Storing decks

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 28 Feb 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

HenryLee	28 Feb 2005
Hey everyone! I'm just curious to know how you store your decks. I have a wooden box that my large Thoth deck fits in but my medium and small decks haven't found homes yet...I read somewhere that you're supposed to keep your cards wrapped in cloth but I'm afraid they'll get disorganized that way. Any thoughts? Henry

similia	28 Feb 2005
I have my large Thoth in a box too (but it gets swapped for whichever deck I"m studying at the time). The rest live on a tarot bookshelf in tarot bags or the original box. I used to wrap them in a cloth, but I could never figure out which was which (I used the same cloth for all). Slowly I'm building up a bag collection for them all where the bag suits the deck and I know which bag has which deck in it. I've bought a couple bags online, and had some custom made to suit a deck and my preferences from shop.wicked. The links section on AT has a whole list of bag suppliers.

skh	28 Feb 2005
HenryLee wrote: I read somewhere that you're supposed to keep your cards wrapped in cloth but I'm afraid they'll get disorganized that way. Any thoughts? There is no "supposed to". Basically, do what you like or what feels best. Better protected cards will last longer, of course. I have small wooden box with drawers from IKEA where most of my decks fit in. I keep them in their boxes, those that came in a set and don't have a box are either wrapped in cloth or just put into the drawer unwrapped (which works ok when you alternate boxed and "naked" decks). Sonja

Emily	28 Feb 2005
I like the wooden boxes, I have a few, but I don't like them for storage for decks that don't get used that often. I had my Diamond tarot, a special deck for me, nearly ruined by the dye on the inside of a tarot box. I didn't even realise the inside of the box had been dyed. Luckily my Diamond was inside its original box too but one of the plain white cards had been stained a nasty looking yellow colour, luckily the rest of the deck was ok but if it had been left in there for any length of time more of the cards could have been affected. I still have the tarot boxes, they are very pretty to look at, but I don't use them - I tend to leave the decks in their original boxes in my tarot bookcase or inside their bags. :)

Logiatrix	28 Feb 2005
Hi, Henry! You are wise to be concerned about this; it's a good idea to protect your cards. I like to use bags, rather than boxes, because I carry my cards with me everywhere. I wrap my deck in a cloth, then put it in a bag. The cards won't float around or fit loose if you wrap them with a fairly solid material, like cotton or velvet. Silk is a fabric that is often mentioned in tarot guides. Black silk is especially favored because it deflects bad energies or something, so of course I tried it. Ultimately, I found silk difficult to keep around the cards, and it was too slippery for me to lay the cards on--but keep in mind that I'm not very coordinated! :laugh: And bags...oh, my! There are all manner of bags to choose from. If you do a search in the "Talking Tarot" forum, you'll find whole threads devoted just to tarot bags. It mostly just depends on how fussy you want to be. The other end of the spectrum are those who use no manner of bag or box at all, choosing instead to contain their cards with a rubber band! :eek: ;) In the end, you'll find your own preferences and personal style. As skh stated above: There is no "supposed to". Basically, do what you like or what feels best. That's the best advice to take with you. :)

April	28 Feb 2005
I have two short bookshelves in my dining/computer/reading room that all of my decks are displayed on top of. I like people oohhing and aahhing over my collection when they stop by. Most of them are still in the original boxes. Those that don't have boxes anymore are wrapped up in handkerchiefs. I also take them out of the box and wrap them up if I'm taking them out of the house. I've seen some really nice Tarot boxes, but I think they would up take more space than I want them to. If I had the money all of my decks would have their own personalized bag. Right now I don't have any but I've seen a couple lately that I really like. Man, I wish I could sew! Peace, April

Silverkitten	01 Mar 2005
As a beginner, I'm still trying to get a feel for what is "right" and what is "wrong". I'm glad to be finding that there is no set in stone or be cursed (lol) right way to store cards. As, mine have been sitting on my desk, unboxed, for over a week since my classes started. It is just easier for me to continue with my tarot assignments and exersices if my cards are right here in front of me. This way I can leave a reading out, and come back to it if I'm puzzled. Which happens often, especially this week :( I have tons of fabric from my quilting days and am thinking that it might be fun to make a bag for my deck. Yes, single deck. Hey, I'm just getting started, LOL Donna

rainwolf	01 Mar 2005
I have a box, cupboard, and small cabinet thingy that i keep books adn decks in. I have bags for each of my bags (i make sure all my decks have homes). I find bags from a lot of places (and now people from AT :)). I can stuff about 3 decks in the little box.

Cagedflame	01 Mar 2005
Logiatrix wrote: Silk is a fabric that is often mentioned in tarot guides. Black silk is especially favored because it deflects bad energies or something, so of course I tried it. Ultimately, I found silk difficult to keep around the cards, and it was too slippery for me to lay the cards on--but keep in mind that I'm not very coordinated! :laugh: Not all silks are slippery, actually. Silk's the fiber that all sorts of cloths are made from, much like there are many different cotton fabrics. Some silks are slippery and satiny (habotai/china silk, charmeuse, silk satin, etc), others rather resemble canvas sacking, and dupioni is my favorite. Dupioni has a pearly luster but isn't satiny or slippery, and the slubs are interesting to look at. And the iridescent cross dyes! *drool* I currently wrap mine in a piece of deep deep blue silk dupioni and tie a string around it... the cloth makes a good backdrop to lay the cards on when I take them out. A good size for the spreads I prefer, which usually have 5-9 cards. Soon I'll be making a bag for them out of some more of the same silk. I have a very delicate Venice beading lace I'm going to use around the top in place of a drawstring, and I'm deciding on the design I want to use with the freshwater pearls I plan to embroider onto it. (Or maybe I'll get tiny lapis lazuli beads or amethyst and use the pearls for a necklace...) Yeah, so I like luxurious materials... beautiful things calm me to a point where my intuition works better. I'm a damn good bargain shopper, so my wallet's feeling fine despite this love. *thought* Wonder if I could sell tarot bags like that... heck they could double as evening bags. :D Oh yeah, and I forgot to add... I have the B58 box shown here that I won in a raffle, and use for other things, but I lust after the soapstone boxes on that page most strongly. I love soapstone pieces of almost any kind.

Nethilia	02 Mar 2005
I only have two decks that are specially kept - the others have yet to get their covering. My Robin Wood has a red fleece pouch with a flap that was hand sewn by me. I tie it shut with a white ribbon. My Dragon deck is wrapped in a scarf I found one day in the bathroom stall in college. I keep a amethyst and a clear quartz tied up with them. As soon as I find something I like for my Goddess deck, I shall wrap it thusly.

Sulis	02 Mar 2005
I Have the decks that I use regularly; World Spirit, DruidCraft and Morgan Greer in a basket next to my bed along with my tarot journals and whatever book I'm reading at the moment (may or may not be tarot related). Those 3 decks live in 3 of CJ Tarots' special spread cloths. These cloths are double sided - beautiful fabric on one side and plain on the reading side and they have a pocket the deck goes in. The whole thing wraps up with the deck inside so the cards are very well protected. They have a cord with beads which wraps around and fastens the whole thing up. The cord was originally ribbon but I changed it to home made cord and beads. I'd recommend these spread cloths to anyone - lovely, practical and very good value for money. Love Sulis xx

psychic sue	02 Mar 2005
The two I am using at the moment are in lovely little bags. RWS in a purple silk one and Morgan Greer in a gold satin bag with a purple pentacle on the front. The other 2 decks are in a purple box. I was told once you had to keep them in a dark cupboard in a silk cloth and a box to ensure they didn't pick up everyone else's energy. I dont do that any more, and it doesn't seem to affect the readings I do. I try and keep 1 deck in my handbag all the time. Sue

The Storing decks thread was originally posted on 28 Feb 2005 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.