How do you decide when to replace a deck?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Sep 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Nevada	16 Sep 2003
How do you decide when a favorite deck is ready to expire? I'm not talking about collector decks. I mean the cards you use every day, or at least frequently. They get to a point where they seem grubby or worn, and you think it's time for a new deck. Do you get attached to them, so it's hard to relinquish an old reliable deck? What makes you finally let go, and how do you dispose of them--do you just throw them away, or do you have a special way of saying goodbye? Any tips on keeping them in better condition longer? I imagine the professional readers out there would go through cards the fastest, so I'd love to hear from you! Thanks in advance for your input, Nevada

RedWood	16 Sep 2003
I actually have never had a deck long enough to worrya bout it...but I would think that you arent really replacing your deck..Just moving onto a fresher one..I would certainly keep it!! Are you wanting to get the same deck newer? or get a different one? I am sure people would say the older it looks the better!!

lunalafey	16 Sep 2003
I had only one deck and was feeling the need for another.... It had been well used & getting pretty worn. I did a very powerful reading with the deck....I did not want to read with it again. Not because it was a bad experience, it was quite good. But after that I decided I would 'retire' the deck. Within days I stumbled across a deck that was quite attractive to me so I bought it & did not have to use my first deck....which I still have & look at now & then

Logiatrix	16 Sep 2003
I've only "used up" one deck, the Zerner-Farber. I burned it in a ritual fire during Samhain two years ago. It was very worn, some of the cards were even unreadable, and several cards were bent or torn, or both. I wanted to keep it for posterity and just store it away, but my last reading with it told me it was time for it to go to Spirit. A very practical reason for letting the deck go was just that I had to graduate. I had so many notes and other "cheats" written on the cards, it was like I was still using training wheels. It was time for me to move on to another deck--without training wheels. So I went to this ceremony where the participants "release" old stuff, and make room for the new. Into the bonfire went an ex-fiance's picture and the worn-out ZF. I don't miss the ex-fiance AT ALL...but DO I have a new Zerner-Farber! :) EDIT: Seriously, I have read in several books about how to retire a worn deck...I will look at home and post again when I find the exact references. :)

lunalafey	16 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Tauni EDIT: Seriously, I have read in several books about how to retire a worn deck...I will look at home and post again when I find the exact references. :) THAT would be cool!!!!

truthsayer	16 Sep 2003
i have heard at least one person uses worn old decks and extra cards in arts and crafts projects. i had a worn out hoi polloi and extra cards that i traded her for some tarot bags. i had had the hoi polloi for around 25 years and it was badly damaged from riffle shuffling and time. there were also missing cards. i felt it better to allow the cards to live on as the incarnation of an art project that to live a nonproductive existence.

Nevada	17 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Tauni I've only "used up" one deck, the Zerner-Farber. I burned it in a ritual fire during Samhain two years ago. Tauni, this is a great example of the kinds of ideas I'm looking for. Hubby and I have old copies of Thoth that we don't use any more. We have newer ones. The old ones are either missing cards, or worn and "sticky" from so much use, or in one case never really felt right--all the cards were sort of warped and make a sort of "pop" thing happen when shuffled, in one particular deck. I've had them all on a back shelf, and can't bring myself to dump them in the trash. I was thinking some sort of ritual. Nevada

catlin	17 Sep 2003
I still have my old and worn RW in use although the coating has gone and the cards do not shuffle so easily any more but I could not manage to replace it although I usually have a 2nd copy of my preferred reading decks at hand. I think this RW has to "tell" me that it wants to retire.

Logiatrix	17 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Nevada34 Tauni, this is a great example of the kinds of ideas I'm looking for. Hubby and I have old copies of Thoth that we don't use any more. We have newer ones. The old ones are either missing cards, or worn and "sticky" from so much use, or in one case never really felt right--all the cards were sort of warped and make a sort of "pop" thing happen when shuffled, in one particular deck. I've had them all on a back shelf, and can't bring myself to dump them in the trash. I was thinking some sort of ritual. Rhiannon Nevada, I just KNOW I read somewhere in a book or online about a ritual for disposing of one's old tarot cards. My personal tarot library is purposely very limited now, and all the websites I researched when I started studying tarot are either changed or gone. Basically, where I read it, I don't know. :( I do remember that the ritual involved burying your deck at the base of an old tree by the light of a new moon. I can share with you my own experiences... One way I have removed decks from my ownership, as opposed to send them to Spirit, is to re-order them, cleanse them through incense, then bury them in a bowl of sea salt. I place the bowl on a window ledge where it be exposed to one night in the light of the full moon, and then one day in sunlight. I do this for the very occasional deck that gives me a "bad vibe" or other such weird feeling. These are decks that are fine for someone else, but need not to be in my ownership any longer. I cleanse the deck in this very specific ritual because I want the next owner to have a totally new relationship with the cards. Also, the tarot deck has to be given, not sold or traded. I've done this with three decks, and the new owners were very pleased with their tarots. In the passing on of any tarot I have used, I do a ritual of incense and oils to cleanse the deck of all the old readings it has witnessed. I mix the deck, but I do not order it. I believe that when the new owner gets to order it, it becomes his/hers. I put the deck on my altar, surrounded by rose candles (for love), until it is ready to be sent to it's new home. My trade offerings tend to be very smelly. :D I like truthsayer's input about the artist. A collage is a wonderful tribute, especially to a deck that has served you so well. :)

Kiama	17 Sep 2003
I don't get rid of old, battered decks... In fact, I prefer to use them than using a brand-new, still-smelling-of-printing deck, mainly because: a) the querent feels more comfortable because it looks like you've got alot of experience cuz the deck's worn. b) after a while, th edeck 'moudls' to your hands and it becomes very easy to handle and shuffle c) it has that nice 'worn' smell d) I don't get paranoid about where to read with it, just incase it gets dirty! My Robin Wood is quite battered now, and it's had much spilled on it, drawn on it, and it's had a few folds down the line. But it is the only deck I'd be okay with taking into a pub and reading with on the sticky tables. After all, it's battered anyway! It also has so many fond memories attached to it: all the friends I have read for with it, taught Tarot to with it, etc. However, the time I'd think about retiring the deck would be when it became impossible to shuffle it or read with it. For instance, if the cards uddenly started splitting: the top half of the card splits from the back of it! Kiama

MeeWah	17 Sep 2003
The only deck I have that is very well-worn is the first deck I acquired many years ago, a Rider-Smith-Waite. It is slightly soiled & its edges are blown so that it does not permit quick or careless shuffling but that has not affected its use as a reading deck. Thus I "retired" it for personal use only, & it is the only deck I reserve for that purpose.

baba-prague	17 Sep 2003
I also like battered decks (though I drew the line at buying a very old Hungarian deck the other day which looked as though someone had spilt wine on it about a hundred years ago!) But I love this idea: "I have heard at least one person uses worn old decks and extra cards in arts and crafts projects. " I think that's a great way to make sure that old cards go on to better things. By the way, I saw an example recently of someone who had cut up quite a rare deck for some sketches. Maybe I reacted badly because the sketches weren't good, but basically, it made me wince. The deck had been complete and perfect and she had just cut it into ribbons (I bet one or two other people here are wincing too). But the idea of using old, battered, incomplete decks respectfully in art projects is completely different I think - and could be lovely.

catti	17 Sep 2003
you and your hubby could make mandalas. it is a really easy artform and very satisfying..use old photos , start a clipping box anything you see in print form that is interesting or has meaning for you including words...then save a peice of cardboard from a pack of tshirts or new bedsheets (because starting out small is always easy) and put images together..maybe you pick out your favorite card and put images around it....or maybe you pick a photo of yourself or something else and use the old cards to describe a story around it ....the ideas are endless. and you can learn alot from your subconcious when you just put things together because they "look pretty" to you.

lawguy51	17 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama I don't get rid of old, battered decks... a) the querent feels more comfortable because it looks like you've got alot of experience cuz the deck's worn. b) after a while, th edeck 'moudls' to your hands and it becomes very easy to handle and shuffle c) it has that nice 'worn' smell Kiama: Your note reminds me of a clairvoyant I went to see last summer (2002). Her deck had been subject to so much humidity that each card felt like it was about a 1/4 inch thick. When I shuffled it, the cards were so stuck together that I couldn't separate them. Speaking of 'mould', these smelled like there was something living in them! I'm not sure they would burn. The same court card kept coming up because it seemed to be less unstuck. What a weird experience. But she still gave a great reading! Lawguy51

Logiatrix	18 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama a) the querent feels more comfortable because it looks like you've got alot of experience cuz the deck's worn. b) after a while, th edeck 'moudls' to your hands and it becomes very easy to handle and shuffle c) it has that nice 'worn' smell d) I don't get paranoid about where to read with it, just incase it gets dirty! Kiama My Visconti Gold is beat-up and worn like that. As long as I can still see the pictures, I will read with it. :)

Nevada	18 Sep 2003
Quote: Originally posted by catti you and your hubby could make mandalas. Funny you should mention this, because I've been wanting to make some mandalas! But I never even thought of using those cards. You see? I knew I should ask here. I think I will use them in an art project, and then perhaps ritually say goodbye to the leftovers. I'm also thinking of using one set in a Tarot notebook specifically for Thoth, since it's a perennial favorite of mine. Thanks, all, for the great ideas! Nevada

Umbrae	18 Sep 2003
I used my first deck for twenty-nine years, until I was forced to replace it. The cards were worn, ink was gone, some had holes in them, they were stained, mushy, dog-eared, and a joy to read with.

MeeWah	18 Sep 2003
A well-seasoned deck is like an old trusted friend; certainly lends itself well to readings or other work. My main reading decks are all well-used, but I have no plans to replace them because I am superstitious. Why fix what ain't broken? I like the idea of using worn-out decks or extra cards in a project. Thus far, I have only had colour prints made of some cards for projects.

Emily	18 Sep 2003
I can't remember which one of my tarot books I read this in but the author suggested that you could find a tree, maybe make it special to you, and to bury the cards at the base of it as a gift for the tree. It sounds like a nice idea but none of my decks are worn out lol :)

M-Press	20 Sep 2003
Since i'm pretty neat, and VERY obsessivly-careful with my decks, they look great even after a long time... In general, I'm a "one deck woman", even though i have many... Lately, actually for a while now, i have been feeling though, that the deck I used for 8 years now, stated to become "tired". The readings were still great with it, but I have been exposed to so many others, including the making of my own, that it didn't excite me anymore. I feel like it's the good old first boyfriend kind of thing... also, i felt I needed new/more details in symbolism, a place to grow from... For me, this means my deck has expired... and i think I just found a replacement! Tarot crafts sounds an excellent idea btw...!

krysia322	23 Sep 2003
When I've worn out a deck, I usually wrap it in a cloth (natural fiber), and store it in a box set aside for this purpose. (I'm a hardcore shuffler... I get more decks that way. I shuffle simply for the sake of shuffling; it relaxes me. :)) I can't bring myself to throw any of them away or let them go as in a ritual (so far, none of the decks have "asked" it of me). To me, I sometimes use them for very special or specific readings, or for certain people... But mainly, I hold on to them because it's like looking through a scrapbook... especially when I take them out and share them with my girls. "This is momma's first deck... I bought it when I was 14... My friend XXX inspired me because she had the same deck and loved hers... This deck is special to me because it confirmed that my birth mother is a Leo.... This is momma's second deck... I bought it mainly for aid in meditation and self-reflection. This is momma's third deck... It was a gift from your great-aunt who died of Cancer. You never met her but look, her picture is stored with the deck; she would have loved you..." I dunno. Maybe it's weird, but it's my thing... and I like it like that. :)

The How do you decide when to replace a deck? thread was originally posted on 16 Sep 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.