Believe it or not there are other ways to get more focused accurate readings without the need to cleanse your tarot cards.
“So, why shouldn’t I cleanse my tarot cards?”, you ask.
The answer is a little complicated and can depend on your personal beliefs.
It is not my wish to tell you what or what not to do with your tarot cards but to share my own experience and point of view based off my own experiences.
The most common assumption I see is that if everything is affected by energy than why not cleanse the negative energy away?
I love the metaphor of seeing your tarot cards as a cast iron skillet. The more you season the pan the better the outcome of your food. I like to believe the same is so with tarot.
When you cleanse your tarot cards, you clear ALL the energy. All your confidence, intuitive marks and bonds, as well as your own energy, is cleared away. You’re essentially starting with a blank deck.
Instead why not invest in keeping yourself, as well as your workspace, healthy and clear of that nasty negative energy?
By taking care of you you can be sure that you are always channeling clear, balanced energy into your tarot cards.
This will keep your readings focused, straightforward and consistently accurate.
WHY CLEANSE YOUR TAROT CARDS: A LITTLE ABOUT ENERGY
Everything has energy and energy is easily shared especially among people and objects. Everyday we are exposed to a multitude of energies, thoughts, and feelings.
All this exposure influences our subtle bodies and thus our overall health. But does the same go for tarot cards?
That’s your call.
Some believe tarot cards are merely a conduit. Others believe that while tarot cards do hold energy, it ‘seasons’ the cards similar to your favorite cast iron skillet. The more it gets used and thus seasoned the better your food, or in this case readings, turn out.
However, many people believe they need to ‘cleanse’ their tarot cards because ‘they aren’t reading right’.
BELIEFS AND MISCONCEPTIONS
The most common reasons why tarot readers feel they need to cleanse their tarot cards is scattered readings, readings that don’t make sense, inability to intuit the cards well or at all, feeling burned out after giving multiple readings, having given a negative reading or one where strong emotions were involved.
While the cards may pick up energy the most common reason why you aren’t getting clear readings is your own energy. Are you stressed? Tired? Sad? Afraid?
The energy you want to conduct to your tarot cards is that of peace, calm, and love. If you don’t read from a place of love you block your intuition and read from a place of fear and doubt (your Ego). Reading from a place of fear and doubt will only be reflected back to you in your tarot readings.
Keep in mind you have to have positive intentions to get positive readings!
This can manifest in the common reasons why people believe they need to cleanse their tarot deck. Your readings will be negative or difficult to interpret (if you can interpret them at all!) and most of the time this will result in inaccurate readings as well.
Believe it or not it is your own negative energy that has transferred to the cards!
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me…”
BATTERIES INCLUDED
What if I told you that you already do everything you need to keep your tarot cards clear and healthy?
Did you know that every time you shuffle the cards you reset the energy from the previous reading? By shuffling you are recharging the cards with your energy.
This is why it is important that your personal energy is healthy and clear of negative influences. You want this clear positive energy to pass from your to your tarot cards.
Keep yourself as well as your workspace balanced and grounded.
7 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE YOU CLEANSE YOUR TAROT CARDS
Don’t get caught up in the many reasons why you ‘have to’ cleanse your tarot cards under certain conditions.
It is getting caught up in these rituals and fears that there is something wrong with the tarot cards that feeds the flame of doubt.
Remember the magic lies within you!
Burning Sage
I’m not talking about saging your tarot cards here.
Sage not only clears and blesses your workspace, but also yourself to instantly lift your spirit. Literally. Sage is said to lift the spirit to banish negativity. Its use is also to set intentions for the space to prepare it for welcoming spirit guides, angels, and ancestors.
Florida Water
Florida water is widely used in Hoodoo, Voodoo, Santeria, and Wicca practices to cleans away negative energy and prime your working area for readings. It promotes heavy vibrations and makes whatever it comes into contact with unsuitable for negative energy to thrive or linger.
Florida water also has a calming effect.
You can apply it to power points or the third eye for balance, releasing negativity, and providing protection too.
It can be used in baths for purification and protection.
Sound Baths
Sound baths clear and balance misaligned energy. It can be as simple as playing your favorite music that is meaningful and empowers you or speech to speak your truth and set your intentions.
Clapping is said to clear stuck stagnant energy as is singing bowls which also send grounding energy.
Whichever the method used sound baths can blast away negative and residual energy that saging alone doesn’t always clear.
Gems and Stones
Gems and stones set intentions for the reading by broadcasting specific energy.
They can do anything from dispel or absorb negative energy from your reading space to helping you connect with your higher self.
For example having lapis lazuli present in a reading helps stimulate your psychic abilities and inner vision as well as help you connect to higher frequencies.
Rose Quarts protects you from unwanted energy and interference while clear quarts is highly versatile and can be programmed for a variety of uses.
Having crystals and gemstones in your work area can have positive effects not only on you, but whom you are reading for as well.
Setting Your Intentions
If you go into a tarot reading unfocused your tarot reading in return will also appear scattered and unfocused. Not having clear intentions set before hand can really thwart your reading.
If you don’t know what you want then how do you know what you see is correct? You need to know the how, why, and what’s of your question or you won’t get the results you’re after.
When you set your intentions you program the cards with your intent and therefore the cards drawn will reflect that. You can set intent out loud or internally with affirmations and visualizations.
You may visualize universal energy surrounding your tarot cards while affirming your intent of receiving messages that are delivered with love for your highest good.
Ritual Cleansing Bath
Ritual Cleansing baths helps rid your body of unwanted negative energy such as stress, depression, anxiety and residual energy residue from other people, places, or objects.
If you can easily read the energy of a room you know that residual energy is present and there’s a good chance it can affect you while your still in the room! This energy can get stuck to you and can be transferred into your cards.
Residual negative energy that lingers in you can cause intense emotions, trouble concentrating and communicating, lack of focus and block you from achieving your goals.
Relax!
Pull out the candles and put on some soothing music. Setting a soothing scene to do your tarot reading really can make or break a session.
When your not relaxed you block your intuition and read from your ego, a place of self doubt and fear rather than love. This can manifest in such a way that can negatively affect your self esteem and confidence in your tarot reading abilities.
If you find yourself doubting your abilities or the messages the cards give you its time for a time out! Go for a walk in nature, meditate, take a hot bath, get some exercise. Anything that will put your mind and body in a state of ease.
What you choose to do needs to be a deliberate act to care for your self emotionally, mentally, or spiritually.
Selfcare is anything that refreshes and refuels you. So no breaking your neck to finish your mile log to-do list right this second. Put your feet up, listen to some music,eat a cookie, do something for you. You deserve it!
CONCLUSION
I cannot express enough how crucial it is, especially from my own experience, to keep your energy and your working space clear and balanced. Not only will the above assist you in performing better, but you’ll feel better too!
Whether it’s saging, Florida water, sound baths, or something in-between what ever you can do to make sure you understand its not something your cards are doing wrong, but that you are in a space of love (not fear and doubt!).
I challenge you to try a few of the recommendations above and see how your tarot readings instantly improve!
WHAT’S NEXT?
Be sure to take account of your progress in your Tarot journal!
Not only will it provide you with your own personalized card meanings, but you will also see how much you grow as a Tarot Reader over time.
Learn more about Keeping A Tarot Journal. You’ll be glad you did!
Why not try one of the dozens of FREE tarot spreads available in the SelfTarot Tarot Spread Archive?
Not as confident as you would like to be reading tarot? Read Tarot Like Boss in 5 Easy Steps! Plus, exclusive pro tips you won’t find anywhere else!
READY TO TAKE THE ULTIMATE SELF-DISCOVERY JOURNEY?
Ready to take your self-discovery journey to the next level?
Let’s face it, its hard work doing all this soul searching and self-improvement on your own!
Let tarot be your guide.
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