Tarot is a system characterised by a specific set of cards, with a network of specific relationships to one another. Although many tarot decks feature slight variations, they almost always maintain the basic structure: major and minor arcana, 4 elemental suits numbered from ace to 10, and 4 court cards.

When reading tarot cards, I pay equal attention to the visual imagery on that specific card (which is highly variable between decks) as to their relational position and significance within the tarot system (which all decks have in common).

Oracle cards are typically used in the exact same way as tarot cards, except that they do not have any specific system of meaningful interrelationships between themselves nor with tarot decks. Every oracle deck contains completely different cards, often based on specific (but entirely unique) themes according to the creator’s choice.

As a supplement to a tarot card reading, oracle cards can shed light on the subject of inquiry from a radically unique and creative angle.

The Fountain is the very first tarot deck that came to live with me, and the one I most frequently use.

The deck(s) to consult in any given session is intuitively selected based on best energetic match with the question or themes being explored.

If you have worked with a specific deck in my collection before and want to work with it again in subsequent sessions, this will always be honoured and prioritised.

It can be helpful, but it’s not required. General themes and open questions such as “is there anything that the cards think I should be aware of right now?” is also fine.

(It’s also possible to do an entire reading where we ask the cards about the best way to ask a question, or the best question to ask, about a particular theme or situation!)

While I don’t think there are “bad” questions per-se, I do see certain types of questions as less suited to be answered by a language of images.

Questions I do not recommend:

• Yes or No questions (binary options with no “maybe”, “both”, “neither” possibilities)

• Questions about exact dates or times in the future “when” something “will” happen

• Questions that are best answered by a lawyer or doctor

• Questions that involve reading another person’s energy without their consent

In my practice, the contents of the reading are a reflection of the energy around your inquiry in the present moment. Their ability to “predict” the future lies in the fact that future energy comes from present energy.

To explain this, I typically use the imagery of a stream of water. Based on its current speed and direction of flow, we can see where the water molecules we are currently observing and measuring in this stream is headed — and thus predict where they will actually arrive at a later point in time. However, many things can happen between now and then which causes the flow to be diverted, so there are no guarantees, only likelihoods.

From this perspective, receiving a “warning” about being headed towards an undesirable future is actually a blessing in disguise. If this happens, we can use our time together to explore exactly which aspects of your present situation may need to change in order to redirect the course of your future towards something better.