“Don’t touch my cards!”
“But why? And what now, mom?”
I don’t really flip when my kids touch my cards. But, I do clean them after their little hands touched them. And most of all, I do clean and release the energy after every reading. How do I usually clean them? There are several ways I know how you can clean your cards, and there are probably a few more I will skip. Nevertheless, in this article I will share my cleansing ritual, but also how a few of my fellow readers clean their tarot cards. Personally, I do the shuffling and meditation (visualizing purple light surrounding the cards), but there are many more things you can do. Let’s have a look at them.
1. Meditation with a help of visualization and binaural beats
Take a few minutes to quiet your racing mind. Forget about what else is on your to-do list that day. You will do everything and as a matter of fact after this short, let’s call it exercise, you will be even better and more productive in anything you need to do.
Remember – your mind has no limits and you can clean your cards with meditation and a help of visualization techniques. (Btw, I’ve tried this technique on dishes and laundry, but unfortunately it doesn’t work.) I also use the energy of my hands to do it, but the power of the mind and spirit are the ones that do most of the job. Usually, I visualize a shinning purple light wrapping the cards, going quickly through every card, soaking them in this radiating purple bath of purifying energy.
As I already mentioned I also help myself with my hands. I spread the cards face down on the table, I open my palms towards them and I slowly approach the cards with my hands and then slowly move them up and away from the cards. I repeat that movement slowly a few times, and while moving my hands away, I visualize pulling away the old and used energy, and when approaching the cards with my hands, I visualize giving them new, clean and fresh energy.
And … while doing all that I sometimes put on my headphones and listen to binaural beats to help me tune in quicker. You will easily find a version that suits you on YouTube.
Besides binaural beats you can also use other sounds, as simple as clapping your hands, ringing a bell, and sound-bowls which have healing properties.
2. Burn dry sage leaves
I was about 15 years old and one day I came home, entered a hallway and there was my mom, holding a bunch of burning sage leaves and waving them through the air. I think I gave her one of the strangest looks I was able to come up with, and I was like, mom, are you okay? What on earth are you doing? And she said “Ssssshhhh … She died!”
The story was, a lady, she was our neighbor, and lived in one part of our house, died after struggling with horrible disease for a few months. And my mom was burning dry sage leaves because that ritual helps chase away spirits. It is sort of like giving your home a decontaminating cleanse, a complete spirit purification.
So, back to tarot cards. You can burn sage and pass your deck through sage smoke. The advice is to hold the cards above the burning sage smoke and this way thoroughly cleanse your cards.
3. Bay leaf is not just for stews
So, what do you do with bay leaves? This time there is no need to burn dry bay leaves. Instead, wrap your cards in a cloth and fill it with dry bay leaves and they will ward off evil spirits and give your beautiful deck a new, clean and fresh energy.
4. Crystals on top of your cards to cleanse and protect your deck
Crystals are not just beautiful pieces of rock, they have amazing spiritual purposes and yes, they can also cleanse your cards. So, if you have a large and flat crystal you can place your deck on top of that crystal, or, if it’s a smaller crystal, you can place it on a top of your deck and this way remove the old energy from your cards and charge them with a new and fresh energy.
So, which crystals should you use?
Black tourmaline is truly an interesting piece as it absorbs all negative energy. But, what I think is the most beautiful about it, is that it transforms that energy to a positive flow or at least a neutral one. You can use black tourmaline to protect yourself by seeing the circumstances around you with objective eyes and more clarity, which is great when you read the cards. But, what’s even better is that the stone will give you the strength to respond with compassion, which is a truly amazing when you’re dealing with people who are going tough times and are searching for answers.
Selenite is another crystal that belongs to a family of cleansing crystals. This beautiful whitish stone is a beautiful tool that will help you connect with your spirit guides and has many other metaphysical and healing properties, such as promoting calmness, connection and friendships, clearing blocked energy as well as elevating your spirit and opening your way to intuition. Selenite is a crystal that vibrates at a very high frequency, and is an effective cleanser. If you are surrounded with people due to nature of your work, use it to protect yourself and your home or office from negativity that can radiate from others. Selenite can protect you, your home, but can also also clean and protect your tarot deck.
Clear quartz has similar properties as selenite, but is slightly different in structure. It can be transparent and is compared to selenite a reasonably hard stone. Clear quartz is a beautiful stone to help you tune in your intuition and many readers turn to it, especially during love and relationship readings.
5. Salty baths
Really, not my favorite pick as it is slightly messy, but it works wonders. If your cards need a super energy reset, place them in a glass bowl of unrefined sea salt and leave them overnight.
Salt will come down easily, don’t worry. However, I am not sure if this type of cleansing should be regularly used and not compromise the longevity of your deck. Honestly, I very rarely use this type of cleansing.
6. Sunlight and moonlight baths
Well, make sure it’s not windy as your cards will be all over the place if you place them on open sun. Nevertheless, this is a super easy and accessible way to clean your cards, especially if you get a feedback your readings don’t resonate with clients. Just a few minutes on the sun and your cards are ready to go.
Ah, the moonlight. As Moon is my ruling planet, this sky object has a special place in my heart. I will assume you already know crystals should be charged under the light of the moon, and especially during every full moon, but did you know you can also place your tarot deck under moonlight on the evening of the next full moon and let the sky beauty do its thing during the night.
This is also one of my monthly rituals – I place my cards to be charged under the moonlight, but I also meditate on the topic of a zodiac sign the moon is in, and most of all express gratitude to the Universe for everything in my life.
7. Last but not least – your breath
Yep, your breath is a powerful tool, especially if you eat garlic. I am joking, no need to go all garlicky, ok? But hey, if it scares vampires away, I am absolutely sure it will deal with some old energy trapped in your cards. Plus, they say, garlic is a natural antibiotic, so why not. OK, joke aside. Focus and breathe out slowly into your cards and your breath should sweep away anything that should go.
So, I have tried all of these, even the salty baths, and although some of them are messy, they work wonders. But, what I have found to work for me best is the visualization, the breath technique and a monthly moonlight ritual. As I already explained, a full moon ritual is my monthly thing, so I do that without any special reason to cleanse the cards. Even if I meditated with the cards during that day, I would spread my deck when the full moon comes out, so my advice is not to skip that opportunity.
So – when should you use the cleansing rituals?
1. You should definitely clean your deck the first time you get them.
Many hands touched it before cards came to you, so they definitely deserve a proper cleanse. You do clean your sheets before you use them for the first time, right? You should do the same with your new tarot deck.
2. If someone else uses your deck, your cards will need a cleanse.
My sons know it’s better not to touch them, but sometimes they can’t resist it. I understand them, the cards are magnetic and my boys love to spread them and observe the images, but after that I do have to clean them. The cards, I mean.
3. Obviously, clean your cards each time before a reading.
This can be done with a quick shuffle and eventually a breath cleanings. It’s like quickly setting the last pillow on a couch before your guests arrive. Nevertheless, this will not help if you didn’t take the time to actually clean your home. So, yeah, imagine that, you do have to perform an energy cleaning after absolutely every tarot reading. Using a metaphor from before, when your guests leave the house, you’re the one who cleans the house. The cards, in our case. Personally I do it with a help of meditation – visualizing purple light, doing my woodoo with hands and if I catch time I do listen to binaural beats while doing that. This really doesn’t have to take much of your time, a minute or two the most.
4. Some people say you need to clean your cards if you travel with them.
Well, I travel a lot and the cards are always with me. And I do clean them when I reach my destination.
5. If you feel you don’t have the connection, give your cards a proper cleanse.
A shuffle will work. A breath technique will do it, or mediation with purple light. Anything that works for you, works for the cards as well. Accept the fact the cards respond to your energy, and to the energy around you. The more you tune into what they might be holding on to, the more you’ll be able to tell when they need a cleanse.