Oracle card decks
Encyclopedia
Oracle card decks claim to provide insight and positive outlooks to people. Modern oracle cards are conceptually similar to divinatory tarot cards, but they are often not divided into playing card
Playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...

 suits. They often lack what is often seen as the "darker" images of traditional tarot cards. Unlike the Tarot, oracle cards are not known to be used for card games. Oracle decks often differ in the number of cards. Common themes used in oracle card decks involve the power of positive thought and metaphysical beings such as angels, fairies, mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...

s and unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...

s. These cards are sometimes called "fortune telling packs"

Some of the earlier "Oracle" or "fortune telling" cards are similar to conventional playing cards and may even carry the French suit system. These fortune telling cards often claim a "Gypsy" tradition of cartomancy
Cartomancy
Cartomancy is fortune-telling or divination using a deck of cards. Forms of cartomancy appeared soon after playing cards were first introduced into Europe in the 14th century...

 and pre-date the New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...

 movement by a great many years.
One type of early fortune telling pack named after famous cartomancer Marie Anne Lenormand is popular in Europe.
In recent history tarot cards have been used for divination, however this is not known to have been their original use. The earliest uses of tarot cards are for trick taking card games which are still enjoyed today in Europe.
Recent titles oracle cards: Psychological insight cards, spiritual insight cards, 2012 inspiration cards (using maya Tzolkin calender energy cards). Also popular is the 'book with all answers' opening a page answers your preset question.
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