I know it has been a LONG time since I did a blog post – I’ve been mostly focusing on YouTube videos these days – it just seems to be a quicker and easier way for me to communicate information most the time. Inflection, nuance, and hand gestures are sometimes the BEST way to transmit information!
But this is a question I get all the time and I really feel that text is the way to go for this one, so here we are!
So, CAN you use a tarot (or oracle) app to do readings? Is it reliable? Is it a good idea? And what should look for?
These are great questions (if I do say so myself! And I do!)!
Can You Use Apps To Do Readings?
So, the short answer is “yes.”
If you’ve been around here for awhile, you’ve probably already heard my “ink and paper” rant. In short, a deck is just ink, paper, and some plastic gloss/sealant to protect the cards. There is no special blessings done on the cards, they aren’t anointed, they aren’t test driven, none of that. They are mass printed, packaged up, sealed in plastic wrap, and stored in a warehouse. There is nothing that makes them more special than, say, stationary, hallmark cards, or post cards, prior to their arrival in your hands.
If we look at an app (short for “application”), you might think that there’s NOTHING to even hold or interact with, but that isn’t true! The app lives on your cell phone, which IS a physical object. In fact, your cell phone is a physical object that you probably touch, hold, handle, and interact with FAR more than any physical deck in your possession. In addition, your cell phone is an electronic device – and for any of the psychic tech fans out there, you are probably already aware of how sensitive our beloved electronics can be. If you need convincing, consider this:
- If you’re grouchy or in a hurry, your electronics are DEFINITELY going to act up, go slow, or crash a lot – even your toaster!
- Parapsychologists (scientists who study psychic phenomenon, ghosts, and other unexplained phenomenon) use SUPER sensitive electronic equipment to pick up electronic emissions undetectable to the normal senses when there shouldn’t be any. So there IS some scientific basis for electronics being affected by psychic phenomenon.
- Anything that is in your physical energy field “bonds” with you energetically – your energy gets all over it and its energy gets all over you – this is why some people carry their new decks around and sleep with them at night – to speed up the bonding process.
So, since your cell phone is already energetically bonded to you and a sensitive electronic device, it only makes sense that you could use it for readings AT LEAST as well as ink and paper.
Are Apps Reliable?
Okay, so, until you decide to test it out on your own, you’re going to have to take my word for it (and anyone else whose opinion you seek out). I have been doing readings online for over 10 years now and the last couple years I have switched primarily to using my phone app for doing readings. It’s quicker, it’s easier, it takes up less space on my desk, and my cat is less likely to ruin a deck this way or interrupt a reading. In addition, with the volume of readings I do, my hands are less sore at the end of the day this way.
Although for in person readings and when it moves me to do so, I still use my physical decks.
I have noticed NO DIFFERENCE in efficacy between my physical decks and my electronic ones. Neither one is better than the other and they both serve me equally well. For efficacy, I do not have a preference.
Keep in mind, though, and this just occurred to me, I have NOT used my app for in-person readings, so I’m not sure if that would make a difference or not. So, as always, experiment and see what works for you!
The BIGGEST factor, as always, is your OWN COMFORT. Though a difference may exist only in your own psyche, that is enough to create a difference. If it just doesn’t feel good to you, it’s not going to work for you.
Is Using an App a Good Idea? aka Pros vs Cons
Pros:
- Easier on the hands
- Takes up less space
- Cats are less tempted (but still tempted a little) to lay on them
- Wind won’t blow your app away
- Shuffling is faster
- Always have a deck with you
- Easy to save readings and journal them
- Includes the book with them
- Very hard to lose a card
- Can turn reversals on or off quickly and easily
- Significantly cheaper AND 1 copy can go on all my devices and I can download it again and again and again and again….
Cons:
- Simply not as cool as a deck
- Harder to flip through the cards casually
- Cards are limited to small screens – harder to share in person
- Serious lack of atmosphere and mood
- Lack of tactile feedback
- Frying your cell phone IS a risk (ask me how I know)
- Sleep mode
- Stigma (people judge, yo)
Choosing An App
Yay! I LOVE deck shopping and I seem to enjoy deck shopping virtually as much as I do for physical decks – maybe even more. Instant gratification is MUCH easier digitally… and it just occurs to me that I have not been counting digital decks in my deck counts…. oops!
A really nice things with deck apps is that almost all of them have free versions – these are versions that allow you to use the deck and try it out usually with some limited features, things like: an abbreviated deck (22 out of 50 cards), limited app functions (no save features, limited spreads, etc), or a time limit on use. I absolutely recommend trying before buying.
I make NO ATTEMPT to disguise that Fool’s Dog are my favorite app creators! And this is primarily because they have the licensing for professionally published decks (including Shadowscapes, Deviant Moon, Everyday Witch, Tarot of Pagan Cats, Druidcraft, and more). I REALLY wanted my “working deck” (the deck I use primarily for clients) as an app.
Other important features (for me) include:
- Free Form Spread – I don’t normally USE spreads for readings and when I do, they are custom spreads, so being forced to use pre-determined spreads doesn’t really make me happy.
- Reversals can be turned on and off for all decks on a reading-by-reading basis.
- The entire accompanying book for the deck is available through the app, so if I NEED to look something up, I can.
- I can choose my own custom background for my readings – look, I don’t want to be annoyed while readings cards – that’s important!
- A pretty good selection of pre-determined spreads, which is AWESOME for when I’m teaching classes and can’t remember how popular published spreads go.
- An ability to browse through the cards quickly, so if I want to look at a card RIGHT NOW, I can.
- A journal function where I can save my readings, record my interpretation in text or audio, and email and share them with whoever I want (and I just discovered that it has been saving all my readings automatically for all of time – oops!)
Of course, Fool’s Dog isn’t the only app provider I have decks from. I also have deck apps from Indie Goes, too.
This app maker doesn’t have quite the feature selection that Fool’s Dog does, however, it DOES have device diversity – meaning their apps are available on Android, Apple, and Amazon devices, which is awesome! It’s SO frustrating to have apps that you love and cannot get across all your devices. In addition, you can also use their decks online through their website.
What’s REALLY neat about this app creator is that their decks are primarily virtual decks – meaning that they don’t actually exist in reality – you CANNOT buy a physical copy of these decks. This is a REALLY fantastic option for deck creators who aren’t sure if there is enough demand or desire to bother with an actual physical run of their deck or not.
Of course, there are a TON more options for deck app creators out there and the only way for you to REALLY know whether or not an app is going to work for you is for you to try it out for yourself.
If you decide to give it a shot, I’d love to hear what you think!
<3 Nathara
