The Cards I Use

Hi Guys! I wanted to tell you about the tarot cards I use and how they’re similar and different from traditional tarot cards. A few of you have had questions about this so I thought this might make it easier to understand. The main deck I use is called Angel Tarot Cards by Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine. I received them when I took a Certified Angel Card Reader course a few years back from the authors. At the time I was familiar with tarot cards but hadn’t really studied them, and this course got me enthusiastic about card reading. The Angel Tarot Cards have the same number of cards as a traditional tarot deck, though some of the wording is changed. For example, in the minor arcana the term wands is replaced with fire, since these cards represent things we’re passionate about; cups = water, because these cards are about our emotions and feelings; swords = air, which stand for our thoughts and mental things; and pentacles = earth, which are the things in our material world. In the major arcana several cards have been renamed: The Fool is called The Dreamer; The Hierophant is Unity; The Wheel of Fortune is simply The Wheel; The Hanged Man is called Awakening; Death is renamed Release; Temperance is Balance; The Devil is called Ego; The Tower is renamed Life Experience; and Judgment is called Renewal. The reason for these changes, according to the authors, is to make this tarot deck less scary and easier to understand the true representation of the cards underneath what can be intimidating wording. Like many other tarot decks, this one has its own unique artwork to represent each card. Unlike many decks, each card includes some short phrases that summarize possible meanings of the card. For me this deck has a very uplifting and empowering feel to it, so even if you’re dealing with a tricky or uncomfortable situation, it helps direct you towards positive ways of handling it.

I sometimes use a card from one of my angel oracle decks to supplement the tarot card reading. Oracle card decks have much fewer cards than the 78 in a tarot deck, and oracle cards usually have a theme, which can range from health, love, life purpose, etcetera. I select an oracle deck based on my intuition, and the right card has a way of presenting itself to help shed some extra insight into the tarot cards I’ve drawn. You can do a reading using only one deck, and even just one card, depending on how much information you’re looking for.

There is even a way of doing readings using plain old playing cards, like the kind you would use to play poker, solitaire, or other card games. I don’t use this method only because I haven’t learned it, but I know some readers who read this way.

So that’s a brief overview of the cards I most commonly use when doing a reading. If you have any questions I haven’t answered, feel free to comment below, and I’ll respond back. Thanks and take care.