Tarot @ Capital Crystals

 “There are multiple benefits to getting a tarot reading. You can get insight into your situation and determine the best actions to move forward regarding your love life, career or whatever question that you may have. You can find out the motivations of others. You can also read potential outcomes of decisions, for instance, if I do this, what will happen opposed to that. A good tarot reading will give you clarity, and will help heal anxiety.”  Stina Garbis

Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy; practitioners use tarot cards to  gain insight into the past, present or future. Tarot readers formulate a question, then draw cards to interpret them for this end. 

A traditional tarot deck consists of 78 cards, which can be split into two groups, the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. 

 At its heart, the tarot is a storytelling device, a deck of symbols and narratives that can spark conversations, inspire ideas, and reveal new perspectives. And you don't need to be psychic to use it: it is a practice that is open to everyone.  Check out some of our awesome tarot deck options today!

While shuffling the tarot deck is a way to cleanse and clear the energy of the cards, there are times when you might want to do something more specific and ritualized. Maybe you’re just starting to learn tarot and cleansing your deck seems like a good place to begin.

There are many reasons why you may want to cleanse your tarot deck, including: 

• Starting out with a new deck 
• Doing readings for others 
• You feel like you need a refresh 
• Your card readings feel “off” or a little disconnected 
• You haven’t used your deck for a while
• Others have handled your deck
• You feel like you’ve be using your deck A LOT – especially for emotionally heavy readings

Use sacred smoke. Light a smoke cleansing wand made of dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo until it’s smoking. With the burning herbs in one hand and deck in the other, hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck, so the smoke wafts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that all sides get engulfed by the smoke. Then set your deck down and safely stop the smoke. 

Place a selenite stone (or black tourmaline or clear quartz) on the deck. I like to let it sit like this overnight, but an hour would work, too. 

Put them out on under a New Moon. The New Moon is blank slate energy, you can cleanse the deck under the new moon by placing it on a window sill on a new moon night. You can also set a fresh intention for your deck at this time. 

Stick the cards in a bowl of salt. Salt is a powerful and grounding cleanser. This is my favorite option for a serious cleanse. Let it sit 1-8 hours in dry place (watch out for humidity with this one!) 

Chaotic shuffle. Lay the cards out on the floor and mix them up like you’re a kid playing in mud. The randomness and freedom of this method is a great reset.

The sort and shuffle. Lay out the deck starting with the Major Arcana numbers 0-22 in lines of 7 cards across (see photo above). Then lay out the cards Ace through King for each suit in this order: Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles. View the deck in this form, then mix it all up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle well. 

Learn more about Tarot with our selection of books!