The proper handling of a Tarot deck is a good way to increase the accuracy of your readings. Over time, as well, a cared for deck becomes attuned to your unique energies. This can help you get the subconscious cues that tell you when it is time to stop shuffling. This bond can also help you interpret different card combinations and is a fast way to move beyond having to consult a Tarot interpretation book every time you try to do a reading.
Don’t Let Others Handle Your Deck
You should be the only person to handle your Tarot deck for you do not disrupt the energy bond between you and your cards. Some readers have a querent shuffle the cards for them, but you should, at most, let your querent tell you when to stop shuffling. If you are strongly attuned to your cards, your own intuition is often a perfectly good guide.
Read With a Clear Head
Don’t read when you are tired, sad, angry, sick, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol. You also shouldn’t read while facing down a lot of distractions. It is best to do your readings while you are in a focused, quiet state of mind. It sometimes helps to set aside your reading time in other ways, too, like using a special cloth to read on, or burning candles and incense. You can even play special music that puts you into the right frame of mind.
Keep Your Deck in a Special Bag or Box
Giving your Tarot deck a special place to “live” keeps it nice, protects it from damage, and sets it apart as special. It’s a sign of treating your deck, and the ability the deck helps you tap into, with respect. It also provides a symbolic barrier between other psychic energies so that your cards don’t become attached or exposed to other energies when they aren’t in active use.
Spend Time with Your Cards
The more you use your cards the more attuned you’ll become. You don’t have to do readings. You can handle them, admire them, or study them. Sometimes you can just handle the cards, enjoying their look or their feel. Many Tarot decks are quite beautiful and aesthetically pleasing both on a visual and tactile level. Meditating on each card individually will help you gain a greater understanding of what that card represents in a reading in addition to helping you build a bond.
Putting your Tarot cards under your pillow while you sleep is another good method, since it builds a strong connection between your cards and your subconscious mind. Treat your Tarot cards gently. Soon, you’ll find you’re enjoying a long, productive relationship with your cards.
The Deck is an Extension of You
A Tarot deck is an extension of your subconscious mind, so when you treat it with respect you are honoring that part of yourself, as well. It also goes without saying that your Tarot readings will be stronger if you take care of yourself by eating properly, exercising, and getting restful sleep. If you don’t treat you with respect you’ll still get muddier readings, even if you have a strong intuitive talent and a good, solid bond of respect with your Tarot cards.
As an extension of you, however, you might have a different intuition about how to treat your cards. Whenever “rules” about Tarot cards conflict with your intuition you should follow your intuition. Your personality or inner spirit might just want to express itself in different ways, and that is okay. These are just suggestions for beginners. Most people will develop their own relationship with their Tarot cards over time.
