Oracles and Tarots

Hello every one! I was wondering, what is the difference between an oracle deck and a tarot deck?
I know that a tarot deck has major and minor arcana, but oracle decks don't really have different groups within the deck... But that's all I know.

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This thread has been moved to Fortune Telling from Misc Topics.

Oracle cards have 21 cards that are the major arcana only [no swords, cups, so on] many also feel Oracle cards lean to the positive while Tarot show both sides. Personally, I've noticed Oracle cards work better for love readings as well as showing the near future while Tarot can sometimes go years into the future.

Keep in mind fortune telling isn't exact, so don't focus too much on the reading use it more as a guide.

Thank you very much! And I don't really see my readings as set in stone, but more to give me pointers on going about things, if that makes sense. But once again, thank you!

Tarot is a certain type of set up. It always has 78 cards with the two arcana sets. The minor arcana is made up of four suits wands/rods, pentacles/coins, cups/chalices and swords. These suits all relate to one of the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. All the cards have two meanings depending on if it comes up in a reading as upside down (reversed) or right side up. If you learn the basic tarot card meanings, you can read any tarot deck even if it goes to a theme where they change up the suits. For example I have a witchy tarot that uses boulders for coins/pentacles but since I know this I can read it the same way I would a standard tarot deck.

However, oracle decks are all different. Its just a set of cards based on anything. You can find them over topics like runes, ogham, mermaids, fairies, plants, medicine wheel, and etc. These can have any number of cards in the deck too. People who do not connect well to tarot cards generally go to oracle cards by finding a deck they like. For example, if you like herbalism you can find an oracle deck based on trees, ogham or herbs to use. Most people like that you can find decks over a topic like this that you love. Also when reading the cards, each deck is different. Some use reversed cards while others don't do that...some also come with suggested spreads that are unlike what you would use in tarot decks.

That's the basics of it. If you have any question about this that I didn't answer, just let me know.

Thank you very much, IrisMoon :) it was very informative.

Nekoshema, I'm sorry to say your info is not correct. I've seen oracle decks that have anywhere from 12 cards to 100 in count...most of the ones I have are in the 32 through 54 count range of cards. They are also not based on the major arcana, but on any topic you can come up with. I have sets on ogham, animal totems, medicine wheel, gypsy divination, and etc. None of them are related to the major arcana.

Thanks for pointing that out. My research as well as the decks I own have 21. My cards also have names like 'love' 'destiny' 'war' and so on, but they can be linked to the cards in the major arcana.