pre- or post- reading rituals?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 27 Jun 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

emily2otters	27 Jun 2002
do perform mini rituals before or after every reading? i've taken to turning all the cards upright before i shuffle. i'm relatively new to using reversals, and it helps me to know that there are no cards still lingering in reversal land. :) what do you all do? how does it help you?

wavebreaker	27 Jun 2002
When I first started, I thought you had to do all kind of rituals, such as burn incense, play music, put out a cloth, etc. Now I just take my cards out of their bag, shuffle them, cut them and lay out the cards... ;) When I'm finished, I put the cards back in the deck one by one, shuffle a few more times and put the deck back in its bag. So no real rituals apart from the shuffling.

Starfish	27 Jun 2002
Shuffling is pretty much the extent of my ritual too. I do like to listen to background music (new age, instrumental, whatever) when I read the cards. It calms me. I also like to burn a candle - again, the calming effect helps clear my mind. :TAW Starfish

HudsonGray	27 Jun 2002
I make a point of wiping down the kitchen table first, then drying it & focusing before shuffling & laying out the cards. By the time the first card goes down my 'tarot cat' is up on the table watching the entire thing & stays with me till I'm done. I can tell from the sound of her purr if I'm bang on or not. She's there, aparently, to suck all the stray energy up before it disperses. I do thank the cards afterwards, a quick 'thank you' as I touch the deck before putting it away. Even if I didn't quite get all the points in the reading. Whether the deck itself knows this or I'm only catering to my subconscious, it's still a good thing to respect your tools. I figure a simple thank you goes a long way on many levels.

Maan	27 Jun 2002
I lay out the cloth shuffel the deck three times while gounding and centering, than form the question in my mind and then shuffle, fan and pick the cards out. After i'm done with the reading i "close" the deck before i put it back in its home. I let the top card ( the card that i need to think about, the one that stood out in the reading) face inwards so the top and the bottom of the deck have a card back. Its feels good, its like the deck is save like a turtle in his shield :) I'm a making any sence here? Do you get what i meen? love and light Maan

mondk	27 Jun 2002
I used to be all into candles and incense too, but anymore I just have my querents choose their deck and shuffle it then I read. I think it is just whatever feels right to you to do; there is really no "right or wrong" way to charge your cards etc. Blessings, Michelle

MeeWah	27 Jun 2002
I basically do the same as HudsonGray, minus the cat (my kitchen doubles as my reading room). Occasionally I light one or more candles but I am more intent on my focus than the trappings. They add a nice touch but they are not necessary, especially since some of my clients cannot handle the scented candles or incense.

Phoenix	27 Jun 2002
I used to use candles and incense too, but don't anymore. Now, after finishing a reading, especially an intense one, I give the cards a good shuffle to remove all of the "vibes" from the previous reading, then leave the cards alone for 24 hours to fully ground them. I will be having my Level I reiki attunement soon, so I will be channeling reiki into my decks.

The pre- or post- reading rituals? thread was originally posted on 27 Jun 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.