The Tarot Librarian: Following the Fool's Journey

What's an Oracle Card? Simply stated, an Oracle Card is a divination tool in card form that provides insight or guidance regarding one's actions and/or future direction. They can be used within Tarot readings to provide additional information and insight, but they are truly their own entity and their purpose and role is not always well understood by beginning Tarot students. "Sounds cool," I hear you saying, "but what makes an Oracle deck different from a Tarot deck?" Well, the primary difference is that a Tarot deck is built around a known system of reading (with slight variations) and an Oracle deck has its own built-in method of reading. Remember that a standard Tarot deck has 78 cards (through some decks will differ) and have the same general format - Major Arcana, Aces through 10s, Court cards, etc. An Oracle deck can have an many or as few cards as the creator desires. I own Oracle decks that range from over 200 cards to 21 (and everything in between).

  The Dance of Interdependence I adore the threes. In the Major Arcana, the three is the card of The Empress, who is a bit of a role model for me. Three is also my Birth Number. But the reason I love threes so much is that they demonstrate the interconnectedness of our souls and the common threads woven throughout the experience of being human. We clearly see this in the image of the three figures seemingly dancing in the Three of Cups. They hoist their cups in joyful exuberance as they stand on their tiptoes to get those cups as high in the air as they can. Each is acting independently in that they choose to be there and are dressed in different outfits and colors. Their coming together, however, is symbolic of the understanding that humans thrive in connection with one another.  In this corporeal experience, our ego self operates seemingly independently as it checks things off of its "to do" list and deals with a myriad of mundane details. We accomplish and pat ourselves on