Tarot Tuesday - Deck Cleansing

Hello all!! Today's Tarot Tuesday will be on Deck Cleansing!! Some people prefer to cleanse their Decks before every use and others prefer to do so as and when it feels right. This post will hopefully help beginners who are just discovering tarot, people who are picking up their Decks for the first time in a while or people who are looking for a different way to cleanse. Let's have a look at how to cleanse your decks and why people cleanse them!!

Why people cleanse

There are many reasons why people cleanse their Decks, here are a few examples:

- The Deck is second hand. You never know who or what kind of energy touched the cards before they found their way to you so, it's best to give their energies a new start to go with their new home.

- Someone else has touched them. Some practitioners will not let anyone else touch their Decks. Some don't mind. But a mixing of energies could affect the reading or the cards themselves depending on the energies. If it has affected your cards too badly, don't let others touch them in future!! Letting others touch their cards is a personal preference so please respect that preference and always ask before you touch!!

- Your cards aren't reading properly. If you keep getting negative and/or confusing readings, it means there's some energy attached to your cards that shouldn't be there and needs removing asap!!

- You want to reconnect with a Deck. Whether you haven't used a particular Deck in a while or you yourself haven't practiced for a while, it's always good to re-atune yourself with your Deck so you can get the best reading possible.

How to cleanse

First and foremost, wash your hands and make sure they are dry before handing your cards and remove any negative energy from yourself!!

There are more ways to cleanse than I thought so I'll do my best to list and explain them.

- Incense/Smudging. This seems to be the most popular way to cleanse. You can either do this card by card or the whole Deck in one go, it's entirely up to you. White Sage and Palo Sante seem to be the go to incense but any incense with purification/cleansing properties will do!! Using sticks, cones or loose incense doesn't really matter, it's your preference. If you can't burn incense due to living/medical conditions, there are cleansing sprays that you can use to cleanse your reading area but do not spray your cards directly!! If you use a spray with an essential oils base and have pets, check this list for their safety 👉🏻.Pet Safety - Toxic Essential Oils

- Full Moon.  I did touch upon this here in our Full Moon post. In a nutshell, leave the cards somewhere safe (window ledge is your best bet) either fanned out or as a Deck and ask the moon to cleanse your cards. 

- Sun Bath. Basically the same as a Full Moon but during the day. However, you must watch your cards closely as humidity and heat can bend/warp your cards!! So be careful if you choose this method!! If you live in a hot/humid place, I would not recommend this one.

- Singing Bowl. Each bowl has its own frequency or tune so if you have one specifically for cleansing you can put your cards in the bowl as you ring it or near the bowl depending on its size and the size of your cards. 

- Reiki. Reiki is a way to heal using energy channeled through the hands. Normally, you have to be certified to be a practitioner so if you know Reiki, give it a go with card cleansing.

- Meditation. If you're not certified with Reiki, you can meditate!! To cleanse with meditation, simply hold your Deck in your hands whilst you meditate with cleansing intentions. You can also recite a spell or mantra to help cleanse your cards.

- Salt. This method seems to be popular too but be careful as it can cause damage to your cards if the salt comes into contact with moisture!! To cleanse with salt, wrap your cards in something protective and bury in salt or place in a bowl. Alternatively, wrap your cards and place on a Himalayan salt block. You can also sprinkle salt over them but this is very messy!! Let sit for 1-8 hours but be watchful!! (Don't use this method of you live in an area with high humidity!)

- Crystals. Crystals and Tarot go together like cake and a fork. To cleanse, place a crystal with cleansing properties on top of your cards when they're not in use. Here are some good ones to use:

- Clear Quartz

- Selenite

- Black Tourmaline

- Amethyst

If you keep your cards in a box or bag, placing the crystals somewhere in the bag/box will work too as long they're near the cards. 

- Knocking. Simply knock on your Deck three times as you would a door. This both cleanses and "wakes" them up. 

- Blowing on the cards. Have you ever seen people playing card games blowing on their cards? They do this to blow away bad look, the same with people using dice. Fan your cards out and use a cleansing breath to clear you cards of negative/murky energies.

- Reorder the Deck and shuffle. I do this without realising. Set the Major Arcana, in numerical order, in a pile and do the same for each of the suits then, place the piles together with the Major Arcana on top (it doesn't matter what order the suits go in, that's up to you!). Once you've reassembled your Deck, give it a good shuffle!! 

- Chaotic Shuffle. This one is a fun one. Spread your cards out on a flat surface (floor, table etc) and shuffle them around like you would when shuffling dominoes!! But be careful not to damage your cards in the process. Shuffle until you feel like it and then put your Deck back together.

- Candle Cleansing. Light a candle, (you can check our Candle Magic - Colours post here!!), if you don't have a "proper" coloured candle, a white one will do!! Pass each card over and above the flame but be careful and don't burn your cards!! 

There is no right or wrong way to cleanse. Use whichever method calls to you but please be careful not to damage your cards!! 

This is only a guide. Use caution and keep an eye on your cards!!

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks installment, keep an eye out for next week!!

Blessings,

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👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

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