Oracle Cards — Oracle & Magic Decks

If you have already held an oracle deck in your hands, you know there is no point looking for Tarot logic in it. There are no 78 cards with fixed meanings here, nor the settled object symbolism of Lenormand — the number of cards, the set of images and the way of reading are all set by the author of the particular edition. Two oracle decks lying side by side on the same table may have nothing in common at all beyond the word on the box.

This freedom sets the tone for the whole genre. The author of an oracle takes a theme close to them, builds their own sequence of images around it and decides for themselves how many cards this needs and how to interpret them. So experience with one deck does not transfer to another mechanically, and every new oracle deck begins with getting to know its inner logic from scratch.

How an oracle differs from Tarot and Lenormand

The easiest way to see the difference is to place the three systems side by side. In Tarot a card's meaning is fixed by tradition, and the spread only shifts the emphasis. Lenormand has its own settled symbolism that a reader recognises in any deck of the system. An oracle has no fixed meaning anywhere outside the particular edition.

Because of this, the same theme reads differently from one author to another. A card with a raven in one deck warns of danger, in another it carries a message from ancestors, in a third it simply marks an ally-bird with no extra layers. Knowing Tarot is of little help here. With an unfamiliar oracle a reader checks the author's own book every time, because the genre has no shared dictionary of symbols.

That is how the genre works as a whole. An oracle deck is a personal statement by an artist or a practitioner, a private language they back with their own understanding of the theme. What is left for the reader is to enter that language: study the companion book and remember what each image means in this deck. Don't worry if the deck seems silent at first — that is normal until you have learned its vocabulary.

What kinds of oracle cards there are

Since oracles have no canonical deck, a card's theme can be anything at all. Oracle cards come out on the widest range of subjects, and it is easier to take them in by group than to read through one long list.

• Nature and elemental — the cycles of the year, the elements, plants and herbs; a card here is more often tied to a specific natural phenomenon than to an abstract idea.

• Animal totems and shamanic — images of allied beasts and guiding spirits; such decks are close to those who work with animistic practices.

• Angelic — turning to guardian angels and spiritual guides; the wording in the book is usually softer and more mentoring than in other decks.

• Astrological — the signs of the zodiac, the planets and the moon phases; they are taken as an addition to work with a natal chart.

• Author-built worlds — the symbolism is built by the author from scratch, with no reliance on an existing tradition; here the companion book matters especially, because you cannot guess the logic from a single picture.

The lines between groups are fluid. There are decks where nature images sit next to astrological ones, or an angelic theme unfolds through animal images. The theme on the box only tells you what the author built the deck around, not how narrowly or broadly it reads.

Among oracles there are also editions from large houses familiar to practitioners from other systems. Lo Scarabeo releases not only classic Tarot editions but author oracles too — with the same print quality and the same carefully worked companion book that practitioners are used to from their Tarot cards.

How oracle cards are read

Working with an oracle starts with the book. Open the companion booklet before you shuffle the deck — it explains the logic of this particular edition. In some it is a short caption under each card, in others a full interpretation of half a page. If you read a card by the picture alone, the author's language is replaced with your own guesses, and the conclusions fall apart with nothing to rest on.

The first spread is worth keeping as simple as possible. Ask a question, draw a single card and read it by the book as an answer or a guide for the day. For an oracle a single card is a full working format. It has no fixed structure of meanings, so complex multi-card layouts only work when the author has separately spelled out how the cards combine, and few editions do that.

From there the spreads grow together with your knowledge of the deck. Once you have learned the vocabulary of a particular edition, you can move on to a three-card spread — past, present and future, or one built around a specific situation. In such decks the explanation of the spread itself is printed separately from the interpretation of the cards, which is a sign that the author counted on multi-card work. There is no need to rush, every new deck starts again with a single card and the book.

Get advice before choosing your oracle

Every oracle deck has its own logic, and it usually becomes clear only after the purchase, once the book is in your hands. So the best way to avoid a mistake is to ask in advance. Write to us on the site or in a messenger about a particular deck, and you will get a substantive answer from a practitioner who lays out the cards regularly themselves, not a stock reply.

• Advice before ordering — you can write on the site or in a messenger and get a breakdown of a particular deck from a practitioner.

• Loyalty programme — a cumulative discount from 1 to 10% depending on the amount spent, promo codes in the newsletter and a separate discount on the shop's birthday.

• In stock only original editions with no replicas, in the same print run and print quality the manufacturer declared.

• The order is processed and sent for delivery on the same day.

• Payment as you prefer — by card online, by bank details, by cash on delivery with a 150 UAH prepayment or in cash at the shop.

• If you are in Kyiv, you can leaf through the deck in person at the showroom on Bessarabska Square — an extra option for those nearby.

Oracle cards are easy to choose right in the catalogue, where every edition shows its current price. The order is placed on the site in a couple of steps, and it is packed and shipped the same day. If you are torn between two editions, write to us before you order — we will suggest whose reading logic will suit you better.

Doubts people most often have when choosing an oracle

We have gathered what practitioners ask most often before buying an oracle.

Where to start if the oracle is your first deck

With the companion book and a single card. You do not need to know the 78-card Tarot system for this, the book of a particular edition explains its logic from scratch. Many practitioners begin their acquaintance with cards from an oracle, and it is a calm, manageable beginning.

Do you need to cleanse a new deck before the first spread

A new deck passes through several hands in production — printing, packing, transport. Many practitioners cleanse it before first use with smoke, moonlight, salt or intention. This is a personal choice, not a mandatory condition for the work.

How do oracle cards differ from Lenormand

Lenormand has a fixed 36 cards with settled object symbolism, the same in any deck of the system. An oracle has its number of cards and its symbolism set by the author each time, and two different oracles may not overlap in imagery at all.

Can a deck be returned if it did not suit you

Oracle cards are printed products. Under the law, these goods aren't subject to return within fourteen days — exchange is only possible in case of a factory defect or other flaw. You can check the deck right when you receive your order.

How quickly do you send an order

The order is processed and handed to delivery on the day it is placed. We send by Nova Poshta and Ukrposhta across Ukraine and abroad, and for Kyiv and its suburbs a courier delivery can be arranged.