Congratulations on picking out your first tarot deck and a warm welcome to the world of tarot! I can't wait to guide you through the process of connecting with and learning from your cards. While you may be keen to jump right into learning what the cards traditionally represent, I feel that bonding with your starter deck (and indeed any subsequent decks) should always take priority. Why? Because it's important for you to tap into your intuition first! Something that I find quite incredible about tarot is that the same card across different decks can be interpreted with slightly (or entirely!) different nuances. I recommend meditating on what each card in your starter deck means to you prior to looking up keywords.
You may not feel called to do all, if indeed any, of these steps. But as you've clicked through to this blog post, I can only assume that you're interested in how to "properly" prepare your deck. It's important to note, however, that there is no right or wrong way to break in a new deck before use. Sometimes it simply doesn't feel necessary to plod through the (often time-consuming) steps I will outline below, but there is certainly no harm in being open to this process and learning a little about the cards along the way.
1. Find the Right Time (and Enough Time) to Begin the Process
Bonding with a tarot deck is, for many, a meditative process. Feeling relaxed and at peace within your space is a necessity. I recommend lighting some incense to set the energy of the room. These White Sage Incense Sticks by Satya are my go-to and will also come in handy later in this session! Make sure you have enough time to dedicate to meeting your new deck. Be free of distractions and allow yourself to temporarily forget all other worldly concerns.
2. Look at and Meditate on Each Card
Now that you are comfortable, it's time to peel back the plastic and open your new deck. One at a time, you are going to pick up a card and consider the image you are presented with. The first card (numbered 0) of the Major Arcana is The Fool. He will almost always be the first card you meet when exploring a Rider Waite (or Rider Waite inspired) deck. Just like you, the Fool is at the beginning of a journey and, while there are certain keywords and feelings that every tarot reader will associate with The Fool, the image of this character in your deck may differ slightly. Which important symbols can you pick out from the image? What feelings does this card evoke within you, personally? Can you relate to the character in the image? Do any of the objects pictured command your attention more than others?
Once you have looked at the image, close your eyes and briefly meditate on the card. Do any new feelings spring forth? What is your intuition telling you about the potential meaning of this card? Is this different from what you've already perceived, or the same? If you feel called to do so, it may be worth taking down some notes on your first impressions of each card at this point.
I often place each card face-down in a new pile before moving onto the next. You may find that separating the Major Arcana cards from each of the suits of the Minor Arcana (being left with five face-down piles upon completion) is a useful way of categorising your cards as you greet them for the first time.
3. Cleanse Your Cards to Reset their Energy
Sage, Smudge Sticks & Incense
There are multiple ways of cleansing your deck. My favourite method is using White Sage! If you haven't already, now is the time to light your White Sage Smudge Stick or White Sage Incense. White Sage is the most powerful purifying sage I stock and is believed to reset the energy of any space or object that comes into contact with its smoke. Your cards have undertaken a journey to get to you and its very possible they may have picked up unwanted energies along the way. Either fan out your cards to allow part of each to touch the smoke or, if you'd like to cleanse your deck more thoroughly, take it in turns to hold each of your cards (and each face of your card) above the smoke.
A Note on White Sage: This and many other types of sage are commonly over-farmed. It is important to ensure your sage is sourced sustainably! Peggy's Emporium exclusively stock Green Tree sage, which is sustainably sourced from California, USA. Alternatively, why not grow and dry your own?
Cleansing Crystals
Another way I like to both cleanse and charge my tarot decks is by using crystals! Selenite, Clear Quartz and Black Obsidian are all powerful and affordable options for cleansing a new deck. Simply arrange your selected crystals atop and around your deck and allow them time to soak up any unwanted energies that may have attached themselves to your cards. If you don't have a dedicated altar space yet, now is a wonderful time to create one! I'll write about how to perfect a personalised altar in a future post. I'll link here once complete!
If you're looking to charge your deck between readings and imbue the cards with specific spiritual properties afforded by certain crystals, it's important to know which crystals might work best for the readings you are looking to practice. Aforementioned Black Obsidian is known to assist in blocking negative spiritual influences that may take over a reading or quieten the voices of your personal spirit guides. Rose Quartz is the stone of universal love and would be a wonderful crystal to charge your deck with prior to a love and relationships reading. To effortlessly enhance your own intuitive power, it's certainly worth carrying stones like Amethyst or Labradorite (my personal favourite) as you go about your day-to-day business! Try charging your deck with these crystals too.
Bathe your Cards in the Light of a Full Moon
While the occasion of a full moon is unlikely to fall on exactly the night of your ice-breaker session with your first deck of tarot cards, cleansing (and charging) your cards in the light of a full moon is a wonderful way to rid your deck of any unwanted energies. Place your cards out (preferably upon a window sill that the moonlight will hit) in the evening and allow them to sit overnight. This is a natural and powerful way to routinely "dust off" the energy of your deck and prepare the cards for future readings and practice sessions. Why not create a temporary altar space for this ritual? Surround your deck with cleansing and charging crystals to really personalise the energy of your next reading.
Knocking, Sound & Breath
I will admit, I don't practice these options as often as those mentioned above, but I thought them worth mentioning for how easy they are to perform, and how much more quickly you may be able to jump into a reading by using these methods in the future. When breaking in a new deck, or simply resetting the energy of an existing one, I like to be as thorough as possible. Though these methods are thought to cleanse, they may be somewhat less effective in relieving your deck entirely of unwanted energies than using smoke, for example. Nevertheless, they are all excellent ways of imbuing your deck with your own unique energy.
TLDR; these are all great ways to form a bond with a new deck once you've already cleansed all the weird vibes away through other, more thorough, practices!
Knocking your deck is a quick and easy way of physically "knocking" unwanted energy out of your cards, to be replaced with your own. I like to hold my deck in my non-dominant hand and knock three times with the other. You can repeat this process between shuffles if once doesn't feel like enough.
Voicing your intentions aloud as you shuffle is another effective way of gently incorporating your energy into the cards. Introducing your unique energy at this stage of your journey with a new deck will better establish a connection and support accurate and personalised spreads going forward. Talk of your goals for the session and raise any introductory questions early. For example, ask the deck "which area of my life will you guide me in?" This is a great ice-breaker if you're intending to expand your collection early! Feel free to refer to your intuitive notes from earlier, or indeed a tarot book or online guide when attempting to interpret these early pulls.
If cleansing with sound is of particular interest to you, an Altar Bell is not only a wonderful accessory for a well-stocked and eye-catching altar table, but also a simple way of ridding your deck of negative vibes and setting a meditative energy for a successful and intuitive reading.
Similar to using your voice to set the energy of your cards, your breath can also be utilised as a powerful tool for cleansing your deck quickly between readings, or after you've travelled with your deck. Blow a deep breath of air over your cards (while stacked, fanned out or throughout shuffling, whichever you prefer) to blow the cobwebs away, so to speak!
Top Tip on Vintage and Pre-loved Decks: If you have opted for a second-hand deck, I cannot stress enough the importance of thoroughly cleansing the deck prior to use. The deck will still hold the energy of any past owner(s) and you certainly don't want any previous connections bleeding through into your readings. Try to exhaust all cleansing methods until the deck no longer feels like a stranger!
Conclusion
Breaking in any tarot deck is a deeply personal experience and you will, in time, discover exactly which of the above steps you feel are necessary to take when familiarising yourself with your shiny new cards. You may already feel called to practice some of these methods of introduction. Go grab some supplies and get started!
As you expand your collection, you'll quickly learn that each deck truly has its own personality. You will find yourself drawn to different decks at different times and for different purposes. While I do believe it's important to be introduced to some basic practices as a complete beginner, posts such as these are intended as nothing more than springboards. Ultimately, let your intuition guide you! There is no right or wrong when it comes to devising your own practices.
Next Steps: If you're local to St Andrews, pop in and say hello! Either myself or my staff would love to assist you in finding your perfect deck. Otherwise, feel free to browse our online store (we currently ship within the UK only) and keep an eye out for my next tarot reading blog post! In the meantime, please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more regular updates.
How do you cleanse your tarot decks? Do you have any tips for beginners on how to best connect with their cards? I'd love to hear your contributions! Leave a comment below and start the conversation.
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