"So cute!" "Gorgeous!" "Beautiful!"

✦What to Do Before You Start Reading Oracle Cards

There are a few things you should take care of, and a few points to keep in mind, before you begin an oracle card reading. It's worth understanding them first so your reading goes smoothly.

Cleanse the Deck

Cleansing your deck helps ensure an accurate reading.

I understand the temptation to start reading the moment you unwrap a brand-new deck, but you should cleanse your oracle cards first.

The cleansing method is simple: you're basically infusing the cards with your own energy.

Even a brand-new, still-sealed deck carries some kind of residual energy on it.

By clearing that away and infusing the cards with your own energy instead, you raise the vibration of the deck.

To infuse the cards with your own energy, hold the deck in your non-dominant hand and gently tap it with your dominant fist.

Then fan the cards out and touch each one, one by one.

That's it — you've infused the deck with your energy, and the cleansing is complete.

It's also said that centering yourself through meditation or quiet focus makes the reading that follows even more effective.

Oracle cards are considered sacred objects.

Cleansing the deck and settling your own mind is also a form of respect toward the cards, so it's well worth doing every time.

Set Up a Space That's Easy to Read In

As mentioned above, an oracle card reading is something like a small sacred ritual, so it helps to prepare your surroundings properly before you begin.

For example, choose a calm, tidy room free of background noise — no TV or radio playing — so you can focus.

A reading is meant to center your mind and nerves, so it's best done in a room free of distracting thoughts.

Prepare your environment in advance — cleanse not just the cards, but the room itself.

Decide Your Question Ahead of Time

To receive a clear message from the oracle cards, decide on your question before you start.

If you don't settle on a question beforehand, you may lose focus during the reading, or fail to get the answer you actually wanted — which defeats the purpose of the reading.

Set a proper question in advance so you can clearly express what you want to know before you begin.

Be Careful How You Phrase Your Question

Even once you've decided to ask a question in advance, it's worth being careful about its content too.

To actually resolve what's worrying you, your question needs to be specific.

For example, instead of asking:

"Will the person I like fall for me too?"

Ask: "What should I do to build mutual feelings with the person I like?"

Instead of: "Will I succeed at work?"

Ask: "What actions should I take to succeed in [specific field]?"

Phrasing your hopes and goals concretely like this makes the message much easier to interpret.

Just as with asking another person a question, if you don't phrase it properly you won't get a precise answer — so making your question specific is essential for easier interpretation.

Don't Ask the Same Question Repeatedly

Oracle cards draw out answers by way of intuition, so even if the answer doesn't quite click or feels unsatisfying, avoid asking the same question over and over in one sitting.

That's disrespectful to the oracle cards, which have already given you an answer — if you want to ask the same question again, leave some days in between.

☾Intermediate & Advanced Oracle Card Spreads

Let's also look at some spreads suited to intermediate and advanced readers.

Intermediate and advanced spreads draw more cards and involve more complex interpretation, but in exchange they can handle a much wider range of question types.

Once you're comfortable with the basics, do give these a try.

The Four-Card Draw (Four-Card Circle)

This is a spread where the cards are laid out and read in a diamond shape.

After shuffling, place the cards face down in a diamond formation in the order left → bottom → right → top. (There's no strict rule, but this order is generally considered standard.)

This is an extension of the two-card draw, and just as with that spread, you decide the meaning/position of each card slot in advance.

For example:

Left: Current situation

Bottom: The problem

Right: What to do about it

Top: The future

With positions assigned like this, turn the cards face up and read the current situation, the problem, and the answer.

Because it can handle questions too complex for a two-card draw, this spread suits readings where you want a more detailed answer.

The Seven-Card Draw (Hexagram Spread)

A hexagram is the six-pointed star formed by overlapping two triangles.

Using seven cards arranged in the shape of the hexagram, you can read the timeline of events, or the relationship and current situation between yourself and another person, all in a single reading.

There's no strict rule here either, so you're free to arrange the positions as you like, but since the seventh card is often set as the key "result" position, it's generally considered standard to place the seventh card in the center.

An example layout:

Card 1: The past

Card 2: The present

Card 3: The future

Card 4: The problem

Card 5: Your own feelings

Card 6: The other person's feelings

Card 7: Overall outcome

This allows for a much deeper reading of the question you want answered, so mastering this spread may give you real insight into how to make love or work go well.

Advanced Readers Combine Two or More Oracle Decks

Relying on just one type of oracle deck can narrow your perspective, so some readers use two or more decks together to read from multiple angles.

Most professional fortune tellers weave tarot and oracle cards together in their readings.

Even for a single question, this approach draws out an answer from many different angles, making it a highly effective way to read.

Once you've bonded with one oracle deck and made it your own, get to know a different deck as well, and try out various spread methods.

✧Summary

Oracle Cards Have No Fixed Rules, Unlike Tarot

We've covered a lot about oracle cards, but the key point is that oracle card reading is a very free, flexible practice.

There's also no upright or reversed position to worry about, which makes interpretation much easier for beginners.

The biggest distinguishing feature of oracle cards is that, unlike tarot, they never deliver a negative message or answer — instead, angels, goddesses, and similar guides offer gentle, heartfelt messages, so you can read with a sense of reassurance from start to finish.

When choosing a deck, beginners are best served by one that comes with a clear guidebook, but it's also perfectly fine to simply pick whatever artwork or design you're drawn to — that can help sharpen your intuition too.

We've introduced the basic spread methods here, but with oracle cards you're also free to design your own arrangements.

For example, you could set five themes and do a five-card draw, or lay the cards out in a cross or star shape — however you like — to create your own original reading style.

Because oracle cards offer so much freedom, they're easy even for complete beginners, and you'll likely feel at ease with your deck in no time.

Don't overthink it at first — the important thing is simply to start handling the cards.

Oracle cards carry messages from the divine, so let the gentle words from above heal and energize you.