Digital Card Decks: Yes or No?
If you don’t already know this about me, now you will: I love digital products. I prefer digital workbooks to printing things out. I prefer to “write” on my iPad rather than use pen and paper. And I even fall into the blasphemous camp of loving e-books more than physical books. So when it comes to oracle and tarot cards, it made sense that I would also enjoy the digital versions of physical. That being said — there are not as many options in the digital realm as there are in the physical realm (though there are plenty… and I will be talking about them). It’s now been over a year of using various digital decks and I wanted to share my thoughts on them.
But do they work?
Here’s my stance when someone inevitably says: but it doesn’t have the same energy!
You’re right. It doesn’t. In my opinion, it has more. Energy is everything. But technology is literally made of energy. So it baffles me when someone says that they don’t carry energy. Sure they do. And it’s been my experience that the intention behind your energy carries over no matter what tangible item you have in your hand. As my mentor explains it:
“With the right intention and energy, you can hold a rock in your hand and it can have the same power as if you hold a hairbrush in your other hand. Same thing with cards, feathers, etc.”
So for me, the question of “how can they work if you’re not physically holding it?” is null and void. I have found that my readings have the same amount of accuracy as when I use the physical cards (and I do use physical cards a lot!).
Where to find digital decks
There are quite a few independently published digital decks, but the bulk of the popular decks seems to fall under three major developers:
A lot of Llewellyn’s decks have been published through this developer, which I really appreciate since I’m a fan of a lot of Llewellyn’s decks. They skew more toward tarot decks though, so there aren’t a whole lot of oracle decks available through them. They also offer a “sampler” app of their deck which I used in the beginning to find the ones I connected and wanted the full deck of.
All of the deck apps are obviously published through Hay House so there are no surprises with the decks. Almost all of the decks are oracles with a very select few tarot decks available. I appreciate having some of my favorite decks from Colette Baron-Reid at my fingertips which is why I frequently use these decks more than any other ones.
This developer has a mixed bag of both oracle and tarot decks and also pulls from Llewellyn’s catalog with quite a few Blue Angel Publishing decks as well.
While I do have a few of the independently published card decks, one that I have really grown to love is called Tarot Journal and it allows you to upload images of your own tarot deck, your own spreads, as well as do readings that can be sent/emailed to someone. It even allows you to modify the names and meanings of the cards within the app. I will show screenshots of that below.
Connecting with digital decks
Each developer added their “spin” on the way the apps work for pulling cards, spreads, etc. I find them all very easy to use and all of them bring the intended purpose to the forefront. But they each offer a different way of engaging with the process of pulling cards and how the information is delivered. Below, I’ve added screenshots of what a “reading” might look like using the different apps and developers.
These screenshots are from the Sacred Rebels Oracle Deck published through Beauty Everywhere
These screenshots are from the Zombie Tarot published by The Fool’s Dog
These screenshots are from The Shaman’s Dream Oracle published by Hay House
This is a screenshot from the Lost Hollow deck that was uploaded to Tarot Journal and the subsequent reading through their app.
As you can see there are slight differences in the way the apps look/feel but ultimately, what’s important is getting the message and meaning from the cards as you would any physical deck. But if you start working with digital decks, you’ll naturally find you gravitate toward certain apps.
In my opinion, I love using The Fool’s Dog apps as they have the most comprehensive feel to them.
To App or Not to App
When it comes to using digital decks and whether or not it’s a good fit for someone is this: do you like to have decks on the go? Would you enjoy having a deck at your fingertips when waiting for an appointment or spontaneous readings? If the answer is yes, then I encourage you to give one of the digital decks a try. Even deck creators have embraced the future of digital decks like Colette Baron-Reid who recently stated in OraclePalooza that she enjoys using the digital versions of her decks just as much as the physical ones.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you will enjoy and what you will use. For me, digital decks have offered me much greater freedom in using decks for personal and professional readings which is why I wanted to share them with you.
Download one and try it out — you may just surprise yourself with how much you enjoy using it.
