DISCLOSURE: I am not a mental health professional. If you need help finding a mental health care provider, call 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit Online Therapy to call, message, or video chat a certified therapist online. This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I may also receive compensation from Online Therapy or other sources if you purchase products or services through the links provided on this page. You can read my full disclaimer.
How to Cleanse Your Tarot Cards
If you do frequent tarot readings, you might be wondering how and why to cleanse your tarot cards.
Well, good news for you, this post covers 12 magical ways to clear any unwanted energies from your decks.
All of the options are incredibly simple, and most don’t even cost a penny to do so!
Besides wondering how to cleanse your tarot cards, you also might be asking yourself these questions…👇
Do I have to cleanse tarot cards?
No, you won’t be arrested for not cleansing your decks.
But let’s face it: everything is energy.
Everything you say, think, and feel can be absorbed into your cards.
If you want your readings to be as effective and powerful as possible, it might be smart to cleanse your decks often.
When to cleanse tarot cards?
Honestly, you can cleanse your tarot cards as often as you’d like.
Because I read tarot often (for myself, my fiance, and on my Instagram IGTV) my tarot cards absorb a lot of energy.
I personally do a more thorough cleanse of my cards whenever I do a mentally draining reading.
If I do a quick, daily reading, I use one of the more simple ones down below — like smoke cleansing.
You can also clear any energy if someone besides you touches your deck.
12 Ways to Cleanse Your Tarot Decks
1. IMAGINE A WHITE LIGHT
In all honesty, our mind is the most powerful tool of all.
So yes, you can cleanse your tarot cards with just a simple (yet powerful) meditation.
Meditation for clearing energy:
🧘 Start off in a comfortable seated position and then put your tarot deck in your non-dominant hand.
🧘 You can either close your eyes or keep them slightly open while you begin to visualize a white light surrounding your cards.
🧘 As the meditation goes on, your light will become brighter and more powerful.
When I start to feel my hand and cards radiate, I know all negative and stale energies are gone from the deck.
2. SMOKE CLEANSING
Another one of my absolute favorite methods is burning dried herbs and letting the smoke envelop my space.
Not only is smoke cleansing with dried herbs or incense magically powerful, it can fill your space with enchanting aromas.
(I use the term smoke cleansing, since smudging is a sacred Native American ceremonial practice.)
🌿 Sage
When people think about smoke cleansing, we often think about using sage.
Because white sage is endangered (and important to Native American cultures), opt for some garden sage or pineapple sage instead.
If you do use white sage, make sure you purchase some that is sustainably sourced — meaning it specifically grown for commercial use and is not harvested from the wild.
🌿 Rosemary
I personally love the intoxicating scent rosemary gives off.
Bundle up some dried rosemary for protection, cleansing, and purification.
You can also gain mental clarity from burning this deliciously smelling herb.
🌿 Lavender
Lavender can bring calmness and peace back to your tarot cards.
Smoke cleansing with lavender can also help relieve any anxieties or sadness attached to your decks.
The more I smell lavender, the most I associate it with calming energy (and I used to hate the smell of lavender!).
3. CRYSTALS
Another go-to for clearing any previous energy is to use the healing properties of crystals.
You can put a crystal next to your card or directly on top of your cards.
If you keep your cards in a drawstring pouch, you can place a crystal inside the pouch as well.
Crystals for cleansing tarot cards:
⭐ Selenite
I usually place a selenite wand crystal on top my tarot deck and place my hand on top of that.
I’ll then close my eyes and visualize the crystal evaporating all old energies.
Related posts on crystals:
- 10 Healing Crystals for Soothing Depression Symptoms
- 10 Powerful Healing Crystals for Anxiety Attacks
- 12 Powerful Crystals for Self-Love and Confidence
4. PUT CARDS BACK IN ORDER
Putting your tarot cards back in order is another wickedly awesome way for cleansing your cards.
It’s best to rearrange your cards just as they would be as if you first received them.
Start with reorganizing the Major Arcana, beginning with The Fool and ending with The World.
Then put all the Minor Arcana cards (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles) in order.
Go from Ace to King.
Doing so will help completely reset your deck, and it’ll be like as good as new!
5. UNDER MOONLIGHT
The full moon is the perfect time for releasing any energy, while the new moon is ideal for setting an intention.
Using a lunar calendar, you can keep track of when the next big moon phase is.
You can put them on a window sill or in some protective tupperware outside.
Spreading your cards out under the moon will ensure a more even cleanse.
6. UNDER SUNLIGHT
If your readings have been on the blah side lately, putting your cards in sunlight can help them burst with more positive energy.
This is great for carving out an intention for a more accurate intuition for your readings.
If you have a deck that you love, but you have a difficult time interpreting the messages, putting your cards under sunlight can enhance your connection to it.
7. KNOCK THREE TIMES
*plays Knock Three Times by Tony Orlando and Dawn*
No, but seriously, knocking three times on your deck is another method for recharging your cards.
It’s almost like you’re announcing, “I’m here, and I’m ready to receive epic messages!”
Knocking on your cards is a remarkable way to revitalize your relationship with your cards.
8. SOUND THERAPY
Sound frequency healing has been used to manage several kinds of ailments, such as insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
Benefits of sound therapy:
🎵 Relieve stress
🎵 Gives more confidence
🎵 Boosts focus and energy
It’s no wonder that the sounds can help remove any unwanted energy on your tarot cards.
Two incredibly powerful sound frequencies for clearing energies are 417 Hz and 528 Hz.
I frequently put any of these sound meditations on whenever I notice the energy around me or within me needs some renewal.
More sound therapy meditations:
- 17 Soothing Meditations for Overcoming Social Anxiety
- 10 Best Meditations for Sleep (That’ll Knock You Out Instantly)
9. RING A BELL
Similar to listening to sound meditations, you can ring a bell to remove any undesirable energy.
I often ring a bell before and after spells to create and maintain a harmonious environment.
The same can be used for when you do tarot or oracle readings.
10. SURROUND WITH SALT
Ever heard of using salt to protect yourself from zombies, witches, and old boyfriends? (hi, Hocus Pocus)
Well, the same can be said about using salt to protect your cards from toxic and negative energies.
Steps to use salt:
🧂 Place your tarot deck in a Ziploc bag and remove any excess air before closing
🧂 Pour salt into a tupperware container
🧂 Put the bag with the tarot deck into the container
🧂 Pour more salt to cover the bag
🧂 Tightly close the Tupperware lid
It’s best to not touch the container for at least a week to let the salt really work its magic.
Related post:
11. BLOW ON DECK
Something as simple as blowing on your deck can remove any negative or stale energy.
What you want to do is fan out your cards so all the cards are seen.
Then you’ll lightly blow across all your cards, moving from left to right.
Another way to do this is to use the wind, but proceed with caution because the wind just might blow you (aka your cards) away.
12. USE REIKI
Reiki is a spiritual healing practice from Japan.
The main concept is that we’re all guided by an invisible life force.
This life force controls are physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Much like chakras, when the energy is blocked, we function at a lower level.
How to use reiki with tarot:
Traditionally, Reiki is done by using a light touch on places of your body where energy is blocked.
It’s also done when a practitioner hovers their hands over your body.
With tarot, you can use Reiki to hover over the cards in your deck that feel like they contain blocked energy.
(You can learn more about Reiki on Udemy.)
⚡ Cleansing Tarot Cards ⚡
When it comes to clearing any unwanted energies from your tarot cards, there are plenty of options.
How to cleanse your decks:
⭐ Imagine a white light
⭐ Put cards back in order
⭐ Under moonlight
⭐ With sunlight
⭐ Knock three times
⭐ Surround cards with salt
⭐ Blow air on your deck
⭐ Reiki (learn more at Udemy)
Which method are you going to use next?
Related tarot posts:
- 23 Diverse Tarot and Oracle Decks
- 18 Deliciously Dark Shadow Work Tarot Decks (for Inner Healing)
- 18 Unique and Unusual Tarot Decks (to Add Strangeness to Your Collection)
- 13 Romantic Love Tarot Decks for Relationship Readings
- 27 Halloween Tarot and Oracle Decks (So Spooky!)
- 16 Winter Tarot Decks to Use During Dark and Dreary Days
- 15 Mind-Blowing Free YouTube Tarot Reading Channels
More witchy content:
Plus for all things metaphysical, Gaia is a fantastic way to learn more about all things spiritual. (Click here to start your free trial!)
Great tips, Meagan! The sound frequencies look interesting, will check them out <3
I love using sound frequencies for all sorts of healing!