As a tarot reader, your tarot cards will become very special to you, so you must treat them as such. You can keep your tarot cards in the best condition possible by knowing how to store them properly.
To properly store your tarot cards, you will need a bag, box, or cloth to wrap them in. You also want to keep them safe so they will not get wet, ripped, or moved around. You should also consider cleansing your cards and storing them with a crystal.
If you are an owner of one or multiple tarot card decks, having a designated home for them is a great way to keep them looking and performing their best. If you want to know how to store your card decks properly, what you can do to keep them in the best condition possible, and ensure they always provide you with valuable readings, keep reading this complete guide.
Keep Them in a Tarot Card Bag or Box
When you first bought your tarot cards, you probably kept them in the original packaging. However, after some time and wear and tear, this box may not have begun to be the best place for your cards. That is why having an alternative home for them is essential to keep your tarot cards all in one place, safe, and in the best physical condition possible.
Keeping them in a bag or box will also keep them safe and away from any negative external energies they would have come in contact with and further absorbed if they were just left out on a table.
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Tarot Card Bag
The most common way to store a tarot card deck is in a tarot card bag. These bags are typically made of velvet, cotton cloth, or soft fabric and come with a drawstring that makes them the perfect little pouch for your card deck. If that interests you, many different colors and designs are available today that are made of other fabrics or come in a different style that proves to be just as effective.
The most important thing to consider is that it is a fabric thick enough to protect your cards and big enough to easily place the deck into, such as the Paper Mart Velvet Tarot Bags from Amazon. You can also wrap them in a cloth, but this may not be as effective because if you drop them, they may end up all over the floor.
Using a bag is also a great way to express your style by choosing a color or pattern you like the most. You can make your tarot card bag with fabric, thread, and a sewing machine.
Tarot Card Box
If a bag isn’t your thing, or if you are looking for something more substantial that can sit on a bookshelf or your desk, using a tarot card box may be a better option. These boxes are typically wooden, or metal and can even come hand-carved or with a design imprinted into them, making them both elegant and functional.
These dainty boxes are beautiful additions to your room decor and sometimes come with velvet on the inside, such as the SICOHOME Treasure Box Tarot Cards Box, to keep your cards even more protected. If you enjoy woodworking, you could also opt to DIY your tarot card box.
The Original Box or Package
As mentioned, a deck that gets used often wears out the original box you bought from the store. When this happens, opting for a tarot card bag or the box mentioned above is better.
Nonetheless, if you have new decks or ones you only use occasionally, you could keep them in their original packaging. For a deck that barely gets touched, it’s best to leave it in its original packaging, but once you use it more frequently and the box starts to get worn out, opting for another option may work better for you.
Either way, you want to keep your cards in a safe place that will keep them together as a deck and protected. Keep reading below for more information on where you should store your decks to keep them safe.
Store Them in a Safe Place
On top of how you should store your cards, you probably are also wondering if there is a proper place you should be keeping your cards. While there is no right answer, we have outlined some best practices for where you should store your cards to ensure they are in a place that will not ruin them or become easily misplaced or stolen by little ones you may have running around the house.
Keep Them in a Cool and Dry Place
Tarot cards made out of paper must be kept somewhere cool, dry, and clean. If the cards get wet, smushed, or somehow worn out by the sun, they most likely aren’t the best to do readings. With that being said, having them in a bag or box and not the original packaging is a great way to protect them from any liquids, the sun, or dirt.
Nonetheless, it would be best if you always took extra precautions regarding your tarot card deck. You could keep them on a designated shelf or a drawer or even design an entire tarot reading or tarot card altar to keep them placed on.
If creating a unique space such as an altar for your tarot cards interests you, you can watch a tour of another tarot readers altar in this video:
- Have a designated home where you can always put them back in so they don’t get lost or damaged.
- Ensure the space you keep them is away from windows.
- If you keep any plants near your cards, ensure that you don’t accidentally splash your cards when you water your plants.
- Keep them in a space that is at room temperature at all times.
- Keep them in a space that is free of clutter.
- Do not store them under a bunch of things or in a place where clutter can build up on top of it.
Keep Them Away From Pets or Kids
Whether you have an adventurous toddler or a cat that likes to climb on all of your shelves, you should never forget the pets or the people who can reach and grab your tarot cards.
If you have young kids, it’s best to keep your cards in a room that they don’t go in too often and in a high space or drawer that they cannot reach. Because tarot cards look like a fun card game for any kid, you don’t want them to find the cards and accidentally rip them apart.
Also, a drawer may be better than a high-up shelf if you have a dog that jumps around or a cat that messes with your stuff. By keeping your cards away from these adorable but unintentional mess makers, you will ensure that your cards cannot be in the hands of anyone they shouldn’t be.
Cleanse Them Regularly
While this is not part of how you should store your cards, it is still an essential part of the process you should consider before storing them.
If you have never cleansed or charged your tarot cards, you may find that they aren’t working as well as they used to, or you may feel more disconnected. However, if you are new to a tarot reading, cleansing or charging your cards is vital before storing them and putting them away until your next reading.
It can also be done in between readings to help keep the energy clear for each new individual.
Why Should I Cleanse My Cards?
If you want to ensure the energy surrounding your cards is positive, upbeat, and of a high vibration, you must make cleansing your cards a part of the ending ritual you have after you read somebody else. When you cleanse your cards before putting them away, you ensure they are ready for your next reading.
There are many other scenarios that you should consider cleansing your cards, such as:
- You are using a used tarot deck.
- You have done a reading for a negative person.
- You felt drained or empty after a reading.
- Someone else has touched or used your cards.
- You aren’t as connected to your cards as you usually are.
- Your cards fell on the floor or got dirty.
No matter the reason, cleansing your cards is a great way to eliminate any potential negative energy and allow you to connect more deeply with your cards.
How Do You Cleanse Your Cards?
There are plenty of techniques you can pick from to cleanse your cards, and as you try out a few, you are likely to find a favorite. Whatever you choose, you must pick one that feels right to you.
Whether you are in a rush or not, there is a technique that you can use to clear away any negative energy. Some of the ways you can cleanse your cards at the end of your reading are:
- Sorting and shuffling the entire deck. If you have the time, you can organize your cards in order, sorting the Major Arcana cards from the Minor Arcana cards and then shuffling them in any way you like, focusing strongly on filling them with your positive energy.
- Give them a salt burial. If you don’t use your cards for a few days, you can do a salt burial. Fill a container that can be sealed airtight with salt. Then cover your cards in a plastic bag and immerse your entire deck in the salt. Make sure you then close the container tight. Remove them after a few days to a week, and dispose of the salt afterward.
- Use meditation. As you have your eyes closed and feel relaxed during meditation, you can imagine a bright white light surrounding your tarot card deck. Allow yourself to be with your cards fully and imagine them fully protected. This option is quick and easy if you don’t have much time.
- Burn some dry sage. If you have dried sage or rosemary, you can allow the sage’s smoke to cleanse and pass through the cards. You can also opt for a smoke-free option with the Lulli Home Sage Smudge Spray, which works just as effectively.
Before you put them away, picking a fast way to cleanse your cards is a great option. However, from time to time, doing a more in-depth cleansing is a great way to keep your cards stored positively.
Keep a Crystal With Them
One of the ways tarot readers store their cards is with a crystal placed on top of it or near it. Placing a crystal in a tarot card bag or a box is a great way to keep the energy clear if you keep your cards in a tarot card bag or a box.
Depending on what energy or protection you want to surround your cards will dictate what crystal you will use. By keeping it with a crystal, you can also clean your cards without having to do anything.
Here are different crystals and what energy they will provide your cards with:
- Clear quartz: This is an excellent crystal for anyone to have. It will provide your cards with protection as well as recharge them when you put them away.
- Black tourmaline: This is great for clearing and keeping negative energy away.
- Fluorite: This protects the cards and your space from negative energy.
- Amethyst helps you visualize and connect to your psychic senses more easily.
- Rose quartz brings a sense of calm, love, and soft energy to the room. This is strongly connected to people’s emotions and heart chakra.
Note: Your crystals also need to be cleansed as they can absorb negative energy. To keep crystals cleansed, you can follow the same techniques for the cards or look into different ones, such as a Moon Bath.
Do What Feels Right
No matter what you choose to do when storing your tarot cards, one of the most important things is that it feels right to you. By this, we mean that it makes you feel secure, content and as if you are correctly taking care of your cards. Whether you use a cloth, velvet bag, or even a box, you must do what you think is right and trust your intuition as you do in your readings.
Additionally, if you feel like creating an altar or a sacred space for your tarot cards feels right to you or storing a quartz crystal with them is how you handle your cards will be protected, then that is precisely what you should do.
Every tarot reader is different, and there is no right or wrong way to properly store your tarot cards as long as they are protected from damage and negative energies. It must feel right for you, and you should trust your intuition.
Final Thoughts
By properly storing your tarot cards, you are ensuring that they stay in mint condition, keeping them safe from any physical damage and keeping any negative energy away from them when they are not being used. When you do this, you will have better readings and feel more connected to your cards on a deeper level as you care for them just as they take care of you.
Whether they are in a tarot card bag, a box, the packaging it came in, or just tucked away in a safe drawer wrapped in a cloth, it is essential that whatever you choose to do feels right to you. Remember, storing your cards properly can be done in many ways, so crystal or not, as long as you think they are protected and safe, that is all that matters.
