How to Cleanse Your Tarot Cards Properly

The Best Way to Cleanse Tarot Cards

Cleansing Tarot cards is something people can get very hung up on. Cleansing your Tarot deck is something you should do, but you don’t need to do it as often as you might think. I’ve heard of some people cleansing their cards after every question they ask. In my opinion, that’s a bit much.

Here’s why

In terms of psychometry - objects holding the energy of a person or place - paper and card are not particularly good at that. If the Tarot cards were made of metal or cloth, it would perhaps be a different story.

I’ll go into how to energetically cleanse Tarot cards in a minute, but for now, let’s look at how often you should do it.

Do You Need to Cleanse New Tarot Cards?

Yes. I always say it’s a good idea to cleanse new Tarot cards. For me, it’s also a ritual in which I can familiarise myself with the new deck. Slowly go through the Tarot deck, card by card, taking in the imagery and feel of it, resetting the energy to make it your own.

How Often Should You Cleanse Tarot Cards?

Every now and then is fine, with a few exceptions:

1. If your Tarot readings seem to be blocked in some way, or the cards you are pulling out consistently seem unrelated to your questions (and you are keeping up with your learning and development).

2. If you’ve just done a particularly emotional session with someone and there have been some heavy topics discussed, or they’ve needed extra support.

3. Your intuition is telling you to cleanse them. There might not be an obvious reason, but your intuition is just nudging you to do it- pay attention! You may never know the reason why, and it doesn’t really matter, but it’s a good idea to cleanse your Tarot deck anyway.

I’d also suggest cleansing your Tarot cards if you haven't used them for a while. If they’ve been sitting on the side, gathering dust, then they’ll love the attention.

So…

What’s The Best Way to Cleanse Tarot Cards?

There are many ways. I usually cleanse my Tarot cards with a big crystal. I place my Tarot deck on top of it.

Here are another 5 excellent methods. Remember always to set the intention to cleanse the deck first.

1. How to cleanse Tarot cards with sage

Carefully light the sage and move it over and around your body to cleanse and ground your own energy. Take your Tarot deck, and one by one, move the sage over and around each card.

2. How to cleanse Tarot cards with moonlight

Just like some crystals, your Tarot deck can be cleansed and charged by the moon. Unless you’re sure it’s not going to rain and your Tarot cards aren’t going to blow away, it’s best to place your cards on a windowsill where the light of the moon can fall on them. You can also use the Sun in the same way to cleanse your deck.

3. How to cleanse Tarot cards by “knocking” on them

You may have seen people knocking on their deck of Tarot cards as if they are knocking on a door. This is a perfectly good way to cleanse and reset your Tarot deck. The knocking action creates something like shockwaves, which dispel lower energy.

4. How to cleanse Tarot cards with sound

On a similar principle, you can also use sound to cleanse your Tarot deck. A bell, a crystal bowl, or even a shamanic drum can cleanse the energy of the cards very effectively.

5. How to cleanse Tarot cards with salt

This is an old-fashioned way of cleansing energy, but it’s very effective. Cover your Tarot cards to protect them - a freezer bag is fine. Place them in a bowl and cover them with salt. Natural rock salt is best, but any salt will do. Leave this overnight, and your Tarot cards will be perfectly cleansed by morning.

Remember, above all, your own energy is much more important. Make sure you look after it with wellbeing practices such as meditation, eating healthily, exercising, spending plenty of time in nature, journaling, and self-enquiry.

If you’d like to learn more about the Tarot, then I have a range of instant-access courses available on my website here

You can also download 5 free transformational card spreads to use in your personal readings here