Articles — tarot

Where do you keep your Tarot or Oracle deck?  Deciding how to store your cards is one of the first decisions you'll make as the owner of a new deck.  It depends on your personal preferences and your individual reading habits--whether you travel with the deck, for example.  In this article, we'll consider the most common methods of deck storage, and some advantages and disadvantages for each. The original box. Some people--perhaps most--prefer to keep their cards in the original packaging.  The publisher's box is usually perfectly sized and matches the cards and booklet.  For owners of multiple decks, it's...

As soon as you delve into the world of Tarot, you encounter a bunch of do-this, don't-do-that warnings and prescriptions about how to use the cards. (Why, it's almost as if we were dealing with something magical, not just 78 pictures on cardstock!) Some of these superstitions undoubtedly have a grain of truth in them, while others are just baloney dipped in snake oil. Now, for your amusement and your edification, Madame Michelle will feed each “should” and “shouldn’t” into the Truth-O-Matic Machine (i.e., her brain!) and declare a verdict. You shouldn't read Tarot for yourself.  Mary Greer put a...

Lots of people approach our Tarot display with this question:  I'm trying to choose my first deck, but I see there are Tarot and oracle decks.  What's the difference, and which one should I get? The sheer number of options for your first deck can be mind-boggling, but understanding their similarities and difference will help you make an informed decision.  Read this short article, and you'll be an expert in no time! The Name Technically, an oracle (meaning "that which speaks") can refer to any item used for divination.  So Tarot decks are actually a type of oracle--as are runes,...

Open almost any occult reference work, and you're likely to find a list of divination methods ranging from the familiar to the chuckle-worthy: acultomancy    divination using needlesaeromancy    divination by means of the weatherailuromancy    divination by watching cats’ movementsalectormancy    divination by sacrificing a roosteralectryomancy    divination by watching a rooster gather corn kernelsaleuromancy    divination using flour or mealalomancy    divination using saltalphitomancy    divination using loaves of barleyalveromancy    divination using soundsambulomancy    divination by taking a walkamniomancy    divination by examining afterbirth And so on. The word "divination" connotes communication with the divine, but it's rarely as simple as a two-way communication between the seeker and...