Cleansing Your Cards

Grizabella

I don't cleanse my cards. There's no need of that. I do feel they have an energy because all matter is energy but I like the thought of all that added energy from others being in the deck. I read mostly online these days so nobody else handles my cards

Since arthritis is taking a toll on my hands, I don't riffle my decks anymore. After a reading session, I deal the cards out into four piles to completely randomize them before doing the next reading and then overhand them a few times before the new reading.

Rituals are meaningful in our lives so if you feel that doing a cleansing ritual is important to your use of the cards, then by all means go ahead and do those. I think whatever a reader does to enhance their readings, at least in their own belief system, is a good thing. :)
 

jerrissica

I don't cleanse them often at all unless i get a feeling that i should. I will either put them under moonlight with a clear quartz, take each card face down and run through sage smoke or shuffle them in a way to make sure the cards aren't always in the same position in the deck for long (rightside or upsidedown to be specific). Works for me :^)
 

Redfaery

I've never felt my decks needed cleansing like my crystals have. Sometimes they do seem to get tired or out of whack. When that happens I tuck them away for a while and just give them a break.
 

Nemia

I try to shuffle my decks regularly, from time to time I put them back into order and that's all. Everything's energy, I don't try to control it too much.
 

catschinwag

When I (rarely) meditate, I'll cleanse the deck by waving it in sage smoke, reordering them, or if I remember that it's a full moon, placing it on my windowsill.

Most often I just knock on the deck three times after shuffling to signify that a new reading will be taking place (it also helps me to focus on what is happening in the 'now'). Once all my readings are complete, I'll place a crystal on them (it's also used as a paperweight measure :p)

^(This is usually just for my working deck. Decks that are stored are probably meditated on before using.)
 

Julian Jaymes

I do two kinds of cleansing: one when I first get a deck, a deep down cleansing to get rid of any energy it's picked up in its travels; and one whenever I've done a particularly intense reading or when I just want to "clear" the cards.

The in-depth cleansing involves ordering the cards, placing them on my little altar (by my window), placing a specific crystal on top of the deck, and lighting some incense in the evening. Sometimes I'll say a prayer or just focus on "bad energy out, good energy in." Often I choose a card from the deck that represents something I'm focusing on or what I'd like the deck to be for me, and put that one on top. I burn the incense in the evening (making sure to be careful about not burning things down!!), and leave the cards there overnight in the moonlight.

The simpler cleansing, when I just need to generally clear the cards of their energy or prepare them for a new reading, involves ordering the cards and tapping them sharply once. That's it.

If I feel I need to renew a connection with a deck, sometimes I'll do the in-depth cleansing again, or if I'm getting back to Tarot after a break, I'll put them all on the little altar (which gets very crowded!) and cleanse them all at once.