Handling Your Tarot Deck

Now that you have a deck of Tarot cards, let us take a moment or two for a brief word about handling them. Remember that your Tarot deck is about energy, and more importantly, about positive energy. It should not be tossed about like a deck of regular playing cards, but should be treated with much more respect and care.

Many readers like to keep their cards not in the case they came in, but rather wrapped in a silk cloth or something similar. Thus wrapped, the cards and cloth can then be stored in either a nice velveteen bag or perhaps an ornate wooden box that is just the right size. You may have things like this around your house already. These may be gifts from family members, or family heirlooms, or if needed you can easily find such items at metaphysical stores or online shops. Storing your cards in this manner shows them respect, and goes a long way towards helping them hold on to any positive energy that you and your sitters put into them.

When you and you sitter are working with the cards, do not handle them like regular playing cards. This is why we use the term ‘mixing’ the cards, rather than ‘shuffling’ the cards. The cards should be gently mixed, not shuffled and cut as if we were preparing for a hand of poker. It is also traditional to lay a cloth upon the table and lay your card spread upon the cloth, rather than upon the bare table.
When you bring your cards out for your sitter, do so as if they are something special. When you are finished, put them away immediately so that they may rest.

Treat your cards with the care and respect they deserve and they will in turn serve you well and deliver positive energy for years to come. Have fun together!

Choosing a Tarot Deck . . .part 3

I personally mostly use a deck based on what is sometimes called the “Medieval Tarot”. It was illustrated by Guido Zibordi and is published by Lo Scarabeo. The deck itself has what is referred to as an “Italian theme” that depicts scenes from a time gone by. I chose this deck to use for no other reason than the fact that the symbols in the deck speak to me. If you are interested, you can find such a deck fairly easily online or at most major book stores.

Whichever deck you end up using as time goes by is an individual choice that reflects your personality and how you relate to the Tarot. You can use more than one deck, and you can change decks as the mood strikes you. At some point you may have different decks for different types of readings. I have a very special antique deck that I use for answering very special and specific questions.

One important note here:

With so many different kinds of decks available, obviously the symbology on the various decks is going to be quite different from one to the other. That is why we discussed the fact that there is no ‘set’ meaning for individual cards. There are general guidelines, but the true meaning of the cards comes from how the symbology specific to the Tarot deck you use speaks to your imagination, and how your intuitive mind interprets that symbology and translates it into words that you can relate to your sitter. So spend some time shopping the decks available and find one that moves you, then make it yours!