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Hi guys! So in my previous post I outlined that Beautifinous is now becoming a beauty and wellness blog, so today I wanted to come at you all with something wellness related to kickstart that aspect.
To do that I’ve decided to write up an oracle card post. What are oracle cards? you may be asking. Oracle cards are on the same tangent as tarot cards, which may be a more familiar idea. No, we won’t be going into fortune telling as I don’t personally believe that’s what oracle cards are all about (more on that in a moment), but we will be using them to dig into some of that inner wisdom that we’re all carrying within us and may be struggling to reach.
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| The Spirit Animal Oracle |
But aren’t tarot cards all about telling the future? I guess that depends on your own beliefs. Some people say yes, yet others say no. I’m on the no side for cards (yet I’ll never discredit anyone carrying opposing beliefs to myself), but it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy or get the most out of tarot or oracle cards. So what else can oracle and tarot cards be used for? As I stated above, I think that oracle and tarot cards are fantastic at digging into your own inner wisdom. Let me explain further.
Each of us carry wisdom, even if we don’t realise it. Admit it - nobody knows you better than you know yourself. If you’re stuck in a problem, somewhere, deep down, you know what you’re supposed to do. Sometimes though we all have a little trouble accessing the answers that we need to hear, whether it be due to feeling low, having a head full of thoughts or even down to simply not wanting to acknowledge them. The best way that I can describe what oracle cards are is that they’re a prompt that we can use to access that wisdom.
How do oracle cards work? How do oracle cards differ to tarot cards? Tarot cards are a deck of 78 cards that include the major arcana (the cards you may be most familiar with) and the minor arcana (more like playing cards, these come in suits). No matter what tarot deck you buy, they will always have the same cards with different illustrations. Oracle cards vary far more and can be based on anything that the creator of them wishes.
Each oracle card deck will usually have a theme of some kind; spirit animals, angels, mermaids, and so on. There can also be as many - or as few - cards as the creator chooses to be included in the deck. Some may have 30 cards, some may have over 70 like a tarot deck. Each card will then carry a message (or a prompt) for you to think about and relate to in some form. You are usually expected to first look at the card and allow yourself to acknowledge how the picture on the card makes you feel (this is really the most important part) and then read the text. What is this card trying to tell you? Each deck usually comes with a handy book where you can look up your card for more information if you prefer it to be written out for you.
To use them you need to shuffle your deck (some decks have different messages if the cards appear upside down so you may want to get them on a table and really shuffle them all over the place to allow some to spin around if this is the case) and then when you feel a vibe towards a certain card and it feels right, you choose it. You can choose 1 card, 2 cards, 3 cards or more. The book usually contains spread ideas such as past, present and future (amongst many others), but what spreads you feel comfortable with is really down to personal preference. I enjoy drawing 1 card, but sometimes I like drawing 2 (first card is where I’m at, second card is what I can do about it) or 3 cards (past, present, future - think about where I’ve been, where I’m at now and what I could do going forward).
Personally, I feel that almost every oracle card is able to be related to by everybody in some fashion. It’s like a song; we can all take a different message from a song, but we usually relate to it in a way that means something to us personally. Try to do the same with oracle cards. Look at the picture, allow your initial thoughts to spring into mind, read the text, read the book and think about how this card can relate to you.
Once you’ve done this, it usually allows you to reach into your own thoughts. As I stated before, they’re like a prompt. They guide you to think of something and to dwell on your own feelings or thoughts, and this, in turn, can allow you to provide yourself with the best guidance that is suited to you.
For example, I’ve drawn some cards that have helped me to realise why I find certain situations to be draining, and now I can keep that in my forethought and suddenly those situations aren’t a drain on me anymore. I’ve also drawn cards that remind me of what my focus should be at that moment (they’re not explicitly telling me what it should be, but prompting me to remind myself). They have also made me feel motivated and empowered. The effect is usually very positive and we can therefore use them to learn how to deal with situations better or to shift our focus back to where it needs to be. They can also help us to make the right decisions, look into what we really want from life and so much more.
Today I’ve drawn a few cards from some of the decks that I own and I’ve written out what the books say about each card. Don’t rely too much on the content of the books when you see them below, but focus more on how each card makes you feel intuitively. I also added a couple of my own thoughts on each card to help you to delve into what you may see yourself. I hope that they help you to go into March (or your day, week, month, year, depending on when you’re reading this!) with a clearer mind and an uplifted, empowered feeling!
If you’d like to find out more about each deck I’ve also included purchase links so that you can check the info about each of them and you can consider buying them to try out yourself at home.
The first card I drew was from The Spirit Animal Oracle by Colette Baron-Reid. Each of the cards feature animals and the back of the book states that "every animal has a transcendent archetypal symbolism, a universal meaning holding a message of deep enduring truth."
The card that I drew from this deck was the Rhino Spirit card:
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| The Spirit Animal Oracle - Rhino Spirit card |
The Rhino Spirit card features a rhino surrounded by flowers. Also note the wings and the spiral patterns on the rhino and also the little crown on the horn. Overcoming obstacles, wings, bursting blooms and a little crown - this is a positive card that is asking you to overcome the obstacles that are holding you back so that you can succeed. According to TainoAge, spirals can represent "the journey and change of life as it unfolds; taking a labyrinth-like passage that leads to Source. The spiral symbol can represent the consciousness of nature beginning from its center expanding outwardly."
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| The Spirit Animal Oracle - Rhino Spirit card |
The book message states the following:
We always have the choice to press ahead, and Rhino Spirit's strength offers you the power to break through stubborn obstacles. This animal spirit knows there is more than one way to open a path to what you seek. When Rhino Spirit appears, you are reminded that you have a marvellous ability to overcome obstacles in multiple ways - by going around them, shattering them with the force of clear deliberate intentions, or even transforming them into clouds that drift away by refusing to allow them to limit you. Apply your Rhino Spirit with creativity and no obstacle can stand, for you have magic to make and many ways in which to make it. Your power is awesome right now.
Rhino Spirit also wants to remind you that when an obstacle appears to prevent you from getting what you desire today, it means that something much better is coming. Keep that in mind when you consider the nature of the obstacle in front of you now. Great Spirit loves you so much and only wants the best for you.
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| The Spirit Animal Oracle - Rhino Spirit card |
The card that I drew from this deck was Inner Earth:
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| The Starseed Oracle - Inner Earth card |
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| The Starseed Oracle - Inner Earth card |
The text in the book for this card states:
Inner Earth (also known as Agartha) is believed to be a hidden subterranean world within the planet itself. Many ancient cultures mention it in their stories: it's said that some of the beings of ancient lost lands such as Lemuria, Atlantis and Āryāvarta went there. Hindu and Celtic lore mention caves and entrances to underground worlds. Tibetan Buddhism refers to the secret mystical city Shambala, which is thought to be located in the Himalayas.
Many have searched for Inner Earth in the physical world, but without success. So the mystery continues: is it a place that exists in the physical or on another level of consciousness?
There are solutions beyond what you can perceive. Surprising outcomes to your problems and situations. Resolutions that are in the best interests of all involved. If you find yourself facing an obstacle, or feeling stuck, and have no idea what to do, you're being reassured that there is a way out. You'll survive this and things will work out.
If you're stuck in a rut, do something to shake up the energy and shift your thinking. Try something you wouldn't normally do. Soon you'll see that whole new worlds of solutions are available. Things that were previously beyond your focus will present themselves. Helpful people, signs from the Universe, and support in both expected and unexpected ways are on their way to you. But first, you need to do something different to shift your focus so you can receive them.
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| The Starseed Oracle - Inner Earth card |
The third and final card that I drew was from the Myths and Mermaids Oracle of the Water deck by Jasmine Beckett-Griffith. This deck features a lot of beautifully illustrated, gloomy looking mermaids. However, mermaids aside, this deck is mainly about the water. The book states the following: "This water-themed oracle deck draws on symbolism and interpretations from people and cultures all over the world. It is derived from folklore, histories, mythologies and strongly-held cultural beliefs."
Out of all of the decks I own, I find this one tends to be more specific rather than over-generalised. Therefore I thought it would be an interesting inclusion to my first oracle card post!
The card that I drew from this deck was Absinthe Mermaid:
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| Myths and Mermaids Oracle of the Water - Absinthe Mermaid card |
This card features a melancholy mermaid lying in dark, green water that contains bottles and skulls. This seems toxic in nature. Each of the cards with this deck come with their own poem that is featured in the book. The poem for Absinthe Mermaid reads as follows:
Languid
With barely the strength
To lift my head
I indulge in more -
My decadent drink
My viridian vice
I crave more
I succumb to more
I am myself
No more
When I drew this card though, it came out upside down. As I mentioned near the start of the post, some cards have different meaning when they are drawn upside down, so is this one as toxic as we first assume?
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| Myths and Mermaids Oracle of the Water - Absinthe Mermaid card |
The upside down "protection message" for this card states the following:
Your Commitment is Required.
You need to commit in more areas of your life. Settle down for the long term. Stop renting and borrowing what you can purchase. Stop wavering between choices. Pick your favourite, run with it and never look back.
If this card was drawn the right way up it would delve more into a story of dependency and addiction.
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| Myths and Mermaids Oracle of the Water - Absinthe Mermaid card |
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| Oracle cards - The Spirit Animal Oracle, Myths and Mermaids Oracle of the Water and The Starseed Oracle |
Overall, these cards can be connected in some ways if you prefer a more thorough deep dive into your own head.
Ideas of overcoming obstacles were strong in the first two cards and maybe would have been more focused on overcoming obstacles related to addiction and dependency had the final card came out the right way up. Instead though, the final card is bringing in some ideas of needing to settle down and to stop wavering between choices - could this be your obstacle?
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| Oracle cards - The Spirit Animal Oracle, Myths and Mermaids Oracle of the Water and The Starseed Oracle |
However you relate to these cards, I recommend taking some time to simply let it fester to see if you can naturally come to any conclusions that make you feel positive in some sense. With that said, don't dwell on them too much. Maybe you don't feel anything from them which is okay too!
I at least hope that drawing and discussing these cards helps you in some way as we step into March.
If you would like to purchase these cards or would like to take a look at some other cards available, then all of the cards featured in this post are currently available on Amazon.
How have these cards made you feel? Is this your first experience with oracle cards?
Let me know in the comments below!
How have these cards made you feel? Is this your first experience with oracle cards?
Let me know in the comments below!
Zoe.
Twitter:@Beautifinous
Instagram: @Beautifinous
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