There are a variety of ways to cleanse your tarot cards. Often enough, some tarot readers discard the need for cleansing. This hesitation may stem from the common misunderstanding that cleansing can only be rightly done by a sage.
But, to perform the cleansing ritual, all you need is yourself and your strong intention. In this article, we will be showing 8 easy ways of cleansing your tarot cards. We will also include the nitty-gritty aspects of how to cleanse a tarot deck cleansing by answering the following questions:
- What is the importance of cleansing your tarot cards?
- How do you cleanse your tarot cards?
- When should you cleanse your tarot cards?
So let’s learn how to cleanse tarot cards of stagnant and negative energy without self-doubt and receive consistent tarot readings!
The Importance of Cleansing Your Tarot Cards: A Hindsight
Energy is everything. It uplifts you as it embraces you with much inspiration to be the best version of yourself. Yet, it can also pull you down and sunken your mood; you might feel anxious, hurt, and bitter. You are a sensible being and sometimes you might wonder, where does that come from? Why do I feel so heavy? You recognized that you were unaware of the vibration that you were tuning in.
You neglected yourself, recently; occupied with so many garbage thoughts and music. You must align yourself again and unsubscribe from vibrating at a lower frequency. Like you, tarot cards need that same amount of care and concern. Just as it mirrors the world around you, it taps into a certain level of frequency. Wherein, people’s energy can manifest on the reading of a tarot card.
This is the tricky part! Reading the tarot cards might be like salt and sugar looking similar at face value. On a deeper aspect, you can mistake someone else’s energy with another person. Hence, learning how to cleanse your tarot cards is essential as a tarot reader. Otherwise, it can add more confusion than it already has to a troubled mind.
Worry not, there are different ways to clear and cleanse your tarot deck from all energies that may be negative, confusing, or distracting. Read more to choose from 8 easy ways of cleansing your tarot cards!
8 Easy Ways of How To Cleanse Tarot Cards
Cleansing with Knock and Blow
Use your hands. Place your tarot cards on a clean table.
The Knock and Blow method has three simple steps. First, you fan the tarot cards out as much as you can with your hands. Next, you have to take one big breath and gently blow it all through your cards. Once you take one long blow, place your cards together into a pile, and give it one big knock. This is to “neutralize” the card as if you are rebooting your computer into a restart mode. Thus, it clears off the old energies as they are now ready for the next reading.
Cleansing by Knocking Three Times
Arrange your tarot cards into one neat pile.
Another method of how to cleanse tarot cards is by knocking your tarot deck three times. You can start by shuffling your cards. Next, you can put your cards together into a neat pile. Then, knock three times on the top of your tarot deck. Also, it is important to note that while you are knocking, picture dirt falling off from the bottom of the deck. Such a quick and easy way to physically knock old energy out!
Cleansing By Visualization and Meditation
Prepare yourself for meditation in peaceful surroundings.
This method does not need any tools. With a clear mind and intention, sit down and meditate deeper into a higher level of vibration. Clear off negative energy while using positive affirmations. You can take it in as a form of prayer or declaration to disconnect any previous energies on the card. Doing this allows you and your tarot cards to be in the present which is what matters the most.
Cleansing With Crystals
Choose a crystal that you want to use.
You can place a piece of clear quartz stone/crystals or even your birthstone. There are options on how you might want to use it, either setting your deck on top of the chosen crystal or you can place it on top of your tarot deck. It’s really up to your preference and what speaks to you the most. Crystals have cleansing properties which is a perfect tool to clear and cleanse your tarot cards.
Cleansing With a Salt Burial
Fill a jar full of salt.
Salt is used as a purifier by some readers. If you wish to try this method of cleansing tarot cards, put your card in a plastic bag securely, first. Then, get an airtight jar large enough to hold your cards and fill it with salt. Place your cards in the container and make sure they’re well covered and buried in salt. Allow at least a few days for the cards to settle in the container.
Cleansing With Incense/Smudging
Gather incense of your choice.
Incense is used in purifying rites in many religious systems. White sage, sweetgrass, and palo santo are the most commonly used purifying incense in the West. You may use incense with a blessing or purifying effects in the form of a stick, cone, or loose powder. Some tarot readers clear their deck one card at a time. But you can still cleanse it with the entire deck.
Ideally, how to cleanse tarot cards is to start cleansing yourself or your reading area to remove any unwanted energy. When reading for someone else, some tarot readers smudge themselves before and after readings.
Cleansing under the Celestial Body of the Moon
Give your cards a moon bath.
A Moon Bath is a powerful ritual that may also be used to infuse positive energy into your cards. Starting on the night of the full moon, wrap the cards in a cloth bag and place them under your pillow for at least three nights.
Another powerful technique to use the moon’s light in cleansing your tarot deck is waiting for the new moon cycle. This marks the beginning of the cycle which is an excellent time to reset your cards with new energy. You can also wait for the full moon if you prefer to spruce up your deck.
One simple way to do this is to place your tarot cards in an area where the moonlight will shine on them for a short period of time. By the way, moonbeams can also be used to charge crystals.
Cleansing under the Sun’s Warmth
Place your cards under the sun.
With the full moon still a few days away, you could be seeking a middle ground between the intensity of a Moon Bath and the fast cure that shuffling can provide. Alternatively, you may need a more potent cleaning than simply arranging your cards.
In those situations, a Sun Bath can provide significant benefits without requiring you to wait for the right night.
You can also clean your deck by allowing it to sit out in the sun for a while. What a fantastic (and simple) method to cleanse and charge your deck with radiance, positivity, and warmth!
Caring for Your Tarot Cards
An Overview
There was this one story where a young man visited his old grandmother one night. He sat on her old cushioned chair in the living room. Yet, with a flick in the air, the young man felt a heavy burden. He grew worrisome as minutes passed by. It was strange! There was not a time that he was not fond of the casual visits he had with his loving grandmother. Agitated, he waited while his leg kept tapping the wooden floor.
The young man then decided to walk into the kitchen instead. He sticks his head in the door and sees his old nan stirring the stew with her face downcast.
“Is everything all right, nan?” the young man asked.
She stifled a sob. “It’s…nothing, dear.”
“Hey, you can tell me anything,” he assured her. “I’m here.”
He then learned that his grandmother’s best friend of 30 years was dying of bone cancer. It was malignant and could no longer be treatable due to her old age. When she found out this morning, she shared how it felt like a splash of cold water on her spine. If it was not for him visiting, she would have been stuck in the chair and wept her eyes out.
The usual chair where she sits every day is the same cushioned chair the young man sat on. It was not his own feelings of agitation or worry, but it was the chair! It absorbed the old woman’s emotions and has somehow affected the young man or anyone who might sit on it.
This is a real-life example where you might sometimes overlook the same emotional alchemy as yours. So no matter where you may be, it is important to be aware of the energy influencing our daily lives.
Everything has energy as we have discussed and it is crucial to know what or who you are allowing in and robbing your attention, especially when you are dealing with tarot cards. It is not a toy that you can easily discard but a medium of achieving a greater understanding of the world and the people around you.
Clearing, Cleansing, Charging
In a nutshell, you might still want to ask the basic principle of how to cleanse tarot cards. Well, take good care of your tarot cards as you would want a good friend to treat you. You must not only neutralize your cards. This way, clearing and cleansing your cards can also remove any toxic, distracting, or heavy energy in the spiritual sense.
On one hand, clearing the cards is a way of nullifying or cutting the energy from the past. On the other hand, cleansing the tarot cards is more of a thorough cleaning. You must go above and beyond to ensure that the energy is completely cleansed.
Once you neutralize and cleanse the tarot cards on a deeper level, you can imbue them with specific positive energy in the third stage, which is what we call “charging.” Like how you would charge yourself daily with food as a source of energy, you can refer to the process of “charging” as blessings. You can go ahead and charge it with your good intentions, love, and prayer.
Another way of how to cleanse tarot cards is taking the finest care of your tarot deck is to keep it in a special location, such as an altar or a well-kept shelf. A tarot expert named Vanderveldt, suggests wrapping it in a piece of cloth, laying it in a box, or putting a crystal over it. If you have a lot of decks, she recommends designating a spot to store them such as a shelf, a basket, or a stylish box.
When to cleanse tarot cards, it is recommendable to bring it out now and then if you’ve had it for a while, as putting it in dark corners of bookcases or drawers can lead to stagnant energy.
Truly, our tarot cards, like our treasured friends, can cling to stagnant or negative energy if we neglect them. Cleanse your deck periodically, whether with a knock, a shuffle, or with salt or incense, if you want a clear tarot reading devoid of blocked energy.
Needless to say, tarot cards should be cleansed and taken care of. Treat these cards as your friend.
