Kernels of Truth Oracle Deck
By Christine Colin Kern, Intuitive Empath
My father always used to tell me, we already have the answers, we just need to ask the right questions. That's why I created this wonderful deck of Oracle cards. When I started reading cards, I began with traditional Tarot and then branched into various types of oracle cards, including animal totems, numerology, chakras, energy, color symbolism, and other themed cards. I quickly found myself adding more and more decks to my collection, loving aspects of each, but always longing for something ELSE. None of the decks seemed right to me alone.
I soon realized that what I wanted to do was combine aspects of different decks into a single reading. That was the birth of the Kernels of Truth: A Syncretic Oracle Card Deck. I created this deck to incorporate unique aspect of energies into a single reading using just one deck of cards. This deck begins with the Major Arcana of the Traditional Tarot deck, but then replaced the four traditional Tarot suits with 4 suits of my own creation. These include: Chakras; Animals; Numerology; and Seasons, Senses, and Elements. This syncretic deck, drawing on various aspects of readings, allows for greater depth of interpretation and pinpoints areas of imbalance for the sitter to address. I hope you enjoy this new approach to oracle cards and find your inner wisdom through your conversations with this wonderful deck with artwork created by a talented group of students from Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA directed by Professor Jodi Staniunas Hopper.
​
The Suits
The Major Arcana Cards
The traditional Tarot deck is comprised of 78 cards: a Major Arcana suit of 22 cards, and 4 suits of 14 cards each. Each Major Arcana card has a partiuclar meaning and association, and the 4 Miunor Arcana Suits are associated with one of the 4 elements (Air, Earth, Fire, Water). Each card in the miunor arcana is also linked to a major arcana card. Some readers, however, choose to use only the Major Arcana suit when doing a reading, while others use the complete deck. I decided to base my deck on the Major Arcana suit, denoted with a gold border, and then create four associated suits that had origins in other forms of oracle cards. Because I used the oracle cards as a form of meditation and guidance, it seemed appropriate to me to tap into our basic energies on a number of levels. The Major Arcana cards represent overarching themes or messages in our lives that govern the bigger picture. The cards in the journey of the Major Arcana can provide important clues to what actions the sitter should (or should not) be taking at a particular moment. They provide direction, momentum, and insight that can help the sitter determine their path.
0 - The Fool: Folly
i - The Magician: Will Power
II - The High Priestess: Secret Knowledge
III - The Empress Mother: Fertility
IV - The Emperor Father: Self-Control
V - The High Priest:Tradition
VI - Love: Balance Between Forces
VII - Victory: Mental Triumph
VIII - Fortitude: Overcoming Obstacles
IX - The Hermit: Guiding Spirit
X - Destiny: Fate
XI - Justice: Proper Balance
XII - The Hanged Man: Sacrifice
XIII - Transformation: Transitions
XIV - Temperance: Moderation
XV - Temptation: Self Destruction
XVI - The Tower: Endings
XVII - The Star: Hope and Faith
XVIII - The Moon: Inspiration
XIX - The Sun: Peace of Mind
XX - Judgement: Atonement
XXI - The Universe: Completion
The Suit of Chakras
Chakras comprise a system of energy that focuses on specific points in the body that work to channel particular things. Each chakra drives its own power center, and when all the chakras are balanced, it produces optimum clarity, balance, and personal power. Derived from Eastern philosophies, some branches of study identify literally hundreds of chakra points in and around the body, while most Western practioners acknowledge only 7: Root, Sacral, solar Plexis, Heart, Throat, Forehead or Third Eye, and Crown. I have chosen to use 12 chakra energy centers in this suit., including the Left and Right Palms, the Earth Star, Soul Star, and Stellar Gateway. Denoted with a pink border, these cards address balance or imbalance in a particular energy center that needs attention from the sitter in a reading.
1 - Root : Grounding & Security
2 - Sacral: Creativity and Fertility
3 - Solar Plexus: Energy/ Instinct;/Willpower
4 - Heart: Love.Emotion
5. - Throat: Communication and Expression
6 - Third Eye: Insight/Intuition/Occult Knowledge
7 - Crown: Connection with Spirit/Higher Self
8 - Right Palm: What you can Manifest Now for the Future
9 - Left Palm: What you have Manifested in the Past
10 - Earth Star: Grounding for Advancing the Spiritual Journey
11 - Soul Star: Guidance from your Higher Self
12 - Stellar Gateway: Divine Connection with Other Realms
Suit of Animals
I have always been very much in tune with animal forces and the messages they bring to me. Have you ever seen a particular animal that seems to JUMP in front of you? Or seen recurring images or visits by a particular species that seems out of place? If so, you have experienced an animal spirit guide messenger trying to tell you something. The second suit I included was Animals. Though there are literally thousands of options to choose from, I narrowed down this suit to just 14, representing a cross section of mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, and snakes. And although each card/animal has a specific message, it also has a life force of its own, so the meaning of the card can shift somewhat with each situation. Listen closely to your body to understand the energy of the card and its unique message. Animal spirit guides love to help us, and can even appear to us in our dreams if we are not taking their guidance seriously enough.
1. Bumblebee. Longeveity; Transformation.
2. Butterfly. change; Cycles; Renewal and Rebirth.
3. Sandhill Crane. Balance, Honor; Innovation.
4. Crow. Magic; Growth; Learning; Tools.
5. Dolphin. Harmony; Balance; Buoyancy; Resilience.
6. Dragonfly. Transformation; Adaptability.
7. Elephant. Strength; Honor; Tenacity; Family.
8. Fox. Intuition; Intelligence; Problem-Solving.
9. Hummingbird. Joy; Lightness of Being; Love.
10. Manatee. Simplifications; Slow and Graceful Approaches.
11. Raccoon. Protector; Flexibility; Resourcefulness; Illusion.
12. Rattlesnake. Healer; Universal Healing Forces.
13. Red-tail Hawk. Perspective; Observation; Higher Perception.
14. Spider. Construction; Relationships; Power; Mysticism.
Suit of Numerology
​
Numbers have particular meanings that add another layer to oracle cards. I decided to include a suit dedicated just to numerology, even though you can also interpret the numerology of the cards in the other suits as part of their overall meaning as well. Sometimes, number jump out at us - through repetition or appearance or even in dreams. They often are trying to tell us something specific. I have included 15 numbers here - numbers 1 through 10, 11, 22, 66, 72, and 99.
Numerology:
1 - Beginnings.
2 - Duality/Partnerships
3 - Acknowledgement and activity/Stability
4 - Stability and Balance
5 - Instability or Conflict
6 - Harmony and Improvement
7 - The seeker, thinker, searcher of truth
8 - Gateways; change;; power and strength
9 - Intensity; wisdom and initiation; approaching completion
10 - Completion, Harmony; Beginning Again.
11 - Instinct and Intuitive Knowledge
22 - The Master Builder; Discipline
66- Optimistic Idealism
72 - Humanitarianism
99 - Universal Love; Harmony; Karma.
​
Suit of Seasons, Senses, and Elements
The final suit brings together other sensual elements that influence our daily lives: the four seasons, the 6 senses, and the 4 elements. Each of these forces exert energies in and around us that influence our thoughts and actions on a daily basis. By using these aspects as part of an Oracle card reading, we can get a better, more in-depth reading of events and energies. And while we usually only discuss 5 senses, I have also included the so-called "6th sense" guided by the energy of the Third Eye Chakra.
1 - Spring: Renewal and Rebirth.
2 - Summer: Full Bloom.
3 - Fall: Harvest; Endings; Death
4 - Winter: Rest and Rejuvenation
5 - Sight: See the Unseen
6 - Hearing : Listen to what is unsaid
7 - Smell: Discern the scents
8 - Touch: Make physical contact
9 - Taste: Explore the flavors
10 - 6th Sense: Open to Higher Knowing
11 - Air: Time to Fly
12 - Earth: Time to Ground Yourself
13 - Fire: Light The Spark
14 - Water: Let Emotions Free
You can find a downloadable and printable PdF file of my explanatory booklet on the next subpage here.