How to Bond with a New Tarot Deck

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Bond with a new tarot deck? Why would we want to do that? Because tarot cards are a tool of self-discovery. This means that you need to bond with a new tarot deck to be able to trust that it reflects your intuition and inner wisdom.

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In this post, find out how I familiarize myself with and really bond with a new tarot deck.

I don’t know about you, but switching to a new tarot deck is not something I like to do very often. Once I’ve been working with a specific deck for awhile, I finally master the imagery and become really fluent in reading the cards.

(If you don’t have a tarot deck yet and need help selecting or purchasing your first one, click here for some tips.)

In fact, I had been working with my original Rider Waite deck for so long that we developed our own language. Certain cards took on a meaning very specific to me (the King of Cups represented my husband for awhile, the Queen of Wands totally represented a certain coworker I couldn’t get away from, etc.).

When you work with a new deck, naturally, you have to start all over! So be patient and put in the time to get to know the cards. Here’s what I do to jump-start this process.

(You should always cleanse a new deck too! Click here to see what I mean by that.)

First, shuffle the cards. A lot.

Shuffling a new deck of tarot cards helps you familiarize yourself with the cards in two ways.

First, it helps you get used to the feel, weight, and size of the cards in your hands. Shuffling can be tricky and awkward if the cards are too slick or not slick enough. Some cards are larger than others, and if you have small hands, you’ll need to practice. Other cards are designed to be more portable, which means they might be too small for comfort at first. Practice makes perfect.

(If you have no idea how to shuffle your tarot cards, click here for three different methods to try.)

The second reason I shuffle my new deck of tarot cards extensively is because I then make myself put the cards back again in the right order!

Then, put the cards back in order.

Nothing forces you to look at each and every card like having to put them back in order after shuffling them a thousand times! And you especially need face time with each and every card in a new deck because the imagery in decks can be quite different from what you’re used to. You don’t want to be caught off guard or stumped in the middle of a juicy reading because you draw a card you’ve never really noticed before.

What’s the “right” order for tarot cards anyway? I learned the following order for the Rider-Waite and derivative decks somewhere now forgotten. Here it is for what it’s worth:

• Major Arcana (from The Fool to The World)
• Wands (from Ace to Ten, followed by the Page, Knight, Queen, and King)
• Cups (in the same order as the Wands)
• Swords (in the same order)
• Pentacles (in the same order)

Have a different way of ordering the four suits (which together make up the Minor Arcana)? Have at it. But start with the Major Arcana first.

Putting the cards back in order gets you looking, examining, touching, and counting your cards. You’ll notice cards you like, cards that frighten you, cards that remind you of things or people. You’ll also get a feel for the overall theme and flare of the deck’s artistry, use of color, and symbolism. Lastly, going through the cards in order shows you the overarching journey depicted in the cards, from birth to death and beyond.

Finally, interview your deck.

Don’t forget to shuffle the deck again when you’re ready to do your first reading! And when it comes to a brand new tarot deck, for me, the first reading is a deck interview.

Search the phrase “interview tarot deck” on Pinterest. You’ll find various tarot spreads to try. Or, use the simple three-card spread I created for interviewing a new tarot deck. Here it is below.

Pull one card for each of the below questions.

1. What is the energy or intention of this deck?
2. What can this deck show me or teach me about myself?
3. How might my life change after working with this deck?

(For more on what to do when you get a new tarot deck, click here.)

What’s the last tarot deck you bought? How did you bond with it?  Let me know in the comments below!