TAROT FOR BEGINNERS BY BARBARA MOORE

Cleansing and Storing Your Cards

Some readers, particularly those who are very sensitive to the energy around them, ritually cleanse their cards before or after every use. A very simple way to do this is to go through all the cards and make sure they are upright, and then put them in order (for example, in the same order as they are presented in this book, or the same order but putting the court cards with their suits). Nothing fancy—it is merely a way to signal to your mind that you are done reading the cards and that everything is in order until the next time. Another easy technique is to hold all the cards in your hand, fanned out, and just wave them through the air, imagining any residual energy falling off the cards. One of my favorite ideas is from Rachel Pollack, who suggests that after reading, which creates a certain kind of order, we "return our cards to their original state of chaos by shuffling after a reading."

Although still fairly simple, more elaborate techniques include burning sage or an incense with cleansing properties and passing the cards, as a deck or each card individually, through the smoke. A benefit of storing your cards in a bag or container with extra room is that you can include a crystal or stone. Rose quartz, obsidian, or tiger's-eye are popular choices, but use any stone that has properties that you like or want to incorporate into your readings. Other items can be stored with your cards, too, such as a sprig of sage or lavender, a rune stone, or any other talisman.

At the very least, after you are done using your cards, you'll want to gather them up and store them in something so that none of the cards get lost and so that they all stay clean and dry. 

Keeping your cards safe and being able to wrap up a reading are practical benefits of rituals. Other benefits are less tangible but still very powerful. As with spirituality, ritual can be very personal. As with deciding what kind of questions you will ask, you will need to decide for yourself what, if any, ritual practices you want to incorporate.

While you are mulling over your options, we can shift our attention back to reading the cards with some hands-on activities and methods for adding nuance and precision to your readings.