Ever wanted to get started using your deck of cards but didn’t know how? Reading cards for yourself may seem daunting at first, but once you get started, you will see how fun and easy it can be!
Here are some tips to help you get started :)
Whether you received your cards from a friend, or bought them online or from a bookstore, you can use these ways to get ready to do your first card reading. They work for all Oracle and Tarot cards.
Getting Started:
1) Your Environment
When you are using cards for the first time, choose a quiet place where you can focus and concentrate on the cards. A private place helps you avoid getting interrupted during your reading as well.
Find a surface that you can place and spread your cards out, see them clearly and feel comfortable. When you are first looking at your cards, give yourself ample time (eg: 1 hr - several hours) to relax and focus on reading the cards.
Side note: Just in case you are tempted to read them in nature or in the dark (I don’t know, for the mystery maybe?), please make sure your cards don’t get blown off by the wind or are too dark to be seen. :)
2) Clearing the card deck
Every object contains energy and even though your deck was all wrapped up and sealed, clearing all negative energies it may have picked up during production/printing helps to prepare the cards for your use. It is common to cleanse the cards more than once (depending on your sensitivity to energies) before we interact with the energies of the cards.
*For pre-loved decks:
From a friend: If you know the person/acquaintance, you may use the following methods of clearing your cards to use them for your readings.
This is my method of clearing cards from others. You may use this method or choose another method of clearing cards.
Remember: Trust your intuition when using pre-loved items and clear them until you feel comfortable in using them. If a method doesn’t work, either repeat the method or try several until it works for you.
First, hold the deck of your cards in one hand, and knock on your deck 3 times to clear negative energies from the cards.
Next, fan out the cards and hold them with both hands close to your chest, ask your guides/Angels/God/XXX (whoever you work with) to clear out all negative energies attached to the cards.
You may use any affirmation you wish, use mine or change it to fit your intentions:
“Dear God, Guides and Angels, please assist me in clearing away all negative energies from these cards. Fill them with divine white light and love, and assist me in receiving clear answers from the Divine for my highest good and the highest good of everyone involved.”
Visualise white light entering the cards to clear away all negativity.
*Pre-loved decks: you may choose to spend more time on the visualization of white light within these cards.
Having difficulty visualizing?
You may try these methods to clear the energies of your card deck:
Sunning or Moonlight:
Leaving your cards for some time under the sun or moonlight can cleanse and charge them. However, please make sure it is safe to leave them out, keeping an eye out for windy conditions, animals, kids or people who may be tempted to take or touch them. After all that lovely sun energy, we wouldn’t want anyone getting their hands on your cards, would we? :D
If your cards are matte and you'd like to sun them, you may have to watch them as the sun can cause the card's colours to fade.
Smoking with Sage/Incense:
You may smoke your card deck with any sage/incense, giving intention for the smoke to clear away all negativity from the cards, allowing good energies and light to enter from your Guides to bless your readings.
Clearing energies with crystals:
Depending on your own preferences, you may use crystals such as black tourmaline to help you cleanse the energies from your card deck. You may place the crystal on your card deck, set an intention for the crystal to clear your cards, and leave it for some time where it won't be disturbed. Personally, I would leave it for a couple hours, or overnight. But if you feel intuitively to leave it for longer, etc, trust that and do so. Ultimately, it’s about clearing the energies so that the cards are ready for you to energetically work and tune into to them.
Sound energy clearing: Eg.: Singing bowls, gongs, YouTube sound energy videos, Spotify, etc.
If you own or have access to singing bowls or gongs, you may place your oracle/tarot cards in the bowl to cleanse the energies as you play them. You may choose to play the bowl rim 3 times to cleanse them, or according to your own preference or research.
YouTube and Spotify are great resources for cleansing vibrations of singing bowl and gong healing soundtracks. They can be equally powerful and if you have no access to any singing bowls or gongs, you may use these videos/songs to cleanse your cards by setting the intention for all negativity to be cleared, allowing Divine white light to enter the cards for clear readings for your highest good and everyone involved.
Not an exhaustive list of clearing methods. There are many other ways to clear the energies, they can include your meditating with them, chanting, placing them on your altar, etc. These cards are going to be your good friends for some time, so use as little or as many methods as you wish to cleanse them. Don’t worry if you need to cleanse them again mid-reading. Just pause, and cleanse the cards. Or cleanse your cards after your reading.
Trying various methods when you are just starting off can help you decide which method you prefer and which ones work for you. :)
*For abandoned decks:
If you feel comfortable using a deck you picked up randomly, you can use the same methods (above) to clear any negative energies.
For beginners: There is always an energy exchange when we interact with objects, so please be aware when you are using an abandoned deck without knowing its origins or previous condition. If you feel unsure, you may keep the deck aside and use a new deck instead. You can always return to trying out this deck when you are more familiar with using cards and sensing their energies.
Now that you have cleansed your card deck and are in a good place to start reading cards, let’s get started!
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