It's a very rare thing to find an oracle card, be that tarot, Lenormand, Kipper, or otherwise, that doesn't have a specific meaning. The tarot has meanings that date back to at least the mid 15th century, and even a deck written this year will have meanings listed in a booklet or sometimes on the cards themselves. Those are not the only meanings though, and in this post I'll go over how they can change.
Traditional meanings
When I say traditional I don't just mean those things that have been around for a long time. The Fool has been part of tarot decks for centuries and means new beginnings, new journeys, new adventures, but it also means a lack of understanding due to inexperience. By the same token a 2020 deck called Beyond Lemuria has a card called Star Seer which means paying attention to our intuition and trusting ourselves.
Both of these can be classed as the traditional meanings. You could say traditional and book meanings but that's a big long-winded, plus my version of Beyond Lemuria is the pocket edition, where the meanings are written on the cards so it doesn't come with a book.
The Four of Wands. Seventh Sphere Tarot. Rider Waite Smith. Labrynthos app
Intuitive meanings
The intuitive meaning of a card is what you feel like it's saying, what your instincts tell you the card is trying to communicate, sometimes this is completely at odds with what the traditional meaning is. You look at the card and something about it makes you think of something, a thought strikes you out of the blue, a tiny little symbol reminds you of something, whatever happens the card is saying something besides just the traditional meaning, or it might be saying something completely different.
The Listener. Oracle of the Dragonfae. Sword Oracle app.
Custom meanings
These are things you choose for the most part but things that come up time and time again. For example the 8 of Wands means forward momentum and rapid action, but perhaps for you it has come to refer to your bossy sibling who charges full speed into your life and takes over. It's very common for certain cards to represent certain people over and over again, it's also common for them to represent certain aspects of your life, like your work or health.
Custom meanings usually develop over time. You'll see the card come up time and again and realise it now means a specific thing when you read for yourself. For example, when I do Lenormand readings for myself and I see Mice come up I know that card is referring to me, Mice has a meaning of decay, pollution and disease, but also represents illness and so fits with me as a disabled person.
Channelling. The Secret Language of Light Oracle. Sword Oracle app.
The correct way
Let's get this over with, there is no correct way to read oracle cards. Some people will tell you there is but those people don't know what they're talking about. Considering the amount of disagreement there can be over one single card in tarot I think it's reasonable to say we all have our own way of doing things and all those ways are legitimate so long as we are genuine about them.
You can also choose to work with oracle cards traditionally, intuitively, and with their custom meanings all at once. It's up to you.
