A guide to oracle cards

What are oracle cards?

Here you will find a useful guide by Anita Angelica Meyer about what oracle cards are and how they can be used. Lots of good advice and tips here!

By Anita Angelica Meyer

Anita Angelica Meyer is very skilled and experienced in tarot and oracle cards. She is an author, tutor and course leader in tarot, has her own youtube channel and works as a clairvoyant in Magic alongside work in the health care sector. The following manual has been written by Anita exclusively for users of AnnetteLaurenze oracle cards. (but can be used for all types of cards) (Copyright)

What are oracle cards and how can we use them?

Which cards should I choose?

There are many different types of oracle cards with different focuses and themes depending on the artists' interests and experiences. What oracle cards have in common is that they are intended to build up, enlighten, inspire, guide and motivate through text and images. Some can be very spiritual. Others can be more psychological. And there are many cards with a focus on healing and self-development. There are cards with a Christian feel, such as angel cards. Shamanistically inspired cards and cards more colored by Eastern religions and mindsets. So which ones should you choose?

When buying oracle cards, it's a good idea to follow your gut feeling. See what you're drawn to and read about the topic if it's something you feel is right for you. Think about what you want to use them for. Is it spiritual insight you want? Self-development and healing? Is it romantic love or finances you're interested in? See what you're drawn to and how this fits with the topic you're interested in.

Inauguration of the cards

Once you have purchased your cards, I recommend that you consecrate them. You can do this in many ways. A very simple way that I usually use is as follows: Take the cards out of the box and look through them and feel if it feels good to you. Then you place the deck against your heart chakra. Say a little prayer of thanks for the cards and ask that they connect to your heart and your higher self, and will guide you to your highest and best. I also usually visualize a thread of light from my heart chakra and into the cards and then I see the thread of light go further up through the top of my head; crown chakra, and up to my higher self which I imagine as a light, and further up to the divine creative force. Feel what is right for you and follow your own gut feeling in how you want to do this. (PS: If you have not consecrated them or do not want this, that is completely okay. It is only advice.)

Tips and advice for using the cards

After you have consecrated your cards, you are ready to use them. For example, you can start by drawing a card for the day every day. For example, you can ask: What do I need to know today? Or how will my day be today? Drawing one card every day and writing it down and checking it in the evening is often educational and a great way to get to know your cards.

Maybe there are some specific things you want to ask about. Maybe it's love or work. What's important is to be aware of your own desires and how they can affect the answers you get.

Maybe there's a person you're infatuated with and you'd like them to like you back. Or if you're really unhappy at your job, you desperately want confirmation that you'll get a new job.

It is absolutely necessary that you practice breathing deeply, letting go of your desires and expectations before you shuffle and lay out the cards, otherwise your strong emotions will become the energy the cards respond to, and then you will not get a clear answer. We can have strong feelings about something, but it is not always the case that what we want is what we need. Here it is important to trust that the divine power and your higher self know better than you what is for the highest and best for you and your development. We only see through our own ego focus. The ego cannot see the big picture the way the higher self can. So if you want your cards to work in the best way and give you clear answers, it is always wise to include a desire for the highest and best to be shown to you in the cards.

Here are some examples of questions you can ask:
  • How can my relationship with …person you are infatuated with serve the highest and best interests of me and everyone involved.
  • How can I find love that serves the best for my development and joy?
  • What can I do to attract a partner who is best for me?
  • How can I improve my experience of the work situation?
  • What can I do to handle the difficulties at work/in the family in the highest good for me and everyone involved?
  • What does it take for me to find a new and better job in line with my highest and best?
  • What do I need to know about being in this relationship in relation to my highest and best self?
  • What do I need to know about this situation for my highest and best interests?

Nb: It is important that you are aware that the cards will not answer your question if your energy does not match. That is, if you are very angry, sad or hurt or have strong desires to have something confirmed, then it does not help much that you formulate the question correctly. The cards will react to your energy. Everything is energy. Therefore, it is important that you first take a deep breath, zero yourself in and let go of your own emotions and open up to be shown the highest and best for you and everyone involved.

The shuffle

Once you have zeroed in and formulated your question, you can shuffle the cards. You just have to learn to trust that the right answers will come. Shuffle and feel when it is right to stop and shuffle. You can take the top card or you can split the deck into two or three and then add them together into one pile and then take the top card. Or you can take the top ones in the split piles. You can lay them all out and draw a card.

There is no wrong or right way. You just have to practice feeling what you feel like doing and trusting it. In the starting phase, it is a good idea to draw only one card for the first few days, then you can, for example, move on to drawing three cards.

Use notebook

I recommend keeping a small notebook where you write down the day's card and how the message fit with your day when the evening comes. Also write down answers you have received, for example about love and work.

For example, if you have received confirmation of love or a new job, it may not happen immediately or in the way you expect. This does not mean that the answer you have received is not correct.

That's why it's so wise to write it down, so you can see how the message resonated with you even if it doesn't happen right away.

Card upside down

If a card comes up upside down, it may mean something you should not do or choose right now. In the beginning, it is a good idea to use cards only straight up, so you don't get confused and unsure.

Reversed cards can be about something you don't see, something you deny or repress. It can be a small warning about something that is not serving your highest good.

You will eventually understand this the more you use the cards. The more you use the cards, the more your intuition will develop.

Handling the cards

To enjoy the cards, it is important to have respect for them. The cards are a tool to communicate with your higher self, but angels and spirit guides and mentors. Look at the cards as a telephone line to your mentors and your higher self. Do not ask the same question many times in the hope of getting the answer you want. Then you are in the power of the ego and will not make the cards work for you. You can also cleanse your cards to neutralize your energy in them. The cards can be cleansed in several ways.

For example, you can:

  • Put them outside or in the window in moonlight or sunshine
  • place crystals on top of the cards
  • flick the deck three times while visualizing light go through the cards and say a short prayer such as - thank you for the cards now being cleansed of all my and others' energy

Examples of maps

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Card 1 shows the situation

(What do I need to know for the highest and best in this….. situation for me and everyone involved)

Card 2 is an action card

It shows you something about what you need to do/not do or what attitudes you are most comfortable with in relation to what you are asking about.

Card 3 shows

Possible outcomes when you follow the advice in card 2.

Gratitude

Once you have laid out the cards, written down the answers, remember to thank the spirit world for their help. If the cards are difficult to understand, leave them for a while and look at them later. You can also ask for an explanation card, and pull one to clarify. You can also ask your guides to help you understand the message. You can also try formulating the question in a different way and lay out new cards. Remember to reset yourself. Always end with thanks.

I wish you lots of luck with your oracle cards and hope you find joy and wisdom along the way. Best regards Anita

ANITA'S COMMENT ON CREATING THIS MANUAL:

Thank you so much for your trust, Annette! It is just a pleasure to be allowed to contribute. Your cards are unique, deep and stand out from other oracle cards through a combination of psychological and spiritual guidance at its best!