7 Ways to Thoroughly Cleanse Your Tarot Deck

There are many times that we want to give our Tarot cards a good clearing and cleansing. The very first time we will want to cleanse our cards is when we first bring them home. You may have gotten them secondhand from someone else, and even if it is someone you know and love, you need to give them a good clearing so that they are attuned to only YOUR energy, especially if they were used to read for other people, who touched them also. Even if you bought them online or in a shop new, who knows how many hands of packagers, delivery guys, warehouse order pickers or shopkeepers they went through before they found their way into your open arms.
 
Other times you may want to cleanse your cards include:
 
After you have read for a large event where many people have touched your cards
 
Anytime you have read for even just one person who you felt had a lot of heavy or negative energy
 
When you have read for just yourself but your cards seem to be feeling sluggish to you or you feel disconnected from them
 
When you feel you are not understanding your readings or getting clear answers
 
When cards continuously pop or fall out of the deck with each shuffle
 
When your cards haven't been used in a long time, they may be stagnant or dormant
 
When you know they just haven't been loved up in awhile and good use some good mojo
 
How to cleanse your cards:
 
There are many different ways to cleanse your cards.  Below I will cover the methods that I personally use. Some of them are quickies that can be done when I feel I really just need to clear them but only have time for something quick, and others are more time-consuming but well worth it.  When I have time for a full cleansing, I run through this list in this order. Ideally, it's really great to do this full cleansing once a month if you can, at the time of the full moon. It's also dependent though on how heavily you are using your cards.
 
Knocking: The first way to cleanse your cards is to simply knock on them. Some people prefer to knock them against the edge of the table, I prefer to knock on them with my knuckles 3 times (like knocking on a door) while stating the intention of clearing the deck. The only time I really use this method by itself though is at large reading events in between each seeker, where I'm reading for numerous people one after another.
 
Shuffling: When I cleanse them at home, I begin with the knock, letting my cards know I am going to be cleansing them, and then I start shuffling.  Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle until you feel you have given them a really good cleansing shuffle.  You are thinking of this while you are shuffling, you are not thinking of any questions or even anything going on in your life at the time. A good visualization is to visualize white light shining down and beaming directly into your cards.
 
Ordering: Ordering means you return the cards to the original order position, from top down, The Fool through the World followed by the Ace through the King of each suit, beginning with the Suit of Wands, followed next by Cups, Swords and finally Pentacles. All cards should also be in the upright position. You can do these first three steps anytime, anywhere, with no additional tools.
 
Sage: Sage is known as a cleansing herb, and more specifically, banishing.  When you Sage something, you are removing negativity. This is my favorite way of cleansing my cards and makes me feel like I have really removed any negative or sluggish energy from them. Light your Sage and pass your cards through the smoke that wafts up from it.  You can pass the deck through as a whole, but if you have the time, I really suggest doing each card at a time.  Even with just a quick pass through it will only take a few minutes.
 
Elemental Clearing: Building on using the sage above, I like to cleanse my deck according to the elements.
 
Fire: Light a white or blue candle, or whatever color resonates with you. I prefer blue simply because it correlates to the throat chakra for clear communication. Pass your cards over or quickly through the flame.  I do this as a deck, not card for card, and ask that the fire purify my cards and burn away any negative energy, transmuting it into positive.
 
Water: Some will say to lightly sprinkle water on your deck; however I do not like to do that. I will usually create steam and just quickly pass my cards through the steam, asking that the water energy cleanse my cards and impart strong intuition vibes.
 
Air: This is the Sage cleansing that I described above. If you don't have Sage you could use any incense when it's part of an elemental cleansing.
 
Earth: I ground my cards with Sea Salt. There are several ways to do this.  Some people will sprinkle salt around there cards. I prefer to put some salt in a small dish and lay my cards in it, turning them a few times while stating my intentions to cleanse and ground my cards.
 
Sunlight: Spread your cards out in a sunny spot on a nice day, if weather permits.  If you have concerns about wind, critters, or any other reason you feel then may not be safe outside, just put them in a sunny windowsill. Direct sunlight is the key. The fire energy of the sun will surely burn away negativity and impart positivity and goodness into your cards!
 
Moonlight: After the strong yang masculine energy your cards soaked up in the sun all day, it's good to put your cards the following night in the moonlight, preferably that of a full moon.  The moon is a very feminine yin energy and will balance your cards nicely, not to mention the moon is very intuitive and will impart strong intuitive vibes to your cards for you.
 
NOTE: The Moon is wonderful for CHARGING your cards, which is why the energy of the full moon is preferred.  Set them out in the light of the full moon (or in a windowsill that will get direct moonlight if elements or other outdoor concerns are present).  Bonus points if you can place a crystal on top of your cards to amplify the energy.  For this purpose, I recommend a good old-fashioned clear quartz crystal, but you can use whatever feels right to you.
 
Other methods of cleansing that I personally do not use but you may want to look into if you feel a calling, include the use of pendulums, crystals, singing bowls and reiki.
 
I personally feel a good elemental cleansing is good for your deck; however you may have realized that if you smudge your deck with Sage (air) and then leave it in the Sun (fire) and Moonlight (water) with a quartz crystal (earth), you have given it an elemental clearing!
 
Whatever methods you choose to cleanse and clear your deck, your intention is the key to all of it.  Talk to your deck about what you are doing and make your intentions clear, and you will come away with a deck that feels wonderful and ready to read with!
 
Your CHALLENGE: Give your deck a bath with ANY of the methods listed, or a method of your own!  Does it feel different to you? Do your cards "work better"? Please SHARE below, what do YOU do to cleanse your cards?
 
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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...