day I might reap the results!

I notice that both the Tree and the Harvest have the little green rune, but I don't know how to use it in this case.

Also, did anyone notice that O-X is also the symbol for hug, kiss!? That is a universal thing right? I mean everyone knows that right?

Erm... it's not universal. Sorry. At least here in my country we never use XOXO to represent hugs & kisses, though some of us may know it thanks to the Amercian shows and movies

Marina, I think you may be approaching these cards too rationally. I think the way to approach them is to just let your mind go and see what connections appear. If none appear, go on and come back to that card later. Think of it like a jigsaw puzzle. Each card is a puzzle piece. You need to turn the piece around and try it from different angles. Not every card interpretation is going to be brilliantly insightful. As you can see from my reading, some interpretations were very straightforward, some were more creative, some were kind of a stretch. And that's OK. The important thing is that they work together to tell a story. Each card is like a little child who has a role in a school play. They know what words to say, but they need you to tell them how to interact with each other and how each one relates to the story as a whole.

Less, thank you so much for sharing the example and your ideas regarding the deck! As usual, they were very helpful to me!

Frankly... like I said, I think the problem is in me, not in the deck I feel like each card is a universe, and I really don't know which part of this universe to apply in a reading. I find it hard to 'intuitively' choose one meaning - how will I know it's the right one? I can stretch the cards when reading for myself, but when reading for others I feel unsure... am I stretching them in the right way?

And I think that reading for others should be a part of my experiment with this deck. I've done a couple of reading and my problem is always the same. I don't know where to start and I feel like I'm speaking gibberish. Each card offers endless possibilities.

I will keep using the deck, I'm persistent and not ready to give up at the first difficulty! Even the bumps are an important part of any journey, and I do hope to reach a breakthrough with the O-X very soon!

Still, I think I'll have a bit of a hard time to adapt though. In the oracles I'm more used to, the cards tell me the story and with the O-X I often feel like I'm making up a story as I go. I also miss certain cards in the deck, certain concepts that would make it more complete to me. Perhaps I should consider ordering some extra cards soon!

 

[PsychicLord]

Still, I think I'll have a bit of a hard time to adapt though. In the oracles I'm more used to, the cards tell me the story and with the O-X I often feel like I'm making up a story as I go.

Marina, I really believe that this is exactly the stumbling block, in that you are more used to 'reactive' oracles (i.e. the cards tell you a story).

With O-X it is rather like joining up the dots, you (your intuition, higher self, etc.) are proactively bringing out the details. Within the world of tarot there are two broad types of readers, symbolic, and intuitive (and yes, readers can be in both camps to different degrees). O-X is primary an intuitive deck..... designed to grow (tree) its owner to deeper and deeper ways of connecting (harvest). As you gain confidence and 'escape' from the security of having the cards do the work...... and to read for others, you will see from experience that a perceived 'guess' was not a 'guess' after all.

In fact the 'end game' is to leave the cards behind and not need them, or any other tools [however when reading for others, many clients do like to see the 'tool', so you might not need it, but they do!].

The O-X hugs and kisses bit....... I too had not heard of this (but my partner had...... tho' he had worked in the USA for a couple of years).

I also miss certain cards in the deck, certain concepts that would make it more complete to me. Perhaps I should consider ordering some extra cards soon!

If O-X continues to grow, you will have a very large library of cards to choose from. I can almost guarantee that no card (or equivant) will be missing. One of the value propositions with O-X is the fact that just add the cards that you require/need, you do not have to buy (and are not expected to) every series....... and if you do perhaps card 1250 'Pride' might be overruling your intuition. When you buy a 'drill' from a hardware store..... you do not buy every single 'drill bit' available..... just those that you need.

It is also bearing in mind that a single O-X card, covers a wider spectum that most decks..... a look at the secondary keywords will demonstrate that potential..... and of course you are free to add your own additional secondary keywords.

O-X is both simple and complex, it will work with you at the level you are happy with..... but it will challenge you to grow, and teach you marvellous things.


Love & Light David.