There might be times when you want to get rid of your tarot cards.
This could be because of several different reasons.
You might want to give up tarot reading, the cards may be damaged, you might be looking to get new cards, and so on.
Well, whatever the reason, you might be wondering whether or not you can dispense your current cards.
Well, you can definitely do so. There are some myths regarding this that tell us that one should not dispose of or give away their tarot cards. But those are just myths that have been proven wrong countless times. Tarot cards are not some negative entity that will want to take revenge if you get rid of them. But then, the question remains.
How to get rid of tarot cards safely?
You can do this in a number of ways. You could send them for recycling, sell them, give them as gifts, donate them, burn them, bury them, etc. Just be respectful in the way you do it since you’ve probably had a special connection with your cards. As such, the last goodbye should be done with honor.
Before I go deeper into these ways, let me first talk about why a person might want to dispose of their cards and some safe practices to conduct before doing so.
Reasons You Might Want To Get Rid of Your Cards
1) You No Longer Want To Be A Tarot Reader
Sometimes, you just want to change your path in life and go on a totally different adventure.
You might want to try different things within the spiritual world or focus more on other areas like career and finances. This might make you want to get rid of your cards.
One other reason might be that you have outgrown them spiritually. Maybe your perspectives and beliefs have changed or evolved. Maybe you started out your spiritual journey with tarot cards and have reached a self-sufficient level where you feel like you don’t need them anymore
It could also be that the chapter for which tarot cards entered your life is now over and it is time to move on.
2) The Cards May Be Damaged
This is one of the most common reasons people get rid of their cards. No matter how hard you try to care for them and keep them safe, sometimes, tarot cards can get damaged.
They can get torn, burned, damp, wet, and so on. This might happen accidentally or over time because of wear and tear.
Regardless, you might not want to use damaged tarot cards due to your own personal preference. I mean, there is nothing wrong with using such cards as they can still perfectly guide you, but if you feel like it’s time for a new deck, that’s totally your choice.
3) One Or Multiple Cards Might Be Missing
As I said above, no matter how well you take care of your cards, accidents can still happen. As such, you might lose one or multiple cards from your tarot deck. This might make you feel as though the whole deck has become useless.
Well, technically, you can still use your deck with missing cards.
You might need to adjust your reading a bit and you might not be able to use them for certain readings, but you can definitely continue with them.
And again, it all comes down to how you feel and your unique style. If you feel like you can’t use a deck with missing cards, you should probably get rid of them.
4) You Want To Get A New Deck of Cards
Sometimes, there is no reason other than the fact that you just want a new deck of cards. Your current deck is working just fine but you still feel like it’s time for some change.
Maybe you want to explore a new theme or you might want to switch to a new system of tarot cards. Or maybe you just want a deck that looks different from the traditional cards.
After all, there are so many options available, both online and offline. These days, you can even get custom tarot decks made for yourself where the artist uses your instructions to make the perfect deck for you. Naturally, these might allure you to get rid of your current deck and switch to a new one.
5) You Just Don’t Feel That Connection
If you’re a new tarot reader and have had your cards for a few months, you might not feel that connection building.
Despite your best tries, you just can’t bond with your cards. This happens to a lot of new readers. If this is the case, you would rightly want to get rid of the cards and choose a deck that you feel naturally drawn to.
Even if you’re an experienced tarot reader and have had your cards for years, you might feel like the connection is no longer there. Don’t worry this doesn’t mean that something bad happened. It could just mean that you should part ways with your current deck and choose a new one.
6) You May Want To Reduce Clutter
Some readers have a habit of collecting many different tarot decks.( who doesn’t ?? lol)
Some even collect a number of crystals, dreamcatchers, candles, essential oils, jewelry, spiritual books, and so on.
Naturally, you get to a point where you feel like you just have too much stuff. And believe it or not, clutter in your home can clutter your mental space as well.
So, one fine day, you might wake up and decide to get rid of most of your stuff to create space. And so, this might lead you to dispense off most of your tarot decks except one or two.
Practices To Do Before Dispensing Your Cards
When you’ve made up your mind to get rid of your current deck of cards, you should first do some preparations.
Sure, you can simply part ways without much thought, but it is better if you close this chapter gracefully. Especially if you’ve had your tarot cards for a considerable time. Below, I’ll talk about some of the steps you can take before disposing of your cards.
1) Do A Final Reading
If your best friend was moving to a new state or country, you would definitely want to have one last meal with them, wouldn’t you?
It would be the perfect way to cherish all your memories, say goodbye, and wish each other for your lives ahead. Well, who says you can’t do the same with your tarot cards? After all, you do have a connection with them!
So, before you let them go, do a final reading with them. You can specifically ask about the future, where the cards would like to go, what you should do next in terms of tarot reading, and so on. At the end of the reading, you can say a heartfelt goodbye just as would to a friend.
2) Cleanse The Cards
It is important to cleanse the cards before getting rid of them.
As you might already know, cards can absorb and carry energy that’s around them. So, if you’ve used your cards even once, they might have your energy residues on them. And you certainly don’t want them getting into other people’s hands in that state.
Even if you choose to bury your cards or burn them, it is better if you cleanse them first. That way you can rest assured that you’ve reset them. You can cleanse them by using crystals, wafting burnt sage over them, packing them in a plastic bag and running water over them, etc.
3) Try To Detach Yourself
This is important if you’ve had your tarot cards for a really long time and feel extremely attached to them.
Maybe you don’t want to get rid of them but have to due to certain reasons. In such cases, it is ideal to try to detach yourself from them. Instead of feeling bad that you have to let them go, cherish the readings that you have done with them.
In your heart, thank them for being there and let them go on their next journey. Remind yourself that the real power lies within you and tarot cards are actually spiritual tools for your own progress.
4) Explore Alternative Uses
Finally, you could try and figure out whether the tarot cards can be repurposed. Maybe you won’t have to get rid of them at all. Maybe they can be useful in some other way.
This will ensure that you still have them around while you get a new deck or move away from tarot reading altogether.
There are many ways you can repurpose your tarot cards. The sky is the limit really. At the end of the day, follow what your heart tells you and do what feels right. That’s the best we can do anyway, right?
Ways To Repurpose Your Cards
1) Use Them In An Altar
A lot of tarot readers or spiritual practitioners have altars at their homes where they keep their sacred objects.
These could be crystals, incense sticks, candles, holy books, scriptures, and so on. If you feel like giving away or getting rid of your tarot cards would be inappropriate, you could simply place them on your altar forever.
That way, you can take a look at them from time to time and reminisce about the readings that you’ve done with them. Also, they can continue to enhance the positive energy in your space.
2) Use Them In An Art Project
Tarot cards are usually quite beautiful to look at. Each card has its own image and symbolism, and that makes them quite unique.
So, you could use them in an art project. For instance, you could incorporate one of the cards in one of your paintings.
Some people also like to turn their tarot cards into beautiful bookmarks. They add their own artistic elements to the cards, laminate them, and use them as bookmarks. The possibilities are quite endless here.
3) Use Them In Decor
This is one of the best things you can do with your tarot cards. And all you need to do is let your creativity flow.
Due to the inherent beauty of the cards, you can place them around the house, on your workstation, on your bookshelf, or any other place in your home you would like.
One of the best uses of this I have seen is people transforming their deck of cards into beautiful and vibrant collages.
They arrange the cards in a way that tells a unique story, using symbolism and images to create a unique piece of art. They then paste this collage on one of their walls. Imagine being able to look at this beautiful collage throughout the day or after a long hard day at work!
4) Create A Scrapbook
This is another brilliant idea, one that I personally love the most. Instead of just giving away or getting rid of your cards, why not document your journey with them in a unique and creative scrapbook? You could start by writing about the day you bought or got these cards.
Then, you could mention some readings that you did with these cards that left a mark on you. You could also paste individual cards on different pages of this book.
These are just basic ideas and you can go as creative as you want with your scrapbook. The idea here is to honor the cards by documenting your journey together. Then, you can place this scrapbook on your altar and look at it from time to time.
5) Use Them For Meditation
Another important thing you can do is keep your cards specifically for meditation.
Many tarot readers actively incorporate meditation into their practice as a way to grow spiritually and strengthen their bond with their cards. If you want to get a new deck of cards, you can still keep your old one just to meditate with them.
This could be a way for you to calm down and connect deeper with the symbolism used in the cards. Whenever you feel like it, you could simply pick up the old deck from the altar and sit in silence with it. This might prove to be useful especially when you’re looking for a breakthrough in one of your readings or one of the aspects of your life!
Ways To Get Rid of Your Cards
If you’ve gone through the above list and still decide that it is better to get rid of the cards, here are some effective ways you can do so. Let’s take a look.
1) Recycle Them
In my opinion, you shouldn’t simply throw away your cards in the trash can. After all, tarot cards are not like any other non-living objects that you can simply toss after you’re done with them.
They are deeply meaningful objects that you’ve probably built a connection with. So, throwing them away might be considered as disrespectful and dishonorable.
What you can do is check with your local recycling programs to see if your cards can be recycled. If yes, you can hand your cards to them.
You could also cut the cards into small pieces and see if the paper can be used for something useful. At the end of the day, you need to act in an environmentally friendly manner.
2) Sell Them
You could also sell your tarot cards. There are many websites these days where you can list your cards for sale and get rid of them that way.
Doing so can also help you with buying a new tarot card deck.( good idea, isn’t it?? lol)
Just remember to be safe when someone contacts you and asks to meet you. You should preferably meet at a public place to carry out the transaction. You could also take a trusted friend with you just in case.
3) Give Them As Gifts
This is a really nice thing you can do for someone who wants to get their very first tarot card deck. It could be a family member or a friend.
Or it could be a total stranger who wants to read tarot cards but can’t afford them. You would really be doing a good deed here.
Sometimes, the reason you must part with your cards is that they need to assist someone else in their journey of tarot reading. So, smile and let your cards go with the knowledge that you played a small part in someone else’s journey. If possible, you can also share your spiritual insights and learnings that you’ve gathered over the years.
4) Donate Them
Every person is different, and you might be someone who is uncomfortable with the idea of giving your cards to someone you know.
If that’s the case, you might want to consider donating them to a local metaphysical shop or a professional tarot card reader.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to go out of your way to do this. There are many shops with donation bins where you can simply drop your cards and move on. This way, your cards can find a new home where they may continue to be appreciated and used by those seeking spiritual insight.
5) Burn Them
This might sound a little dramatic, but let me tell you that this is a safe way to get rid of your cards. In spirituality, it is said that fire is the ultimate cleanser. It is also a symbolic way to get rid of the old so that space can be made for the new.
So, you can definitely choose to burn your cards.
Just make sure that you do this in a safe manner. Don’t burn your cards in a closed space since the fire can quickly go out of control. Do it in an open space where there is no risk of a fire spread. Also, make sure you follow all the rules and regulations regarding the burning of objects in your community, city, or state.
6) Bury Them
This is a time-honored method for disposing of any spiritual objects, not just tarot cards. In spirituality, it is believed that everything comes from the soil, and eventually, goes back to the soil. So, by burying the cards, you are essentially sending them back to their home (in a way).
To bury your cards, find a quiet and respectful spot, preferably in nature. Then, dig a small hole, place your tarot cards in the hole, and cover them with soil. If you want to do something extra, you can plant a seed in that whole, so that the tree that grows will remind you of your cards.
When you’re done, you can say a small prayer and thank the cards for the time you’ve spent together and for all the guidance they have given you.
