Nontraditional Oracles
Unique oracle decks can provide a refreshing change of pace for your reading practice. A deck with a different system or alternate atmosphere can help you to “read outside the box.” Learning a new system can be a lot of fun, and while some methods work exclusively with the deck they were created for, others can be adapted to add an extra dimension to your work with standard Tarot and oracle decks. Today I’d like to share a few of the more unique decks in my collection.
Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards
Kelly-Ann Maddox turned me on to this deck. I don’t use it very often, but I love the concept. These square cards have partial illustrations on each side. The deck is shuffled and a row of 5 cards is laid out. The cards are then rotated to complete an illustration (if possible). Next, a subsequent row of 5 cards is placed beneath the first. Now all 10 cards can be rotated to create full images. Continue with this process until 5 rows of 5 cards have been laid out.
Once you have rotated your rows and discovered all of the images that you can create, you can begin to interpret them, starting with the first image in the sequence of cards and moving onward. The position of the completed illustration (up, down, left, or right) modifies its meaning. The final card that is drawn (the 25th card) has all of its images read according to their positions, even if none of them are completed. If an image is completed, it is interpreted first.
This process can take some time, but I like that it forces me to slow down and really study the cards that I have drawn. I tend to be the type of person who is always in a hurry, and I really can’t rush through a reading with this deck. It feels like a puzzle, and as a lover of old point and click adventure games, like Shivers and 7th Guest, I enjoy a good puzzle. I recommend writing down each image as you discover it, as you will likely have to “undo” an image to create another at least once or twice. As you can see in the sample image above, I had to “undo” the birds and the horseshoe to make the anchor and the angel.
A deck with a few similar design elements called the Pathfinder Oracle was recently funded on Kickstarter. It’s from the creator of the Wooden Tarot. I’m excited to receive my copy! (If you didn’t get the chance to back it on Kickstarter it should be available for purchase at a later date.
The Book of Doors Divination Deck
This is one of the most in depth Egyptian themed divination decks that I know of, and if you love Egyptian mythology it is definitely a must have! This deck is unique because of its specialized system. I enjoy systems-based approaches to reading cards, and this method combines research and thoughtfulness with a pleasant degree of straightforwardness.
The deck’s system utilizes a magic square with numbered rows and columns. Each position within the square is associated with a card in the deck. First you roll the die to select the column number, then you roll it a second time for the row number. The point of intersection indicates the card to draw. The cards are arranged in a tetractys spread as they are pulled. (Selecting the same card more than once during your die rolls promotes that card to “Neter Neteru” – the Absolute.) Once laid out, the cards are interpreted according to their assigned positional meanings, which I won’t delve into here for the sake of brevity.
I think the idea of creating a meaningful and studied grid with other decks, thus constructing a personalized “magic square” of sorts, is intriguing. That’s not to belittle the research put into the Book of Doors or say that creating a magic square is something simple and arbitrary. Rather, I propose the idea because I think it could be a compelling method of study for other decks. How would you organize your favorite deck into a grid? Would you enjoy drawing cards by a die roll?
The Clow
This deck is utilized like any standard oracle, and it lists correspondences to a standard 52 card poker deck. However, I do still consider it a unique deck. Based on the series Cardcaptor Sakura, these cards are inspired by both the show and “fortune telling” style decks. Although many decks on the market are based on books or TV shows, Cardcaptor Sakura is a series where the powerful magical cards are a focal point. Each card has a personality and “capturing it” requires different skills and ideas. The physical deck is a natural product of the show, and when there is that much atmosphere and mythos behind a deck, to me it stands alone as a special oracle with a system all its own. Additionally, the little PDF guidebook I found has some interesting spreads and reading techniques.
This is just a small sampling of the unique decks on my shelves. I’d love to hear about yours as well! If you have a special deck that you haven’t used in a while, take it out and see what insights you can glean from it. I’m sure it will be a worthwhile experience. Happy Shuffling!
Decks used in this post:
Russian Gypsy Fortune Telling Cards
Book of Doors Divination Deck
The Clow
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