cleansing the tarot

October 09, 2016

cleansing tarot cards

Why 'clean' a tarot deck?

Every now and again I get the sense that something is off with my tarot cards + feel the need to realign my relationship with them. It’s that niggling feeling something isn’t quite right + that something needs to change.

Most cartomancers do some sort of cleansing each time they read; for me it's a simple series of shuffles + a slow, steady breath into the cards. But from time to time a more significant process feels called for to really rejuvenate them. As those of you who know, with the art of cartomancy it’s all about listening to one’s intuition + allowing that to guide you.

Other times when the sense to cleanse my cards arise include:

:: when I first acquire a new or second hand deck - I will probably do this when my handmade animal deck is complete also
:: my cards have either been laying dormant or scattered about for a while
:: others have handled or browsed through my cards*
:: I have done a lot of readings in quick succession + get the sense that the dialogue between us is becoming clogged with too much energetic information

In most all these cases, it is the underlying feeling of reconnection to the cards that is prompting the desire to perform a more ritualised cleansing.

*I actually am not too precious about allowing others to browse my cards as it makes for a stronger connection when I subsequently read for them; cleansing the cards in this instance it is more about reconnecting the channel between us than wiping any lingering energy imprint.

cleansing tarot cards

How do I clean my tarot deck?

1. Split out the cards + sort back into their families from ace to mother, right side up
2. Place quartz crystals on each mini stack + leave for 3 days
3. Smudge with local sage over the cards before gathering back into a full deck - I like to stack in the order of wands, blades, archetypes, vessels + then stones
4. Place deck into my Tibetan singing bowl + then sound the bowl 3 times, shaking my egg rattle over between the tones
5. Gather the deck + shuffle loosely in hand 3-5 times before tapping the deck on a hard surface
6. Leave cards in the stack with a quartz crystal on top until they are next needed

So tell me: do you have a process for cleaning your deck?

:: BEKA ::

I am currently accepting requests for the Halloween Balsamic New Moon, on October 30th. Kindly note that space is limited each moon on a first come, first served basis. Thank you for your support!

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