Got Your First
Tarot Deck?

So you have a tarot deck, or you're thinking about getting one. Either way, there's a good chance you've already run into some conflicting advice about what you're supposed to do first. Let's clear some of that up.

You Don't Have to Be Gifted Your First Deck

This is one of the most persistent myths in witchcraft spaces and it's completely made up. There's no historical basis for it, no tradition that requires it, and waiting around for someone to gift you a deck is just going to delay your practice for no reason. Buy your own deck. It's fine.

How to Choose One

Pick a deck you're drawn to. That's genuinely the most important criteria. You're going to spend a lot of time with these 78 cards, and if the artwork doesn't speak to you, that relationship is going to feel flat from the start.

Browse deck galleries online or in person before buying. Pay attention to what pulls your eye. Don't overthink it. Your gut response to the imagery matters more than what's popular or what someone else swears by.

One thing worth noting: try to avoid a previously owned deck as your first. Decks bond energetically to the people who use them, and a secondhand deck will already carry someone else's energy. That's not a dealbreaker for experienced practitioners who know how to do a deep cleanse, but it complicates things when you're just starting out. A new deck gives you a cleaner foundation.

Cleanse It Before You Use It

Your deck has passed through a lot of hands between the printer and you. Cleansing removes any residual energy that isn't yours so you're starting with a blank slate.

Salt is one of the simplest and most effective methods: bury the cards in a bowl of salt overnight. Set your intention as you do it, something like "let any energy that doesn't belong to me leave these cards." Pull them out in the morning and you're good. Other options include passing them through incense smoke, leaving them in moonlight, or simply holding the deck and visualizing it being cleared. Use whatever feels right for your practice.

Consecrate It

Cleansing removes what was there before. Consecration is how you formally claim the deck for its new purpose. This doesn't need to be elaborate. Hold the deck, state your intention, and invite the guidance of whatever powers or deities you work with. If you're not working with specific entities yet, your own clear intention is enough.

Once it's consecrated, keep it separate from casual use. It's a magickal tool now.

Bond With It

This is the step most guides skip and it's arguably the most important one.

Sleep with it under your pillow. That might sound a little out there, but it's a widely practiced method for a reason. The liminal state your mind enters during sleep is genuinely useful for building an energetic connection, and many readers notice a shift in how the deck feels after just a few nights of this.

Beyond that: keep it close, handle it often, carry it with you when you can. The more time it spends in your energy field, the stronger the bond becomes.

Get to Know the Cards Before Your First Reading

Your deck should come with a guidebook. Use it. Most guidebooks give a few keywords for each card that are enough to get you started without having to memorize everything upfront.

Then go through the deck one card at a time and actually look at each one. Notice the imagery. Find something you like about it. This sounds a little silly but it works: when you engage with the cards as individual characters rather than a stack of flashcards to memorize, you start to build a relationship with them. You'll be surprised how much sticks just from spending a few minutes genuinely observing the artwork.

After that, pull one card each morning and sit with it. Look it up in your guidebook, notice how it lands, see if anything in your day connects to it. That daily practice will teach you more than any amount of formal studying.

Interview Your Deck Before Your First Real Reading

This is something experienced readers do with every new deck and beginners almost never hear about: before you ask it anything personal, introduce yourself and let the deck introduce itself back.

A deck interview is a simple spread where you pull one card per question and sit with whatever comes up. The cards aren't going to be perfectly polished or flattering. They're going to show you who this deck is, including its attitude, its strengths, and where it might challenge you. That's the point.

Here's a six-card interview spread to start with:

• Card 1: Who are you? The overall energy and personality of this deck.
• Card 2: What are your strengths? What this deck does particularly well or where it will excel in readings.
• Card 3: What are your limitations? What this deck struggles with or areas where you should seek a second opinion.
• Card 4: What do you have to teach me? The main lesson or theme this deck wants to explore with you.
• Card 5: How can I work with you best? What this deck needs from you to communicate clearly.
• Card 6: What is the potential of our relationship? Where you could go together over time.

Write down every card and your initial reactions in a journal. Don't overthink the meanings. Whatever comes up immediately is usually the most accurate read.

One thing worth knowing: decks have personalities. Some are blunt. Some are gentle. Some are almost playful to the point of being cheeky. If the cards feel confusing or the energy feels off on your first interview, that's useful information too. You're not locked in. Some decks click immediately and some take time to warm up, and occasionally one just isn't the right fit for where you are right now. That's allowed.

A Note on Tarot Structure

A standard tarot deck has 78 cards split into two sections. The Major Arcana is 22 cards representing big life themes and spiritual lessons, think the Tower, the Moon, the Fool. The Minor Arcana is 56 cards across four suits:

• Wands: fire, passion, action
• Cups: water, emotions, relationships
• Swords: air, thought, conflict
• Pentacles: earth, material life, resources

Each suit runs from Ace through Ten plus four court cards. You don't need to know all of this before you start. But having a basic map of how the deck is organized helps things click into place faster.