smudging

My decks aren't dirty, spiritually or physically, so I don't cleanse them. I don't "smudge" them, either. I'm of Native American descent and I still don't "smudge" everything, although I do burn white sage now and then. The belief is that the smoke carries our prayers to Great Spirit, not that it cleanses so much.

I don't put my decks back in order because I like the thought that all my readings and "shuffles" are in there, for one thing, but more importantly, I just don't see the need or the practicality of that.

The fact that I can't read with a deck is all in my head. So whatever I do or don't do that influences that is also all in my head.

I "smudge" my cards between readings to cleanse them of the querent's energy and to get them ready for the next person. On a full moon I lay them out on my window sill as well as in the full noon sunlight.

After my readings are finished for the day/night I "stack" them before I put them to sleep (moon on the bottom and sun on the top of the deck).

Ruthann, I love your Sun & Moon bookend idea! May try that myself.

This was a thought-provoking thread! I am one of those who likes to put my cards back into order periodically (after *every* reading is too much for me). Many people made points about that 'erasing' the energies of all the readings and sitters, and that gave me pause. On one hand, that does seem valid, and I may choose certain deck(s) to try that perspective. But after some reflection, I still feel that the energies remain in the deck. Reordering them gives me some reflection time with the cards, and feels like "sending them home". Like coming home to your family, it gives the deck a chance to recharge its batteries. Then again, maybe that's just an excuse to enjoy the art!

i cleanse mine with white sage but only after so many readings , when i feel i need to, i also charge them in the full moon but i grid them with all my crystal wands to charge them, the first reading is very powerfull and easy to read and i always do that first read after the full moon for a friend or family member, i forgot to mention i cleanse my aura also when reading cards as i dont want other pepoles energies on my cards orin my auric feild lol yes i am always cleansing myself and cards when i feel the need, aswell as this i have a blue peice of velvet cloth ,and 2 crystals a smokey quartz point and a amathyst crystal to protect and cleanse my cards it just feels right to me am funny like that as i dont want unwanted or stagnent energies on mycards or myself

I've gotten into smudging my card(s) whenever I've been reading for a block of time (like at the store I used to read at, or when I did that Mardi Gras party).
And I mainly used my NOVT, so that was the deck that got smudged.

I took a smudge stick (sage and lavender, I think) and simply passed each card in the deck through the smoke, first one side, then the other. Lather, rinse, repeat until all cards were smudged. Then I smudged the top and bottom of the deck, and all around the sides. Voila!

T.

Frankincense

Can you use Frankincense as a way for smudging your deck?

Sage is very rare to find here in the Philippines and I doubt that they will sell them here anytime soon.

I never cleanse my decks, but I do "charge" them occasionally. Particularly when I've just gotten a brand new deck, or if I'm about to perform an intense reading that might require a tremendous amount of energy.

Whenever I acquire a new deck, I usually just hold it for a moment, taking a minute to transfer energy between myself and the deck. Not cleansing energy. Not purifying energy. Not any particular type of energy. Just "our" energy.

I usually just need to momentarily bond with the deck(s) before proceeding. No purification required.

I have smudged a few decks when I first received them. I don't always. I just go with what feels right to me at the time. I used to put my decks back in order. I think it was easier for me to learn the cards that way and I felt a need of order in the midst of my chaos. lol

I smudge my house on occassion, especially new years eve I smudge all rooms in my house and say prayers in each room and also change the batteries in my smoke detectors. lol

I don't think there is a right way or wrong way, just what feels right for you.

Frankincense was used at Christ's birth so I cannot think of a more innocent and cleansing fragrance to use. I would say yes, cleanse with Frankincense if cleansing decks is what you wish to do. My own view is that whatever your religious or spiritual beliefs are you only need to use good intent and belief to cleanse your decks.

I lump this and most other rituals into the "fun" category. The universe will always give you the message you need, regardless of the type, size, shape, cleanliness (spiritual or physical), or other properties of the medium. But if it's fun and makes you feel good to perform rituals like smudging new decks, great! Do it! I have my own practices, of course -- they help me concentrate and "connect," so to speak. But I don't fuss too much about it. If I do them, great; if I don't, no harm done. One of the great things about tarot is that if you don't intend harm, you simply can't go wrong, almost by definition.

Basically, to use a DuQuetteism: You're a Chicken Tarotist. Don't worry about it!