05.01.07

Caring For Your Tarot Cards

Posted in Uncategorized, Guidance for Beginners, Spirituality at 6:39 pm by nancy.druid

This is the first of a series of occasional essays covering the basics of Tarot from my perspective. The information here is supplemental to the material covered in my private Tarot classes.

I invite you to share your own experiences regarding the care of Tarot cards and to ask any question you feel might be relevant — or to curse me out when you think I’ve got it wrong. These essays are meant to provoke discussion.

It is often said that Tarot cards are nothing more than images printed on cardstock, and that all the “magic” in them comes only from you. That is true — but only at the very moment you take them out of the box. After that, you’re investing energy into your deck of cards every time you touch them, study them, shuffle them, or read with them. They even accumulate energy, though of quite a different kind, if you leave them mouldering in a drawer.

There is nothing special about Tarot cards that makes them absorb and give off different energies. Everything in the universe does this. That’s the reason that you don’t hang onto an ex-boyfriend’s old sweatshirt, or the reason that it feels so good to enter a freshly-cleaned room. (If you continue faithfully in your practice, you’ll begin to sense the energies of other people and everyday situations even more acutely.) But because you’ll be using your Tarot cards to sense very subtle and delicate energies, it’s important that the cards themselves are energetically well-balanced. This way, you can give the best readings possible.

Every deck has its own personality. Merely from looking at the artwork when you first bought your deck, you probably sensed something about its personality right away. In time, if you take good care of your cards and pay attention to what they tell you, your deck’s individual personality will become even more distinct.

Storing Your Cards

The most important way to take care of your Tarot cards is to store them in a good place. They’ll spend most of their time there — after all, no one can read Tarot cards constantly. If you already have a feeling about where and how your Tarot cards would like to be put away, then you’re ahead of the game and probably have a good relationship with them already.

Don’t fret if you’re not getting any impressions right away. I bought my newest deck, Brian Froud’s Faeries’ Oracle, about three months ago and I’m still lugging them around in their original box complete with the hardcover book, which I read through once and will never look at again. The right container for this beautiful deck just hasn’t come my way yet. Maybe I’ll find an embroidered pouch for them at a boutique, or maybe the right box will pop up at a flea market this summer. Both the deck and I are taking a wait-and-see approach, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Many decks don’t mind being stored indefinitely in their original boxes, and I have found that, depending on their owners, some decks are happy to be treated with a shockingly casual attitude. But, as a beginning reader, it is important to start out treating your cards the so-called right way. In all things Tarot, the right path will turn out to be much broader than it seems at first, but there are still poorly-marked boundaries. If you start out knowing what the so-called “right” way feels like, you’ll be able to feel it when you stray into the “wrong” zone.

Most Tarot teachers will recommend that you wrap your cards in a dark scarf made of silk or another natural fabric, and then store the wrapped deck inside a plain wooden box. The dark scarf is supposed to protect the cards from absorbing unwanted energy. Some teachers will tell you to read your cards only on top of that scarf, lest you pick up unwanted energies from someone’s bedspread or kitchen table. It is also commonly advised to store your cards away from metal (especially iron) and electronic equipment, because these things emit strong disruptive energies as well.

I think that the scarf-and-box idea is a good one to start out with, though I suggest choosing whichever natural fabric and box appeal to you the most. Wrapping and boxing something is psychic protection enough; I think it’s usually overkill to fuss over colors as well. It is very easy to go overboard in being wary of contaminating energy — usually your own fearful energy is worse than whatever you’re trying to ward away. Unless you’re frequently reading in strange places loaded with bad energy (and in which case, please ask yourself why!), I don’t think it’s usually necessary to read on top of a scarf. Scarves tend to rumple up distractingly on a tabletop when you shift the cards around and, in my opinion, they just get in the way.

It can be a very nice practice to store your cards with a pinch or two of a dried herb known for its blessing properties. I recommend lavender or sage for this. Dried herbs can be ordered online or bought in bulk at most natural foods stores. The only downside of the herbal habit is that little bits of dried leaves and flowers will tumble out and make a small crumbly mess whenever you read your cards, so be prepared for this to happen. I personally think it adds to the mystique, but to each her own. Some Tarot authors recommend storing your cards with a pinch of sea salt instead — I warn you away from this practice. Sea salt is the spiritual equivalent of bleach and will erase most useful energies as well as negative ones.

It is a very good suggestion to store your deck away from electronic equipment. Never leave your cards, say, on top of the television. If you share a household with curious people or if you tend to have nosy guests, I suggest tucking your cards away where no one is likely to pull them out without your permission. In general, store your Tarot cards with your private things, one security level below “underwear.”

Bonding With Your Cards

Once you’ve purchased a deck, it’s important to “break it in” — that is, align it with your own energy. The easiest way to do this is to read with them, and read with them often. Some people carry their deck in a special pouch wherever they go or sleep with their cards under their pillow (ouch). These are both excellent practices to begin with, but probably difficult and unnecessary to keep up over the long term. I also recommend introducing yourself and bonding with your deck using simple meditation.

After proper storage, the most important way to care for your Tarot cards is to severely limit how much other people handle them. Some Tarot readers will not allow anyone besides themselves to touch their cards ever, at all. To me, this smacks a little of “You can’t play with my toys!” but the reasoning behind it is solid.

Tarot decks can and will switch owners. I lost my very first Tarot deck, The Robin Wood Tarot, this way. I had read with the deck regularly for at least a year when I had a friend stay overnight. We stayed up most of the night trying out different Tarot spreads and doing readings for each other. In the morning, the energy of the deck had switched completely and it wasn’t mine anymore. I even gave my friend the purple scarf I’d wrapped the cards in.

Many people have never seen a Tarot deck and will probably want to touch your cards. Unless you’ve decided never to let anyone touch your cards ever (which, while fussy, does eliminate a raft of trouble), there’s nothing wrong with letting someone else examine your deck or even do a reading or two with them. Anything beyond that, though, and you’re putting yourself at risk for losing your cards the same way I did, or having the energy of them tainted.

Clearing Your Cards

Most decks need little upkeep beyond proper handling and storage. Shuffling them is the best way to keep their energy balanced and focused.

Make sure that you shuffle your cards before and after each reading to clear the energetic remnants of your last question. Keep shuffling until they feel “right.” Sometimes this takes a while and other times it can be a very quick process.

When you’ve been reading a lot and your cards have that yucky feeling, an extra shuffle or two during a private moment at home with some candles or incense will work wonders. I have also performed reiki on ailing cards with great results, so if you have formal training in that particular healing tradition, I highly recommend putting it to work. Leaving the wrapped cards in sunlight or moonlight can also have a powerful cleansing and recharging effect.

It’s rare, but there will be times when none of the above will work. This could mean many things. Your cards may want to be stored somewhere else, to belong to someone else (I have also had a deck request to be given to someone who had never handled them) or they may just want a break. Smudging each card with sage (turn off your smoke detector first!) is a good, if time-consuming, last resort that can also be turned into a yearly ritual.

The lessons of the Tarot are infinite, but no single deck necessarily encapsulates all of the available wisdom. It’s very possible to outgrow certain decks that may have worked for you temporarily in the past. Keep your methods flexible, your intuition open, and your intentions for the highest good of all, and you are sure to know what to do next.

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