Why cleanse your deck
First things first: Do you actually need to cleanse your tarot deck?
According to tarot reader and founder of Divine Innovations Meetu Sehgal, yes! She explains that doing so can lead to clearer and more accurate readings.
"If you think of the tarot as a tool or channel for your intuition and spirit team to communicate to you, it makes sense that sometimes it might need a little refresh," she notes, adding that a cleanse acts as a reset for both the deck and its reader.
And as a tarot reader and author of The Big Book of Tarot Readings Meetu Sehgal tells OTCR(online tarot card reading), that a good cleanse can also help clear previous energy and intention. If you were using your deck yesterday and were feeling sad, for example, you wouldn't want that energy to hang around in your cards.
"Even if you're only doing readings for yourself, your energy is constantly changing," she explains. When you do a reading with a cleansed deck, she says it will better reflect your current circumstances. (This is similar to why you'd want to cleanse your crystals after working with them.)
Times you should cleanse your deck.
Here are a handful of times you'll definitely want to clean your deck. (Though for what it's worth, it's never a bad idea to cleanse your deck, especially before starting a reading.)
1. When you first get it.
Meetu and Christinaa both recommend cleansing your deck when you first get it. "Your deck has likely touched many hands on its way to you, through packaging, being put on a shelf, handled by a cashier, etc.," Magdaleno notes, adding, "You want to make sure to cleanse your deck of all other energies who have handled it."
2. When someone else uses it.
If you have tarot-savvy (or even tarot-curious) friends, there's a fair chance they'll use your cards at some point.
In this case, Meetu Sehgal and Christinaa Josan agree, that it's a good idea to cleanse your deck afterward. Magdaleno says if you had friends over, this is also a good time to do a quick cleanse of your house, too. An energetic win-win!
3. Each time you pick it up for a reading.
That's right—to ensure the most accurate of readings, Meetu actually recommends cleansing your deck every time you do a reading.
"Whether it's for someone else, or yourself," she says, "it's always best to start with a cleanse to clear the cards for your reading."
4. If you've traveled with it.
If you've gone on a trip and taken your deck with you, Christinaa says that's also a good reason to cleanse it. After all, who knows what kind of energy you could pick up in a foreign place?
5. If the connection feels off.
Last but not least, you can cleanse a deck anytime your connection to your cards feels a little off, Vanderveldt says, or you "just feel the need to."
The cards respond to your energy, as well as the energy around you, and the more you tune into what they might be holding on to, the more you'll be able to tell when they need a cleanse.
10 ways to cleanse tarot decks.
Unlike us, cards don't get cleansed in water. Instead, these are 10 tools that can give them an energetic refresh:
1. Crystals
Certain crystals can be great for cleansing decks. You can either set your deck on top of the crystal (if it's large and flat) or place a small crystal on top of your deck to charge it.
Meetu Sehgal likes using selenite in particular, as she notes it's a cleansing crystal that's also great for connecting to spirit guides. "It can help keep the energy of the deck both clear and connected," she adds.
Christinaa is a fan of selenite and clear quartz as well and adds you can also choose a crystal that corresponds with the type of reading you're doing. If you're doing a relationship reading, for example, Meetu says you could reach for loving rose quartz.
2. Smoke
Meetu and Christinaa both like to use smoke for cleansing also. Simply hold your deck near the smoke of herbal incense or a dried wand, allowing it to waft over and around and cleanse all of the cards.
Christinaa's herbal preference is lavender, as it's ruled by Mercury, making it great for clear communication. Mugwort, Magdaleno adds, would also be a good choice, for it has cleansing and intuitive properties.
3. Salt
"Salt is such a powerful and accessible tool for clearing," Christinaa Josan tells OTCR. As such, when one of her decks is in need of "a real reset," she'll put it in a bowl of sea salt overnight.
4. Sunlight
There's something refreshing about being out in the sunshine and getting some fresh air—and tarot cards feel it, too.
Meetu says that taking your cards outside and fanning them in the fresh air can work wonders, "especially if you're feeling stuck or stagnant with your readings."
It won't take long, which is a good thing, as you don't want to accidentally bleach your cards in the sun.
5. Moonlight
Just like crystals can be charged under the light of the moon, so can your deck! Christinaa recommends placing yours right by a window on the evening of the next full moon and letting the sky do its thing overnight.
Meetu adds you can also correspond your cleansing to the phase or sign that the moon is in to amplify your intention.
"For example," she explains, "if you're doing a relationship reading, charge them on a Friday night, as Friday is ruled by Venus, or choose a day the moon is in a sign ruled by Venus (Libra or Taurus)."
6. Shuffling
Shuffling is standard practice before a reading, and Vanderveldt explains that it can help you get acquainted with your cards.
"If you're getting to know a new deck or simply feeling disconnected from it, you can lay out the cards in order (starting with the Major Arcana and going through the suits) and then just mix the whole thing up in a chaotic way—like a kid playing in the mud," she suggests. "Or you can simply do an extra thorough regular shuffle for a quick reboot."
7. Knocking
Have you ever heard that you should knock on your deck three times before a reading? According to Meetu, it's a quick and easy way to physically knock old energy out.
8. Breath
The breath is a powerful tool, and incorporating it into your cleansing process will help you clear your deck and drop into reading faster. As Meetu Sehgal explains, simply blowing a deep breath over your deck essentially brushes any old energy off of it.
9. Visualization
If you're into visualizations, why not try one for cleansing your deck?
Meetu recommends holding your deck between your hands, closing your eyes, and visualizing a white light—or whatever color feels cleansing to you—surrounding your deck and pulling old energy out of it.
10. Sound
Last but not least, sound is another wonderful tool for cleansing your deck, according to Meetu Sehgal. "Bells tend to be popular sound-cleansing tools with witches," she notes, adding, "Singing bowls, music, or even your own voice can work, too."
Programming your deck with intention.
Once a deck is freshly cleansed and ready for a reading, it's time to program it with intention.
Christinaa suggests taking a few minutes to light a candle or create an intentional space, and holding the deck in your hands, stating your intention for it out loud.
Meetu is also a fan of setting intentions with a verbal declaration. Before each reading, she says the intention of the reading—and what she'll be pulling cards for—out loud as she shuffles the deck.
"For example, as I shuffle my deck I'll say out loud, 'I'm doing a career reading for myself and will be pulling three cards that represent my career past, present, and future," she explains.
You can even do a tarot spread to help you expand on your intention, Christinaa adds. She recommends asking your deck questions like, How am I meant to work with this deck in this season? How can I best support my intention for this deck? What approach would be helpful?
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How to care for the cards.
Treating your deck with the utmost care will help it stay clear and cleansed for longer.
For this reason, Christinaa notes that it's nice to keep your deck in a specific place, be it on an altar or a well-maintained shelf. "You can wrap it in a piece of fabric, place it in a box, or put a crystal over it," she notes, adding, "I think putting it away intentionally after each use or at the end of the day is a nice way to care for it both energetically and physically."
And if you have a collection of decks, "definitely designate a space to store them," she says, like a shelf, basket, or decorative box.
If you've had a particular deck for a while, be sure to take it out from time to time, Magdaleno suggests, noting that keeping your decks in dark corners of bookshelves or drawers can lead to stagnant energy.
