Elemental Clearing
Some tarot card readers choose to do elemental clearing. This means using an element or elements to clear their cards with. In this case they work with one of the four elements to clear their deck. The elements they use are Earth, Fire, Water and Air. Here are some basics if you choose to clear your cards by the elemental method.
Earth Element Clearing:
These are some methods you can use to clear your cards with things considered of the earth element.
- You can actually bury your deck in the silk or bag in dirt, sand or salt for 24 hours.
- You can spread the deck in a fan shape on a table with a cloth under it and sprinkle sand and or salt on them for one to two minutes. Discard the sand and salt afterwards. You can also make a powder by crushing dry herbs and then adding the salt and/or sand if you wish. You can also just use the herbs. Some suggested herbs are Basil, Lavender, Rosemary, Sage and Thyme. You can use herbs based on one cultural affinity too. I like the herbs Yerba Buena (Mint) and Abre Camino (road opener) with Basil.
- Rub your deck with either sand or salt for a few minutes
- Sleeping on the deck either under your pillow or mattress over one night.
Water Element Clearing:
- Sprinkle the cards lightly with water and then wipe them off.
- Mix the water with salt and then sprinkle and wipe (you can use a teaspoon of salt to a cup of water)
- You can use a consecrated water like holy water to sprinkle and wipe the cards with
- You can use herbal teas or infusions to sprinkle the cards with and then wipe (you can use the same herbs as the earth element either fresh or dry and boil)
Cleansing with the Fire Element:
- Pass the cards through a flame of a candle (white candle) Don’t burn yourself
- Put the cards on a table with a lighted candle in front of them for about 5 minutes
- You can place the deck near an oil burner with some sort of blessing oil of your choice, incense or the smudge stick for about 5 minutes
- Leave the cards in the sun for about half a day
Cleansing with the Air Element:
- Passing the deck 5 to 7 times over burning incense
- Smudge your deck with sage or herbs
- Breathe deeply on the deck three times…slowly and deeply
- Place the deck near playing music for one hour
There is a little “elemental ritual” you can do that is non denominational that you may use when consecrating you cards. You light a charcoal or incense and place it in the east direction of your table. You put a lit white candle in the south direction. You then put a glass of water in the west direction and a dish of salt in the North. Place the deck in the middle. Put a pinch of the salt in the water then pick up the cards fan them out and place back saying as you sprinkle the salt water that you are purifying these cards with water and earth. Then take the cards and pass them through the incense and say you are purifying them with air and fire. You can leave the cards in the center until the incense and the candle go out and then put them in the cloth, bag or wooden box you have to keep them in.
These are all just a few ideas you can do to cleanse and clear your deck. There are many ways to do so. One final way to clear a deck after a very negative reading or encountering negative energy would be to put it in a leak proof container and bury them for a few days. In this way the earth absorbs the negativity. Otherwise, when you use your cards after the initial cleansing; while shuffling them before you use them daily envision that the shuffle is cleansing them with water to remove the debris from earlier use. You can occasionally fan them out for this purpose also. Cleanse and clear your cards as often as you feel you need to.
Readers will smudge their cards and reading areas between readings and keep crystals on top of their decks when not in use all in an effort to keep the cards and space spiritually clear. Some tarot readers like to reorganize the deck literally by placing the cards in a particular direction and order between readings. Others may clap their hands and or use a noise such as a bell, a gong or chimes to break stagnant energy surrounding them and their cards. There are those readers who may use visualization and imagine white light, as in reiki, around their cards to clear them of negativity. Some cross their wrists over the deck and quickly uncross them to break any dark energy on the cards before they begin to do a reading. They also may use the knuckle of their non dominant hand and hit the cards hard imagining a white light emanating from that hand through the cards to cleanse them. The reader then picks them up puts them to their heart and imagines gold light embracing the cards. They will either pray or say a mantra to rededicate good energy to their cards. The point is there are countless ways to clear and charge the cards. The main thing is to find what feels right for you and use what works for you.
Love and Light, xx
Tatjana Nanassova
