I learned tarot decades ago when I
was quite young. At the time, oracle decks weren’t really a thing, so if I wanted to do divination, tarot was my only choice. But now that there’s an abundance of oracle decks, with art styles to match anyone’s personal preference, no one is left out of divining with cards.
[if you know zero about tarot, that’s okay. use any oracle deck you like.]
But I wondered, could I get an answer with a single card, using either oracle or tarot, and would the message be the same from both? I took my old friend, Robin Wood Tarot, out for a test drive with my brand new Botanical Dreams Oracle. Here’s what I discovered.
First, I asked a question about right action for an issue driving me nuts. Tarot told me in no uncertain terms to get off my ass and do something! [Knight Wands] Without drawing a second tarot card, I knew that the Knight of Wands was telling me to take all that I’d gathered, information-wise, and just DO something with it.
I then drew Manifestation from Botanical Dreams. It’s a gorgeous card, with none of the fire-y energy of the Knight of Wands. But the guidebook told me my garden was alive with energy. The right action: “Gather up all the golden threads and manifest your gift to the world.”
So the oracle did talk about energy and it did tell me an action, but without drawing another card, did I know what the ‘golden threads’ were? I’m pretty sure they’re the information I’ve gathered that tarot is telling me to do something with. As it turns out, the Manifestation card is telling me - in its own language - the same thing as the Knight. And, in both cases, all it took was a single card.
I admit, I wanted to draw more cards for clarification, but I didn’t. If you look at my post on Turning One Card into a Reflective Practice, you’ll see why I followed my own advice and stayed long enough with a single card to really get it on more than a superficial level.
Your Turn
First, have a question. Don’t continue until you do!
Then, get your answer from the card below. You can use the name of the card (Mojo Bag), the words at the bottom (justice.karma), the number of the card (26), or simply your take on the image itself. If you get stuck, read through the steps in my One Card Reflective Practice post.
Did this one card answer your question? Leave a comment and let me know one way or the other.
Nancy
Hmm! I don't often read an oracle card intuitively, but here goes (note I did what you described at the top first and will also share my two cards).
Question: In what way might I be folding inwards? Looking at the image on the Mojo Bag, perhaps I am closing myself up as I ground myself, forgetting to perhaps add some flavour to my day. I seem to have lost the sweet and savouriness along the way, noting that the salt is out, which would be good for protection, and so is what looks like raisins to me. Raisins, a great tool to really practice mindfully being present, and a quick burst of sweetness that life needs. Perhaps I need to approach life with a pinch of salt, and mindfully reconnect to my senses in the present moment.
As the bag is tightly closed, perhaps so am I. The red symbolizes so many things, among which is root chakra, a need to feel secure and safe. It's also a dual political meaning right now. On the one hand it represents Canada and liberal views, and on the other it represents the big red elephant that is threatening it. Folding inwards then perhaps in self-protection, in an attempt at working out how to address any fears.
Druidcraft Tarot - 8 of Cups - feeling like I'm going against the flow, and walking upwards, turning my back on old relational patterns, recognizing that I need to let go of something, to retreat and recharge, and reconnect with my core purpose. Maybe I need to reconnect without worries for the exact destination.
Little Ghosts Oracle - 28 Flitting Around - I may be forgetting to just "flit around" like a social butterfly, and taking things a little too seriously. Forgetting perhaps what is important in life isn't always measured by the big events or the challenges that we face. Forgetting that everything I live is part of my history and that includes chance encounters of little importance, making small talk with strangers, making things without a purpose attached, just for fun. Perhaps, being so concentrated on accomplishing goals that I'm not taking the time to enjoy the journey. A reminder to lift my head up and still live life, rather than staying in my head worrying about elephants.
Anyway, those are my impressions. I think there is overlap but each oracle and tarot card has given me a different perspective.