Yes, you can read your own oracle cards. Alternatively, you can read oracle cards for someone or have someone else read oracle cards for you. It all comes down to personal preference.
When reading oracle cards for yourself, follow these steps:
- Open your mind to the Universe and separate yourself from your personal opinion and will.
- Begin to shuffle the cards as you focus on the questions you want to be answered.
- Select the cards, either by using the ‘jumpers’ that fall while shuffling or by pulling cards from the deck after spreading the deck out flat. The number of cards pulled will depend on the spread.
- Lay out each card in the order it was pulled from the deck.
- Observe and read each card in the spread—reading the words on each card and meditating on the imagery. Your readings should be intuitive but can be assisted with the help of the deck’s guidebook.
Tips for Oracle Card Readings
Over time you will develop a better understanding of your decks and how to read oracle cards. Remember that reading oracles cards is supposed to be a reflective and enlightening experience. While there are guidelines in place for how a typical reading should go, don’t feel you have to do things ‘the right way’. Stay in tune with yourself and do what feels right.
Here are a few more tips to follow to get you started with reading your first oracle card deck:
- Set your space. I like to bring my crystals into a corner of my bedroom and light incense next to an open window. Do what feels comfortable and helps you relax.
- Review the guidebook ahead of time. Get a feel for how the author intended for the oracle deck to be used. I regularly work with four decks and they each feel slightly different (and are best used for different inquiries).
- Interview your deck when you first obtain it. This will be a longer session where you get in tune with your deck and ‘meet it’ so to speak.
Related: What Should I Ask Oracle Cards?