How Do You Treat Your Deck?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 31 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

MoreMagic	31 Oct 2003
I'd be interested in hearing how others treat their decks - as objects of reverence? as tools? Do you surround your readings with ritual or do you just pull out the deck and get down to it? I know most of us take care with the protection and storage of their decks - but is this to protect the physical integrity of the deck? for aesthetic pleasure? with other purposes in mind? I was first taught by someone who treated the deck as a mystic object and surrounded the reading with a lot of ritual. I've since gotten some great readings from someone who, the first time she read for me, pulled the deck out from under her laundry pile and had to count it first to make sure she had all 78 cards! (The second time, she wrestled her dog for the box.) :) So it occurred to me to wonder what others do...

IrishRiotGrrrl	31 Oct 2003
I treat my deck like a person! I take good care of it. I prefer doing readings during circle, but I also will do readings outside of circle. I burn a purple candle during my readings and usually have some amythest with my person to help aide me with my readings. How do you treat your cards?

MoreMagic	31 Oct 2003
I guess the closest description is that I treat them and use them like a valuable book. I store the deck in a cedar box, but I don't use any preparatory ritual when I read, aside from having the querent shuffle the deck.

lunalafey	31 Oct 2003
storage and whereabouts of my decks are important. I'm not picky about the surface I read upon as long as it's clean. I do prefer a natural surface if I can have it. I let others touch my cards as long as they are nice to them. Everyone gets sucked into the images & I feel that you can't really get the feel of the image without holding the card and getting a close look and I'm fine with that. routine and ritual are practically non-existant in my life out side of job, food, & sleep- so I am one of the get right to it reader- but I have been known to turn off the lights light some candles, burn some sage or incense & do a 'formal-styled' reading

Cerulean	31 Oct 2003
There are times I can see silk-lined import bags with gauzelike fabric overlay for under seven dollars in those pretty lollipop or deeper colors...for longer decks with books, that works for me. I will sometimes lay the cards on them on surfaces that might have some sticky substance...residual paint or crumbs... I alternate between some cotton fabric that I dyed in a marbling class to lay them down sometimes, as sometimes a cafe or surface has more crumbs and bits of things that I'd like not to stain my papers or get on my fingers and matte finish cards. But a small paper napkin can work just as well. Mari H.

VGimlet	01 Nov 2003
I like to put decks I use for reading in cloth bags - because I think they are nicer than a plain old box. However my oldest tarot is still in it's original box - it has a little tape on the corner, but has kept the cards in good shape for over 30 years. Even though I rarely use them anymore, I am keeping an eye out for a special bag for them, just because. I treat my decks as I would any tool; keep them in a spot where they will be protected from things that might damage them, and where I can find them easily. I treat them like I do anything that is important to me - with care and respect.

bighairymonster	01 Nov 2003
Hmm....actually I just stick mine unceremoniously in a cupboard. They don't seem to mind....I think. :)

Emily	01 Nov 2003
I like to keep my decks in their original boxes, some of the older deck and book sets didn't come with boxes for the decks so these are in plain small boxes. My special decks are kept in bags, some I've made others I've bought. All of them live in a glass fronted bookcase with my tarot books. My newest bag was found in a market close to my home - I think it was supposd to be a cosmetics bag but the inside is blue cotton, the outside a royal blue silk like fabric decorated with gold and silver dragons and lotus blossom, it has a zip. Its very pretty and oriental looking and fits the Morgan Greer, in its box, just right. :)

wavebreaker	01 Nov 2003
For me, tarot cards are a tool and I treat them like I treat all my books. Since I'm a book lover, that means I am very careful with them ;). I keep most of my deck in pretty bags, because I like pretty bags.

Inana	01 Nov 2003
I have my decks inside a box on the wardrobe. The only mania or habit i have is i like to put the cards on a maroon piece of robe when spreading them. That cloth is keeped in the box too. Other than that i treat the decks like any other object i apreciate, books, cds, etc...

WolfSpirit	01 Nov 2003
I keep my decks in bags, because I like them but it is also for protection. I used to have spreads lying around to look at later, but since my cats like to spread out on them and use their nails or bend the cards, I can't do that anymore. I try to be careful with my cards without getting too fussy about them - so far I haven't damaged or lost cards so I am still doing fine :) I am like that with all my things: I hate to lose them through carelessness but I don't want to become over-fussy either.

Galiana	01 Nov 2003
I keep all of my decks in a shoebox (I am currently looking into better accomodations.) All of them are in their original boxes with the exception of the Robin Wood, whose box fell apart a while back. One deck I will take out and spend some time with; that one I keep in the velvet bag that came with my Victoria Regina deck. The deck currently occupying this bag in the Golden Tarot of the Tsar.

Umbrae	01 Nov 2003
I treat my decks like really nice tools. I care for them, I baby them, but they are tools. I had one, and only one deck for almost three decades. It appeared to have saved my life, fed me and sheltered me when I was hungry and homeless. Gave me guidance about when to move on, and told me when to listen. But it was simply a tool. It didn’t save my life – it taught me how to listen. It appeared to have fed me and give me shelter; but it only taught me how to speak. It was a tool that taught me how to use it. It never received an altar, but it did receive a burial of sorts. When you’re homeless, boxes don’t last. I learned many decades ago to use cloth bags. Now I still use cloth bags, although now the decks have a drawer in my office in my home that has a postal code. The deck taught me early on that for me, it was ink and paper. A tool. Nothing more, nothing less. It taught me that the power – the tons and megawatts and gigabytes reside within – me…within you… My readings contain no ritual for me; but sometimes for the sitters they do.

TygrEyes	01 Nov 2003
I just bought a box today at a craft & art show to hold a few favorites. Five decks fit in it (2 layers of decks & one small paperback book) - 4 I have in bags & one in it's original box, plus the small book for one of them. When I first started buying decks they all had to have their own bag, but I've gotten over that! I just got an OOP/HTF so that one is an exception. It has a bag. I'm including the link to her website & be sure to check out the description at the bottom. They're made out of chipboard (the heaviest cardboard). Have fun browsing! www.boxemotions.com

Adele	02 Nov 2003
I keep a clear crystal quartz on top of the deck to cleanse them... especially when I am going to read professionally. this also energizes the cards. I made some beautiful pouches for my tarot cards to put them into.

lawguy51	02 Nov 2003
I treat my decks with respect. There are 'rituals' I perform sometimes but that's just to let the oracle of the cards know that I'm serious and ready. Yes, as Umbrae says, they are just ink and paper, but they are pretty and fragile and like any tool, will last longer if you care for them. Mine stay in their boxes (if they come in boxes) and the reading decks are in silk bags. They sit together on a shelf, keeping each other company! Lawguy51

Wildchild	02 Nov 2003
I keep my decks in their original boxes (those that have boxes) and then inside a bag that I make special for each deck. Some are knitted out of silk with bead work on the outside. Some are cotton fabric bags that I sewn up. I like to make the bags as I get to know each deck. That way, the bags will reflect the decks inside. There's a practical reason for keeping them inside the boxes. I like to carry my current favourite deck with me. This gives the cards more protection from the bumping and jostling inside my bag.

Adele	02 Nov 2003
that is so beautiful... I have crocheted a pouch for the goddess tarot... but I will try knitting one... should be fun!

Logiatrix	03 Nov 2003
I think if I had a little dog, I'd be one of those strange people who buys her puppy cute outfits and bows for every day of the week... :eek: Fortunately, my decks need only one bag each... :D Still, finding the right bag for a deck is great fun, almost as fun as finding the right deck! On the practical side, all those pretty bags help me to preserve my cards, all of which I value. I seem to favor velvet bags, except my I-Ching set has a red satin drawstring bag. Cotton bandanas, easily found at discount stores or craft shops, make great spread cloths and are much easier to launder than silk. I keep my decks nicely stored, and layed on a cloth when I use them. I try to touch them with only clean hands. I usually let other people touch them, unless I get a negative vibe from them--but that's how I am about all my belongings. I don't have any set rules or rituals about how I treat my cards. Just like anything I value, I try to take care of them. :)

anjocoxo	03 Nov 2003
I also treat them as books, with care. I have no rituals, and most of my decks are inside the original box. I have a small box where I am supposed to keep my decks, but I'm not very organized and that means that I have decks everywhere around the house (my parents already stopped complaining about that, they're getting used to it) - just to give you an idea, at this exact moment, I have one deck here by the computer, another inside my bag, another in the hall, and another somewhere in the middle of a pile of books and my tarot journal... I know it's there... somewhere.... I don't have any kind of ritual (just taking a deep breath before starting), and usually I let other people shuffle the cards. I can read cards anywhere, anytime, so sometimes there's no time/place/pacience for rituals. Anjo

catlin	03 Nov 2003
My decks are either kept in their original cardboard box, or in baggies of various colour and fabric or several of them are housed in large wooden chests, it really depends how they came, if I want to work with them regularly or if they are collector's decks.

Marion	03 Nov 2003
Many of mine are in bags, mostly the ones that didn't come with an original box. Somewhere I saw someone had said that they added a ribbon to the bag, which they would write on naming the deck inside. Since most of my bags are very similar, I should do that. :) Otherwise I keep them in their original boxes in a bookshelf sort of closed cabinet. I have two smaller boxes holding three decks each which I bought at craft shows, and I keep those for decks that I pull out more often. One near my PC and one by my favourite chair.

Kiama	04 Nov 2003
My reading deck I treat like my books, but also like a favourite teddy bear when you're small: it goes everywhere with me basically! I don't surround it with ritual, though I keep it in black silk. The silk is simply to keep the deck from being physically damaged too much, since the box was thrown out years ago. I keep it in a box on one of my bookshelves when I'm at home, but mostly it lives in my day-to-day bag sandwiched in between an organiser, a purse, and a mobile phone. :D So whilst I don't see my deck as a 'mystical tool', I treat it as I would any other object I own: I try not to let it get damaged. Kiama

Mystic Zyl	04 Nov 2003
I keep the cards I read with in a 100 yr. old wooden box. I like the box as it just fits the width of my cards and has 2 inches to spare on the end, to keep stones. The box is linen in velvet. I carry this box in my briefcase or purse, I just like having it around. I cleanse my cards with sage and keep an alum crystal in the box as well. I also cleanse it between readings with a candle. I treat my cards as an important tool. I never let people touch my cards unless I am doing a reading for them. My cards are a personal and private part of myself. I also collect decks. I store these decks in glass cabinets in their box with the cards in order in the box. with one exception I reverse or turn upside down the devil and tower cards.

miss_apples	04 Nov 2003
I dont treat them too special. I keep them in a blue velvet bag in my purse and I pull them out when I think the conditions are right for my concentration level to do the cards. But most importantly...I am in an endless fight to keep my kids away from them...lol

Majecot	04 Nov 2003
I keep my reading deck in a silk lined satin (padded) drawstring back (I kinda wish it wasn't white tho) and they pretty much stay with me or next to my bed. My other decks, if they came in the original box, that is where i keep them in a drawer. The cards without boxes, I wrap in natural cloth. I like to make sure that any surface I read on is completely clean and dry of course (even if it is the hardwood floor of my bedroom). But I do burn a white candle for readings. (not my morning one card draws tho. )

Requiella	04 Nov 2003
Just this year, I started making my own tarot bags. A few years back, I had cut a bunch of squares for a quilt, which I never had the patience to finish. So now, those squares have come in very handy--1.5 squares sewn together are the perfect size for a tarot bag! And the fabric's already cut! The great thing is that I could mass-produce them if I had the time--goodness knows I have enough squares. So, every time I get a new deck I have to eventually make a new bag for it. I don't like storing them in boxes because I'm afraid the cards will get frayed with closing the boxes all the time.

samreid26	06 Nov 2003
All I do is keep my cards in the box I got them in. They don't mind. Lol. My cards have been in good condition ever since I got them, so there isn't really any problems with keeping them in a cardboard box. Lol. I think whatever way your most comfortable with is the right way. -Sammie

Star Spirit	06 Nov 2003
I agree with Umbrae, I treat my cards like very nice tools. I treat my deck very well, but I don't surround my readings with a lot of ritual or anything. I just go with the flow.

mercenary30	06 Nov 2003
BTW, I am currently in need of a cloth bag. Is there anyone out there who would be interested in making one for me? I can pay quickly with PayPal!!!

Red Emma	06 Nov 2003
I consider my decks to be tools provided by The Spirit to give me insights into my life. As such I treat them with the respect one would treat sacred objects, but I try not to go overboard about it. Right now the decks I haven't used for a while are resting somewhere in their original boxes, maybe with a quartz crystal or a black stone nearby. Which sone depends on whether they need to have negative vibes siphoned off, or just be charged with clear energy.

Nevada	06 Nov 2003
Like books, which can be dear old friends. I keep most of them in their original boxes in a bookshelf near my bed, along with books, journals, baskets of yarn and knitting needles. The deck we use most is in a little box-shaped openwork basket with a hinged lid, on the altar table. This is easier to open and grab the cards from than the original cardboard box. Another deck sits out in the open (no box, no bag, no basket) on my writing desk, where it gets moved around and shuffled at random moments. I intend to make some bags, just haven't gotten around to it yet. It's somewhere on a very long to do list. :) Nevada

Jeanette	06 Nov 2003
My decks are mostly scattered around my bedroom; my RWS is in the closet in my tote bag I take everywhere, most of the others are in a fancy box next to the bed, and one is in a pretty box on my vanity. I don't do any special rituals with them, other than shuffle them a lot before I use them (sometimes I'm thinking, and other times I'm just shuffling and trying not to think). Hubby doesn't seem to mind them being all over the place, it's just part of me and what I do. I do treat them kindly, like a book or CD, and want them to last; but I'll let other people look at them and handle them (if they're being careful). I have the 3 Swords box from this site: http://www.worldofboxes.com/tarot/tarot.htm

The How Do You Treat Your Deck? thread was originally posted on 31 Oct 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.