How to Clear and Cleanse Your Tarot Deck - Biddy Tarot (2024)

Have you ever wondered whether you should clear and cleanse your Tarot deck? Imagine you've just boughta new Tarotdeck, or you've had a particularly challenging reading. It'snot a bad idea to clearand cleanse your Tarot deckand charge your Tarot cards withloads of good, pure energy!

Tarot is all about energy, so ifyou want to get the best results from yourTarot readings, it's essential that you're workingwith crystal clear energy. That all starts by cleansing your Tarot deck and infusing it with all your good vibes!

So,let's talk about when to cleanse your deck and how to do it.

When to Cleanse a Tarot Deck

You'll need to cleanse your Tarot deck thefirst time you buy it, especially if it's a pre-owned deck.

Remember, decks carry energy so you want to make sure thatyourdeck carriesyourenergy, rather than someone else's. So make sure you give it a good energy cleanse before you start using the cards.

After you're cleansed your new deck, you will probably find that you need to cleanse it again as you continue to read withit. There are no strictrules about when to clear and cleanse your deck – you've simply got to trust your intuition about what your deck needs. Sometimes a quick shuffle is enough to clear out any stuck energy. Other times, a full moon bath is called for.

Generally, you’ll know when you need to cleanse your Tarot cards –you will getthat niggling feeling that something isn’t quite right with the connection between you and your cards.

Here are some examples of when you may want to cleanse your Tarot deck:

• You or yourTarot cards have been exposed to a lot of negative energy (for example, a particularly negative client or a challenging situation in your own personal life).
• Your Tarot readings are confusing and unclear, and you are often drawing a blank with the cards.
• Other people havetouched your cards without your permission.
• Your cards have fallen on the floor or had some other sort of accident.
• You haven’t used your Tarot cards for quite some time and you want to reconnect with your cards.
• You've had a major personal transformation and want to refresh your deck with your new energy.
• It's a full moon and you want to make the most of its powerful energy.
• It just feels like now is the right time for a cleanse.

How to Cleanse a Tarot Deck

There are lots of different ways to clear negative energy and cleanse your Tarot deck.

The important thing is to choose the technique(s) that feel right to you and to the situation (e.g. you might use one technique in between each reading and another technique to cleanse on an annual basis).

Here are some ideas for clearing and cleansing a Tarot deck:

Sorting and Shuffling

Firstly, sort your cards in order, starting with the Major Arcana, then into each of the suits of the Minor Arcana. While you’re doing this, look briefly at each card and remember the special message it has to offer you in your readings.

You can also use this time to check that you have every card in your deck (a few years back, I found that I had been missing the Ace of Swords for quite some time without even realising it!).

Once your cards are sorted and in order, start shuffling and reinvigorating your cards with your energy. You might like toshuffleseven times, put your cards in a

big messy pile and randomly select cards, or simply use a shuffling technique that is comfortable to you.

RELATED:How to Shuffle Tarot Cards

Knocking or Tapping the Deck

A quick way to release any stuck energy in between readings is to knock or tap the deck 3 times while also visualising that stuck energy being released. It's particularly helpful if you've had a reading that was quite intense or the energy afterwards felt unresolved.

Meditation

Hold your cards in both hands, close your eyes and relax. Allow your mind to be free of any thought and just ‘be’ with your cards. You may then like to visualise the Universal energy being drawn through you and to your cards, surrounding your cards in a protective white light. Those with an understanding of Reiki may like to use this mode of energy healing to cleanse their cards by channelling their healing Reiki energy through the cards. This is personally my favourite as it is easy to do in between readings and it helps me focus and concentrate on my next client.

Moon Bath

The full moon is an excellent source of energy for your cards. On a full moon, you can simply place your cards in a window or even outside to bathe in the moonlight. Alternatively, many people use this time to conduct a special ritual or to cite different incantations for cleansing their Tarot cards.

Smoke Cleansing

Burn some dried sage, rosemary, or palo santo (or use a store-bought “smudge” stick) and simply pass the cards through the smoke several times. You can also cleanse any crystals that you use during the process.

Salt Burial

Salt can be used to draw out negative energy from your cards, just like you would use salt to draw out the moisture from a food item in cooking. First, wrap your Tarot in a plastic bag as tightly as you can. Then take an airtight container that is larger than your Tarot deck, place your wrapped cards inside, and completely surround your cards with salt on all sides, above and below. It is imperative that this is an airtight container as salt not only gathers the energies from a Tarot deck well, it also gathers any moisture that might be in the air, potentially damaging your cards. Keep your cards buried in the salt for at least a few days or a week before taking them out and disposing of the salt.

Fresh Air

Just after a rain shower or even in the warmth of the sun, place your cards outside to take in the fresh air and draw in the cleansing rays. Of course, keep in mind the practicalities. Be careful not to place them in a windy position or somewhere where you may end up doing more damage!

Elemental Clearing

Elemental clearing brings your awareness to using different techniques that are aligned with each of the four elements used in Tarot. For example, use the Salt burial for Earth clearing; for Water clearing, use the Moon Bath or sprinkle a little water on your cards; with Fire clearing, pass your cards over a candle; Use a smudge stick for Air clearing. You may like to go through each of the four elements for a more comprehensive cleansing.

Storing Your Tarot Cards

Now that you’ve cleansed your Tarot deck, here are a couple of ideas on how to store your cards:

• Store your cards with a quartz crystal which is a wonderful absorber of energies. If you want to keep your crystal ‘clean’ too, then use any of the cleansing techniques above.
• Place your Tarot cards at a specially made altar in between readings.
• Use baby wipes to keep your cards clean and to remove any stickiness between cards.
• Keep your Tarot cards wrapped in a special cloth or stored in a special Tarot box. Different colours have differentenergy so choose a colour that infuses the energy you most want for yourTarot cards:

• Black – shadows and the unknown
• Blue – spirituality and peace
• Brown – earth andgroundedness
• Green – nature and fertility
• Pink – love and beauty
• Purple – higher knowledge
• Red – energy and vitality
• White – purity
• Yellow – joy and happiness

So there you have it! You have lots of different ways you can easily clear and cleanse your Tarot cards to create crystal clear Tarot readings!

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