Got my first deck!

[ragnarok0mega]

wooo, i got my first deck today, the celtic dragon tarot. im really lookin forward to usin it, could someone give me some tips on how to (cheaply) keep the cards in good health? thanks everyone :D

[Moonshine]

Hi ragnarokOmega,

Celtic Dragon deck seems to have a good cardstock already, with heavy lamination. They are almost like plastic. When spreading the cards, I would suggest you keep a cloth under the cards. Also, when not in use, you can choose to wrap the cards in a piece of cloth. Many people suggest silk, but that may not be necessary.

Of course, scratches on the cards and bending of card edges can be avoided with proper shuffling. If you are new to shuffling, you can take a pack of visiting cards or playing cards and practise shuffling with them.

Hope this helps,
Best wishes, :broomride
Moonshine

[halfwaynowhere]

i know this sounds duh, but make sure you don't have grimy hands before using them.

[Soulsong]

Of course, scratches on the cards and bending of card edges can be avoided with proper shuffling. If you are new to shuffling, you can take a pack of visiting cards or playing cards and practise shuffling with them.
Moonshine

Forgive me if this is a dumb question, but what constitutes proper shuffling? I shuffle playing cards the way my Dad taught me, but I don't know if that's the best way for keeping the cards in good condition . . .

[halfwaynowhere]

well, if you divide the cards in two stacks and "fold" them together, you are doing it wrong. it works for playing cards because they are more or less disposable... to shuffle the cards, hold them sideways, bring the sectrion from the back to the front, etc... i think someone else can explain it better than i can... i dunno...

[WarriorZhanna]

Wow! That's cool! I remember how excited I was when I got my first Tarot deck! I went immediately home and did a reading for myself, lol.

Anyway.. the Celtic Dragon Tarot is one of the decks I wanna buy. The images on the cards are so beautiful, love the dragons.

Oh and.. don't forget to bless your Tarot deck too, or some kind of a ritual to make sure the cards will be more effective, accurate when you do readings.

*blessings and hugs*,
~Warrior Z.

[Aleigh]

I just got the deck about a month ago. :) I love it. I just started learning Taro and I only have 2 decks, but that one's definitely my favorite of the two. I keep mine in a cotton bag I made for it, and wrap the deck in another piece of cotton cloth that I use for a lay cloth.

[ragnarok0mega]

awsome, i used the lil box that came with it, and wrapped the deck in a black peice of cotton cloth i had from a long time ago, havent done any blessing stuff for it, cuz well, i really dunno how to lol, but i did do a reading for myself and from what i could see its pretty much proven to me that it works :D

[DracoJesi]

cool, I love Dragons, as a matter of fact thats the one im gonna get when i get a deck(soon hopefuly), ive kept my eye on that onr, good choice lol

[Soulsong]

well, if you divide the cards in two stacks and "fold" them together, you are doing it wrong. it works for playing cards because they are more or less disposable... to shuffle the cards, hold them sideways, bring the sectrion from the back to the front, etc... i think someone else can explain it better than i can... i dunno...

Thank you, that is very helpful!

[WarriorZhanna]

awsome, i used the lil box that came with it, and wrapped the deck in a black peice of cotton cloth i had from a long time ago, havent done any blessing stuff for it, cuz well, i really dunno how to lol, but i did do a reading for myself and from what i could see its pretty much proven to me that it works :D

Hmm.. don't know how to.. uhh.. bless? lol.. well... I just put my hands on my Tarot deck, concentrated for a while and tried to think of giving it good and powerful energy, lol. :D And.. yeah.. it does work for me too.

[LisaT4P]

well, if you divide the cards in two stacks and "fold" them together, you are doing it wrong.No such thing as shuffling wrong. I've tried the other way you described and it just doesn't feel as though the cards are getting mixed well enough for me. If you are comfortable with it, that's fine. :)

Some people even spread them all out on the floor, bed or table and swish them around, then put them back into a stack and call it shuffled.

Others will spread them out all over the place and then pick the cards without putting them back into a stack. Going by a "feeling" of which cards are the right ones.

Some people just spread the cards out into a fan and say "Pick a card, any card". :)

This is maybe the only instance in which I will say "go with what feels right for you". ;)

As an aside, I've been shuffling my cards like playing cards for years and they are still in very good shape. I don't have any tattered edges or bent cards at all.

[Soulsong]

As an aside, I've been shuffling my cards like playing cards for years and they are still in very good shape. I don't have any tattered edges or bent cards at all.

That's good to know. I have a terrible time getting things properly shuffled in the back-to-front way.

Of course, this is a moot point until I get a deck. Ebay auction ends in 9 hours, cross your fingers that I don't get outbid. ;)