The connection between a tarot or oracle reader and their deck is almost a sacred bond. It’s like a relationship, a part of themselves, an extension of the self and psyche, a partner and confident. A tarot or oracle deck can be comparable to a mentor, a guide, a modern day oracle of Delphi.
A well-loved deck becomes a beloved and sometimes cherished to many of us. Some readers might not have a deep connection with a particular deck or any of them and may see the deck more as a tool to be used and might not form attachments to them. For others, there can be this attachment and sentiment to decks that are owned and used.
After some time, we come to know our favourite deck like the back of our hands (you know, from all that shuffling) and after spending hours upon hours with a deck, it becomes familiar to hold and use that deck without struggling for interpretations or meanings that can frequently happen with a new deck (such as drawing blank when a new image on a tarot card in a new deck – happens to me.)
We become more confident with a well-known deck and using the same deck again and again builds that confidence.
Yet, sometimes we want change.
We want to expand our knowledge and tarot vocabulary; expand our psychic borders and try something new.
Perhaps we see a deck online posted on Instagram or Pinterest and we fall in love with a few images of the deck.
Tarot is so visual and speaks to the inner workings of the psyche and soul, which our minds work to put these flashes of insight into words and sentences to convey the messages we interpret or feel intuitively,
Each deck is unique in and of itself, just like people.
The artists that create them have a vision that they bring into manifestation and to share with the rest of the world.
Personally, I feel that each tarot and oracle deck has a energy or personality of its own. Perhaps this is why sometimes a reader and a deck can’t connect, whether it’s the imagery or just the “feel” of the deck.
I like to call the little things that commonly happen with a deck to be “quirks” and every deck that I have, has little things about that makes it unique, other than the differences in styles and pictures.
Maybe it’s a peculiar or crazy notion, but maybe you might find that your decks have a personality of their own, too.
QUIRKS AND ALL
Do you sense a difference in feel, energy or even the way a deck shuffles in comparison to other decks that you own?
Do you find the meanings differ between certain decks or that perhaps “jumper” cards are more frequent with one deck than other decks?
These little habits of decks can be unique to every deck. For example, my copy of Les Vampires by Lucy Cavendish (an oracle deck) is mostly only read with jumper cards.
Although the little book with the deck shows to shuffle and cut the deck in three (just like every tarot deck), this deck prefers to use “jumpers” about 99% of the time and the “jumpers” are always on point and accurate.
Perhaps it’s the awkward size of the cards which are bigger than usual oracle cards, but this is something that I’ve noticed with that deck.
Do you feel that certain decks like to shuffled a certain way or that you select cards different with certain decks?
Perhaps cutting one deck or fanning another deck or selecting cards from the deck intuitively?
I find that my angel oracle decks are shuffled and selected intuitively much differently than my usual tarot decks.
These habits can be preferences of the reader, but perhaps we’re intuitively connecting to the inner workings of that deck and how it will best work for us.
CONNECTING WITH A NEW TAROT DECK
When we get a new deck, many readers immediately write and say about clearing the deck of any residual energy that may have imprinted on the deck prior to you purchasing or receiving it.
There are many ways to clear the energy from saging, incense, candles, praying over them, etc. I won’t go into detail about how to clear the energy from a new deck here, but there are probably lots of ways already listed online if a search is done.
The suggestions below are how to really connect with your deck and feel a intuitive connection with your deck in ways that you feel a strong bond with it.
Familiarity of a tarot or oracle deck is like coming home every time that you use it.
Connecting with it so that it feels as though it is a part of you.
Here are a few ways that you can use for connecting with a new deck:
Remember when you were a kid and you carried your favourite new toy everywhere you went? You can do that with you new tarot or oracle deck. If you have a backpack, purse or tote bag, you can carry your deck with you everywhere.
Not only is it great to just have it with you, you can do readings anywhere you want if you have the chance. Some readers can suggest always having a deck with you ‘cause you never know when you could be asked to do a reading on the fly (if you’re up for it.)
- Sleep with it (but not like that):
I’ve read and heard that sleeping with your deck near your bed or under your pillow can help form a connection, but if you’re sensitive to dreaming and receiving messages intuitively at night, this method may keep you up at night or cause you to have a very light sleep making you more tired in the morning.
Again this is similar to carrying the deck everywhere you go, which can include also bed. You could also use the tarot or oracle deck in bed before you go to sleep to get quick messages and get acquainted with it.
If you really want to get connected with a new tarot or oracle deck, practice with it every single day. Just like when you were learning tarot in the beginning and studying every day (if you were like me), connecting with a new tarot deck is similar to learning a new language or at least a dialect of that language.
Practice, practice, practice. Remember to have fun and remember why you chose that deck and what you love about it.
Spreads can help you to get to know your deck and how it can work for you and what kind of questions or messages does it like to relay. Spreads like the ones found on Angelorum and Little Red Tarot can be helpful.
Some questions that you can ask and formulate into spreads could be:
– How can this deck help me?
– Is this deck ideal for: Mediumship, Shadow work, Soul work, Past life readings, Relationships / Love, Career, Everyday life?
- Study each card carefully:
Analyse each card thoroughly, even though you may have quickly wanted to look at all the cards right away and dive right in, spend time looking at each card carefully and jot down your first impressions of each card. You may find you’ll look at the Eight of Pentacles or the Judgement card in a whole new light.
As much as I’ve been comfortable with my Rider Waite Smith tarot deck, I wanted to branch out and find a new deck to become my primary deck. I settled on The Wild Unknown Tarot which I’m trying to become more familiar with every day.
When I first got the deck, I was happy to get it (since I waited over two months), I found myself looking over at my RWS and feeling like I wanted to slip back into familiarity. Change can be scary and exciting at the same time.
Yet, as tarot readers, often we need to grow and expand and strengthen those intuitive muscles and look at something completely different; otherwise we may reach a plateau.
Forming a personal connection with your tarot or oracle deck can unlock and open your intuition deeply, to go deeper into the meanings of the cards and ourselves.
Some readers say that tarot is nothing more than paper and ink, that it’s the reader that gives it power, gives it “magick”, brings them to life to weave the past, present, future and the stories around it.
A connection with a tarot or oracle deck is a unique experience and for that, I’m thankful to be a part of it.
Blessings,
Stacey
Card images from The Wild Unknown Tarot (box set – first edition) by Kim Krans, HarperElixir ©2016.
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