Tarot decks can be extremely useful, but they may also go in a different direction. Whether you have a new tarot deck or you haven’t done a reading in a long time, you probably feel a bit off about the daily tarot reading experience.
For instance, you could have random cards that have no connection and make no sense whatsoever. Things don’t make any sense at all, causing you to struggle to figure out an interpretation. From many points of view, it feels like you’re not there anymore.
No matter how experienced you are, it can happen anytime, but especially after investing in a new tarot deck. At this point, you need to focus on the seasoning process. Let’s find out what it means and how to season your tarot deck in order to restore your effectiveness.
What’s Seasoning?
Your tarot deck is basically a tool helping you gain insights into different aspects of life. It’s not the type of physical tool you use in an industry, but it can be seen in the exact same way. When you buy a new tool for work, you need to season it, whether you oil it or work it a bit until it works by the book.
It’s like getting new shoes. They may feel a bit uncomfortable at first, but they’ll loosen up a bit and feel good later. The same rule applies to your tarot deck.
Like other tools, a tarot deck needs to be seasoned. This means you’ll have to cleanse it, but also shuffle it quite a lot in order to feel it. Like other things in life, the more you use the deck, the better it works. Shuffling becomes natural, cards no longer slip and so on.
Now, seasoning can go in more directions. Some tarot readers may take weeks or even months to season a tarot deck by the book. You don’t always have so much time, so luckily, there are a few ways to fast track the process.
How to Season Your Tarot Deck Straight Away
The quick and easy way to season your tarot deck shouldn’t take more than an hour or so. Keep in mind that what works for some people won’t work for everyone else, so it’s perfectly fine to customize the process to suit you.
First of all, break the deck into a few different piles. You don’t need to organize cards in categories, just break the deck into three or four even piles. Take each deck and shuffle it separately for a minute or so. When you’re done, put all the cards together in one deck and shuffle the whole thing for a minute.
Split it again, get cards together and so on, repeat the process about three times.
If you have more friends interested in tarot or you know someone who supports your practice, have them shuffle the deck a few times too. Let them shuffle continuously for a few minutes.
Now, while this should be enough, having someone else touch or shuffle your deck may also bring their energies in, which aren’t always positive. Besides, interactions between energies won’t always work in the right direction.
Next Step, Cleansing
There are more ways to cleanse your deck once you season it. The easiest way? Sacred smoke.
Sacred smoke is easy to obtain in any environment. Make sure you’re in a sacred place and no one will disturb you during the process.
Any incense will work at this point, yet some people prefer cedar or sandalwood, among other types of wood. Light the incense, then let the smoke invade the environment and wrap around your tarot deck.
Crystals are also extremely effective in the process. When learning how to season your tarot deck, the cleansing side of it can be done with crystals too. Quartz and selenite are the most popular options.
It doesn’t mean you’ll have to ditch the sacred smoke for crystals. Instead, perform the sacred smoke procedure, then surround the deck with quartz and selenite. Let the cards there for a few days or at least overnight.
To enhance the process, you can also move the cards in direct moonlight overnight, but also keep them in direct sunlight during the day.
When to Season Your Tarot Deck
Different tarot readers cleanse and season their tarot decks on different occasions. However, there are a few situations that almost always ask for a seasoning session. To make sure they do it properly, some readers perform up to three seasoning sessions on a regular basis.
New Deck
Got a new deck? This is one of the main reasons wherefore you’ll need to season it. No matter how good looking it is or how eager you are to use it, you’ll have to season it first. Otherwise, you’ll realize that your readings won’t really make sense. You’ll feel confused and lost in your interpretations.
You need to vibe with your new tarot deck, hence the necessity to season it accordingly. The full seasoning process may take up to a few days, but it also depends on how quickly you feel comfortable with the deck.
Traveling With Your Deck
Whether you like to go to festivals to perform readings or you’ve taken your deck on holiday, you’ve been surrounded by other energies. This means that while seasoning isn’t always needed, cleansing is a must.
However, to most tarot readers, seasoning and cleansing go hand in hand, so it wouldn’t hurt to take your deck through another seasoning procedure.
Difficult Readings
If it feels like your readings are getting more and more difficult, chances are your tarot deck needs seasoning and cleansing again. Sure, some readings are more difficult than others, but if you keep struggling, that’s a sign that you need to season your tarot deck.
In conclusion, learning how to season your tarot deck isn’t the most difficult task in the world. While overlooked by newbies unfamiliar with the practice, the seasoning procedure will help you vibe with your tarot deck and give you better results in terms of intuition.