When I began my re-discovery of witchcraft, I knew I wanted to step into the world of cards as my preferred form of divination practice. Two decades ago, it was Ogham runes. I sewed my own bag to hold the river stones I painted with the rune symbols and imbued with my energy. They were quite personal and sacred to me. At that time, cards did not appeal to me. Now they do.
I decided to begin with Oracle cards, and later I plan to begin a study of Tarot—a life-long endeavor.
To me, it's not the cards themselves that provide advice. They are simply a tool to connect with the Higher Self, Divinity, the Universe, and personal guides that allows these elements to guide the user through the format offered in the deck.
I believe that every deity or other symbol such as the astrological signs are simply personifications, pieces of the greater Divine force that is neither good nor bad. All pantheons divide up the Divine in different ways. This includes the Abrahamic conception of God and any associated beings like the saints, angels, Jesus, Allah, figures in the religious texts, Lucifer, and demons. I don't disagree with the reverence and worship of these beings in their various ways. I view it as simply another conception of the greater Divine.
Perhaps it's controversial to include the Abrahamic conception of the Divine as a pantheon, though separate from the concept of paganism, but it's the way I view this group of religions' conception of Divinity.
The guidance provided through these specific personifications is focused on the qualities associated with that particular piece of the Divine, no matter what form this search for advice takes—prayer, rituals, religious services, divination, spells, religious holidays, etc.
In March 2024, I purchased my first Oracle deck, Moonology by Yasmin Boland. With my intense connection to the Moon and night sky, this deck surrounding the Moon and its path through the astrological signs seemed absolutely perfect. When I saw it as I searched for Oracle decks to possibly purchase, my spirit called out that this was mine.
I immediately connected with the deck spiritually, and for several months used it nearly every day. The deck focuses on the now and immediate future, nothing beyond perhaps a few weeks. At the time, life events had me existing in basically an emotional crisis mode, a constant struggle just to survive day to day, so this was perfect.
In meditation, I began to go to a pure white city—the streets and buildings along with anything else were stark white with orange and royal blue piping along the eaves of the buildings. Royal blue is my favorite color, and my energy, what is naturally circulating inside me, is orange. I met and spoke to several personifications of the various astrological signs, most notably Leo, who first introduced me to this white city, and Aquarius, whose advice to me was very profound. Though Gemini's advice was significant as well.
Several cards pop up very regularly, and out of a deck of forty-four cards and shuffling every time, it's quite a coincidence. Some would call these things synchronicities, and I have been recently advised by the deities I work with to pay close attention to synchronicities.
The cards I pull most are the New and Full Moon in Leo cards, the New and Full Moon in Cancer cards, the New and Full Moon in Aquarius cards, and the Cardinal Moon card. Each has a phrase on the front for possible interpretation, but sometimes the meaning is different.
As I regularly interpret these cards, each one can have a wide variety of meanings depending on the combination or what my connection to the cards instinctively tells me. Most notable with these cards is that the Leo cards focus on self-confidence, self-esteem, and bravery in life; the Cancer cards focus on connection to loved ones; the Aquarius cards focus on being true to oneself; and the Cardinal Moon card focuses mostly on taking charge of the situation and making a solid move, but it also directly advises consulting Ganesha for help, the Hindu elephant-headed god of wisdom.
All of these cards provide advice on things I need to work on, so the fact that they pop up so regularly is quite meaningful to me. In meditation I have spoken to the personifications of Leo, Aquarius, and Gemini.
During the summer, I realized that I needed Oracle cards that would look further into both my spirit and my future path to guide me. I took the Moonology deck's advice, and as I searched for new decks, I kept an eye out for Hinduism-centered cards, specifically Ganesha.
On the website for a small metaphysical shop in Ohio, I stumbled across the Kali Oracle deck. I knew very little about Kali, but my soul reached for it before I even opened the page to examine the details. When I did, I knew I needed it, that it was mine. It was only after ordering the deck that I researched Kali Maa. I knew then exactly why my soul had reached for it.
A little while later, I found the Whispers of Ganesha deck. I had already done some research into Lord Ganesha, and his personification as a deity that provides wisdom and guidance on one's path seemed perfect.
When they arrived, I immediately connected to both. They are very different and provide guidance in completely different areas of life due to who the deities are and what parts of human existence they represent.
I try to include sessions with my Oracle decks each day after waking up, but since I have ADHD schedules and routines are very, very difficult. For the last few weeks, most days I have succeeded in consulting my decks. I journal the resulting interpretations, so sometimes this is a very long process. However, it's one of the best parts of my day.
My sessions always begin with Moonology, and when it is one of the four main phases, there is a special spread just for them, so often on the New, Full, and Quarter Moons, I only consult Moonology. Many other days, I will consult the Ganesha or Kali decks as well.
I will share my feelings about those decks in another post.
Now, I feel an urge to find a deck or two associated with Celtic tree wisdom, the Ogham runes, or Celtic deities to allow me to better connect with Cernunnos and Cerridwen. I have a few I'm interested in and have bookmarked, but we need to have the money for them first.
My husband and I exist very close to the poverty line, so this is always something we may or may not be able to do. Last week, we were surprised by an expensive car repair after being stranded at Walmart, fortunately after my husband had the brilliant idea of purchasing a AAA membership. This has completely thrown this month's budget, so I will need to wait for November or December.
My birthday is next month, so perhaps I can tell my husband that they will be my birthday gift from him. Though it might also wait for Christmas. He prefers me to do this for gifts or to order it myself, so it will be a relief to him not to need to pick a gift for me.
Using the Oracle decks as guidance through my daily life, though I make plenty of decisions not included in that advice and sometimes defy the advice often to regret it later, has provided me with much reassurance. I cannot always meditate to connect directly with the Divine, so having these cards to assist is a blessing.
This is but one of many pieces of the joy I experience as I reconnect with my true self and the faith I have held most of my life.
May you be blessed with what you need and what will bring you joy.
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