How to Conduct Oracle Card Readings

If you want to give yourself and friends or clients card readings, Tarot cards aren't your only option. Oracle decks generally offer a great deal of freedom when it comes to card interpretation. Depending on the personal preferences of those who come to you, there are a variety of oracle cards to choose from, each with its own motif and appealing artwork.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A variety of oracle card decks
• Books on card layouts for readings
• Journal for keeping track of your personal readings

1. Do a little research on the numerous oracle card decks out on the market. Find one or some that you resonate with. Each deck has a theme and some examples are angels, fairies, archetypes and animals. You will know if a set of oracle cards is for you by the way you feel--if you find yourself attracted to it even if you don't know exactly why, at least look into what the deck has to offer or keep it in mind.

2. Familiarize yourself with the energy of the deck of your choice. You can do this by reading the instructions that come with the cards, gazing at the pictures, and even frequently touching them and holding them to your heart. This creates rapport between you and your oracle cards, making reading them for yourself or clients easier in the future.

3. Study different layouts or spreads that you would like to use with your oracle deck to give readings as detailed or as generalized as you prefer. The instruction book that more often than not comes with the cards should list a few. If not, feel free to use suitable layouts taught by other card decks or even from books on the subject.

4. Sit for a few sessions with yourself to try out your new skills and to get a feel for how you receive messages from your cards. The instruction book gives you an idea about possible card meanings, but do allow additional messages that come to you intuitively to be part of your readings. For extra insights, take down notes in a journal about your experiences while getting to know a card deck.

5. Meet with open-minded friends and family to begin broadening your scope of clients. Set down the guidelines for the reading, such as how long your session will roughly be, before beginning. Remember to take a moment of silence for you and your sitter to get peaceful and set your intention for the reading ahead.

6. Lay the cards out in the spread most suited to your client's inquiry. Use the words on the cards, if any, as triggers for greater messages than the obvious to flow through you. Looking at the pictures encourages greater understanding of the person you are reading as well. Interpret each card on the spread to keep the momentum of the reading going before taking any questions or inquiries for additional clarification.

7. End your session at the agreed time. Begin wrapping up a few minutes before, so that your client can get any more questions that remain out of the way. Express gratitude to the energy behind the cards. Thank your client as well for the opportunity she provided for you to have been of service.

8. Clear your cards after every reading or on a regular basis that matches your comfort level. This is done either by setting the intention to clear the deck as you touch each card or by shuffling several times holding the same intent. If you have another method that clicks for you, use it by all means. When your readings begin to get murky or if others have touched your cards, you know that it is time to get your personal energy in sync with your oracle deck again.

Tips & Warnings

• Spreads range from using one card to all of those in a deck. A 10-card spread is one of the most common, with each card carrying an assigned meaning, such as the client's present or his past, or perhaps a person who plays a big role in his current situation.
• Educate yourself on the theme of your oracle deck outside of the information that comes with the cards. Sources are vast for this subject matter and your readings will be more in-depth when you possess this additional knowledge.
• Allow your skills and affinity for your oracle cards to grow over time. You will get better at this even if it feels at first like you barely know what you are doing.
• Never provide any information that will frighten your client. If you deem that what is coming through is important, deliver it in a tactful and completely non-threatening manner. For instance, instead of saying, "You could be in a car accident very soon," you can rephrase by saying, "You might want to make sure that your car is in tip-top condition," or "Take care not to get in the car with friends who have been drinking, even if this is an old habit you haven't thought much about in the past." Carefully select your words depending on the feeling you get from the situation and on what you already know from earlier in the reading.

Resources

• Find oracle cards and related information through this leading company in the metaphysical field