Divination: The Past Lives Oracle

 

The Past Life Oracle Cards 

Doreen Virtue and Brian L. Weiss

44 cards and book

Publisher: Hay House Inc
ISBN: 9781401943677
Number of pages: 120

The Past Life Oracle Cards is a 44-card oracle deck created by Doreen Virtue in collaboration with Brian L. Weiss. It was published in 2014 by Hay House and includes a companion guidebook. The deck is designed for readers who believe in reincarnation or who wish to explore past-life symbolism as a tool for self-reflection and spiritual growth.  

The central philosophy

The deck is based on the idea that experiences from previous incarnations can influence aspects of one’s present life, including:

• Relationships
• Career choices
• Fears and phobias
• Health patterns
• Spiritual gifts
• Recurring life lessons
• Talents that seem to come naturally

From this perspective, recurring emotional or behavioural patterns may have roots beyond one’s current lifetime. Whether taken literally or symbolically, the cards encourage the reader to explore these themes with curiosity rather than certainty.

The artwork

The artwork is soft, dreamlike, and highly symbolic, typical of many of Doreen Virtue’s oracle decks. The imagery depicts historical periods, spiritual scenes, mythological motifs, and archetypal situations rather than specific individuals.

Unlike tarot, the cards are not divided into suits and do not follow a numbered structure. Each card represents a particular theme associated with a possible past-life influence.

Examples of cards include:

• Atlantis
• Egypt
• Celtic
• Biblical
• Monk or Nun
• High Priest or Priestess
• Native American
• Medicine Man or Woman
• Love Life
• Transportation
• Trees
• Food and Hunger
• Persecution and Inquisition
• Authority Figures
• Wisdom

These themes are intended to act as prompts for meditation and intuition rather than historical evidence.

Reading with the deck

The guidebook offers several spreads, including:

• A single-card daily message
• Three-card readings (past influence, present lesson, future direction)
• Relationship readings
• Healing readings
• Questions about recurring fears or life patterns

Readers are encouraged to quiet the mind, ask a question, shuffle the deck, and allow intuition to guide interpretation.

Metaphysical perspective

Within New Age spirituality, the cards are believed to help uncover:

• Karmic contracts
• Soul lessons
• Soul groups
• Repeating relationship patterns
• Spiritual gifts carried between incarnations
• Unresolved emotional experiences

For example:

• Atlantis may suggest lessons involving advanced knowledge, technology, or misuse of power.
• Egypt often relates to mystery traditions, sacred knowledge, or magical practices.
• Celtic can point toward connections with nature spirituality, druidic wisdom, or ancestral traditions.
• Persecution and Inquisition may symbolise fears of expressing one’s spiritual beliefs due to past experiences of oppression.

Many readers interpret these cards metaphorically, seeing them as reflections of the subconscious rather than literal memories.

Many users appreciate the deck because it:

• Is easy for beginners to use.
• Has gentle, encouraging messages.
• Sparks meaningful self-reflection.
• Pairs well with meditation, journaling, and regression work.
• Can complement tarot readings by providing additional symbolic context.

It has remained popular among collectors, particularly since it went out of print after Doreen Virtue’s departure from New Age teachings.   On a personal level however I find the cards to be too open to interpretation and the imagery just seems a little bland and unsubstantial. 

From an academic or scientific standpoint, there is no empirical evidence that oracle cards can reveal actual past lives or verify reincarnation. Psychologists often view them as symbolic tools that encourage introspection, much like dreams, myths, or archetypes. For those who hold spiritual beliefs in reincarnation, however, the deck can serve as a meaningful aid to meditation and personal exploration.

For readers interested in past-life symbolism, the Past Life Oracle Cards remains one of the better-known oracle decks on the subject, combining Doreen Virtue’s accessible style with Brian Weiss’s longstanding interest in past-life regression. Whether approached as a spiritual practice or as a reflective exercise, its greatest value lies in the insights it may inspire about present-day patterns, relationships, and personal growth.

About the creators

Doreen Virtue is an American author, former psychologist, and one of the most influential figures in the modern oracle card movement. During the 1990s and 2000s, she became widely known for her books and oracle card decks centred on angels, ascended masters, fairies, crystal children, and spiritual healing. Her work helped bring oracle cards into the mainstream and inspired many readers interested in intuitive and spiritual practices.

Early life and education

Doreen Virtue earned degrees in psychology and counselling and worked in the field of psychotherapy before becoming a full-time author and speaker. She has written that a series of profound spiritual experiences—including surviving a carjacking—deepened her interest in angels and intuitive guidance, leading her to change the direction of her career.

check out in depth article on Doreen.

Brian L. Weiss is an American psychiatrist, hypnotherapist, and bestselling author who became internationally known for his work on past-life regression therapy. Before becoming associated with spirituality and reincarnation, he had a conventional and highly respected medical career, graduating from Columbia University before earning his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine. He later became Chairman of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.

His core teachings

Weiss proposes several ideas that are central to his work:

• The soul experiences many lifetimes through reincarnation.
• Emotional wounds can sometimes originate in previous incarnations.
• Certain relationships are karmic and may continue over multiple lifetimes.
• Love, forgiveness, and compassion are the soul’s greatest lessons.
• Meditation and hypnosis can help individuals access deeper layers of memory and intuition.

He also writes about encounters with what he calls the “Masters”—highly evolved spiritual beings who, according to his accounts, communicated wisdom through hypnotised patients.