How do you "Programmed," Initiate & Energized your tarot???

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 17 Sep 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Paulo	17 Sep 2003
Hello everyone, I've read some of the threads in here, and I want to know how do you cleanse your "Tarot" card? and how do you initiate it, programmed it and energized it??" How do you do it?? And how do you keep your tarot cards when not being in used???

Trogon	17 Sep 2003
Hello Paulo, As for "cleansing" my Tarot decks (whether it is a new deck, a used one I've just gotten, or just my regular decks), for me, it is a simple matter of shuffling the deck to randomize it again. If it is a new deck, I will look through it in the order the cards came in a few times - then shuffle the deck several times ("till it feels right" ;) ). That puts my personal touch on it so to speak. With a used deck I've just acquired, I put the cards into my preferred order, then look through it several times, then shuffle it. With all of the decks I own, after I do a reading with them, I put the cards back in the deck kind of randomly, then shuffle it several times. I used to go in for a lot more ritual; fanning the deck, smudging it with incense or sage, etc, etc. However, I have found that for my own personal use - I was focusing too much on the ritual and not enough on the use of the cards and learning them. Too much ritual tended to get in my way. As for "initiating" and/or "programming"... I gather you are referring to dedicating a deck to a certain purpose? Such as programming a deck for readings for pregnant women? I would think this would be too exclusive. For my use a Tarot deck is used for all sorts of people in many different stages of life and for looking at many different aspects of those lives. To me, narrowing that use seems counter-productive. I do, however, energize and "program" crystals when I need them for a specific use. For some of them (such as the ones I routinely use for meditation) I have programmed them for that use and leave them as such. I reenergize those crystals by leaving them in the sun on a quartz crystal cluster which I've "programmed" for the purpose. I do have a ritual for dedicating a crystal or stone to a specific purpose: First, I do a cleansing - if this is just routine, fill a clear glass (or bowl if it's a larger stone) with course rock salt, then bury the stone in the rock salt. I leave this in the sun/moon light for 24 hours (approximately). Next I rinse the stone in cool, running water. I then charge the stone or crystal on my cluster of quartz crystals for 24 hours. To dedicate the stone (or program it) for a specific purpose (such as healing of the physical body, or meditation for example) I meditate with the stone and simply concentrate on what I intend to use it for. I mention my crystal "rituals" with the thought that some aspects of it might be of use to you.

AmounrA	17 Sep 2003
I think if you feel a deck needs to be cleaned, ditch it. To initiate, programme and energize, firstly I would suggest you find a deck you can bond with, then only use that deck. This over time will build a bigger and stronger connection between the deck and you. When not using cards its important for them to be at peace. I place mine in a silk cloth in a wooden box. I also use this 'down time' to energize the deck. I place three (of my most favored) crystals in the box with the deck. On either side of the box I place two statues, which I ask to keep an eye on the deck and be its filter. ( I know the statues understand, because they wink at me:-) Placing the box, opened on a window shelf exposed to a full moon also, seems to work.

Black dragon	18 Sep 2003
erm generally for me, the clensing is just done when you get a new deck, because if you clense it constantly then it seems to me you cant get a particular closeness with the deck, but then that might me just me. But what i'd do at the start of a new reading deck, would be first a small ritual involving the elements, sprinkle with some earth, hold in the smoke of an incest stick, hold it over a fire (high enough so it doesn't burn, it pass it through the flame QUICKLY.) and sprinkle with some drops of water. do these in which ever order makes you comfortable. then medatate whilst holding the deck in your hands for a while, say twenty minutes. then shuffle the deck, and do a reading to associate withself with the deck, recomendable a reading as to how well you and the deck would get on with each other. hope this is useful, otherwise just ignore it.

Inana	18 Sep 2003
I dont do nothing special. Just hold it on my hands for a while, look closely at all the cards and shuffle shuffle shuffle. Then its ready to start use it. From time to time i like to put in order the cards on the decks and look at each one with attention. Then suffle it again. Its a good way to concentrate on the deck, and the only thing I do for "initiate" the deck. But, hey, its like doing a reset on it!

Diana	18 Sep 2003
I do nothing at all. When I get a new deck (second-hand or brand-new) I just shuffle and read.... No cleansing, no initiating and no programming. Tarot cards are just ink and paper. However, if anything needs "cleansing", it would be me... because I do the reading. Not my cards. So if I feel a little bit ungrounded, I do some grounding first and connecting to the Divine. But sometimes I don't feel the need - and I just shuffle, fan my cards, pick the amount needed and read. I store them in old chocolate tins, because they're very pretty and big enough to hold a few of them at the same time. I have a tin for my Oracle decks (in which I include the Rider Waite deck), a tin for my Tarot reading decks, and another tin for my reference decks and decks I don't use for reading. But very often, they tend to lie around the house where I did my last reading, or one of my family members moves them to make place for something else - so I often spend time hunting for them.

The How do you "Programmed," Initiate & Energized your tarot??? thread was originally posted on 17 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.