What do you keep your deck in?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 14 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

RedEarth	14 May 2003
I apologize if this has been covered somewhere else, i did look around first, honest! So my question is: What do you keep your deck in? And does it really have to be black silk? If I don't wrap them in anything will they lose their energy??? I have read a few different things and don't know what is what! Also, do you use a reading mat of some sort? TIA RedEarth

Sulis	14 May 2003
I keep my Thoth wrapped in an old silk scarf (not black) which I then keep in a Southern Comfort tin - the type which minature bottles come in. My other reading decks :- World Spirit and Tarot of the Spirit are wrapped in silk scarves (old and not black) and then put in velvet drawstring bags which I made from cushion covers which I got for 50 pence each. I think that you should keep your decks in whatever you like, so long as they are protected from damage I think it`s entirely up to you. Love and light Crystlamynx xx

wavebreaker	14 May 2003
I keep all my decks in tarot bags, because I like pretty bags. ;) In my opinion, it doesn't matter at all what you keep your deck in. The only thing that matters to me is to prevent my cards from getting damaged.

Diana	14 May 2003
Your decks can't lose their energy. The energy is yours. So I would say the important question is: What do you keep yourself in? Why would you want to keep them in black silk? Did you read this in a book somewhere? When it comes to Tarot, I would give you one piece of advice. Put superstition aside once and for all. You'll be a much better reader that way when you get all the unnecessary clutter from your mind. That doesn't mean you should push aside any rituals that make you feel better. I mean, I like to light a candle when I do readings. Not that I think it makes the readings any better, don't get me wrong. It just gives me time to break off from my daily routine, and forms a kind of transition for me. And it's kind of peaceful to have a candle to gaze at when I'm trying to figure out what the reading is all about. Someone else would make themselves a cup of tea. Reading mat? If it is pleasing to your eye, why not? Again, it is not necessary. I do most of my readings on the floor. Do whatever makes you feel good. Actually, that's the key to a lot of things in life. Just be yourself.

allibee	14 May 2003
I can't really add to what Diana has said apart from to say that if you endow your cards with superstition, you end up giving them the power - when it's you who has the power. At the end of the day they are just ink on card. Care for them as you would a favourite book or CD. A. www.tarotpeople.com

jmd	14 May 2003
RedEarth, even if you hadn't searched the archives, posting queries to engage discussions afresh is always important, as new ways of looking at the same question will emerge, and different people may respond (or the same respond in different ways). In the thread Between Readings?, some aspects surrounding this issue were discussed. Now I note, as I write this very response, that Diana has also responded... I'd better read her response before continuing... OK - a quick question for Diana: is 'reading Mat' numbered or un-numbered? now back to my response: In my opinion the cards, contrary to what others may say, do build up some energy through usage. There are a number of factors which one may reflect upon here. Firstly, how do you treat reverentially this tool? Secondly, why has a tradition of silk-wrapping developed? Thirdly, are boxes or bags or special storage really necessary? To the first question, Diana has already given guidance to an answer - and it will be, in any case, quite legitimately a personal response. Silk-wrapping has legitimate aspects when it comes to protecting a deck. Apart from the 're-wrapping' it provides the deck following its cellophane removal, it is also a material which does shield much more than many other natural fibres do - I mention one of its earlier uses in the linked thread above. To the third question, I too, like tarotlady, keep some of my regularly used decks in bags, and like crystalmax, others in boxes - in my case, wooden ones (maybe not having quite the same spirit-based influence as the Southern Comfort one mentioned by crystalmax - but then, they sure are in southern comfort being in Melbourne ;)). ... but others still do things differently - and it is also the case that most of my decks are in their cardboard box, with other decks in a large plastic carry box (so that I can transport them to the Tarot Café easily).

Mimers	14 May 2003
I also believe it is induvidual. Most of my decks are in their original boxes. The exceptions being my Vision Quest and my Universal Waite are in bags simply because I use them so much, the boxes fell apart. It seems I will have to make a bag for my Gill deck shortly too. Any deck I stick in my pocketbook or briefcase will go in a bag to protect it. I keep my Camoin deck in a wooden cigar box right on my desk. My daughter decorated the box and gave it to me as a gift. I keep the Camoin in it because it is the one deck it seemed I would never get my hands on. When I did finally get it in a trade with Kissa, I truely felt that this deck had found it's home. Therefore it gets the special box. I agree with jmd that the decks do aquire energy from the people who handle them. I do smudge them with sage from time to time. Mimers

Dark Inquisitor	14 May 2003
I have a few different way of keeping my decks. I make bags for some of them, then I put them in a small decorative chest that has a handle on top so I can grab them in a hurry & hide them if the Christians are coming ! I find large old jewelry boxes with drawers & keep some in there.In any case I always take them out of their boxes & store the boxes & LWBs separately. Boxes take a beating & can wear out in no time otherwise. But now that I am moving , I have decided decorative boxes & chests will just draw unwanted attention while I am staying in my temporary housing. So I have bought a couple of black luggage- style portfolios for the decks I will be using that are not packed . One for tarot, one for oracle decks & books. That way, they will just look like part of my other luggage & no one will think a thing about it. (undercover tarot) Tarotphelia

Kiama	14 May 2003
I agree with what everybody else here has said: It's you that has the power/energy, not the cards. :D So, the only reason I wrap my one reading deck in anything, is to keep it from damage in my bag when I carry it around with me. (Which is always!) I wrap it in black silk because.. (And some may want to shout at me for this!) sometimes when I read in pubs, I find that the table I will be reading on is wet and sticky... So I clean it off with the cloth. It's black, so nothing shows up. All my other decks are in their original boxes, because they are my collection, and they don't need any other bags or cloths. (Deck with boxes are also more collectible than those without) Kiama

jema	14 May 2003
the problem with bags is that i can never quite remember which deck went in wich bag. so i have to look in the all. except for a few decks that had their own bag for years. the decks i don't use so much is in the original box on a shelf for CDs that i got on top of the bookshelf where i keep my tarot-books. i sometimes wish i could have a chest like tarotphelias though - for when my jehovas witness aunt comes by. i see her eyeing my colection and i can almost hear her thinking "begone satan" when she sees my deck laying out like that.

angelwhispers	14 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by RedEarth I apologize if this has been covered somewhere else, i did look around first, honest! So my question is: What do you keep your deck in? And does it really have to be black silk? If I don't wrap them in anything will they lose their energy??? I have read a few different things and don't know what is what! Also, do you use a reading mat of some sort? TIA RedEarth Hi RedEarth, You've already received some wonderful responses here, but I'll add my 2 cents anyway :) When I first started with tarot I also thought that I was supposed to wrap them in black silk because that is what I read in a book, and never let someone else handle them etc...there were so many rules to follow but I then realized that wasn't working for me so I did my own thing. The decks I'm not using are in their original boxes and the 2 I use frequently are in seperate bags, one is made of blue velvet and one is an oriental printed black satin. Just do what feels right for you and not someone else. :)

dadsnook2000	14 May 2003
Each of my decks, as I acquire them, are kept in a book-shaped box with a hand-carved three dimensional tarot figure that I created using one of the cards for inspiration. I find that the dimensional card figure helps me to identify more closely with the deck -- bringing it to life, so to speak. Obviously, the carving and painting process requires time in which to focus on the card and deck. I stain the boxes, paint the figures and keep them in my study, which is obviously become more colorful each month. Dave.

Faerie Lin	14 May 2003
Some of my decks are kept in Tarotphelia's stunning intricate tarot bags that she so talently makes. Makes one wish they had bedding and pillows to match! Others are still kept in the boxes. Everything I keep high on one of the bookcases in the livingroom. If not, they would suddenly become toys. I want to get a nice decorative chess also to keep them in. Dadsnook2000, your book-shaped boxes sound lovely.

sagitarian	14 May 2003
My fae deck is the only deck I have that is kept in anything. They like their green velvet pouch and slowly but surely picking out lil things to decorate it. I have 4 other decks, two of which are just in their boxes, another that wants a wooden box but can't afford it right now, and the other deck is a Marsielles deck (sorry if I spelled that wrong) which i have yet to use. My waite deck or lOTR deck is just dandy in their boxes. The deck i used before any of these (Hanson-Roberts) i rubberbanded (just to keep the cards together) and threw em in my purse and off i went. I've never kept my cards contained, wrapped, used crystals, stones, silks or anything on my decks. I shuffle them before and after each reading to cleanse the cards using my own energy, and that's it.

dadsnook2000	14 May 2003
Thank you for your comment. The figures are very colorful. I'm currently setting up to cast/duplicate the figures -- I plan to mount them on the mantle in my den. A friend has suggested that I cast one or two for her. This, of course, leads one to consider establishing a small Internet business for those that want to house their favorite deck in something special. I've visited your web-site and will get back to you in a few weeks. Dave.

LittleWing	14 May 2003
i find it impossible to keep the deck in its card box - i think there is more chance of damaging the cards as it is a tight fit and a card or two always gets stuck in the box. i suppose it is fine if you seldom use them. but for my daily deck - i wrap them it in a large gypsy hanky (that i used to use to blow my nose!) - easy access - and i do believe it keeps in the energies i have charged them with.

Centaur	14 May 2003
Tarot Bags? Are those like teabags? ;) Anyway, I keep one of my decks wrapped in black silk with gold patterny bits on it. Kinda funky :) I had been told by a good psychic friend of mine that this shows respect for the cards, thus protecting the vibrations and ensuring good and all of that. Another of my decks, I do not keep in anything :( This is because I don't have anything to store it in as of yet. Although, it is my birthday soon, and I have been trailing my flatmates and friends around a nearby tarot shop, pointing out lovely little wooden chests. Perhaps one of them will get the hint! ;) C

galadrial	14 May 2003
My husand bought me one of those "baker's" racks to store my decks and books. I bought boxes for my decks until I ran out of room on the large shelves, and stored the rest of my decks in bags, about half of which I crocheted myself, on the smaller racks between bookends (one set of bookends are "protective" Gargoyles:-). Lately, I haven't had the funds to get both decks and bags, so my two most recent aquisitions are in the boxes they came in. All this is just for my own pleasure, as I agree with many others here that doing what is comfortable for you is most important.

RedEarth	14 May 2003
Thank you to everyone who has replied so far. Basically I guess the answer is to keep my decks in whatever I feel comfortable! I did read that it HAD to be black silk, and didn't know why or if any other colour or material would be suitable. Like anything there are always different opinions, and a few commented that black silk really was favourable. Which I might try out anyway :) But I do have some nice peices of fabric lying around that might do nicely as well... Still confused but not in a panicky way now, more of a 'will try a few things and see'..no panic, just part of the journey! RedEarth

Demonesse	14 May 2003
Just curious (RedEarth, this thread has been discussed before two or three times, I think) but why the importance placed on black silk? Why not fuchsia-striped purple silk, or polka-dotted brown and yellow velvet (for comparison's sake :P)? Hopefully someone can shed some light on the matter. I hate it when the deck boxes are all worn out, so I keep them in oriental-style bags; I favour bags with dragon designs on them/Indian bags, but I do have a gorgeous batik wrap cloth and couple of 'normal' tarot bags as well, housing my Decameron and Fairy Oracle.

MeeWah	15 May 2003
Demonesse: Black is thought to repel negativity; it also repels light, natural or artificial which can cause damage. Also considered a sacred colour (but 'tis late for me & I canna recall why--something pertaining to its properties). Edited to add: I keep some of my decks in bags because they are so well-used, their boxes have fallen apart. I like the colourful bags, but actually use black ones, a couple of the wonderful Crown Royal bags & a lovely midnight blue velvet bag from a friend.

Logiatrix	15 May 2003
For Demonesse: According to Mary K. Greer, "Black silk is a traditional wrap because silk is an especially good psychic insulator." ("Tarot for Your Self".) I have also read in many different texts that black is a protective color. RedEarth: I keep each of my favorite decks in bags, wrapped in the cloth I use to lay the cards on. I'm not picky about the bag as long as I like the looks of it. I'm a bit choosier abot the spread cloth. Silk is just nice to me, but I don't think it's so terribly important that it be silk. The color of the spread cloth, IS important for more practical reasons to me. Cards with white borders and bright colors look good on black and show up very well. However, there are decks with black borders or no borders at all, and black doesn't work so well. For those decks, a lighter colored cloth or even a white cloth works better. Silk scarves will often have patterns on them that can be too busy for the cards, but I have found that you can still get away with using some colors and patterns. :) All that is still only mildly cautionary and highly subject. I was given three large silk scarves for my favorite decks (great thrift store finds), and two of these fulfill none of the criteria above (wild patterns and bright colors). I like them and I use them, further validating the overwhelming majority here--do what you like with your cards! :D

truthsayer	15 May 2003
when i have time and available cash flow, i like cruising the net and aeclectic for various boxes and bags that quirk my fancy. tarottotes is a fave site. untold amount of time diverted there. })sometimes a deck will come with its own home like the victoria regina. a nice large silk bag was offered with the wild woman deck. i also buy unfinished boxes and decorate them. i've also made a few to order in some trades. i did a dragon for faunabay and a cougar with sunflowers for someone else. occasionally i'll just leave them in the original box. particularly if the deck is an odd size and won't fit just any deck.

Emily	15 May 2003
I used to keep my special decks in wooden boxes until I came to take my Diamond deck out and found that some of the stain from the wood had seeped into the cardboard of the deck box - luckily none of the cards were harmed. Now I don't keep any decks in wooden boxes. I keep them instead inside a glass book cabinet on one of the shelves with my tarot books underneath. I do have a couple of bags that the decks go into when I take them out. I also use purple cotton spread cloths, I have two the same and my decks look nice spread on them and also they keep the cards clean. :)

reds97	16 May 2003
I have been waiting for tarot bags from my sister too long.... so i had a pair of overalls that were finally beyond repair! (not enough materieral to sew a patch onto).. so i cut off all the pockets and use them to hold two of my decks. I have two other pockets just in case. (always looking for decks) The third deck is wrapped in the silk scarf that came with the deck. But it is pampered! *L* Sandra

Marie	16 May 2003
Right now I keep all of my decks in bags, but it drives me crazy because I can't remember which deck is in which bag! I have been trying to think of a system that would work better for me and what I am imagining is a cabinet about the size of a bookcase sectioned off into many little cubby holes. They would be tarot sized and variable, some bigger for decks like the Motherpeace and some smaller. Then, I would have little pull out drawers to keep the decks in, maybe like a smokey colored glass or plastic (so I can see what's going on in there) with a little notch to hook my finger in to pull it out. Then, I would put a sticker on the front of the drawer, ideally, a sticker with a picture of the deck inside that I have scanned and prionted off my computer. This way I could look and have complete acccess to all of my decks at any given moment!!!!! But for now they are in confusing bags. Some are in boxes which are great and I would still like to keep my most used/decks in the extra nice boxes and bags I have, so maybe my deck case could have a blank shelf to stick those on too. Oh, and then a traditional book case on top to put all of the matching tarot books. :)Marie

azuremariposa	16 May 2003
well, i was never one for the silk cloth thing, don't know why, but i never did that... i have my VRT in the bag it came with...i've been meaning to get bags for some of my others (or make them), but haven't felt motivated enough to do so yet... my main reading deck is in a wooden box my grandmother gave me...along w/a 'purple plate' (one of the ones mentioned in Linda Goodman's Star Signs) to keep the energy vibration 'high'...:) the few other decks i have are still in their respective boxes... many blessings... ~azure

Khatruman	16 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by MeeWah couple of the wonderful Crown Royal bags & a lovely midnight blue velvet bag from a friend. Yes, I use Crown Royal bags that I have from my days as a bartender. I also have a couple of Chivas Royal Salute bags, blue velvet with golden drawstring, that house my Rohrig and my Thoth. I recall that someone had a signature line which said, "If you keep your tarot deck in a Crown Royal bag, you must be a redneck"... heh heh... well, I am anything but redneck. Besides, Chivas Royal Salute costs now over $200 a bottle, so I wouldn't consider it trashy to house a deck in it. :D

truthsayer	16 May 2003
my husband won a harley davidson gift pkg. one of the gifts inside was a black leather pouch with the HD logo. just the perfect size for a deck. now which one gets it? :)

MeeWah	16 May 2003
Truthsayer: A Harley bag?! Ohhhh--I want it, would do nearly anything for it (within reason,please). Seriously, if neither ye nor hubby wants it, let me know!! It would go great with the Harley-Davidson playing cards & the rest of the H-D stuff...

Hedera	16 May 2003
Marie: Quote: Right now I keep all of my decks in bags, but it drives me crazy because I can't remember which deck is in which bag! I bought some off-white ribbon and just cut bits off (cut at an angle), use a felt-tip pen to write the name of the deck on it and tie it to the drawstring. You still have to look at the ribbon, but at least you can skip opening all of the bags. Also, I try to match my bags to the decks in them, colour and/or moodwise.

Khatruman	16 May 2003
Soon I will have two very lovely tarot bags to house my two literature-based decks, the Blake and the Shakespearian, made for me by a very lovely lady, cj :)... bless you, sweetie... I asked a challenging request, to make me bags that would fit the decks along with their companion books, which measure roughly 5"x7". She made the bags with pockets for the decks. The test bag she did worked perfectly, and I can't wait to see the final works. She's a wonderful woman. As a matter of fact, I am developing quite a collection of bags made by members of this forum. Alissa made me a beautiful bag for my Faeries' Oracle. Dajax did a brilliant job on the bag for my Portal deck. jlbvt made me a wonderful bag which houses my Tarot of the Imagination. Finally, I am awaiting a couple bags made by Demonesse. All of these bags are special because together they bring the energy of everyone together every time I open my big blue box. Thank you all, so much wonderful energy.

ihcoyc	16 May 2003
I use clear book tape on some of my deck boxes, to protect them from light and elements and make them a little more solid. My Swiss 1JJ deck still resides in its original box, as does the Fournier Marseille. The old fashioned two part boxes are fairly solid and can be made to last a long time. Decks that come in flimsier boxes go into different boxes. I have a couple in black steel boxes that are made for holding 3x5 index cards that I get at Office Depot. I then laminate the sample card on the desk box and glue it to the lid; I cover the insides with soft cloth and make a wooden divider, and the entire assembly will hold two decks. I have made boxes for other decks. My Rider Waite deck has a handmade wooden box of its own, which is rather crude but gets the job done. Another such box currently holds the Ancient Italian Tarot.

WolfSpirit	17 May 2003
I use bags for my decks, decks that don't have a bag yet will get one sooner or later. If decks come in a little box, I use the box as well and put the whole thing in the bag. Boxed sets usually don't have a separate box for the deck, so then a bag is really handy as well not just pretty. I used to keep the boxed sets complete, but I don't do that anymore due to lack of space: it saves space to keep all the books together and the decks (which I all keep in a big basket, inside their baggies) I made most bags myself, trying to capture the spirit of the deck in the bag, but sometimes later on I find a better bag / better fabric: for example, I used to have a crocheted bag for my wolf pack tarot, a fibre with a very natural feel, until I found a bag with a wolf pattern I really liked. I know pretty well what deck is in what bag, except for decks I hardly ever use.

truthsayer	17 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by MeeWah Truthsayer: A Harley bag?! Ohhhh--I want it, would do nearly anything for it (within reason,please). Seriously, if neither ye nor hubby wants it, let me know!! It would go great with the Harley-Davidson playing cards & the rest of the H-D stuff... thanks for the offer, meewah. i will keep it in mind. right now, i need to keep it since hubby just won it and he's still showing off the pieces. it might hurt his feelings if i trade it away too quickly. :)

The What do you keep your deck in? thread was originally posted on 14 May 2003 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.