Understanding how to cleanse your Tarot Deck and why you should is an important part of learning to trust your magical tools. Maintaining positive energy in your Tarot readings starts with a clear Tarot deck. Whether you are using a deck for the first time or that last reading was particularly draining, it can be helpful to reset a Tarot deck before investing yourself into the next reading. It can help you connect with the deck in front of you and it can be a great way to clean away negative energy in preparation for a more fulfilling reading.
When Do You Need To Cleanse a Tarot Deck?
Reasons for cleansing a Tarot deck can range from small issues to big ones. Some readers may elect to cleanse their Tarot deck before each reading. Others may want to cleanse a deck only when they get a new one. Some people prefer to replace their deck if they have had a bad experience or reading with one. Whatever your reason for a Tarot deck cleansing, it is important to be true to yourself. Even the feeling that a cleansing may be needed is enough to need one. The great news is that it doesn’t take long to clear a Tarot deck.
For many, cleansing a Tarot deck is something that must be done before every reading. However, there are plenty of other reasons why you may need to cleanse a Tarot deck. These reasons include when someone else has touched your cards. A particularly bad reading could also be reason enough for a Tarot deck cleansing. If you have left your cards alone for a long period of time, you may want to do a cleansing. Some may elect for cleaning when they feel unclear or stuck in life or a specific situation. Others may want to simply reconnect with their Tarot cards with a fresh cleansing.
How To Cleanse a Tarot Deck
There are many ways to cleanse a Tarot deck and most of the ways to do so take a very short amount of time. This means you always have time for a cleansing before that next reading. If you have only tried one method to cleanse your Tarot deck, you may find that another works better for you or that jumping between methodologies works best. That’s fine! Go with whatever method that you are comfortable with or that resonates with your approach. Some approaches may also be better in certain situations and not in others. It can help to think about your next reading before you engage in that cleanse.
The Sort and Shuffle
An easy cleansing technique that can be done right where you’re sitting without any extra equipment is known as the sort and shuffle. Start by sorting your cards by the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana (in any order). As you are sorting, make a note of each card and think about what it would mean in a reading. After sorting, simply shuffle and mix your cards using the technique of your choosing. Some readers may like to move the entire pile around on the table with both arms while others may prefer to shuffle them like playing cards. There is no wrong answer. Just do whatever feels comfortable to you.
Meditation
If you don’t have enough time for the sort and shuffle or that method just doesn’t speak to you, try resetting your Tarot deck with meditation. If you enjoy meditating in general, this type of cleansing is quick and easy to do between readings or whenever you have an extra moment. To start, simply hold your deck in your hands and allow your mind to focus on your cards. Visualize the bad energy leaving your cards and allow the restorative good energy to enter your Tarot deck. Once you feel that your cards have been restored, you can begin your reading.
The Salt Burial
As a strong preservative, salt provides a great way to cleanse a Tarot deck. It draws all of the negative energy out. All you need is some salt, an airtight container, and a plastic locking bag. To avoid any damage to your Tarot deck, place it inside the plastic bag and then submerge it into salt that you have added to your airtight container. You will want to ensure that salt is covering all six sides of your deck inside the container (bottom, top, front, back and sides). Leave your deck inside the container for a few hours, a few days, or a week. It is totally up to you and what you feel is needed.
Smudge It
If you have any sage or rosemary lying around (or even a smudge stick from a local store), you can use it to cleanse your Tarot deck simply by burning the dried sage and running your cards through the smoke. You don’t need to pick up each card. However, you can certainly do it that way if you would like. All it takes is a couple of passes of the deck through the smoke to cleanse it. If you use crystals during your readings, you can also cleanse them at the same time via the same process.
Cleanse Based on Need
While you may have your favorite cleansing technique, the right cleansing of your tarot deck normally depends on a few other factors like when your next reading is, what the last reading was like and what may have happened to your cards in the meantime. If you are one to cleanse before every reading, you will need a cleansing technique that is repeatable, fast, and easy. That rules out the salt burial and other cleansing strategies that require more time than you might have available.
If you just acquired a second-hand deck, you may not want to trust the cleansing to a simple sort and shuffle. A salt burial or smudge may be needed. It may even require a combination of several techniques. When you feel that your Tarot cards have been sufficiently cleansed and you’re ready to get to that next reading, you don’t need to spend all that time on activities and prayers before reading from your Tarot cards.
If you feel led you may want to anoint them with a little moon water. The procedure for making that can be found in Llewellyn’s Little Book of Moon Spells, but drop a comment below if you would like us t create an article about making some.
Keeping Your Tarot Deck Clean
You have cleansed your deck, What now? You have got a clean Tarot deck but how do you ensure that the deck stays clean until your next reading?
One of the best ways to keep that deck clean is to wrap your cards in a special cloth or box that is used specifically for that purpose. It doesn’t need to be something that you buy. However, it should not be something that you may routinely use for something else. This is due to any negative energy that you might bring in. Other storage options include storing your cards with a quartz crystal (which is known to absorb energies) or to fashion a Tarot altar that holds your cards between readings.
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