Why I Picked Orisha Tarot for My First Deck
So I wanted to try tarot but didn’t know where to start. Saw folks online talking about Orisha decks having clearer symbols than Rider-Waite. Figured if pictures look less like a museum painting, maybe I’d get it faster. Grabbed a beginner Orisha deck on Amazon for like twenty bucks – nothing fancy, just cards and a tiny guidebook.
Cracking Open That Box
Right outta the package, I spread all 78 cards on my carpet. Big mistake. Felt like drowning in colored paper. Saw names like “Oshun” and “Shango” and panicked – no clue what any meant. Almost packed ’em back up. But remembered why I started: to understand my gut feelings better. So I brewed coffee and did this instead:
- Separated Major and Minor Arcana piles
- Flipped through just the Majors first while reading booklet keywords
- Stuck post-its on cards I kinda recognized (like “The Sun” actually looked like… a sun)
My Dumb First Mistake
Tried doing a full Celtic Cross spread on day two. Total disaster. Drew cards upside-down, mixed up positions, forgot whether “past position” meant yesterday or 2005. Booklet kept saying stuff like “Oya signifies transformation” – okay, but what’s that mean for my job anxiety? Felt like reading French with Google Translate.
How I Actually Learned
Stashed the big spreads. Started pulling one card every morning. Asked simple stuff: “What energy should I notice today?” Stopped trying to “predict” things. Just stared at the image – like that Obatala card showing mountains. Made me think “calm but firm.” When my boss blew up my email that afternoon, I breathed instead of firing back. Small win.
After three weeks:
- Memorized 5 Major Arcana by their colors/feelings
- Used coins/pentacles cards when stressing about bills
- Kept pulling Yemaya (ocean goddess) on rainy days – spooky but cool
Why It Stuck With Me
Orisha didn’t magically “fix” anything. But flipping a card became like checking weather before going out. Sometimes irrelevant, sometimes weirdly spot-on. Last week pulled Elegua at a crossroads symbol while debating a career jump. Didn’t tell me what to do – just reminded me paths exist beyond the obvious one.
Still mess up readings constantly. Mix up swords and wands. Forget reversals. But now? When friends say “tarot’s witchy nonsense,” I just smile. Because shuffling these cards taught me to trust my own symbols. And that’s worth more than “being right.”
