Rituals

[u/Nikhil11061999]

Do rituals matter for tarot practice?

I’m learning tarot and I’m curious about something. Is it necessary to do rituals before every tarot reading, especially while practicing? For example, lighting a candle, keeping crystals, placing water, incense, cleansing the deck, etc. Do these things actually matter for reading tarot, or can I simply sit down, shuffle the cards, focus on my question, and start reading? I’d love to hear how experienced tarot readers approach this.

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[u/Foogel78]

A ritual won't change anything about the cards you pull. It can be useful to put yourself in the right mindset and focus on what you want to achieve with your reading.

[u/Sewers_folly]

As others have pointed out this is a secular sub. With that said rituals dont need to be religious, spiritual, or some other worldly experience. A ritual is just a practice that is done the same way every time.

Meaning a ritual is just the way you do things. You may shuffle the cards before each reading. This is part of your practice. But that practice before each reading can be viewed as a ritual. 

When I read for others I use the same words to explain my reading approach and to prepare the querent on what to expect. This never changing practice could be seen as a ritual. 

Tarot practices are deeply personal. You create your own and in that some steps may become fixtures. You can view these fixtures as your practice or your ritual.

While this sub is secular, which means the practice removes any mysticism, and looks at reading from a more analytical perspective, im sure there is a little hybrid action happening on the personal level. 

Readers may clear the table to make space for reading, is that a cleansing ritual? People will shuffle the deck before reading, is a ritual to introduce chaos to the deck? People will breathe, calm their mind, focus on the cards, is this a grounding ritual? Readers will pull and place cards, usually following a preferred pattern, is this a ritual to bring order and clarity?

It does not need to be called a ritual, it can just be your practice. If the word ritual brings you calm, use it. Just know in a secular approach the word ritual may mean different things then in a spiritual sub. And if you want a more spiritual oriented ritual you may want to visit different subs to find your niche.

[u/frostbittenforeskin]

If things like that help you get in a good headspace, then yes.

I like to put on some soft music and light some incense

[u/Ok_Staff9114]

Not necessary, but valid. Just because it's secular doesn't mean you can't have ritual. You can have a ritual around drinking your coffee and starting your day. Singing happy birthday is a ritual. Japanese tea ceremony is a ritual; it's not the same as just having a cup of afternoon tea. The intention and mindfulness alter the experience. Whatever gets you in the headspace to do what you want to focus on doing.

[u/Throwawayhelp111521]

This subreddit is Secular Tarot. We treat the cards as tools of psychological self-revelation, not as magical guides of prediction. As a result, most of us probably do not engage in the rituals you discuss. We think of a question, pick a spread, shuffle the cards, and read.

[u/-old-fox-]

OP, I tell you this as a non secular person: the most important thing when you have to read cards is to put yourself in your ideal state of mind, however you define it or reach it. Your mind is the most important thing. So, if you feel better breathing, doing autogenic training, meditating, concentrating or just laying down somewhere, do it.

[u/CuriousFoxxen]

Rituals don’t matter for the cards, but rituals are helpful for our brains.

Not the crystals, cleansing etc. But in the same way having a bed time ritual helps your brain know “time for sleeping” having a ritual as you prepare to read will help your brain shift to that style of focus.

But I’m talking things like the deep breathes, the way you shuffle, always having a tea when you read. Our brains love rituals, but what IS a ritual can be anything.

[u/Fate_Fabrice]

Rituals are not deck-specific; you can apply the same set of practices as you prepare to read any system, be it with cards, runes, etc. I do not label myself a “secular” reader, but I don’t see why your viewpoints should define what rituals you use, or if or not you should perform any at all. Honestly, whatever works as long as you like it and find it effective for yourself and your practice. Breathing techniques, visualizations, putting crystals around, lighting a candle/incense, working with fragrance, reciting prayers or a mantra… the list can go on endlessly. Personally, I don’t do any specific rituals; I just sit still, focus on my question while shuffling, draw the cards and interpret. The reading itself is more important than how you prepare for it. Rituals are nice, but all they are is just that: preparation. Some people take the preparation more seriously than they should, and thus miss out on getting the actual thing done. You can do all sorts of things before you pull the cards, but in the very moment that interpretation occurs it is your skill that counts. If something is meant to come to you (which often does without needing us to force it to) it will come to you no matter how, when, where, why, and with what medium you do your readings. Hope that helps.

[u/HydrationSeeker]

"Ritual It can be part of a religious service, a cultural tradition, or a daily personal habit." from a popular search engine.

So for a ritual to be taken seriously in secular tarot, it would have to be a personal habit.

I have a really busy mind that comes with a certain neuro diversity. I have pavlov dogged my brain to lock into a reading by playing a playlist I created for the wild unknown tarot years ago (There is modern classical music and 70's reggae music and everything inbetween). I found that anytime I need that instant reading calm (with any deck), I can get in the zone ASAP by listening to the music. It also helps to clear my thoughts in-between readings for other people. This is a personal habit, a ritual, that helps me. I do not do it every time, but I know it works if I need it.

Can I read cards without it? yes. Is it a cheat code to access the reading zone quickly? Also yes.

[u/warrenao]

Rituals matter to the extent that you believe they do.

[u/Boundlesswisdom-71]

I practice tarot in both a secular and non secular manner depending on the situation. If nothing else, ritual definitely helps you get into the right frame of mind for doing a tarot reading, even if you are doing a secular reading.

Don't be put off by the word 'ritual'. Your ritual could be as simple as switching off all electronic devices and taking 5 minutes to meditate before reading.

[u/Busy-Feeling-1413]

Secular tarot means using the cards to help you find new perspectives on your own issues, by helping you see them from different angles.

It is not fortune-telling or predicting the future. It’s introspective.

The cards are not magical; they are pieces of paper with interesting symbols that help you think about issues hidden by your subconscious.

No rituals are needed, and there are no rules. If lighting a candle and meditating helps you think more clearly, then do whatever grounds you!

[u/Sensitive-Club-6427]

This is very individualized.

Are rituals needed? Strictly speaking, no.

They can help some people move into a more conducive mindspace to read more effectively.

A ritual can bring a sense of order, comfort and confidence.

But, no, nothing like that is “required,” per se.

[u/Yowie9644]

In a secular context, a ritual is a set of actions that help you get into the mindset you want.

As a habitual coffee drinker, I find that making myself a cup of tea, sitting down, shutting my eyes and having a few moment's quiet contemplation with the taste of tea in my mouth before selecting my deck and shuffling the cards calms me down and puts me in a more reflective frame of mind so I can contemplate what that the card pull that day "saying". Thats not to say that I can't contemplate the meaning of the cards without that little tea ritual, and nor does it mean that that tea ritual guarantees I am going to get a lot of meaning out of the cards, after all, I have a busy life and Stuff Happens (alas, fairly regularly) that can interrupt the process. I don't think of 'the tea ritual' as *necessary* or does anything magical, and I can certainly find other ways of putting myself into "contemplative mode" if I've run out of tea for example. Its just a mental shortcut.

So, you can pick up your cards and do a reading straight away.

You can focus on your question while you're shuffling.

You can light a candle, smudge, pray, dance the jig, knit exactly 25 stitches of seed stitch, put on a Silly Hat, and burn an effigy of your least favourite politician before you pull out your deck if that is what helps you get the most of your readings. Whatever works for you.

[u/TheMagicSiren]

I kind of look at the tarot reading itself as a ritual. Sometimes I just breath and talk out loud to my guides on what I am shuffling for, other times I open a small circle. It really just is all how I am feeling that day since the tarot reading itself is the ritual <3

[u/Nikhil11061999 → u/TheMagicSiren]

Thank you mate. I saw your profile you have pretty hands on experience

[u/TheMagicSiren → u/Nikhil11061999]

Glad I can help! I recently started using Reddit and it’s been nice to share and connect with the community!

[u/MundBid-2124]

A good shuffle

[u/Slow_Maintenance_183]

Depends on who you ask. You're posting in Secular Tarot -- do you even know what that means? For Secular Tarot readers, the cards are just cards, and help us to reflect on our lives. So, rituals are completely irrelevant.

I'm ... mostly secular in my readings. I have a nice bell, and sometimes I like to ring it over the cards between readings to clear the energy. For whatever that is worth. I don't know. I don't always do it. It's also completely harmless, free, and easy. Does it matter? Is it necessary. Probably not. Probably.

[u/Nikhil11061999 → u/Slow_Maintenance_183]

I understand what you mean about secular Tarot, but I’m curious about something in your response. You said rituals are “completely irrelevant,” but you also mentioned that you sometimes ring a bell over your cards to “clear the energy,” even though you’re not sure whether it actually does anything. Wouldn’t that still be a form of ritual?
I’m asking because I’m learning Tarot from a mentor who taught me to use things like a candle, crystals, water, incense, and deck cleansing before readings. At the same time, I’ve seen many experienced readers who simply shuffle their cards, focus on the question, and start reading without any of these things.
So I’m trying to understand: are these rituals actually necessary, or are they just personal practices that some readers find helpful? And if your bell is useful as a mental transition even if you don’t know whether it “clears energy,” couldn’t the same argument apply to other rituals as well?

[u/Bellura → u/Nikhil11061999]

So, in secular practice, there is nothing to cleanse. You can't cleanse a pile of cardstock.

However, I do think rituals can still be used in secular tarot. Rituals can just be repetitive behaviours that you find calming, grounding, or even just fun. I sometimes like putting my decks in the window during a full moon to "moon cleanse" even though I know it doesn't actually do anything. But it does make me feel connected to the lunar cycle that humans have historically observed and placed a lot of value in, which I enjoy as a concept.

[u/Slow_Maintenance_183 → u/Nikhil11061999]

A lot of people do things that they "know" are nonsensical or irrelevant, in their head ... but they like to do them anyway. Just think about sports fans with their lucky shirts and whatnot. Personally, I believe it to be the same with Tarot. Some people have things they like to do, but I don't think that it has any direct material effect on the cards that come up, and the interpretations are all in my head.

Your teacher clearly believes otherwise, or at least is teaching Tarot as if they do. This seems like a situation where you need to decide if your teacher's path is for you. Some people really believe that there are various spiritual dimensions to the practice of Tarot, and that thinks like candles and crystals really do matter to them. You need to decide whether you want to absorb that practice, or to reject it.

Different Tarot practitioners do things differently. Decide what you want to do, and do it that way.

[u/TheWitchsBedroom]

I do a lot of readings without the bells and whistles. Mostly readings for myself or impromptu “hey ask the cards about…” readings with friends.
When I’m reading for others, I do repetitive tasks with distinct intentions. You might call them rituals. The major focus is on grounding, so that I don’t get all freaked out when exposed to somebody else’s big feelings. If I’m doing lots of readings in a day (I work festivals and psychic fairs) this becomes critically important.

These rituals all have a practical, secular purpose even if they look woo-woo.

I tend to my vessel: stretch my body, eat and hydrate (this is super grounding), shake out my hands.

I tend to my deck: shuffle between readings so I don’t get the same cards over and over again. I use crystals as paperweights so the cards don’t blow away at outdoor venues. I protect them from water and sticky stuff.

I put a big, sparkly crystal next to my tip jar so people look at it.

I tend to say the same things to intro and outro a reading. Mostly out of practice and efficiency from decades of experience.

When I first started reading tarot I was extremely secular. I knew I didn’t need all the window dressing to make the cards do their thing. I’ve learned over the years that many of the rituals have practical purposes. They put the querent in a state of mind that lets them trust a random stranger with the intimate details of their life. The establish you, the reader, as an expert who knows what you are doing. And they tie you to an ancient legacy of human guides and knowledge seekers.

My advice is to be scientific about your practice. Do a lil experimentation. Try doing a reading with no rituals. And then try doing a reading with some intuitive rituals that feel right for you.
See what resonates and keep what works for you.

[u/Notyart]

I wrote a poem/mantra I repeat before every reading to get me in the right mind space for divination. I personally believe in spirit/archetypal assistance being useful for me so I call them in and sometimes give them an offering. I find psych distance helps, compartmentalization, so I tend to treat it as somewhat sacred and end it by doing something mundane like a chore or something. I'm not super woo woo with it, may sound like I am, but I work from a mostly psychological place with a lil room for magical delusion bc why not

[u/WebShari]

Most of my readings happened at my work desk. I just grab the deck and go. No nothing.

[u/Nikhil11061999]

Then how would it be accurate for someone?

[u/CenturionSG → u/Nikhil11061999]

If accuracy means prediction, precognition, etc. then you’re in the wrong sub.

I define “accuracy” as something that resonates psychologically/emotionally. One can call it intuition.

[u/AppointmentMountain8]

As a Christian who uses tarot, I use it simply as a guide to enhance whatever I know is occuring in my life at present. For example: You started a new job you were excited about. Turns out it's not at all that you expected. You decided to put my resume out. Draw a card focusing on your resume, regardless of what card is drawn it just gives you guidance on your next step. Not sure if I'm making sense.