When you are starting out on your spiritual journey, there are many types of helpful tools you will probably come across that can be of great benefit for you.
Tarot is known to be one of these tools, but when you are reading this article, you’ve probably heard about angel cards as well. You might find yourself wondering what is the difference between the two and in what whey they each could be beneficial to you.
What is the difference between Tarot Cards and Angel Cards? The biggest difference between Tarot Cards and Angel Cards is their structure and complexity. Tarot Cards can be, especially for a beginner, quite challenging to read whereas Angel Cards often solely consist out of clear inspirational messages.
If you plan on working with either tarot cards or angel cards, I would strongly suggest you to keep on reading as there is still plenty of information I would like to share with you on the difference between tarot cards and angel cards and the pros and cons of using them.
What Are Angel Cards
First, let’s dive a bit deeper into what angel cards exactly are. Angel cards have a lot of similarities to tarot cards. Just as tarot, they can be used as a very helpful tool to develop yourself on your spiritual journey.
Where tarot decks have a set structure of 78 cards, angel cards are usually created without any specific rules or format. You could say angel cards are directly related to oracle cards. Angel cards will most of the time be illustrated with angelic artwork that is connected to a specific inspirational message.
Angel card’s main purpose are to inspire and motivate you to make positive changes in your life in order to eventually live your ultimate life’s purpose. Angel cards are said to serve as a direct connection between you and your higher spirits.
Angel cards can be great for beginners who are interested in working with a spiritual tool as these cards are quite straightforward and easy to understand. It can be a great tool to get more in touch with your intuition and offer you great helpful insights on any current life events you might need some advice on. Just as with tarot readings, angel readings can provide you with information on for example relationships, love, career, finances and health.
There are many options to choose when you are looking to buy a set of angel cards. Let your intuition guide the way and choose a deck you feel most drawn to, most of the time you will find this will be the kind of deck that will be able to help you out the most on your spiritual path.
What Are Tarot Cards
Tarot cards are a spiritual tool you are probably already quite familiar with, but let’s just take a short look at what tarot cards actually are and how they are different from angel cards.
A tarot deck always consists out of a total of 78 cards that each have their own meaning and interpretations. Unlike most people suggest, tarot is not a way to predict your future. Tarot can be merely used a great tool for self-development as it can show you helpful insights through the cards on how you can positively influence specific situations.
As opposed to angel cards, tarot cards take quite a bit of practicing and learning in order to actually be able to read them properly. Where angel cards are quite clear on their message, tarot cards can be interpreted in different kind of ways, depending on for example their relation to the cards around them and the position they lay in.
Pros and Cons
Required Knowledge
Tarot cards:
Pro: because the required knowledge to read tarot cards is quite high, you will possess a very distinctive skill that will be a great help for both yourself and others.
Con: it will probably take quite some time to truly acquire the required knowledge.
Angel cards:
Pro: easy to understand cards, not much knowledge required.
Con: you might find that angel cards don’t challenge you enough, as they are quite easy to understand.
Structure
Tarot cards:
Pro: strictly structured cards which provide a great basis to always fall back on when you might get lost within a reading.
Con: not much room for your own input when it comes to the actual structure, as the structure is already quite set.
Angel cards:
Pro: no set structures, so more freedom to create a reading that suits your personal needs.
Con: because of the lack of structure, you might find it difficult to come to a reading that will provide enough specific insights.
Meanings
Tarot cards:
Pro: with 78 cards there are a lot of different card meanings which can help provide helpful insights on any quest you might endure on your spiritual path.
Con: the meaning of the cards is not so easy to understand by solely looking at the card, you’ll need to dive in deeper to find its definition.
Angel cards:
Pro: the meanings of the cards are really straight forward as they are stated directly on the card.
Con: the fact that the meaning of the cards are quite straight forward, this might take away a bit of your own imagination and intuition. You might find the card’s meanings to be too simple.
Interpretations
Tarot cards:
Pro: there are a lot of different possible interpretations when it comes to tarot cards, which will most probably always provide you with an answer or insight you can benefit from.
Con: because there are so many possible ways to interpret each card, it takes great skills and experience to make sure you are interpreting the cards in the correct way.
Angel cards
Pro: just as with the meanings of the angel cards, the way they can be interpreted are pretty straight forward as well.
Con: you might find yourself feeling like you would like some additional information or insights when it comes to interpreting the cards.
Art and Illustrations
Tarot cards:
Pro: there are many different types of tarot decks to choose from and each come with their own unique art style.
Con: a lot of decks might attract you due to their amazing illustrations, but might not be able to provide you with the insights and information you are looking for. The looks of the deck may seduce you into buying a deck not suitable for you.
Angel cards:
Pro: just as with tarot cards, there is a great variation available when it comes to the art styles of angel decks. With many different styles to choose from you should have no problem finding a deck that attracts you.
Con: most angel decks come with illustrations that are .. well.. mostly inspired by angelic figures. As pretty and cute as the decks can be, you might be looking for some more variation.
Size
Tarot cards:
Pro: Most general tarot cards have a standard size of 2.75 x 4.75 inches (7 cm x 12 cm), which makes them easy to hold and shuffle.
Con: There’s not really a con to be found in this, except when you like smaller or bigger sized cards better. In that case angel cards or oracle cards might be more suitable for you as they tend to vary more in size.
Angel cards:
Pro: Angel cards don’t only come in regular tarot card sizes, but you will be able to find different shapes and sizes in them as well. This might give more depth and feel to your reading.
Con: Might be a little more difficult or frustrating to have to adjust to different kind of deck sizes when you use multiple decks within your readings.
Spreads
Tarot cards:
Pro: Lots of different kind of spreads which gives tarot cards a wide range of possibilities to read them which will be able to keep you interested for a long time.
Con: For a beginner the amount of available spreads might be very overwhelming.
Angel cards:
Pro: Because angel cards don’t have a fixed structure, and can be created freely by each artist, each deck will have some kind of explanation how to read them and what kind of spread you can use.
Con: It might be frustrating to have to dive in to which spread is best suited for a specific kind of deck as there are no clearly identified ‘rules’.
Availability
Tarot cards:
Pro: There are a lot of different kind of tarot decks available on the market in a wide range of art styles, so you will always be able to find a deck that suits you.
Con: The amount of available decks might make it difficult to choose sometimes, as they are a lot of beautiful and interesting decks out there.
Angel cards:
Pro: Just as with tarot decks, there are a lot of different kind of angel decks available. Although with tarot decks you’ll still have a lot more decks to choose from.
Con: Although there are enough decks to choose from when it comes to angel cards, most of them come with angelic illustrations, which might not be something you are looking for in each deck. You might be looking for some more variation.
Price
Tarot cards:
Pro: Tarot cards are available in many price ranges. You can make it as cheap or expensive as you’d like. There are decks out there starting from around $10,- and then there are also very rare decks available with prices around an astonishing $1000,- dollars. Most of the popular or well known decks though will be around $25 – $ 35 dollars.
Con: Although there are decks for around $10,- out there, you could find yourself attracted to the more expensive kind of decks. As a beginner though, starting out with a ‘cheaper’ and maybe more simple deck would be just fine, just make sure it is in Rider-Waite style so you will learn the correct tarot basics.
Angel cards:
Pro: Just as with tarot cards, you’ll also be able to find different price ranges with angel cards. You will find a lot of decks available varying from around $10 – $40,- dollars.
Con: As there are less angel decks on the market, you might not like the more cheaper kind of decks, which will automatically lead you to the more expensive ones.
Are Angel Cards Safe?
There are a lot of misconceptions out there when it comes to angel cards. Some people tend to think angel cards have the ability to attract bad entities or spirits. This is not true. Angel cards are absolutely safe to use.
By using angel cards you are tapping in to your own personal power. You are not attracting any kind of ‘dark’ entities, as long as you use the cards the way they are intended for.
Angel cards don’t hold the power, it is the person that uses them that does. As long as your intentions are in the right place, your higher spirit will lead you on your journey in an absolutely positive way. You don’t have to be afraid that angel cards are dangerous at all.
Remember you are responsible for your own life choices, angel cards are just a helpful tool to assist you into reaching your highest potential and show you spiritual insights that have been inside you all along.
Can You Buy Angel Cards For Yourself?
You may have heard about a myth going around that says you can’t buy angel cards (or tarot cards) for yourself as it might influence the energy surrounding the cards in a negative way. I’m here to tell you that this is certainly not true.
It is perfectly fine to buy angel cards for yourself. In fact, in my opinion buying your own angel cards is actually even better than letting someone else gift you with a deck. When it comes to choosing a suitable deck, the number one important aspect in choosing the right deck is to use your intuition to find the best deck for you. Who other than yourself will know what deck suits you best?
It is very important that you feel a strong connection to your deck, as this will form the foundation on which your readings will be built.
Happy reading!