Any energetic or magical tool like a tarot deck ought to be cleansed and attuned to its owner in order to get the best results from it. No matter how awesome a deck’s creator(s) is/are, ultimately it still has to be printed, packaged, and shipped (unless you’re working with a print-your-own deck). And they acquire a bit of dross in the process.
There are lots of good rituals out there for cleansing and consecrating new tools – I use my coven’s consecration ritual when I can. But often when I get a new tarot deck I’m too impatient to wait until I have time for a ritual. I like getting my hands on a deck right away, so over time I’ve developed my own cleansing and attuning process that doesn’t deprive me of the tangible joy of physically interacting with my deck immediately.
The first thing I do with my new deck is to go through each card in order and spend a few minutes handling and studying each one. No book or write-ups at this point – I want to start developing my own associations with the cards and discover what images leave me with questions. I let this process take as long as I need it to, and I keep the cards in the order they arrived in as I go through them.
Once I’ve gone through each card I then know more about what I need from the accompanying LWB (little white book). Which also depends in part on how thorough the LWB is. Books and write-ups that come with tarot decks vary widely in how much they have to offer. Some decks don’t come with a book at all – either because the book is sold separately, or because the deck’s creator(s) only provided a keyword write-up for their cards.
Tarot readers vary with how much (if any) attention they pay to a deck’s LWB. Personally, I want to hear what the deck creator(s) has to say. Especially if they’ve put enough time in to create an entire book. Sometimes I’ll want to go through the whole thing right away, other times perhaps just the major or minor arcanas to start. Occasionally I don’t use it at all, particularly if it’s just a short write-up of keywords and phrases. I’m comfortable enough with my intuitive abilities and understanding of the tarot system that I can move straight on to working with the deck. If you’re newer to tarot, however, I recommend going through each card a second time with the LWB, even if it’s just keywords. These steps can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, in part depending on what else is going on in my life.
Meanwhile, the cleansing and attuning happen when I’m not working directly with the deck. This process is summed up basically as: keep your deck physically near you as much as reasonably possible for several days. What that looks like for you may vary. Me, I work from home so my new deck sits out on my desk within easy reach, which keeps it close for a good part of a work day. I’ll periodically pick it up and thumb through it (still keeping the cards in order). If I’m traveling – even just to do errands – I sometimes wrap my deck in cloth or a tarot bag and take it with me in a shoulder bag. Emphasis on keeping this reasonable. If I were taking my son to an amusement park for the day, the deck would stay at home. Or I’d stash it in the car if I didn’t want to be away from it that long (yeah, I know, I’m a tarot geek). I haven’t faced that particular scenario yet so I’m not actually sure. 😉
I find handling decks of cards -any type of cards – is very satisfying (my version of a fidget toy) so this method works well for me. Keeping a new deck near at hand ensures that I’ll handle it regularly, imparting my own energy to the deck as I go.
At night the deck sits on my bedside table unwrapped with a decent sized quartz crystal sitting on top to cleanse any lingering energy. For many people, our bedrooms contain a fairly concentrated amount of our energy. I have found that keeping a new deck unwrapped in that space for several nights goes a long way to attuning my deck.
Once I’ve gone through the deck once or twice, I’m ready to start shuffling the cards and try a reading or two.
Quick new deck shuffle method: lay the cards out one at a time face down into 4 piles, reversing every other card (if you use reversals). Once you’ve laid out the deck, take the first and third piles and shuffle them together, then take the second and fourth piles and shuffle them together. Put the whole whole deck back together and shuffle until you’re ready to read!
How long do I keep this process up? I usually keep my deck with me for about 3 days. After that, and once I’ve started working regularly with it, I’ll keep it wrapped in a reading cloth or stored in a tarot box or bag (but still near at hand). Keeping your attuned deck at least semi-protected helps preserve the energy you’ve built up around it.
One of the first readings I might do with a new deck is the New Deck Interview Spread by Beth at Little Red Tarot. It’s a lovely 6 card spread – the first three cards explore the deck itself, and the second three explore your relationship with it. I just got a copy of the Light Seer’s Tarot, and will post a New Deck Interview Spread reading with it in the next week or so.
I developed this process intuitively, based on what I felt I needed from and for my decks as I went. If you give this method a try you might find that you need to make adjustments to fit your needs. This deck is to be your tool and companion so listen to your gut – that’s ultimately your best guide for attuning your cards.
Blessed Be. 💟
I just got a new deck, so I was looking for ways to attune them. Great article.
Hi Amber – glad it was helpful, thanks for the feedback!