10 Ways to Break In a New Tarot Deck
So you finally got that new tarot deck you’ve been eyeing forever. Now what?
If it’s your first time getting your feet wet with tarot and all things woowoo, there’s a chance you might feel stumped and overwhelmed. You’ve given your cards a quick shuffle and you’ve flipped through all the cards one by one. But you’re still not feeling ready to pull cards for yourself or others, and it’s not like you’ll be able to memorize what all the cards mean right off the bat.
Take a breath. not all of us transform into insta-readers the second we get a deck of cards in our hands.
Focus first on giving your new tarot deck a hefty break-in.
Like a pair of running shoes, a stiff pair of jeans, or a pizza dough you’re making from scratch, you need to work your cards a little bit. Give them a bit of stretch. Allow them to assist you in flexing your tarot reader muscles.
Whether you’re a preternaturally woowoo person or a pragmatic person (like me), there are ways to use your new tarot deck a first time that will help you break them in.
These exercises for ritual-obsessed witchy folk and for more muggle-centric tarot enthusiasts can allow you to get to know your deck on your own terms. Practicing these techniques consistently and constantly can help slowly spark your eagerness to learn the tarot according to whatever framework your new deck sets.
Start cracking your knuckles, grab your cards, and get ready for that break in!
If the mere act of buying yourself a tarot deck makes you feel a little weirded out, but you can’t resist the pull of all the pretty cards and how people who use them seem to be Zen, chilled out, and in on the secrets of the Universe, then these techniques are for you.
Ways to Break In Your New Tarot Deck for the Non-Woowoo Inclined
Flip through the deck. Go through the cards one by one. You don’t need to look at every single card and read its description in the guidebook—in fact, I’d warn against doing this because one, it’ll take forever; and two, it’ll probably overwhelm you and make you give up on ever using your cards. A quick flip through is advisable because it’ll get you familiar with your deck. You’ll get a feel for the color palette, dominant visual themes, and even cards that really speak to you. Tarot is a largely visual medium, so getting your eyeballs on all those cards is essential.
If you want to take your flip through a step further, divide the cards you look at into three piles as you go through them. One pile for cards you instantly love (don’t even ask yourself why you love them, just put them in that pile). One pile for cards you don’t like. And another pile for cards you feel neutral about. Observe the similarities among the cards that fall into your love and dislike piles! Journal about it if you have the time and wherewithal. If not, just let this be an exercise you do regularly. You might find that your choices for the different piles may change over time!
2. Find your birth card within the deck. This is a numerology exercise that can help you concentrate on one or two specific cards in your deck. Instead of feeling overwhelmed at all 78 cards you need to study, you’ll at least be able to work with just one or two in the beginning.
Once you get used to reading and interpreting your birth card, you may want to do this exercise for other people in your life (or even your fave celebrities)!
Here’s how to find your birth card, care of Biddy Tarot.
3. Do a Deck Interview. A deck interview is a tarot spread that involves a series of prompts that helps you establish your relationship with a particular tarot deck. I never let myself use a new tarot deck until I did an interview with the deck. It was a way for me to figure out how I could use the deck and which readings it would be good for.
Here’s a sample spread you can use. Shuffle your deck, pull four cards face down, and flip one over for each of these questions. Use your tarot deck’s guidebook to help you interpret what each card means. Don’t spend too much time answering a question—keep your answer down to two or three sentences.
deck interview spread
What area of my life can this tarot deck help me in?
What tone can I expect from readings with this deck?
How can working with this deck surprise me?
What type of readings for other people can I use this deck for?
4. Use your new tarot deck exclusively for one month straight. The first time I did this was with That 90s Tarot by Kristi Prokopiak. The deck, which ended up being one of my very favorites, was a pip deck, meaning its Minor Arcana (except the court cards) were depicted not by scenes but by illustrations of cups, pentacles, wands, and swords. I wasn’t used to reading with a deck like this, so I knew I needed to dedicate a lot of time to understanding how it worked. And you know what, a focused, month-long practice with this deck actually worked! Now I know how to read pips easily.
5. Mix your cards up and put them back in order. This is actually my favorite technique and something I regularly do. I shuffle my deck, look at the cards, and then put them back in the order the cards came in. For people who like alphabetizing, organizing their books by author or title, or keeping their files in specific folders so they don’t clutter their desktops, this is for you (hello, you are my people!).
This means I take note of the order that my cards come in. If you aren’t able to note this down because you were too excited about shuffling your decks, I find that the most common way cards are organized is:
Major Arcana 0 to 21
Wands 1 to 10, Page to King
Cups 1 to 10, Page to King
Swords 1 to 10, Page to King
Pentacles 1 to 10, Page to King
What this process does is allow you to look at the cards one by one, and even see the progression of cards, the build-up of the cards’ storyline, as you move through the numbers, going from “start” to “finish.”
This is what I personally do to “cleanse” my tarot deck and give it a reset after heavy use.
If you’ve always been into spiritual, esoteric stuff… if The Craft and Sabrina are your thing… if you’re dabbling in paganism, are inspired by local folklore, and love the flair and drama of setting a witchy scene, then you probably know all this, but read on anyway!
Ways to Break In Your New Tarot Deck
for witchy
Work those olfactory senses. Light up an incense stick, diffuse some of your essential oil blends, use a scented candle, or even spritz your deck with some Florida Water (which reminds me… I need to get some of this!). Just as putting on a specific perfume for a special occasion just puts you in the mood, setting the scene by using a certain scent can help you mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually prepare to use your new deck.
If you want to take this a step further (and if your incense / cologne collection is large enough), you can even assign a particular scent to specific decks.
2. Set your deck out during the Full Moon or the New Moon. If you believe in the power of the moon, then you can imagine its beams touching and anointing your brand new deck. You’ve got to watch out if you’re from a country like the Philippines, however! Humidity and sudden and unexpected rain showers can damage your precious new cards. I sometimes set my deck by my window so that it kind of gets that outdoor feel without any danger.
This is also a good way to “cleanse” your deck after some heavy use. Letting the moon give your deck a symbolic reset just feels good. If you have a crystal collection, you can surround your deck with your favorite stones as well.
3. Start using it on a special occasion. Whether you follow the pagan Wheel of the Year and decide to use your new deck only during Beltane or Ostara, or would like to make your birthday extra infused with magic, a new deck can add fun and flavor to whatever you’re celebrating.
You could even only use your deck for specific occasions. For example, you could have a tarot deck dedicated solely for moon cycle readings; or a tarot deck just devoted to readings that involve shadow work.
4. Use your new deck to refresh your altar space. Why not give your ritual table a refresh by getting some inspiration from your brand new tarot deck? If this were part of my practice, a Pinoy Practical Magic altar table would be decorated with local products like a bundle of locally available dried herbs for burning, a locally sourced scarf, garlands of sampaguita, and an old photo of my grandparents.
On the flip side, I could use my newly acquired OG Starchild Tarot to inspire an altar full of celestial-themed accoutrements—a cloth decorated with constellations, perhaps putting The Star card out and on display, twinkle lights, and crystals in luminous yellows; dark, night-sky blacks; and cool blues.
5. Sleep with your new tarot deck under your pillow. This is absolutely superstitious—I used to do it the night before a big exam, sleep with my notes under my pillow to represent all the information seeping into my subconscious (lol, tell me I’m not the only one…). Sleeping with your deck under your pillow allows you to literally, physically bond and spend time with your tarot deck. And if you believe in all that woowoo stuff about images literally seeping into your subconscious, then why not go for it?
I hope these methods inspire you to start working with your new tarot deck. No matter which approach you decide to use, there’s nothing more important than actually starting somewhere. You’ve invested in a new deck—you might as well use it :)