Which are the Best Oracle Card Decks?

Need some guidance on the very best oracle cards and which to choose?

I have been working with oracle cards for many years and here I provide my top 10 oracle card decks, along with tips on how to get the best out of them.

Learn about my favourite oracle sets here and learn how to tap into your own intuition and choose the cards that are right for you.

Reading Oracle Cards

There are countless decks of oracle cards out there, and when you are new to using them, it can be quite overwhelming trying to decide which to use.

In theory, no one oracle set is “better” than another. They all consist of cards and usually an accompanying book to help interpret them – although poor artwork or poor guidebooks do of course exist out there.

There is no magic in the cards, as such – an oracle is a tool for YOU to tap into your intuition, or to help you connect with your guides or angels and assist them in passing messages to you.

If you are interested in other psychic abilities, you should definitely check this list of psychic abilities.

What is the Difference between Tarot and Oracle Cards?

The main difference is that oracle cards don’t follow a set format like tarot does, with the major and minor arcana. Also the number of cards differs from pack to pack in an oracle deck.

Rather than having a history of meaning that requires studying, they have their own meanings according to each set. But they can be used in similar ways – either pulling individual cards or doing spreads, like the past/present/future spread or the Celtic cross spread.

1. Goddess Guidance Oracle Cards

Doreen Virtue

I love working with all kinds of oracle cards but I do especially love goddess cards, because as well as using them for their intended purpose, I also love to use them to pick a goddess to work with each year as well.

This is my favourite goddess deck as I love the artwork and the cards and guide have both powerful messages and information on the goddesses as well. This particular deck has a special place in my heart because it was the one that really made me go, “wow!” and prove that these cards do work – back in 2010 I gave myself a reading and selected the goddess Ostara, who according to the guidebook, signified a pregnancy.

Ha, I thought, I don’t think so; I’ll interpret the rest of the meaning. Just over a week later I found out I was pregnant. I had never drawn that card before, and I have never drawn it since.

There are 44 cards contained in the usual sturdy box that accompanies Doreen’s decks, and her messages as always are uplifting and inspiring.

Each card contains the main meaning and accompanying quote, while a more in depth interpretation can be found inside the book. Goddesses include goddesses from Egyptian, Celtic, Hindu, Roman, Tibetan, Mayan and numerous other pantheons. Definitely a firm favourite for me!

2. The Wisdom of Avalon Oracle Cards

Colette Baron-Reid

Like the goddess set above, this is a deck I use over and over, because it has great insight and meaning in the interpretations.

It contains 52 cards and a guidebook in a box, 31 of which are illustrated with Avalonian figures (such as Merlin, King and Grail Knight) and animals, and 21 of which are illustrated with signposts, each with a different word, such as Trust, Death, Love, Letting Go, and Birth-Rebirth.

Having a deep connection to Avalon, this deck is especially meaningful to me, so if you also resonate strongly with Avalon, these cards are a must. But even if you don’t have a particular interest in this path, the cards are full of wisdom and advice that is well worth following.

They always give wonderfully accurate advice, and as reviewers state on Amazon, they are one of the best decks to use, giving accurate readings every time.

How to Buy Oracle Cards

  • Most oracle sets come as a box of 44, 45 or 52 cards (although amounts vary) with an accompanying guidebook. Here are some tips on what to consider when looking for a deck of your own:
  • What is the exact purpose of you using oracle cards? Do you want to receive messages from above? Try angel or ascended master decks. Do you want wisdom from nature or ancient cultures? Look for animal or bird oracles, or goddess decks. Interested in guidance for a specific purpose? You can find specific decks such as love oracles or life purpose oracles.
  • Does the set come with a book or booklet? If you are just starting out, then a guide is essential to help you learn to interpret the cards. If you are more experienced and like working intuitively, then a deck without a book is fine.
  • Check out reviews of your chosen decks! What do other people think of them? Amazon and many other sites include customer reviews of their products. While most decks will contain meaningful messages and inspiring imagery, some cards also contain information or facts about the chosen topics, such as goddess history or the traits of animal totems. Make sure what you’re buying is reliable and accurate.
  • Trust your inner guidance! If a deck calls to you that you otherwise would not have looked at, it might mean that it contains important messages or guidance that you need right now!

3. Archangel Oracle Cards

Doreen Virtue

You can’t have a top 10 list of oracle cards without at least one deck of angel cards, which are probably the most popular of all oracle decks. This Archangel deck by Doreen Virtue is especially beautiful, because you can feel the love and warmth coming from the archangel messages and the artwork is just as lovely.

Each archangel has more than one card (there are 45 altogether) but with different messages that relate to the qualities they are associated with. Messages range from simple instructions such as spending more time in nature, attracting prosperity or resting, to Archangel Metatron offering to heal your chakras with sacred geometry or Archangel Raziel working to awaken your spiritual sight.

Again, these cards are always very accurate (especially when my two-year-old selects me a card!) and I really love the energy that radiates from them, they are full of powerful, unconditional love, just as the archangels are.

4. Goddesses Knowledge Cards

Michael Babcock and Susan SeddonBoulet

Another goddess deck now, which features the stunning artwork of Susan SeddonBoulet. Her art captures the mystery and dark, raw beauty of the Goddess perfectly, which somehow gives the cards more power.

There is no guidebook with this set – the entire interpretation of this deck is written on the reverse of each card. Be aware that much of the text is about the particular goddess, with only the last part explaining how the card might relate to you, so if you are new to oracle cards and want a goddess deck, you might want to begin with Doreen Virtue’s set above.

That said, I adore working with these cards because of their information about each goddess, which you can use to interpret a meaning for yourself. Look within and feel what resonates with you about your own life or issues as you read about the qualities, aspects and symbolism of the goddess you have drawn.

This set is also perfect for determining goddesses to work with either each year or for a particular problem, as the cards tell you so much about each one. Beautiful and highly recommended!

5. Angel Intuition Cards

Adrian Holland

This is a lesser-known deck of oracle cards which I happened across at a local fair in Chester. The creator of the deck, Adrian Holland, had a stall there and was selling his beautiful angel artwork and this card set, which contains a whopping 78 cards plus a handful of instructional guidance cards (the set can be used as a tarot deck as well as an oracle deck).

Unlike other oracle sets, this deck has no guide to interpreting each card (hence the title of Angel Intuition), so I would recommend these for people who are more experienced in working with cards or who are naturally intuitive already. However they are a stunning deck to own. Each card has one of Adrian’s images of an angel, filled with a multitude of different colour combinations.

The key to interpreting the cards lies in the combination of the word on each card, along with the colours in the angel and its light. The method is strongly connected to colour therapy and comes with a short guide to the meaning of the colours. Andrew is a reiki master and colour therapist, and was a joy to talk with. There is a lot of love in these cards, they are extremely accurate, and I just love interpreting the colours and meaning as I draw each one.

6. Crystal Skull Message Cards

White Elk Woman

This oracle set is very special. Having recently begun working with actual crystal skulls, these cards have an extra special draw for me, but aside from that, the deck is extremely powerful!

The esoteric imagery is vivid and inspiring, and the readings the cards give can offer everything from past and future insights, to helping to clear blockages in your aura, chakras or even ascension process.

An accompanying guidebook provides various methods and layouts for the cards, as well as a “Counsel of the 13 Crystal Skulls” which gives a year’s overview, and information on how to use them to heal chakras and the aura. Each card has a channelled message to offer insight and guidance.

7. The Secret World of Crystals Journey Cards

Lee Simmons

Visually, this has to be one of the most incredible and beautiful oracle decks made. Each card contains a photograph of the actual inside of crystals and crystal skulls, taken by award-winning photographer Lee Simmons.

The set contains 44 cards and an extremely good guidebook which contains profound messages for each card. This is more than just an oracle deck – the cards can be used to enhance meditation, healing, and connection with the universe, divine beings and the crystals themselves.

Studying the cards is simply a joy and can create deep shifts within. You may find that images, visions or sacred shapes come to you whilst looking at a particular crystal, along with insights and messages from the cosmos, and within your own consciousness and inner self.

Unfortunately this deck is currently out of print, however crystalskulls.com have told me they are currently in negotiation to get it back in print and hopefully back in stock in the next month or so. Check back soon!

8. Nature Speak Oracle

Ted Andrews

Ted Andrews is the author of the beloved book Animal Speak, and for me there is no greater source on animal medicine, totem animals and reading signs from nature. Ted has several oracle sets, and I also love his Feathered Omens bird set, but selected this one because it is so accurate.

Each card contains something from nature – a plant, a tree, a herb, a landscape – and explains the meaning behind it. In addition to using it as a standard oracle, you can also use it to interpret things you come across unexpectedly when out and about (although this will be more useful to those in North America than, say, the UK like me, being as many of the species are native to there).

Unlike many other card sets, these actually have time frames and can advise on what to do in the coming months. They are extremely accurate and excellent for when you want really spot on readings.

9. Magical Unicorns Oracle Cards

Doreen Virtue

Another gorgeous deck from Doreen Virtue. I am a little biased here as I have had a lifelong love of unicorns, but the artwork for this set is absolutely stunning and possibly the absolute best of all Doreen’s sets as far as the images go!

Once again, there is a lot of love in these cards and they are, for me, always very accurate. I started off with this deck as an iPhone app and loved it so much that I had to get the actual set as well. My two-year-old daughter adores it both on the phone and off, and indeed, for older children who want to learn to use angel or oracle cards for themselves, this set is ideal because they will love the unicorns, and it contains gentle healing and reassuring messages including grandparent, best friends and love from a parent.

Some people find the messages on these cards a little child-like, however we all have our inner child who often needs to heal, and I find that these cards connect you to that inner child, reminding yourself that you need to feel safe and loved too, and take the time to play and laugh just as children do.

10. The Faeries’ Oracle

Brian Froud and Jessica Macbeth

If angel cards are perfect for connecting you to Spirit, then faerie cards are perfect for connecting you to the Earth (and this is very important, because as human beings we need that balance of connection to both).

There are several faerie decks available, including one by Doreen Virtue, but I chose this one for my top ten simply because no one, in my opinion, portrays Faerie as accurately as Brian Froud does. His visions and artwork of faeries are REAL. As an intuitive who has worked with the enchanted realms for years, Brian truly sees the fey as they are – not just flowery, sweet little beings of the Victorian era, but powerful and deeply magical beings, not always pretty, and not always light – there are dark fey as well as light fey in Brian’s world of faerie.

So it is a joy to find that Jessica’s oracle interpreting each card is equally as accurate and true to the Faerie realm. And it seems an awful lot of people agree – a full five star rating on Amazon based on over 100 reviews!

The accompanying guide is over 200 pages and captures the very essence of faerie wisdom, from light to dark, guidance to humour. This truly takes you into the heart of Faerie and offers a deep and profound guidance from this beautiful enchanted realm.

For more stories like that follow them on Pinterest.