Cleaning cards
Tarot cards can become well worn and used after we get used to the cards and start to shuffle and handle them a lot. It is important to take care of your decks to make them last longer as you become attached to your cards after you have grown close to them. I can not bring myself to throw out old decks especially the first deck that I ever had and have since turned that deck in what I call Tarot art, framing the cards and hanging the “art” in my living room. To help maintain the healthy state of your cards you should make sure that you keep them in a safe place when not in use. I keep the original boxes for all my decks and when a deck is not in use I leave it in the box to make certain all the cards remain together. The active deck is one that you can wrap in a cloth or keep in a pouch to keep them together when not being used. You can if you choose purchase a special box or bag to hold your deck and often people will make a tarot to go bag or box, with a deck, a cloth to place on surfaces to allow a clean reading surface, candles for atmosphere and incense if the reader finds it relaxing. As well business cards and any other lucky charms or notepads for jotting tarot notes to help the customer remember the reading; this helps a person have all the reading tools handy in case of the need to go out to offer readings for friends or family.
After time the cards can build up a greasy feeling or stick together as they start to get worn, to clean these use talcum powder, unscented to pick up the oils from the cards that they get from all the handling that occurs. There are many schools of thought in regards to allowing others to handle your cards. This is a personal choice, but my feelings are that the cards are the tools that direct our energies, so what better way to get a good reading from others then to have your querient shuffle the cards themselves; thus allowing there energies on the cards. I personally do one shuffle after they hand me back the cards to just add my signature back on the cards. This is your choice as they are your cards, but remember the cards are not the magic, you are.
Finding the right deck for you is personal choice, most people who choose to continue there studies of the tarot will find that they start to collect more then one deck. I have over 40 decks that have caught my eye over the years and I am certain that my collection will continue to grow still. Look over the art work on the decks that you see, look to what connects to you, and try to hold them in your hand to see what type of feel that you get from them. If you are buying online you can not hold them, but reflect on the pictures that are available to see what calls to you. There is no right nor wrong deck for any person, the deck you choose a personal choice and one that you should feel right with, one that feels like you.
The most important aspect is that you should feel comfortable with your cards and that you should enjoy the art of tarot reading. Happy readings!!