Note: This is an updated version of an article originally posted in March 2021.
I love angel cards and oracle cards for their ability to highlight what we really need to know about a particular situation, or even to give us general guidance on moving forward. However sometimes the guidance the cards deliver isn’t super clear-cut. I sometimes get requests for advice on reading cards, so I thought I’d compile some of the issues people face into one article. Let’s go!
1. Look after your cards
Angel cards are very sensitive to energy, which means they need to be cared for appropriately. Always clear their energy after you’ve used them, to make sure the energy of that reading (or client, if you’re reading for someone else) isn’t carried over into subsequent readings. You can do this by tapping the side of the deck lightly, or if you’re a reiki practitioner, using your hands to clear energy. You could also ask St Germain to run the violet flame through the cards, asking him to transmute any lower vibrational energy into love and light. I always store my cards in the box or pouch they came in, out of the sight of people who might visit the house. Every now and then, I’ll leave them (out of the box/pouch) on a windowsill to be cleansed by a full moon.
(Photo by Ganapathy Kumar on Unsplash)
Also – some people may disagree with me on this – I don’t let other people touch my cards as I don’t want their energies on the cards. (Even my partner is banned from picking them up when he’s cleaning!) If you are doing a reading for someone else, there’s no reason for them to touch the cards. You can easily tune into their energies and shuffle cards on their behalf – the right cards will always jump out, or come to the top of the pile.
2. Trust your intuition over the guidebook
Angel-card interpretation works best as a free-flowing exercise. When I first started reading angel cards, I stuck to the words of the deck’s guidebook religiously. I soon realised angel cards aren’t intended to be prescriptive, they’re designed to be used as cues and signals to enhance intuitive messages. This means you can’t be too rigid about what the guidebook says. For example, there is one card called ‘yoga’. This doesn’t mean every single person who gets that card needs to practise yoga. For some people it might be about being more flexible in their thinking or approach to a situation.
(Photo by Tachina Lee on Unsplash)
And if you find the method of reading advised by the guidebook doesn’t resonate with you, don’t follow it. Many of my card decks advise that the position of the card denotes its significance in time (eg current, future, etc), but my personal belief is that all messages are relevant now – why else would they be coming up? So I don’t follow that guideline. Always go with what feels right for you (within reason).
3. Check your motivation
It’s important to be clear on why you are drawing the cards. If you want clarity or an understanding of what’s going on underneath an issue, great. If you want to know specifics about the future, maybe hit pause. Sometimes people find themselves drawing cards to try and discover something they aren’t supposed to know right now, and that’s going to result in a frustrating reading. It’s okay to want reassurance, but bear in mind that may not be delivered in the prescriptive way you might expect.
For example, if you want to know what’s going to happen in your relationship, that’s often driven by a lack of safety or trust. There’s an underlying belief that if we know how things will play out, we can keep ourselves safe. In reality, of course, we aren’t supposed to know how the final page of the book will read, and the challenge is to be at peace despite the not-knowingness (more about that here). In a situation like that, the cards can only point towards the deeper issues but can’t resolve them for you. Perhaps a better approach in a situation like that would be to work with an energy healer to tackle the underlying causes of insecurity in the relationship.
(Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash)
4. Don’t depend on the cards too much
This is true of angel cards and every spiritual modality. You can’t get too dependent on spiritual messages to govern your life choices. You are the one in charge of your life, not the Universe – and you must not hand over your agency to any healer, spiritual tool or modality. Indicators that you are becoming too dependent on angel (or tarot) cards, instead of trusting your own judgment and intuition, include:
· You perceive almost every event or occurrence as a sign or a warning
· You draw multiple cards for yourself during the day, every day
· You keep drawing cards, rejecting what comes up, until you get one you like
· You can’t make any decisions without conferring with a (human) guide or spiritual tool.
Spiritual dependence is unhealthy; read more here.
5. Consider getting someone else to read for you
Many people are surprised to learn that I rarely draw cards for myself – and that’s because I find it really difficult to be objective enough to get an accurate reading for myself. Occasionally, if I’m feeling so inclined, I will draw one card to get some help with a situation, but generally I rely on my intuition to guide me. If it’s a particularly challenging situation, I pay a card-reader friend to do a reading for me, or do a skills exchange. If you’re having trouble understanding what the cards are telling you, it’s a good idea to book a session with a pro.
I use angel cards and oracle cards in my healing sessions. If you’d like more information, click here. More information about what I do is available here.
Want to get your hands on a deck of oracle cards? I am the creator of ‘Oracle Cards for Grounded Humans’, available to buy here.