Wheeling and Dealing: Seasonal Spreads for Tarot and Oracle Cards #1

New Deck? Interview it!

So many decks, so little time. If I bought every deck I wanted to, I would be able to afford to eat nothing but ramen for the remainder of my days. Getting a new deck is such a great experience, even down to the unboxing. I especially enjoy when I love the “feel” of the cards, or when the edges are special, like the metallic edging on my Seasons of the Witch oracle cards—gold for Beltane. (P.S. I cannot wait for the Ostara deck to be released!)

Whether you are brand new or an old hand when it comes to divination with cards, I suggest that you “interview” a new deck with a three card pull to see what issues this deck “specializes” in, as it were, when it comes to your new relationship with this deck.

There are some decks I have, especially oracle cards, that tend to be more “rosy” and encouraging. The worst news I am going to get from a few of these types of decks are usually some version of “reconsider” or “sit with this a while.”

Meanwhile, I have other decks that love to pop up with the vibe of Whoopi Goldberg’s character in the film Ghost—“You’re in danger, girl!!” and these decks do not beat around the bush. I can also get a hard “no” from these decks when that is not what I want to hear, and I can reshuffle and re-ask all the different ways I want to, and those decks will still deliver the “no,” and maybe also with a rider card of “Did I stutter?”

Some decks of mine tend to be very philosophical and ephemeral in their messaging and communication, and are great for when I need help hearing my inner voice or seeing the big picture, but not as helpful with the little trials that pop up with an urgent sense of immediacy.

They might not be as ready to offer the clear “yes” or “no” and are more like going to your therapist and being asked, “Well, what do you think?” Great for a therapy session but not for a one-card pull when you want a little help right now to determine if you should respond to your ex’s text that just popped up out of the blue.

All of these approaches can be “accurate” but you may find you go to certain decks for certain types of issues more than others.

How To Interview A New Deck

First, cleanse the deck. You can do this with some incense, with the help of crystals, sunshine, moonlight, or our old buddy, salt. I like to look at the cards one by one, in order, then shuffle the cards and place them on a sunny windowsill, anchored by a chonk hunk of clear quartz, my favorite workhorse. I usually leave them out overnight, if possible.

Second, when ready to do your interview reading, I love to give the cards a long shuffle and tell them a bit about myself, like I am meeting a new friend. I also like to share aloud how I expect to use the deck on most occasions, such as “I am hoping to have you join me each morning for a one-card pull,” or “I expect to reach to you when I am most confused about my next course of action.”

Then I do a big spread of the deck, as spread out as I can, such an across a table or the bed in front of me. Or, you could keep shuffling the deck as you ask your choice of the following sort of questions, pulling a card each time for the answer:

Question Type 1: “If this were the only chance for us to speak, what would you most want me to focus my attention on at this time?”

Question Type 2: “Tell me about my support”

Question Type 3: “Tell me about my intuition/inner voice”

Question Type 4: “Tell me about taking action/what are my next steps”

Question Type 5: “Tell me about what I avoid and should not/ Tell me about what I welcome and should not”

Generally, I avoid “yes or no” kinds of questions when I get the feel of a new deck and try to keep the conversation more open-ended so that I can hear the voice better.

Other tips for getting to know your new deck:

Remember, this is both a magical tool that relies on you listening to your intuition and assigning meaning to symbols and images in a way that resonates with you, but it is also the vision of at least one artist.

Take the time to read the introduction to the book or guide, especially if the artist has a special theme with unique symbols, or has changed cards in the Major Arcana, or changed the Suits in any way beyond the usual cups, wands, swords, pentacles (coins). My new deck, pictured here, The Witch Sister Tarot by Julia Jeffry, a Glaswegian artist, changed some of the Major Arcana and the Suits. Her explanations of these changes were immensely helpful and insightful, and if I had not read about them, I would have missed a very valuable tool in my readings if I just took the swaps for face value, without taking the time to learn more.

If you are not new to Tarot, you may not be in the habit of reading the card descriptions that come with the guide/book but I feel this is a mistake as well, at least while you are getting to know the deck. While I certainly place more stock in my own abilities that have been honed for years, and my own style of reading, I can sometimes have a flash of recognition while reading even the sparsest description provided by the author/artist. Sometimes someone just says the words in such a way and—bam! Tears spring to your eyes, or your head begins to nod. Or maybe you are so sure the card is “wrong” for the description that this belief sparks a dialogue in yourself that is essential to the reading.

Once you have interviewed the deck, you probably have a better idea of its unique personality. Before you do your first reading, take your time to flip through the deck and look at each card at least once. Do any cards, artwork, or unique symbols stir an immediate reaction in you? Did you have an immediate favorite? Did any of them strike you as scary? Just notice your general first impressions without putting too much stock into them yet.

Likely, during your interview, something came up in the questions that you wish to know more about. A simple three card pull either in a past/present/future reading or the one I tend to do: tell me more/a little more/ok, so now what?

“Freestyle” pulls are a great way to build a relationship with your deck, trusting that your questions and concerns will be heard and understood. The more you use your deck, the better this relationship will be and your readings will soon prove quite profoundly that the universe understood the assignment. Sometimes too well—you might be able to lie to yourself but you can’t lie to the cards ha ha.

If it’s been a while since you have splurged on a new deck, maybe it is time to treat yo’self soon. Or you could pick up an old deck you have not used in a while and get reacquainted. I would love to hear in the comments all your favorite tricks for getting to know a new deck. And feel free to pass along some deck recs! xo