Easy Ways To Cleanse Your Tarot Cards
Theres a tradition in the tarot community of cleansing and clearing new, and old, tarot cards. Heres the good news: its both easy and optional.
Many readers dont cleanse their tarot decks which is totally okay. I know a few who dont cleanse their cards and theyre amazing readers. But a lot of people do feel that their tarot cards can get energetic gunk stuck on them.
So, why would you want to cleanse or bless your tarot cards?
If theyre used Who knows who owned the deck. Was there negative, anxious, or obsessive energy surrounding their usage? Its better to freshen them up, plus get them attuned to you as the new owner.
If someone else touched them this is a bit of polarizing tarot folklore. Some tarot practitioners dont let anyone touch their cards.
Despite what your tarot teacher insisted, or what you read in a book, adherence to this belief is optional.
If you feel that your cards read differently after someone touches them, then dont let folks touch them. Otherwise, its a personal preference not a hard-fast rule. Do practice good tarot etiquette: ask first before touching someone elses tarot deck.
If your readings are consistently negative or confusing Maybe theres weird energetic gunk attached to your cards thats mucking up the reading. Reading on a negative situation may produce negative card outcomes. But sometimes you do get a funky, unexplainably negative vibe that needs clearing.
How To Use Meditation And Visualization To Cleanse Your Deck
Meditation can take the simple form of a brief prayer. Alternatively, through visualization, you can imagine any negative energy leaving the cards, which will erase anything that is currently affecting the deck and help you reestablish the connection you had with the cards.
Repeating a relevant mantra in your head or, if you prefer, out loud can also help you transfer your energy onto the deck. If you are looking for inspiration, something along the lines of this is my deck, and I need to clear it from past energies and connect it to my own will work.
However, as mentioned, meditation is an extremely personal practice. So, dont be afraid to try different tarot cleansing methods and test which one works best for you.
Storing Your Tarot Cards
Now that youve cleansed your Tarot deck, here are a couple of ideas on how to store your cards:
- Store your cards with a quartz crystal which is a wonderful absorber of energies. If you want to keep your crystal clean too, then use any of the cleansing techniques above.
- Place your Tarot cards at a specially made altar in between readings.
- Use baby wipes to keep your cards clean and to remove any stickiness between cards.
- Keep your Tarot cards wrapped in a special cloth or stored in a special Tarot box. Different colours have different energy so choose a colour that infuses the energy you most want for your Tarot cards:
- Black shadows and the unknown
- Blue spirituality and peace
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How To Cleanse Your Tarot Or Divination Cards
How To Cleanse Your Tarot Or Divination Cards. Tarot divination or any kind of card divination is an energetic connection that we channel the divines energy , the persons energy receiving the tarot reading energy in combination with our energy onto the cards in order to receive information. Within time negative vibration built up can built onto the tarot cards causing unclear tarot readings, a feeling of discomfort and we can even absorb these negative energies onto ourselves. This can also be more intense when we conduct multiple readings back to back or when we conduct a tarot reading where the tarot reading / card divination reading is surrounding heavy negative vibrations. To dispel these negative energies off of your divination cards you must cleanse them spirituality. Here are several methods that I have used personally to do so and have been effective for me. I am sure that they are many other methods such as salt feel free to comment below to help others reading this.
What is great about these tarot cleansing methods is that you can use these same methods to cleanse any kind of divination cards as well. Many also use these same methods to even spiritually cleanse their home or themselves.
Cleanse And Clearing Of Your Tarot Cards

New or old tarot cards, the options are easy.
Some readers dont cleanse and clear their cards. There are some that do believe the energy of their tarot cards can get sticky and need a refresh. Either of course is fine and you shall know and feel what is best for your own.
In the tradition of tarot, one of the only ways you could obtain tarot cards was to be gifted them. Items of the wealthy, and most decks were commissioned. If you are gifted a deck of tarot cards it could be an idea to cleanse them at first. They may need re-awakening or re-energising, depending on how long they have sat unused or untouched.
Some readers prefer that only they themselves touch and handle the cards, in which case they may cleanse if someone else had handled them. Others may even ask their client to shuffle the tarot cards to put their energy into them. With a physical connection with the cards established, it gives them another element of responsibility towards their reading. Most people wont generally touch someone elses tarot deck without asking first. Create your choice, create a boundary. As long as people ask it can be ok, or you can politely ask people to refrain from touching them.
How to Cleanse your cards?
If it is something you decide to do, enjoy it. It is an awakening process. Mix it up with the examples given or find your own way. As you talk to more readers feel free to ask them about their rituals.
– Wizard Nomad
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When To Cleanse A Tarot Deck
You’ll need to cleanse your Tarot deck the first time you buy it, especially if it’s a pre-owned deck.
Remember, decks carry energy so you want to make sure that your deck carries your energy, rather than someone else’s. So make sure you give it a good energy cleanse before you start using the cards.
After you’re cleansed your new deck, you will probably find that you need to cleanse it again as you continue to read with it. There are no strict rules about when to clear and cleanse your deck you’ve simply got to trust your intuition about what your deck needs. Sometimes a quick shuffle is enough to clear out any stuck energy. Other times, a full moon bath is called for.
Generally, youll know when you need to cleanse your Tarot cards you will get that niggling feeling that something isnt quite right with the connection between you and your cards.
Here are some examples of when you may want to cleanse your Tarot deck:
What Can You Cleanse Tarot Cards With
There are a variety of different ways to cleanse your Tarot cards, and whichever way you choose is completely up to you. However, whichever technique you choose should feel right to your situation, and its even okay to switch up or combine techniques depending on the situation.
Here is a list of the many different ways you can cleanse your Tarot cards:
- Incense/smudging
- Singing bowl
- And many more
Keep reading below so you can learn more about each of these cleansing techniques and how to do them so you can choose one and do it for yourself.
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Common Ways To Cleanse A Tarot Deck
There are dozens of ways to cleanse a tarot deck, but some of the most common ways include:
- Lighting incense or a smudge stick and passing the cards through the smoke
- Dropping a couple of drops of an essential oil like lavender on the cards
- Sprinkle the cards with salt
- Rap the cards hard against a table
- Keep a crystal on the deck when not in use
- Perform Reiki on the deck
- Keep the deck wrapped in silk cloth or in a wooden box when not in use
Alternatively, some tarot card readers prefer to do elemental cleansing, where they use an element or several elements to clear their tarot deck.
Clearing Tarot Cards Under The Full Moon
The full moon is a potent time to release old energy within ourselves and any items in our possession.
Many people, including myself, like to cleanse crystals under the full moon, and you can also do the same with your tarot deck.
On the evening of a full moon, spread your deck on a window that will have access to moonlight.
Let your cards soak up the clearing energy from the moon before collecting your deck in the morning.
As a side note, it is best not to leave your tarot cards outside since they may get damaged by the weather!
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Try Out A Few Ways To Cleanse Your Tarot Cards Until You Find One That Resonates With You
There are a variety of ways in which you can cleanse your tarot deck, so try out a few and decide which ones you like best. Just like how everyone has a unique connection to their tarot cards, there may be a cleansing method that really works for you more than another.
Incense
This is a great way to really cleanse anything when you want to clear the air, especially if youâre bringing in a new tarot deck into your home. You can choose to use an incense cone or stick, or burn dry herbs youâve put into a bundle. Popular aromas to use in smoke clearing your deck are sage, palo santo, or even better, local herbs youâve dried and bundled yourself! You can choose to clear your whole deck, or go through it one card at a time. While youâre at it, may as well clear your space with the incense as well!
The moon
Using the light of the moon is a potent way to cleanse and clear your tarot deck. You can choose to do this at the new moon, which is the beginning of the cycle and a great place to hit the reset button on your cards. The full moon is also a great way to cleanse your deck. Just leave it in an area where the moonlight will hit it for a little while. Moon beams are also great to charge crystals too!
The sun
You can also allow your deck to sit out and soak up the sun for a bit as a way to cleanse. Talk about a wonderful way to cleanse and charge your deck with radiant, positive, and warming energy!
Salt
Crystals
Knocking
Shuffling
Different Types Of Sage For Cleansing
There are different kinds of sage for cleansing tarot cards.
- Loose leaf
- Essential oil
If you dont like the white sage smudge sticks, you can choose other methods. These methods are not as intrusive of the indigenous people either, so it might be to consider.
As Im sensitive to smoke, I often use incense sticks or essential oil with a burner. As the white sage is becoming overharvested , I choose clary sage instead.
To use essential oil and a burner, you do the same ritual, but instead of using the smoke, you use the vapor. Be cautious, though, not to overdo it as the steam might damage the cards. You come a long way with common sense if you notice that the vapor is forming water droplets on the cards, you have overdone it.
If you use incense sticks, you follow the ritual. Let the tendrils embrace the cards.
If you use wax melts, just move the cards slowly over the burner. Be cautious not to come too close to the wax, though. This might damage the cards.
If you use a loose leaf, you can burn it holding the leaf or place it in a holder. Follow the ritual above. Make sure you think of fire safety, though, as a leaf easily can blow away.
The ritual is the most important thing.
Even though white sage is considered the original way of doing it, the effect of the cleanse will come from the ritual and the intention itself. You can use other types of herbs or essential oils if you want to. The power is in the ceremony itself and that you believe in it.
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How To Cleanse Your Tarot Deck: 10 Ways To Clear Your Cards
Theres a common belief that you must never buy your own tarot deck, which is seen as bad luck.
You should only use cards from decks that are gifted to you.
After receiving these cards, you are expected to clear your deck of any weird energies they may have picked along the way.
This is just a myth we dont have facts to back this up.
Yet still, we wouldnt want to downplay the beliefs of others and the wisdom of different cultures on how to care for their divinatory tools.
If you bought your Tarot Deck, you could also use these methods to clear and cleanse your cards before use.
In this article, we will cover how to cleanse your tarot cards and space.
Note: you can also use these methods to clean your Angel card decks and oracle cards.
Contents
One: Clean Your Space

This step is often overlooked but it is so important. The first step to cleanse your tarot cards is to clean your space. Whether you are working at an alter or on the floor, you want a clean space to work in.
I like to dust the surrounding area and give a quick vacuum. I do not want to work in a dirty space. Clean your space before starting your smoke cleanse.
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Simple Ways To Cleanse Your Tarot Cards
Whether you have just purchased a new tarot cards deck or you have been gifted one, cleansing it is the best way to improve your readings accuracy and feel more connected to your cards. While the meaning and rituals surrounding tarots and readings might differ, you should not overlook the benefits cleansing your cards can bring.
You can cleanse your tarot cards by knocking or blowing on them, preparing a sun or moon bath, using incense, or ringing a bell or singing bowl over them. Reiki, crystals, and salt burials can also be efficient cleansing methods. Cleansing rituals might differ depending on circumstances.
Learning how to read tarot cards and understanding the meaning of each is crucial, but without proper cleansing, it can be hard for the readings to be as accurate as you want them to be. Find out all about cleansing your tarot cards below.
How To Cleanse Your Tarot Cards With Salt
Cleansing your tarot deck with salt is very straightforward. Its a great practice to cleanse your cards once in a while. With a bit of practice, this will become second nature. I took some pictures of how I do it to make it easy to follow along.
How to cleanse tarot cards with salt
Before you start cleansing your tarot cards with salt, you need to consecrate the salt. Consecration means that you prepare the salt for use in a cleansing ritual. With an intention prayer, you clear the salt of any energies. This is important as salt is a potent cleansing crystal it will automatically absorb energies surrounding it, as it will with your deck.
First, I place the salt in a container thats not made of plastic. Often I use a regular ceramic plate. Plastic will prevent the salt from doing its thing. Plastic will cause the vibrations to be less effective.
I start cleaning the salt by holding my hand over the salt and imagining a bright warm light removing all energies stuck in the salt. You find pictures below of the process. Its easy, I promise.
Place the plate and the deck in the sun for an hour or two. Thats all it takes, really. Now your deck should be cleansed and ready to go.
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How To Clear And Cleanse Your Tarot Cards
Cleansing your Tarot cards is important for maintaining a positive energy in your Tarot readings and connecting with your Tarot deck. In the following blog post, I take a look at a number of different techniques that will help you cleanse your Tarot deck and when you might need to use these techniques.
Five: Cleanse Your Tarot Cards
The way I approach cleansing my cards will depend on 2 main factors:
- the number of decks I want to cleanse
- the power of the energy from the deck
Single Card Cleanse
If I only have intentions of cleansing one deck, I will take more time and cleanse the deck card by card.
I will also cleanse my deck card by card if I am feeling like there is a lot of built-up energy in a certain deck. Some times I feel this after a very intense reading and I want to thank my deck for its work by cleansing it. It might also be the case if you receive a deck secondhand.
Move the cards, one by one, through the smoke while setting your intentions of cleansing and positivity. Dont forget to cleanse the boxes or bags that you store your cards in as well.
Whole Deck Cleanse
If I have a lot of decks I want to cleanse or if I just want to do a quick cleanse between readings, I will cleanse my whole deck at once.
To cleanse your tarot cards, fan out the cards so a small bit of each card is exposed. You can either wave the cards over the smoke, like pictured above, or wave your sage bundle over the cards that are sitting on a surface. Dont forget to cleanse the boxes or bags as well!
As you move your deck through the cleansing smoke, set your intentions.
- I cleanse this deck of built-up energies.
- Negative energy moves from these cards and back into the earth.
- I cleanse this deck of any negative vibrations.
- I release the negative energies and vibrations back into the universe.
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