Q&A: Do you have to do a new deck spread with tarot?

Question by August: Do you have to do a new deck spread with tarot?
I’m new to tarot and heard about a new deck spread, in the spread it asks the cards what your relationship will be like with them. Is a new deck spread necessary? Also, if you bought some tarot cards from a store and they DO NOT work well with you how do you properly get rid of them? Should you? Is it bad to throw them away. Just would like to know before I open my new deck

Best answer:

Answer by Gary Oster
Don’t open yet.

The cautious way:

Get a black cloth or bag, preferably silk. Wrap the deck in the cloth. Tie it up like a package and stick it under your pillow, or stick it in the pillowcase — just make sure it doesn’t unwrap.

Sleep with it under your pillow until it feels right to open it. If you start to feel this is not the deck for you, give it someone who wants it, still wrapped, or unwrap it and return it to the store.

The key is you’re trying to find a good match, so returning to the store gives someone else the opportunity to match up.

If you decide to open it:

Before you unwrap the deck, do your prayer, meditation, cardinal point circle, or protection spell/sage smudge — whatever you do in preparation for a reading. Your cardinal direction is North, to face the deepest unconscious. Unwrap the deck facing north, keep the deck on the cloth, and place the deck with the top to the North.

When ready, open the package, and pull the deck out Northward. Set the box behind you. Place the cards face down on the cloth with the top edge North.

Relax, and feel for the time to break the deck. If it doesn’t feel right, place the cards back in the box the same way you removed them, close the box, and wrap the deck. Go back to the beginning.

If it feels right to break the deck, turn the deck face up from East to West. Spread the deck — overlapping the cards so they don’t lose contact with each other. Remove any ad cards, and place them behind you without changing your North facing.

Restack the deck face up, then turn face down, East to West.

First Shuffle:

The thought is what relationship you will have with the deck.

Use both hands to spread the deck in a circular motion by pushing them North, then East with your right hand, and West with your left, then toward you (South). Keep shuffling in this manner until the deck is broken and well shuffled.

Keep the cards in contact with the cloth. Note any card that flips, and whether it is reversed, and what cardinal direction the top of the card is toward. Flips during shuffle show impatient/excited energy which should get out so the deck settles down. Don’t square the deck until it feels settled.

Square the deck by pulling it together face down, tipping the North edge up, tap-and-tamp the deck, and pulling out-of-square corners East and West, tap-and-tamp until square, then tip North to face down.

First Spread:

Refocus, and draw out your preferred spread, flipping cards from East (right) to West (Left) to keep the reversed/aright facing true.

Read as usual.

The only spread I know of which indicates you should pass the deck to someone else is a chaotic spread, where cards don’t support each other — it is all over the place, with no coherence. Pay attention to the present influences and future positions: if the present influences are positive, but the future is difficult, pass on the deck. If either of the two previous happen, resort the deck, put the ad cards back, and place the deck in the box with both the box and tops edges of the cards to the North. Rewrap, and store the deck until you find someone to take it, or return it to the store.

Death with positive supporting cards is excellent — that indicates organic growth and effectiveness in readings. Death with struggle indicates focused, hard work to improve.

When done, flip the cards West to East, shuffle and square. It’s up to you whether you want to rebox or rewrap the deck.

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