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Welcoming Your New Tarot Cards

Your Friendly Familiar

So you got your new deck of Tarot cards?  Congratulations!  Super exciting!  Many Tarot practitioners go through processes to purify and cleanse their new deck.  They say it helps bring their energy into the deck and, as a result, will make Reading more accurate.  Are you interested?  Below are some solid ways to build a strong connection with your new deck.

Table of Contents

    Before Opening Your Deck

    Hold on!  Don’t open your new deck just yet!  From when the deck was being created to being packaged, shipped, and delivered to you… Your deck has been passed through many hands and, thus, has been in contact with a lot of different energies.  There are a few things you can do to cleanse the deck so these excess energies can be “wiped clean” off your deck and make room for yours.  The following are some options, and feel free to try any of them!

    Introduce Yourself

    I’m not necessarily saying “talk to yourself” by introducing yourself to your new deck.  Just simply hold the new deck, unopened, in your hands.  Mentally introduce yourself, saying who you are and why you wish to have this long-term spiritual/emotional/mental relationship with your deck.  Tell your deck what you expect to learn or gain from it.  Ask if it can help you.  Don’t worry, your deck will learn all about you over time, so don’t feel too shy or nervous about this first introduction.

    Sleep with Your New Deck Under Your Pillow for 10 Nights

    As you sleep, you deck will consume your natural energy.  It’s not uncommon to experience strange or vivid dreams during this time.  It just means that your deck is reacting to your energy and may be already trying to send you messages. 

    Have Your Deck on You for 3 Days.

    Carry your new deck in your pocket, purse, or wherever on your person, and take it everywhere with you.  Your deck will learn your daily routine, habits, and personality.  

    Opening & Purifying Your Deck

    After prepping your deck, now is the time to open the box!  Yay!  Open your deck in a sacred space.  This space should be intimate, calm, and filled with your energy.  This can be simply your bedroom where you’ll be undisturbed. You can have candles or incense burning.  The important thing is to be in a place where you can focus your time and energy with your deck, so it gets to know you properly.  Now go ahead and open the box!

    Use Smoke

    One thing I recommend after opening the deck’s box is to hold the entire deck of cards in one hand and gently have smoke blow over them.  Some people I know spread out their cards in your hand and move them over burning white sage, so its smoke spreads over the cards evenly.  You can use incense of whatever scent means something to you.  The main idea is that the smoke will purify your cards from negative energies.

    Look Through The Cards

    Take your time looking at one card at a time.  Observe/analyze its image.  Look at the guidebook to learn its meaning.  Meditate on that meaning.  Once you feel comfortable in understanding the card, move on to the next card.  This will obviously take a lot of time, but your patience and time will be well spent as you will be on your way to learning them.

    Group the Cards

    Spread out the cards in groups.  Lay out the Major Arcana.  Look at them as a whole and their connections.  Lay out a Suit (e.g., Wands/Fire) and do the same.  By observing the groups as family units, it will help you build close connections with your deck.

    Rearrange the Cards

    Lay out the whole deck in one big spread in order.  Then gather the cards and shuffle them well.  Then rearrange the cards back in order.  This will help you get a feel of the deck as a whole and will unconsciously help you with meanings since you’ll be getting familiar with recognizing all the cards more equally.

    Building Connection with Your Deck

    Interview Spread

    You can do a Spread that interviews your deck so you can build a closer bond together.  There are a couple of good Interview Spreads out there.  I will share 3 that I think are good choices!  So give one a go!

    4-Card Interview Spread
    1. In what area of my life can you help me?
    2. In what tone can I expect in Readings from you?
    3. How can you surprise me while we do Readings together?
    4. When doing Readings for other people, what kind/type of Readings can I use with you?

    5-Card Interview Spread
    1. What kind/type of Readings will you be excellent at doing?
    2. What are your strengths as a deck?
    3. Why are you here? What are you to teach me?
    4. How can I best bond/connect with you?
    5. Which card of yours best represents you?

    6-Card Interview Spread
    1. Tell me about yourself: What is your most important characteristic/attribute?
    2. What are your strengths as a deck?
    3. What are your limits/weaknesses as a deck?
    4. Why are you here? What are you to teach me?
    5. How can I best work with and learn from you?
    6. What is the potential outcome from us working together?

    Daily Draw

    This is a good technique for learning any Tarot deck, especially a new one.  Every morning, ask your deck a single question such as, “What lesson do I need to know today?” or “What advice would you like to give me today?”  Then pick just 1 card from your deck.  Focus on that card, learn its meaning, and reflect on it throughout the day.  This is a good way to learn your deck slowly and steadily over time.  It’s also useful to record your card on a calendar so you can keep track!

    Practice Shuffling & Laying Out Your New Deck

    Self-explanatory.  It will help with memorizing the different cards and seeing the overall big picture or the deck as a whole.

    Compare Your Decks with Other Decks (if you have them)

    This will help you learn the card meanings when you compare/contrast them with decks you are already familiar with.  

    Learn New Spreads Together

    There are tons of Spreads online that you can try!  Just stick with easy, simple ones to start with your new deck for now.  I do not recommend doing complicated Spreads (like the Celtic Cross) or do Readings for others until your new deck is fully connected with you.  

    Use ONLY Your New Deck for 30 Days

    This ensures the proper time and energy used to establish a solid bond between your energy and your new Tarot deck.  If you throw in the use of other decks, it can create an imbalance between your energy and your new deck’s needs of getting to know you.  You want to welcome your new deck by making it a priority. Also, as a side bonus, it really helps ensure that you learn the cards!

    Storing Your Cards

    After spending some time with your new deck, it’s time to wrap it up while it’s going well.

    “Thank you”  

    Give thanks to your cards.  Simple.  It can be verbally out loud or mentally. Hold the deck in your hands and thank them.

    Place Them in a Special Space  

    Set your new deck aside in a special place just for them.  The place should have your energy present.  Good places include being nearby crystals, good smelling spices, or with incense burning nearby. Some people have a box to place the cards. Some keep them in a small velvet bag just for them. There are many options out there!

    Rest

    It’s important to let it rest.  It’s very tempting to constantly touch and handle your new deck.  But it’s imperative to be patient.  You need to give them time to absorb your energy in between handling it.  (I suggest a few hours, at least, of rest at a time.)

    And there you have it!  A quick guide to welcoming a new Tarot card deck into your home!  I hope this was useful or informative!  Tell me, if you’re experienced with attaining new decks, have you used any of these techniques before?  If so, which ones?  Are there other methods you do to welcome new Tarot cards into your home?  Are you thinking about getting a Tarot deck?  If so, which ones and why?  Thank you, my dear friends, for reading this post and I really look forward to sharing more fun Tarot-related information with you in the future!

    “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

    – Helen Keller

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