Tora

Caring for Your Tarot Deck

After getting your first tarot deck, you’re eager to start working with your cards. But don’t let your excitement get the best of you and move too quickly! First and foremost, you should cleanse and charge your cards. A few common methods include:

  • Sorting and shuffling your cards.
  • Meditation and visualization.
  • Set your cards out in the moonlight. I recommend doing so on a night where there is either a full moon or a new moon.
  • Sprinkle some sea salt on your cards.
  • Use of incense, i.e. white sage. Let the cards pass through the smoke.
  • Use of crystals, i.e. selenite, or citrine and clear quartz. You can either lay the crystals on top of your deck or create a crystal grid around the deck. Note: Selenite, citrine and clear quartz both cleanse and charge the cards.
  • Set your cards out in sunlight for a few hours to charge them.

After cleansing and charging your cards, it is important that you store them properly. Some people choose to store them in the original box they came in, which is fine. Others prefer to wrap them in a tarot cloth or store them in a box bought or made for that specific tarot deck.

Properly taking care of your tarot deck is important. As such, be sure to remember that cleansing your cards isn’t something you would do just with a new deck, or a second hand deck, if you’ve obtained one.

Note: Second hand (used) decks should always be cleansed prior to working with them.

With that said, when you first get your brand new (or used) tarot deck, you may instinctively move to cleanse the cards, but there are other circumstances where you should cleanse and charge your cards prior to use. Cleansing is especially recommended in each of the following circumstances:

  • Someone else has touched your cards.
  • You and/or your cards have been exposed to negative energy.
  • Your cards have been dormant, or unused for an extended period of time.
  • You feel a disconnect with your cards, and as a result, you feel that your readings are unclear as of late.

Next post in this series:
Your Tarot Deck: Getting to Know the Cards