How to Use Oracle Cards to Talk to Your Spirit Guides

Oracle cards and tarot cards are beautiful tools you can use to connect with your spirit guides, strengthen your intuition, and deepen your spiritual practice.

They’re fun, powerful, and incredibly supportive.

In this post, I’ll walk you through some of my favorite ways — and the ways I’ve learned over the years — to use oracle cards as a direct line to spirit guidance.

So… What Are Oracle Cards?

Oracle cards are decks we can use to communicate with our spirit guides and our own spirit. While both oracle and tarot cards are tools for guidance, they work a bit differently.

Oracle cards are typically more direct. There are lots of styles — some mirror tarot, while others are more free-form and thematic. They’re less structured than tarot and tend to feel a bit more fluid and intuitive.

When choosing a deck, start by noticing which one speaks to you. What images, colors, or vibes spark your curiosity? Follow that feeling.

Spirit speaks in images — symbols, signs, colors — because that’s the language of the subconscious. That’s why we notice feathers, repeating numbers, or meaningful symbols. Oracle decks simply bring that language into form.

Step-by-Step: Using Oracle Cards to Talk to Your Guides

1. Choose a Deck That Resonates

The first thing to do is choose a deck that you feel connected to. Today I’m using my mom’s deck — Ask Your Guides — which I love. It’s direct, warm, and really easy to work with.

Once you get your deck, treat it as sacred. Infuse it with your energy. In some traditions (like in my family), we don’t let other people handle our decks — not from fear, but to keep that channel clear and personal.

2. Create a Sacred Space

Before pulling a card, take a moment to ground. Light a candle. Ring a bell. Burn some incense. Do whatever helps you signal to your senses that you’re entering a sacred space.

This isn’t about rules — it’s about presence. Let yourself slow down and shift into intuitive mode.

3. Shuffle and Set an Intention

As you shuffle, focus on a question or simply open your heart. If nothing specific comes to mind, just center your attention on your heart space. Feel the energy you’re calling in. Be present with it.

When you feel ready, stop shuffling. I like to spread the cards out with my hands and hover my palm over them. I’ll often rub my hands together first to wake up the energy, then hover and feel for which card is calling me.

Let your body and energy guide you.

4. Pick Your Card — But Don’t Rush to the Guidebook Yet!

Once you’ve pulled a card, resist the urge to immediately reach for the booklet. That’s not where the magic begins.

Instead, look at the image. What colors, shapes, or symbols stand out? How does it make you feel? What story is the card telling?

Close your eyes and visualize the image in your heart space. Get still. Let your spirit speak. Maybe a word, feeling, memory, or image will arise — let it come naturally.

5. Write It Down

Once you’ve received what you needed intuitively, write it down. I keep a little notebook for my daily card pulls. It’s a beautiful way to track how your guidance evolves over time.

Journaling your intuitive impressions helps you build a personal symbolic language with your guides.

6. Now You Can Check the Guidebook (Optional)

Only after you’ve explored your own inner response, feel free to look up the card in the guidebook — but hold it lightly. What matters most is what it means to you.

When I was little and first learning to read tarot with my mom, she wouldn’t let me use any books. It was all about:

“What do you see? What do you feel? What story is this card telling?”

And honestly — that’s where the power lies.

Trust Your Own Language of Spirit

The more time you spend with your deck, the more clearly you’ll begin to understand your own intuitive voice and your guides’ language. Your inner vocabulary will expand — through signs, symbols, images, feelings — and soon you’ll begin to notice those nudges throughout your day.

I hope you enjoyed this! If you have a favorite oracle deck, let me know in the comments — I love hearing what resonates with others.

Some of my favorites: