A gift, an online find, a hand me down or a thrift store treasure – it’s hard to know where the next tarot deck will come from. When one has found its way into my home I like to take the time to savour the introduction. I wait for a quiet moment, open the box and dig in.

Ground and Reset If you acquired a used deck – which is just as fabulous and valuable as a squeaky brand new one, clear the energy that came with it. Holding the deck, ground your energy into the earth and allow anything you no longer need to be taken with it. It’s a communal energy bath. Then put the deck in chronological order so that all the numbers and suits are in order. It helps reset the energy to neutral. This is usually how a new deck arrives. From here on I treat it like a new deck. If you started with a new deck, ground to gather your focus.

Look Through the Cards One at a Time Enjoy these valuable first impressions. Look at each card. Is it heartwarming, neutral, breathtaking, disappointing, forgettable, captivating? Don’t judge your reactions. I like go through the deck twice as I am always amazed at what I missed.

“What will our relationship be?” Take a few deep breaths and shuffle the cards. The first question I always ask the new deck is “What will our relationship be?” Pull one card off the top of the deck. If you have your own way to interpret the cards, carry on. If this is a new process don’t rush to the book just yet. Take a few minutes to look at the card. Notice what jumps out, which feelings or stories come to mind. I recommend starting a Tarot journal. This is a revealing reading to revisit. If you feel disappointed or worried about the card that came up, don’t panic. Each card is a transformative force. Time will show the deeper meanings.

Lay All the Cards Out This step is more involved but worth it. Lay out all the cards in order in a grid. You may need to be creative with your space. Take in the whole story. There are 456,456 possible card combinations for a three card reading. Before wandering into that magical chaos, take time to look at the original order. Look for the patterns: colours, images, textures, tones. Where does it flow? What seems discordant? What are you more drawn to? If you can, leave the cards out for a while and revisit to see how your perception changes.