Tarot Lesson 4

 Care and Feeding of Your Deck

Presumably at this point in the lessons, you have a deck of your very own!

That's exciting, isn't it? Does it feel good in your hands, are you enjoying working with it and getting to know it? Yeah, that sounds weird to a newbie but anyone who has worked with Tarot cards for long will tell you, they have personalities and quirks. There are decks that are blunt and do not give a fuck about your feelings while there are others that are more like that mom friend who tells you the truth but also has a cookie for you. It's fun to discover what kind of deck you have (and it's OK to have several for the sake of those different voices, but we'll cover that in a later lesson).

But now that you have a deck, we need to talk about how to take care of it because you do not want your cards to end up dirty or lost or sticky, do you?I'm going to touch on some very practical stuff here but some of this is going to come off to some people as "airy fairy" or "magical hoodoo" type stuff and not all Tarot readers are also practicing witches, shamans, high mages, or whatever you call yourself. If I talk about something that makes you roll your eyes, then that isn't for you and you can skip ahead to the next bit.

Again, and I'm probably going to say this so much you're going to get sick of it, if I say something that doesn't resonate with you or your path, you don't have to do it. I'm not the boss of you.

Keep your deck clean and contained. 

This is the practical, need to listen to me part. This is where we talk about how those cardboard boxes that most of the decks out there come in are nifty and all, but they aren't meant for long term storage (unless you got yourself one of these new Oracle decks, they have really nice, sturdy boxes that stand up even to my backpack for long periods of time). And some decks come in sets with books and things with no real means to store them once you open the box containing all the pieces. So, we need something to put them in, right?

Soft cloth scarves (traditionally silk but whatever you like works) or nice boxes (again, traditionally wood, but whatever you like is OK) work very well, and are the traditional means to keep decks safe and contained. But keeping it in the original packaging (for as long as possible anyway), using a ziploc baggie, or even a nice clutch purse, anything to keep the cards together is fine. You can find Tarot bags online fairly easily and they come in a wide variety of designs to suit your taste. 

Rubber Bands are NOT fine. They will damage the cards but coated hair ties are safe as long as they are a good size. They shouldn't pinch the deck, just wrap it snugly enough to keep the cards from escaping. I personally recommend the scarf or box method because they are gentle on the cards and look cool. 

This might go without saying, but I just want to cover all the bases. Don't use your decks with sticky fingers or while eating. And if you have a beverage, make sure it has a cover or a place far from your deck. Spills happen and oh boy, let me tell you, Tarot decks do not like to get wet!

If you do somehow get your deck sticky, clean it carefully, taking care not to get the cards too wet, but be aware of what kind of stock your cards are made of! Many are coated like playing cards so a slightly damp cloth should wipe away any sticky fingerprints, but some are just glorified construction paper and have no coating to make them mostly waterproof. These are harder to clean and you should definitely not use a damp cloth.

If your cards get wet, you may still be able to salvage them by laying them on a towel, separated out and flat for a few hours. You could even use 2 towels or one folded in half, to sandwich the cards and put a heavy book or something on top of them to discourage warping and curling.

But overall, just be careful where you're laying your cards out (you can use your scarf as a mat or get a reading cloth. It's WAY easier to throw the scarf in the laundry than trying to get coffee or donut glaze off your cards.) Make sure your fingers are clean and dry, and if you let other people touch your deck, make sure their hands are clean too.

Clear your deck before and after use. 

By "clear your deck" I basically mean get the energy of the last reading off it so you can get into the new one.  

This can be as simple as shuffling the cards and thinking “I am shaking off the energies of this reading to be ready for the next” or “I am energizing these cards in preparation for my mediation.” The point is to have your cards (and you) ready for a different use than the last time they were out. 

Some people like to occasionally 'reset' their decks. This is where they sit with the deck in a quiet environment and put the deck back in its natural order starting with the Major Arcanas, then going to the suits. It's a good way to make sure all of your cards are still there and the entire deck is undamaged. It's also a good practice if you're putting a deck away for a long time, such as realizing that you no longer vibe with a deck and aren't sure what you are going to do with it. Or for when you pull it out after it's been in storage for a long time to let you get reacquainted with the deck.

Whatever method you use, and again this is a place where Google will be your friend because there are SO DAMNED MANY methods to clear a deck, make sure that you are comfortable with it and you can always do it. Don't pick out a method that involves you dancing naked around your deck as you release doves into the sky if you're going to be taking your deck to a party to do readings. Most parties won't encourage naked dancing with doves and drums and shit. Unless they do, and then that's the kind of party that ALL tarot readers should attend at least once in their lives.

I've found that keeping it simple, easy to remember and always accessible is best. (but as always, you do you.)

Energize your deck as needed. 

This is probably the most woo-woo, airy fairy thing that I am going to talk about in this lesson, but it's something that I have found helps out between bouts of readings. And it's a very personal process, so I won't talk too much on it and leave you to the Google to find something that works for you.

Energizing is simply taking time to put energy into your deck, especially after a cleansing or a long string of readings.

This isn't the same as cleansing, per say, though many people double up and cleanse and energize at the same time. This can be done by saying a prayer over the deck, holding it and using your own energy to charge it,  or storing it in a place of high energetic resonance, like on an altar or in your meditation space where it picks up the energy by just being there. Again, and this is going to end up being my favorite phrase, Google is going to be your best friend for finding that kind of energizing practice that works for you.

I'd love to get deep into it, but I am not an expert on crystals and candles and such. Google will pull up a plethora of awesome websites and books that you can peruse to find the method that vibes with you the best.

I think that about covers how to take care of your Tarot deck, but let me know on my Facebook if you have any further questions by either dropping your query on the pinned post or sending me a DM.

You can find the list of lessons and my FAQ page here.