How to cleanse your Tarot cards. What's the trick? Are there good ways and bad ways?
Cleansing your cards is essential before use as your cards can hold stagnant energy that might mess up your readings. To get the best out of your cards, give them a little cleanse using the methods below.
WORDS: Cat Crawford
IMAGE: Karly Jones, Studio Kealaula
Knowing how to cleanse Tarot cards isn’t something that is often taught to Tarot beginners. Most of the time, you have to feel out for yourself. This is because how you cleanse your own Tarot cards is based on personal preference. It’s based on what feels the most cleansing to you.
The good news is that are plenty of ways you can cleanse your cards.
The main thing to keep in mind is how the energy of the Tarot cards feels to you and how you feel in yourself. It’s no good using a technique that doesn’t make you feel like something has shifted.
To help you find out how you should cleanse your Tarot cards, here are some things I’d like you to try.
Cleanse Your Tarot Cards With Smoke
One of the easiest ways to cleanse your Tarot cards. Using smoke from herb bundles or smudge sticks that include things like sage or rosemary will do the trick.
All you need is to burn your herbs, whether it be a bundle, Palo Santo, or via loose incense. Then grab your Tarot deck and slowly run the deck through the smoke plume. Make sure to allow the smoke to fully wrap itself around the cards.
This is also very therapeutic to watch. Really pay attention to how the smoke moves around the Tarot cards. Where does it meet with the cards, and where does it appear to be repelled?
When I cleanse Tarot cards I like to hold them in the smoke for 1-2 minutes depending on how I feel. I like to try and tap into the energy of the cards and intuitively decide when the deck has been fully cleansed.
Cleanse Your Tarot Cards With Crystals
If working with smoke doesn’t appeal to you then cleansing your Tarot deck with crystals could be the ticket.
There are a few ways to do this. My favourite is getting a piece of clear quartz or selenite and popping it on top of the deck before use. You can leave it for an hour or overnight depending on how deep of a cleanse it needs.
Some other crystals that are good for cleansing Tarot cards are Black Tourmaline and Citrine. Black Tourmaline is a great sponge for negative energy, so it can suck up all that badness before you pick up your deck again. Citrine is another great energy cleanser because it replaces negative energy with positive, joyful energy.
Another way you could cleanse your Tarot deck with crystals is by using crystal grids. This is a good way to also add in more specific types of energy whilst you’re cleansing. For example, create a grid using rose quartz to instil loving energy in your deck.
Cleansing it in this way can also help you set intentions for your reading, if you’re doing a reading about career, you may choose the money attracting Pyrite, or if you’re looking to get over a break up, a heart healing emerald could be ideal.
Cleanse Your Tarot Cards By Tapping
When it came to figuring out how I cleanse Tarot cards, tapping was the first technique that really felt right. I do this before I use my deck without fail. It’s quick, efficient and great for daily cleansing.
My go-to tapping technique for cleansing my Tarot cards is to use the heel of my hand. I simply give the deck three knocks and I’m good to go.
What this does is knock the stagnant energy from the deck. You’re using kinetic energy to replace the energy that is being held in the cards. The reason we want to do this is that the leftover energy can confuse our readings. We want to be able to have a good, clean slate before we dive back into a new reading.
Cleanse Your Tarot Cards Using The Moon
We’ve all heard of cleansing our crystals with the moon, but how do we cleanse Tarot cards with the moon? Well, the same exact way.
Which moon you use for cleansing is up to you. I prefer new moons because they represent new beginnings. A completely new cycle from which to start afresh.
Some people prefer a full moon to cleanse. It all depends on which phase of the moon you feel is the most cleansing for you. For me, I much prefer using the full moon to recharge my Tarot deck.
I wouldn’t advise putting your deck outside like you would crystals. Weather and dirt could end up damaging your cards and we don’t want that.
*Tip: If you’re looking to work with your cards and the moon phases more closely, make sure to check out my annual Tarot Diary. I include how to work with the moon through Tarot and Oracle card readings in there, so you can build your own lunar card readings.
Cleanse Tarot Cards Using Visualisation
The final way to cleanse Tarot cards is visualisation. This is another of my favourites. All you have to do is visualise a soft white light entering your deck and cleansing it of all the energy it is holding.
It is best, however, to make sure you are in a deeply relaxed state before you start the visualisation. This is just so you aren’t transferring any negative energy to your deck.
If the soft white light isn’t working for you, think about something that feels cleansing to you. Maybe one of the elemental energies that we often find in the Tarot cards themselves. Maybe it’s a trickling stream or a gust of wind. Imagine it moving through the Tarot deck and carrying away all the stagnant energy.