The 4 Things you Must Do to Properly Care for your Tarot Deck

 
 
In this post we will cover how to care for your Tarot Deck, including how to charge your deck, store your deck, bless your deck and personalize your deck. If you want to know how to cleanse and clear your deck first, you can read about that here, 7 Ways to Thoroughly Cleanse your Tarot Deck.
 
A Tarot deck is a very special item, it is something that is going to be very personal to you, and work with your energy; it is important that you take good care of it.  If this is your first deck, this will give you a good start on how to set up a good relationship between you and your deck! You will want to give your deck the love and respect it needs and deserves, and in return it will treat you well for many years to come!
 
Blessing your Deck
 
White it isn't necessarily a must, after you have cleansed your deck thoroughly, you may want to give it a blessing.  You don't need to do this every time you cleanse your deck, but I would definitely do this the first time you bring it home and cleanse it. The number of ways to bless your deck are many:
 
As you are giving it an elemental clearing, you can ask for the powers and guardians of each direction (associated with each element) to bless and protect your deck. These include:
 
Guardians of the North: Earth
 
Guardians of the East: Air
 
Guardians of the South: Fire
 
Guardians of the West: Water
 
You can say a small prayer for your deck. It can be something you make up as long as it's meaningful.
 
Anoint around it with an oil that is meaningful to you.
 
Write a small blessing yourself or find one that you like, there are many on the internet that have been shared.
 
Set your intentions for your deck. Let your deck know exactly what you want it to do (always be true, read with clarity ect).
 
Phone a friend- call in your spirit guides and angels to bless and protect your deck. Personally I like to call upon Lady Fortuna herself and ask her to bless my deck.
 
Charging your Deck
 
To charge your deck means to impart with positive energy, to fill it up with good vibes! This is a rather simple one, when you want to charge your deck, there are a few very effective ways of doing this. Personally I like to use the three tips below in conjunction, and thankfully they are all very easy to do!
 
Moon Charge
 
The first way to charge your deck is to place it in the moonlight, preferably under the light of the Full Moon.  The Full Moon will charge your deck with her strong feminine lunar energy beautifully.  There is nothing like the intuitive vibes of the moon being imparted to your deck to build its strength.  Lay your deck outside, spread out, under the light of the moon. If this is not possible due to the elements, critters or other reasons, a windowsill is perfectly fine, so long as they are in the direct moonlight, and have the ability to soak up the moonbeams directly from La Luna.
 
Sun Charge
 
The second way to charge your deck is to place it in the Sunlight.  The Sun is such a strong powerful Yang energy; it will truly empower your deck and fill it with positive vibes!  I like to use both of these together in order to bring a balance of both Yin and Yang, Masculine and Feminine energy to my deck.
 
Crystal Charge
 
Lastly, a great way to charge your deck is to simply set it down, wherever you normally keep it, whether that be a coffee table or your bookshelf, with a crystal on top of it to charge it. Crystals are truly the gems of the earth and carry such strong energy.  What crystal you choose will determine what kind of energy your deck is charged with.  For example a black stone such as Hematite or Black Tourmaline are both grounding and protecting.  A blue stone may help with clear communication (as it's associated with the throat chakra). Some great all-rounder choices are Clear Quartz, Rose Quartz, Amethyst and Selenite.
 
Putting these together, I like to put my deck in the sun, followed by putting it in the light of the full moon.  I do this as part of my cleansing process anyway, adding a clear quartz crystal on top serves to amplify the energy it receives from the sun and moon.
 
Personalizing your Deck
 
When you first get a new deck that you plan to read with, I think that it's good for both you and the deck it if gets attuned to your energy. The best way to do this is to use it as much as possible in the beginning. Do readings for yourself, even if they are mundane.  Get your cards used to your hands shuffling them and your energy being put into them as much as possible, especially if others will be touching your deck.
 
Secondly, keep your deck close at hand and in your energy field as much as possible.  You don't have to necessarily sleep with it under your pillow if you don't want to, though some  people do and it's not a bad idea, but you run the risk of possibly bending them. Alternatively, you could just set the deck on your nightstand near your head when you go to bed at night, and carry it around with you in your purse or handbag during the day if you can. Bonus, someone may just happen to need a reading from you on the fly!
 
Storing your Deck
 
First let's discuss the WHERE of storing your deck. Consider your home environment where your cards will live. Do you have small children with sticky fingers (and I mean that both ways!)? Do you have pets? Are there multiple people moving throughout your house on a regular basis? You may be able to leave your working decks out on a coffee table, desk or bookshelf if you don't have any of these concerns. If you do, you may need to find a safe space for your cards, whether that be in your bedroom, or a lovely bin higher up on the bookshelf.
 
As for what to actually store your decks IN, there are so many options. The first consideration is if this is a deck you are consistently reading with, a working deck, or one that you will only read with occasionally or you bought because you collect.
 
The Box
 
The most obvious way to store your Tarot deck is to keep it in the box it came in.  I would recommend this if it is merely a collectible, or if you only read with it occasionally.  Even at that, you need a safe place to store those decks in boxes. I have many decks, some in their original boxes, some in bags, and some in wooden boxes, inside of a large container that used to be a sewing bin.  These are decks I don't read with often. It keeps them safe and together, and I always know where to find them.
 
A Bag
 
This is how I store most of my working decks, along with the spread cloth that I use.  I wrap that around the deck and put both inside of the bag. There are many places to get bags on the internet or in little shops. Frankly you could by any satchel or small purse or drawstring bag, even from a big chain store if you love it.  This is the key to the bag!  One nice thing about bags, they are very portable.
 
When I first started reading, I read that you should sew your own bag. So I did (and I am NO seamstress…). It turned out OK. Truthfully it was hand stitched on the sides with a needle, two colors of fabric together so the lining was gold and the outside was purple, with a gold rope.  It ended up being wider than it was taller (oops). But hey, what do you want, it was my first go at it!  It may not be perfect, but I still use that bag today to store decks.
 
I absolutely love little Boho Chic styled bags, ones in beautiful jewel toned hues with embroidery and detailing, but I could go on all day there.  There are also really nice silk, satin, velvet, crushed velvet and sheer mesh bags. All are perfectly fine as long as you love them and they protect your cards. Some people upcycle bags from other things, like herbal satchels.  I upcycled a gorgeous bright red flocked drawstring bag that came to me from a high-end makeup store with samples. Turned out it was JUST the right size for a deck of Tarot cards!
 
The Spread Cloth
 
You can also wrap your cards in your spread cloth and tuck them away in a drawer or a basket. This is how I actually store my MAIN deck that I use every day.  I just wrap it up in its cloth and put it right inside my top desk drawer that I sit at, or sometimes I leave it sit out on my desk.  Many people believe that it's nice to wrap your deck in a luxurious fabric such as Satin or Silk, but that is completely up to you. How we feel about our things is reflected in how we treat them and vice versa.  When you put a lot of care into your items, it can really increase your enjoyment and connection with the experience of that item. One other consideration is that some materials, such as silk, block outside energies, and are said to insulate the cards, keeping them from picking up energy in their environment.
 
A Wooden or Decorative Box
 
Personally I think this is good for cards that have a static home.  It can be incredibly bulky and cumbersome to transport cards in these types of boxes. But if you have a special box that you want to keep your deck in, and keep it on your desk, dresser, nightstand, bookshelf or somewhere similar, that can be really nice. I have a few of these myself. Bonus points if you can fit more than one deck.  Like fabrics, natural woods are really nice, and some will impart a really nice scent to your decks. I have a wonderful box (that I found on the home interiors odds and ends shelf of a major discount retail chain) that was very inexpensive ($10 maybe?) and it is GORGEOUS. A black footed box with mirrors all around.
 
A few other ways…
 
I have heard of people keeping their decks in leather pouches, which is nice if you like that, especially since it's a natural material. Suede pouches are nice too. I just read a post where a woman said she keeps some decks inside of a large popcorn tin (the kind you get at Christmas) that she also keeps various scents of incense in (lavender, dragons blood, patchouli ect) and every time she shuffles, her cards smell wonderful! I plan to try this.  And lastly, the most obvious way, leave 'em out! Leave those heavenly pieces of beautiful pictorial card-stock out where you can see them, interact with them, and enjoy them!
 
Above all, remember to treat them with the respect and care they deserve, as they are not just paper, they are sacred tools. The treatment that you show your cards will be the same treatment they show you. So care for them well and show them love and respect!
 
Your CHALLENGE: Charge up your favorite deck at the next Full Moon! Tell us if it feels any different to you? Please share in the comments below, what are YOUR rituals for caring for your deck?
 
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I'm Liza, professional Tarot reader, writer and mentor, and this is Tarot Liza. Everyday we're working to bring our mission of delivering more value and Tarot education to the Modern Reader to life! Welcome! Read more...