How do you get to know your new decks?

I'm expecting a new deck (The Wild Unknown) in a few days, and I've been trying to think of ways to get to know it and start a bond with it when it gets here. I'm pretty sure I'll play some solitaire with it, do some little readings... I might take it out in nature, who knows.

How do others start out with their new decks? Do you end up doing different things with each deck? Are there certian spreads you start with? I'm curious! :'D

I always open the box, pick the deck and slowly "bath" each one of the cards in stick incense smoke - away from the stick, generally way above the censer. No one wants burned tarot cards to read. As I do this, I look at the images and get to know better the archetypical characters, symbols, stories told, situations suggested by the cards, suits, groups. Shuffling the deck and talking to it usually follows.

I balanced my first contact to be imaginative and structured with my Ancient Tarot of Marseilles and my RWS. I always started a kind of dialogue with each trump and court card. In a card like the Tower, I would face the event and talk to the people that fell out. Even if my imagination did not go this far sometimes, I took my time with each card, thinking of all its meanings, messages, particularities, manners. It was like a well oriented ritual. This second variant of the method was unavoidable with the pips. I only studied the Marseilles pips much later.

With my Crystal and Old English Tarot decks, I became more of a dreamer, making up stories without needing to thoroughly study all cards. The CT was like a visit to a colorful, beautiful world of healing balms. Even the Devil is kind of a cute guy in this one (despite that mean upside-down pentagram on his head)! As with those crystals very unharmonically thrown in the cards, maybe a crystal study will do some good... Anyway, OET was like entering a very stern but exciting world, real and historic, with christian lore peppered with pagan little things. Love my decks.

For me it's different with each decks. With some I start doing my regular readings right away, for myself and for clients. Some decks I just keep looking through for days or even weeks before I start doing readings.

With the Steampunk by B. Moore I really felt the urge to read the whole guidebook before I started to use the deck. Strange because I'm an RWS-girl and the Steampunk deck follows that system quite closely... But my intuition told me to do it that way and I loved it, worked so well.

But overall my best advice to get to know a deck is this: USE IT. Do daily draws, look through it a lot, do many readings (they don't have to be huge and complex). I find that new spreads can often get that reading-urge going for me, Sasha Graham's book with 365 spreads is great for when I want to use a deck but don't have a particular question right then. Or just browse the spreads part of this forum.

I'm silly... I like to sleep with a deck or two under my pillow. I just love waking up in the night and sliding my hand under the pillow and being able to feel them there with me...I just sleep better...

I don't do a lot of rituals with my new decks, but I will go through the deck as soon as I get it. I might test it out a little with a quick three-card spread (often with no particular question) to see how it reads in practice.

Then, the first "official" spread I'll do is a New Deck Spread, paying close attention to the "What can I learn from you" card. Based on that, I'll decide how I'll use the deck -- whether it will be strictly for personal readings, personal enjoyment (i.e., pretty picture appreciation), or general readings.

Nothing special, I guess, but helpful nonetheless.

Citrin said:

But overall my best advice to get to know a deck is this: USE IT. Do daily draws, look through it a lot, do many readings (they don't have to be huge and complex).

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That's my advice too. After opening a new deck I look through it several times, absorbing each card. This helps me assess if and how the deck will guide and speak to me in readings. I also read the accompanying guidebooks, even those pesky LWBs, because they are often invaluable in understanding a new deck, especially a themed deck that has its own approach and symbolism. I do trial readings, daily draws, meditations on individual cards, whatever feels right for the process.

I don't cleanse a brand new deck, I consider it as neutral because no one else has seen it unwrapped or touched it. The consecration comes through regular use - and I often sleep with the deck under or near my pillow for a while.

l will look through each card intently which puts my energy on to them.
l will then ask a few questions and each time draw three cards for the answer. When l feel we have a connection l will then do a deck interview. This usually tells me if the deck is one l could work with.
Its all a case of using the cards frequently and practising from then on.
Happy reading with your Wild Unknown

Acis said:

I always open the box, pick the deck and slowly "bath" each one of the cards in stick incense smoke - away from the stick, generally way above the censer.

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I've never heard of anyone doing that before! That's really cool, I might have to try it. o wo

Acis said:

With my Crystal and Old English Tarot decks, I became more of a dreamer, making up stories without needing to thoroughly study all cards. The CT was like a visit to a colorful, beautiful world of healing balms. Even the Devil is kind of a cute guy in this one (despite that mean upside-down pentagram on his head)! As with those crystals very unharmonically thrown in the cards, maybe a crystal study will do some good... Anyway, OET was like entering a very stern but exciting world, real and historic, with christian lore peppered with pagan little things. Love my decks.

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I kind of accidentally do this with decks, making up stories and whatnot to go with the characters and settings. I guess that just kind if happens when you're a writer... But It really helps to get to know the cards, I think. I was awful at reading the World until I got my Fantastical Creatures and went on a little imaginary adventure with it. :'p ((Which is kinda stupid, but at least I remember it now!))

MissChiff said:

I'm silly... I like to sleep with a deck or two under my pillow. I just love waking up in the night and sliding my hand under the pillow and being able to feel them there with me...I just sleep better...

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I totally get that! I have mine on my bedside table all the time, partially because I don't really have anywhere better for it at the moment, but mostly because sometimes I'll just reach over and poke it at night or whatever. Especially if I've done a reading earlier that evening and it still retains some of that energy. ((If it's positive, at least. :'p))

Thoughtful said:

l will look through each card intently which puts my energy on to them.
l will then ask a few questions and each time draw three cards for the answer. When l feel we have a connection l will then do a deck interview. This usually tells me if the deck is one l could work with.
Its all a case of using the cards frequently and practising from then on.
Happy reading with your Wild Unknown

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I definitely want to do a deck interview when the Wild Unknown gets here! I just did one with my Fantastical Creatures, which I've had for well over a year, and got some great answers ((some that I wasn't expecting))! I can't wait~

A GORGEOUS DECK!!! I love this decks artwork. However, tbh, I have a hard time reading with it. But, that is just me and perhaps it won't be the same for you.

When I do get a new deck, the first thing I do is to count all the cards to be sure they are all there. Then, to make sure that each card that is suppose to be there is there--as you could get two of the same card and thus, missing an important card. (was that confusing? :confusing

I also like to look at the pictures in each card, and generally handle them by going through them one by one a few times, looking at the artwork, checking out the feel of the cards.

I will shuffle them, to see how easy or not they are to shuffling in various ways. Many ways to shuffle a deck, but not every deck can be shuffled many ways.

If it is an oracle and not the typical 78 card tarot, I like to read through the LWB that comes with the deck. Then, I will do a reading for myself with them, either by using a spread suggested in the book it came with, or just a 3 card spread w/o any specific meanings assigned to each 3 card position. After that, I begin to offer readings with the deck for others, just to see how well I can read it. I just continue to play with it, until I feel like its an old friend that I know inside out and very well.

I am currently playing with my newest deck, The Witches Oracle. So far, so good. My first reading for someone else wasn't very good--but after playing with it more, it got better and now I am amazed at how accurate it is. I already feel at home with this deck and like it is an old special friend.

Enjoy your Wild Unknown!

celticnoodle said:

I will shuffle them, to see how easy or not they are to shuffling in various ways. Many ways to shuffle a deck, but not every deck can be shuffled many ways.

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I found that this was a really great way to bond with my Fantastical Creatures! I have fairly small hands and the cards are pretty big, so it took a while to find a shuffling technique that worked for me. But all that shuffling helped me sort of infuse my energy into the deck, I guess. I just think that handling the cards is very importsnt!

celticnoodle said:

I am currently playing with my newest deck, The Witches Oracle. So far, so good. My first reading for someone else wasn't very good--but after playing with it more, it got better and now I am amazed at how accurate it is. I already feel at home with this deck and like it is an old special friend.

Enjoy your Wild Unknown!

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Thank you! I think it's going to go really well, because I haven't felt such a strong urge to buy a deck in over a year...so I figured there must be something there! :'D Hopefully I bond with it quickly, like you and your Witches Oracle~