4 reasons oracle cards make sense to me

My love gave me a deck of beautiful oracle cards for my birthday.

Now before you go and think that I’m trying to become some kind of fortune teller or witch, stay with me. Not that there’s anything wrong with people expressing their spirituality in whatever way that inspires them to evolve + connect to their higher selves. However, I am not seeking to develop my inner fortune teller, nor am I seeking to declare myself Wiccan. What I am doing is nothing new. I am embracing my spirituality which has much to do with connecting to nature, listening to my soul, and seeking to create my life as I follow my bliss (or my unique purpose).

So, oracle cards are actually right up my alley. Though, I must admit, it has taken me a while to embrace them + to not run away from the stigma of them being woo woo and voo doo-y dark magic. Just like most things in life, though, when we open up our selves to learning + exploring + discovering, when we decide to not make judgements based on fear + ignorance, then we open ourselves to a whole new way of experiencing life. We learn that to live a life of seeking knowledge + meeting people makes our world, and our lives, larger, deeper, more tolerant and more just.

All that to say, it’s good to be open. There’s almost always something we can glean from exploring a new way of thinking, even if it’s simply a way to reinforce + affirm who we already are.

With that said, I’d like to share with you 4 ways that oracle cards, something I’d never given a second thought to in the past, make sense to me.

→ They encourage contemplation

If you don’t know, I’m a contemplative soul. Anything I can create or find to make time to meditate, listen, and just be, then I do. At one point in my life, I pulled away + slowed down in order to carve out contemplative moments for myself. Now, though, it seems that the contemplative way has seeped into every little second of my life. It is how I seek to live.

Oracle cards are meant to help us slow down + listen. It’s not at all about telling the future or being psychic. At least that’s not how I use them. It is, instead, a chance to gaze, look, feel, observe, and listen to what our soul is saying to us. To what seems to be on our minds + in our hearts, as inspired by the cards that we pull + see.

We contemplate meanings. And not universal meanings, really; but personal meanings based on ancient symbols that run through all of history and many different religions + spiritualities.

→ They are pieces of art

Simply stated, oracle cards are art. They are symbolic illustrations trying to capture the essence, meaning, and soul of life. They are meant to inspire and to speak to us… individually, just as a when we gaze at a beautiful painting or a hear a powerful piece of music or see a graceful dance.

I mean, seriously, just look at my cards in the above photo. They are so gorgeous they give me goosebumps.

→ They bring the spiritual to everyday life (ritual)

Oracle cards take the ordinary + lift it to the realm of magic and mystery. Not in a creepy, weird way; but in a beautiful, sacred way. Regular, little moments become gateways into spiritual ones when sitting down to create a ritual of any kind.

One of the powerful things about oracle cards, for me, is creating that ritual, creating a space, and setting an intention to simply slow down + listen. First, I spread out a blanket and light a candle. Then I sit on the blanket, gather my cards, shuffle them and spread them out. As I move my hands over them, I slowly select a card (or however many I am going to use).

When I turn over my card, I let it speak to me. I observe whatever pops up in my mind + in my heart. I note what I feel. And then I just sit with it all. Contemplating how it all fits into my life in that moment.

As I close my little session, I write down my thoughts + experiences, and I give thanks for these quiet moments with my soul.

→ They are personal + present-focused

Again, I am not seeking to learn the future. Not at all, actually. In fact, oracle cards help me focus on the present. They are simply a vehicle to help me feel + listen to the messages that my soul carries within me. In this way, whatever the card I turn over and look at says to me, just might say something completely different to you. In fact, it most likely will inspire something different in you. And, should I pull the same card again a few months later, it, too, would connect to my life differently than it had the first time.

It is really just about discovering the answers + spirit that we already have within us. It’s about living intuitively + trusting that inner voice.

Now, my friends, these are just a few of the ways that my very limited use of oracle cards has made sense to me. I don’t know if I am doing anything “right” or “wrong”, but I don’t give a flying f*ck. I know that I am creating my own ritual, connecting with my own spirituality, and simply seeking to slow down + listen to what my life and the world around me is saying to me at this point, on this day, in that particular moment that I use my cards.

So, thank you to my amazing wife who supports me on my spiritual journey, who allows me to be me, encourages me to grow continuously deeper into who I am meant to be, and even journeys with me, staying open to trying out some of the ways that I feel connected to spirit.

Well, what kinds of questions do you have folks? Or do you have any tips? Have you ever used oracle cards (not tarot cards or fortune telling cards)? What have been your experiences or thoughts? Share with me!

And, one more thing… I mean, seriously, even though it’s not a witchy thing I’m doing, I must admit, it feels kinda meant to be that I’m embracing my oracle card rituals in the midst of the magic of October. Am I right?! Wink wink.

xoxo. liz. 

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The nature-inspired oracle cards that I received are called” Native Spirit” created by Denise Linn, a soul coach + a member of the Cherokee nation.