There seems to be some debate online about if you should cleanse your tarot cards, and how to do it. To me, this requires the answer to a deeper question: do you see your cards as friends or tools?

Most voices I see online lean towards the tool side of the debate. I, however, consider my decks friends with their own distinct personalities, opinions, and levels of sass. Even among the same decks: my twenty-five-year-old Medieval Scapini deck is a grumpy old man who gives harsh, but well-meaning advice; it will also stop reading for me if I ask one too many romantic questions. My two-year-old Medieval Scapini deck is a shameless gossip who cannot get enough of giving relationship advice, and did you know what Janice is saying about you behind your back?

So here is a quick breakdown of how I “cleanse” my tarot cards.

When I think about cleansing my decks, I’m not thinking about it in terms of clearing away the negative vibes and energies. I’m thinking about cleansing in terms of giving my friend a spa day to recharge.

When I open a shiny new, bright out of the box deck, I go straight into a reading. No crystals, no sage, just right into saying hello and getting to know the cards. I’d do the same if it was a used deck someone gave me. I want to get to know the deck as it is. I don’t want to change the deck or remove anything. Then I find it a home. My most used decks all have nice wooden boxes with soft silk scarves, or fancy clothe wrappings to keep them safe and warm.

If I read a deck for myself or a close friend, I simply return the deck to its home when I’m done. If it has been a particularly hard and long reading, or I’ve read for a client, I will give it a spa of sorts. I will spread them out on the altar so they can breathe a bit, light some cinnamon incense (I’m going for a nice smell more than a cleansing herb), and let them soak in some moonlight.

Readers who consider their cards tools are going to have a very different approach. Personally, I find the human capacity for anthropomorphizing and empathizing with non-humans one of our finer traits. I have no compunction against applying it to the cards I work with every day; I think it brings us closer and makes my readings stronger.

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