Cleansing Tarot Cards: 7 Methods to Clear Energy

Introduction: When Your Cards Feel Heavy

You pick up your tarot deck and something feels... off. The cards feel heavy. Sticky. Like they're carrying weight that isn't yours.

Maybe you just did a difficult reading about heartbreak or loss. Maybe someone else touched your deck. Maybe you've been using them daily for months and they just feel saturated.

Your cards need cleansing.

Just like you shower to wash away the day, your tarot cards need regular energetic cleansing to wash away accumulated energy, keep readings clear, and maintain your connection to the deck.

This guide covers 7 proven methods to cleanse your tarot cards—from smoke to crystals to moonlight—so you can choose what works best for you.

Why Cleanse Your Tarot Cards?

Reason 1: They Absorb Energy

Tarot cards are tools for energy work. They absorb the energy of:

• The questions you ask
• The emotions in the room
• The people who touch them
• The readings you perform

Over time, this energy builds up like dust on a mirror. Cleansing wipes it clean.

Reason 2: Readings Become Muddy

When cards are energetically cluttered, readings can feel:

• Unclear or confusing
• Repetitive (same cards showing up constantly)
• Disconnected from the question
• Heavy or draining to perform

Cleansing restores clarity.

Reason 3: Your Connection Weakens

A dirty deck is like a phone with a bad connection. The signal is there, but it's fuzzy. Cleansing strengthens your bond with your cards.

Reason 4: Respect for Your Tools

Cleansing is an act of care. It honors your deck as a sacred tool, not just a stack of cardboard.

When to Cleanse Your Tarot Cards

Always Cleanse:

• When you first get a new deck: Clear the energy of everyone who handled it before you
• After someone else touches your deck: Especially if they were skeptical or negative
• After a heavy or emotional reading: Death, heartbreak, trauma, illness
• When cards feel "stuck": Same cards appearing repeatedly, readings feel off
• After reading for someone with heavy energy: You'll feel it—trust your gut
• Before important readings: Job interviews, major life decisions, ritual work

Consider Cleansing:

• Monthly or seasonally: Regular maintenance, like changing your sheets
• On the full moon: A powerful time for releasing and renewing
• When you feel called: Your intuition will tell you

You Probably Don't Need to Cleanse:

• After every single reading (unless it was heavy)
• Daily (that's overkill for most people)
• Just because someone looked at your deck from across the room

Use your judgment. You'll know when it's time.

The 7 Best Methods to Cleanse Tarot Cards

Method 1: Smoke Cleansing (Smudging)

What It Is: Passing your cards through the smoke of burning herbs.

What You Need:

• Sage (white sage, garden sage, or blue sage)
• Palo santo
• Incense (frankincense, sandalwood, or dragon's blood)
• Cedar, rosemary, or lavender
• A fireproof dish

How to Do It:

1. Light your chosen herb or incense
2. Let it catch, then blow out the flame so it smolders and smokes
3. Hold your deck (or fan the cards out) and pass them through the smoke
4. Say (aloud or silently): "I cleanse this deck of all energy that does not serve. Only clarity remains."
5. Make sure smoke touches all the cards (you can fan through the deck)
6. Let the smoke dissipate naturally

Pros:

• ✅ Fast and effective
• ✅ Traditional and widely used
• ✅ Clears heavy energy quickly
• ✅ The ritual feels powerful

Cons:

• ❌ Smoke can trigger allergies or smoke alarms
• ❌ Not suitable for smoke-sensitive spaces
• ❌ Cultural appropriation concerns with white sage (use alternatives if you're not Indigenous)

Best For: Heavy energy, new decks, after difficult readings

Method 2: Crystal Cleansing

What It Is: Using crystals to absorb or transmute negative energy.

What You Need:

• Selenite: The #1 cleansing crystal (never needs cleansing itself)
• Clear quartz: Amplifies and purifies
• Black tourmaline: Absorbs negativity
• Amethyst: Spiritual cleansing and protection

How to Do It:

Option A: Selenite Wand

1. Hold a selenite wand or stick
2. Hover it over your deck (or run it along the edges)
3. Visualize white light clearing the cards
4. Do this for 1-2 minutes

Option B: Crystal Grid

1. Place your deck in the center of a circle of cleansing crystals
2. Leave it there for a few hours or overnight
3. The crystals will absorb and transmute the energy

Option C: Selenite Charging Plate

1. Place your deck on a selenite charging plate
2. Leave for 30 minutes to overnight
3. The selenite continuously cleanses

Pros:

• ✅ Gentle and non-invasive
• ✅ No smoke or mess
• ✅ Can be done passively (leave overnight)
• ✅ Selenite never needs cleansing itself

Cons:

• ❌ Requires owning crystals
• ❌ Slower than smoke (but thorough)
• ❌ Some crystals (like black tourmaline) need cleansing after

Best For: Regular maintenance, gentle cleansing, overnight clearing

Method 3: Moonlight Cleansing

What It Is: Placing your cards under the moon's light to cleanse and recharge.

What You Need:

• A windowsill or outdoor space
• A clear or full moon night (full moon is most powerful)

How to Do It:

1. On the night of the full moon (or any clear night), place your deck where moonlight will touch it
2. You can leave them in the box or fan them out
3. Say: "By the light of the moon, I cleanse and renew this deck. May it be clear and true."
4. Leave overnight (or for at least 3 hours)
5. Retrieve before sunrise (sunlight can fade some decks)

Pros:

• ✅ Free and natural
• ✅ Gentle and restorative
• ✅ Connects your deck to lunar cycles
• ✅ No tools required

Cons:

• ❌ Weather-dependent (clouds block moonlight)
• ❌ Only works at night
• ❌ Risk of dew or moisture if left outside
• ❌ Slower process

Best For: Monthly cleansing, connecting to lunar energy, gentle renewal

Method 4: Salt Cleansing

What It Is: Using salt's purifying properties to absorb negative energy.

What You Need:

• Sea salt, Himalayan salt, or table salt
• A bowl or plate

How to Do It:

Option A: Salt Circle (Safest)

1. Pour salt in a circle on a plate or cloth
2. Place your deck (in its box or wrapped in cloth) in the center
3. Leave for a few hours or overnight
4. Dispose of the salt afterward (don't reuse it—it's absorbed negativity)

Option B: Salt Burial (Advanced)

1. Fill a bowl with salt
2. Bury your deck (wrapped in cloth or in a sealed bag) in the salt
3. Leave for 24 hours
4. Remove and dispose of salt

⚠️ WARNING: Do NOT let salt directly touch your cards. Salt can damage, stain, or warp cardstock.

Pros:

• ✅ Powerful and thorough
• ✅ Cheap and accessible
• ✅ Traditional cleansing method

Cons:

• ❌ Risk of damaging cards if done incorrectly
• ❌ Salt must be disposed of after (can't reuse)
• ❌ Slower process

Best For: Heavy, stubborn energy; deep cleansing

Method 5: Sound Cleansing

What It Is: Using sound vibrations to break up and clear stagnant energy.

What You Need:

• Singing bowl (Tibetan or crystal)
• Bells or chimes
• Tuning fork
• Your voice (chanting, toning, or singing)

How to Do It:

1. Place your deck in front of you
2. Ring a bell, strike a singing bowl, or chant over the cards
3. Let the sound wash over the deck for 1-3 minutes
4. Visualize the vibrations shaking loose any stuck energy
5. You can also hold the deck and ring the bell around it

Chant Options:

• "Om" (universal sound)
• "Aum" (creation, preservation, destruction)
• Your own intuitive tones

Pros:

• ✅ No smoke, no mess
• ✅ Fast and effective
• ✅ Can be done anywhere
• ✅ Feels uplifting and joyful

Cons:

• ❌ Requires sound tools (or confidence to use your voice)
• ❌ May disturb others if you're not alone

Best For: Quick cleansing, uplifting energy, sound-sensitive practitioners

Method 6: Reiki or Energy Healing

What It Is: Using your own energy (or Reiki if you're attuned) to cleanse the cards.

What You Need:

• Your hands
• Intention
• Optional: Reiki attunement (but not required)

How to Do It:

1. Hold your deck between your hands
2. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths
3. Visualize white or golden light flowing from your hands into the cards
4. Set the intention: "I cleanse this deck of all energy that does not serve. I fill it with light and clarity."
5. Hold this visualization for 2-5 minutes
6. You may feel warmth, tingling, or a sense of completion
7. When it feels done, thank the energy and open your eyes

Pros:

• ✅ No tools required
• ✅ Can be done anywhere, anytime
• ✅ Deeply personal and intentional
• ✅ Strengthens your own energy work skills

Cons:

• ❌ Requires focus and visualization skills
• ❌ May feel less "tangible" for beginners
• ❌ Uses your own energy (make sure you're grounded)

Best For: Experienced energy workers, when you have no tools available, personal connection

Method 7: Visualization and Intention

What It Is: Using the power of your mind and intention to cleanse the cards.

What You Need:

• Your imagination
• Clear intention

How to Do It:

1. Hold your deck or place it in front of you
2. Close your eyes and take several deep breaths
3. Visualize one of the following:
   • White light pouring over the cards, washing away all old energy
   • The cards being dipped in a waterfall of pure light
   • A vacuum sucking out all stagnant energy
   • The cards glowing brighter and brighter until they're pure
4. Hold this visualization for 3-5 minutes
5. When the cards feel clear in your mind's eye, open your eyes
6. Say: "It is done. This deck is cleansed."

Pros:

• ✅ Completely free
• ✅ No tools, no mess, no smoke
• ✅ Can be done anywhere
• ✅ Trains your visualization and intention-setting skills

Cons:

• ❌ Requires strong focus and belief
• ❌ May feel "less real" for beginners
• ❌ Effectiveness depends on your mental clarity

Best For: Experienced practitioners, when no tools are available, quick cleansing

Bonus Methods (Quick Cleansing)

The Knock Method

Knock on your deck three times (like knocking on a door). This "wakes up" the cards and shakes loose light energy. Good for daily resets.

The Shuffle Reset

Shuffle your deck thoroughly while setting the intention to clear it. The physical action combined with intention can clear light energy.

The Breath Method

Hold the deck and blow on it three times, visualizing your breath carrying away old energy. Simple and effective for quick clears.

How to Choose the Right Method

For heavy energy: Smoke, salt, or moonlight

For regular maintenance: Crystals, sound, or visualization

For new decks: Smoke or moonlight

For quick cleansing: Sound, knock, or visualization

For smoke-free spaces: Crystals, sound, moonlight, or energy work

For no-tool situations: Visualization, breath, or energy work

For connecting to lunar cycles: Moonlight

For a powerful ritual: Smoke or salt

After Cleansing: Recharging Your Deck

Cleansing removes old energy. Recharging fills the deck with fresh, positive energy.

How to Recharge:

• Place your deck on a selenite plate overnight
• Hold the deck and visualize it filling with light
• Sleep with the deck under your pillow for one night
• Do a reading with the deck to "wake it up"
• Place it on your altar with crystals and candles

How Often Should You Cleanse?

Minimum: When you first get the deck, and whenever it feels off

Recommended: Monthly (on the full moon) or after heavy readings

Maximum: Some readers cleanse after every reading (but this is overkill for most)

Trust your intuition. You'll know when your deck needs cleansing.

Final Thoughts: Clean Cards, Clear Readings

Cleansing your tarot cards isn't just about removing "bad vibes." It's about:

• Honoring your tools
• Maintaining your connection
• Ensuring clear, accurate readings
• Practicing energetic hygiene

You don't need to do all 7 methods. Find 1-2 that resonate with you and make them part of your practice.

Your cards will thank you. And your readings will be clearer, stronger, and more accurate.

Now go cleanse your deck. It's been waiting.