by Deanna Anderson
When I first started studying tarot, I took my deck with me wherever I went. I never knew when I would get a chance to read the cards for someone, and I had a goal to read for at least fifty people as part of my studies. As instructed, I recorded with the customer’s initials and had customers complete surveys. In addition to seeing what worked and what did not, this was done to help students develop a routine and a sense of professionalism. At first, I did not have a formal tarot kit, but further into my studies, I read about the use of tarot cloths, gemstones, incense, or candles to enhance a reading or add ambience. As I started collecting these items, and a few extra decks, I knew I needed a better option than throwing items in my purse—and thus my first tarot kit was made!
Tarot kits, which you may create for yourself or as a gift, can be as unique as the person who makes it. No matter how the kits end up, they are convenient and easy to just grab and go, whether you’re heading to a friend’s house, a party, a festivals, or out of town. However, before we get into making a tarot kit, there is an issue worth mentioning since this kit is meant for travel.
When doing readings for “fun” (that is, for no monetary exchanges), legal issues are not a concern, as tarot can be deemed a party trick. However, when money is exchanged, you should know the business and legal side of things. In some regions, a person has to be licensed to charge money for a reading (like any other business), in other areas, readings may not be allowed at all as “divination” or “fortune-telling” may be considered an illegal act (along the lines of fraud or deception). Laws vary, so make it a point to know what they are wherever you are going. It is also poor etiquette to perform a reading in another’s business or at festivals without a vendor’s agreement, randomly hitting up people for readings, or to do readings in someone’s house without permission. Whether money is exchanged or not, it is always advisable to state that tarot is “for entertainment purposes only.”
Legal issues aside, having a tarot kit ensures that you always have what you need when you need it. Always having what you want or need on hand gives you the confidence to perform readings. The first thing you need to do is to decide what purpose you want your kit to serve: Is it an at-home kit or a travel kit? Do you want a simple kit for just general outings (consisting of perhaps just a deck) and a kit to take when traveling out of town? Your answers will determine the size of your kit and its contents.
The Tarot Kit
My tarot kit is in a handbag that was probably once used for toiletries, which I purchased from a thrift store for under $3.00. So far, it has worked well. It is big enough for one deck, a few accessories, and two of my favorite books. However, as I acquire more tarot decks, I am contemplating getting a larger case. I also recently created a “mini-kit” that has one deck and a simple reference sheet with keywords, phrases, and elemental and numerological correspondences. The cards and reference sheet all fit in a camera case that stays in my purse. My larger kit at home has a candle, pendulum, a couple decks, my tarot journal, gemstones, pen and paper, and a tarot cloth.
Obviously, the size of your tarot kit and its contents can vary based on its purpose—and, like me, you can have more than one kit. Take some time to think about what you prefer and how large of a casing you need. If your tarot journal is in a three-ring binder, then a small handbag will not work, but a backpack or tote bag will. If all you want is a tarot deck and small tablet, then a camera case, small handbag, or makeup bag works great. Some people may choose something sturdier, such as a box or plastic tote. Wooden and cardboard boxes can be bought in department stores or craft stores. Decorate your kit with paint or decoupage pictures on it (for wooden or cardboard totes), use fabric paints or iron-on appliqués for fabric totes, or use colored permanent markers for plastic totes. Wood and fabrics anointed with a drop or two of essential oil, or a sachet bag of herbs placed in a plastic totes, will bless and consecrate the kit.
Accessories
If you haven’t yet performed a reading for others (or yourself), you need to think about the items you want to use. Creating a routine or performance is always beneficial. Not only does it set the ambience to put the reader and the customer in the right frame of mind, it can also aid in opening the psyche and tapping into our subconscious and intuitive reasoning. While there is nothing wrong with a quick-read (I often will just grab a deck, shuffle, and pull one card to see what the day will bring), setting the mood is imporatant for a full reading. This is the same for all tasks we perform. When we clean the house, we dress in comfortable clothes that we don’t mind getting dirty. When we go to bed, we dress in pajamas, adjust the lighting, or turn off television sets. We “set the mood” for other areas in life—tarot is no different. And while these tools will not help you understand tarot cards (only studying and practicing with them can do that) a routine can be beneficial.
Pendulums
Pendulums are great to keep in a tarot kit because they are small and portable. A pendulum can be made with any weight on the end of a string, but those generally available at metaphysical stores are made of wood or gemstone, both of which have their own energy and properties. They can aid in understanding a reading by asking “yes or no” questions or choose the cards to read. They can also choose a significator card (represents the one receiving the reading). To select cards for a reading or a significator card (sometimes referred to as a power of querant card), hover the pendulum over each card, face down, and ask it to select by rotating clockwise. If it does not rotate, go on to the next card, stopping only when it has chosen a card or you have enough for a reading.
Pendulums can also be used to cleanse a deck by holding it over the stacked deck (or spread the cards out on a flat surface) and ask the pendulum to rotate counterclockwise (also known as widdershins, a direction believed to cast away or get rid of things) over the cards. When the pendulum slows or stops, the deck has been cleansed. This same method can also be used to cleanse a space, often the table or surface on which you spread the cards.
Crystals
Crystals or gemstones can enhance a reading because of their natural properties. Keeping stones in your tarot kit helps cleanse the cards, protects them from unwanted energies, and facilitates psychic intuition. Malachite is a good stone for divination and amethyst is great for psychic powers and opening the Third Eye. Sodalite is also good for physic powers and grounding. Hematite is good for grounding and if magnetic it can “absorb” unwanted energies. Clear quartz is a good stone in general as it can aid in energy work, cleansing, and divination. Check out some websites or books devoted to stones and choose a few that will work for you. They can be bought online or in metaphysical shops and don’t cost very much, but make sure you look for raw or polished stones. Stones can also be used for a protective circle around the cards. Lay a stone at each corner of the surface area (north, east, south, and west). The stones can be any kind but I prefer to us the elemental correspondences for stones and their directions.
Candles
Candles and incense can be used for ambience or to open the psyche, particularly if the scent or color corresponds to psychic powers. When using candles or incense, always ask permission in case your client has allergies or might be irritated by the smoke. In public venues, candles and incense might not be allowed. If this is the case, add a drop of essential oil to a cup of water in a spray bottle and spray around the area in between readings. Reed diffusers and sachet bags can also be used, but again, allergies are always an issue and a reed diffuser may leak in a tarot kit. If you do place candles and incense in your kit, don’t forget matches or a lighter—and never leave that tarot kit in the hot sun!
Runes
Runes are another wonderful divination method and can enhance a reading. If you already know how to read runes, they can lend a lot of insight into a reading. (Likewise, tarot cards can aid in rune readings, too.) However, don’t feel that they are mandatory. Runes and tarot are their own divination methods, and while they can go hand in hand, they are just as powerful alone. If you think you would like to read with either method, you can also make a rune kit that is separate from a tarot kit.
Tarot Cloth and Bags
A cloth or bag to wrap the tarot cards in is another key item to have. The very act of wrapping cards in a cloth or placing them in a bag can cleanse them and keep them safe from unwanted residual energies. The cloth can be anointed with a drop or two of essential oil, but let it dry well before wrapping around the cards so the oil doesn’t damage the deck. Some people prefer to keep their cards in the original box and others do not. Either way, the cards can still be wrapped in cloth or placed in a bag. In addition to protecting the cards physically and metaphysically, a tarot cloth may also be used as a barrier from residual energy when laid between the surface area and the cards.
Bags can be purchased just about anywhere and can be zipper, Velcro, button, or drawstring closures. A personal favorite of mine is an idea I heard of when I worked at a fabric store years ago. A customer purchased fabric to sew squares from. Then she would sew a pocket in the center of the square. The tarot cards would be placed in the square and the remaining fabric wrapped around the cards. When unfolded it could be used as a tarot cloth.
For my tarot cloth, I purchased a bandanna for 99 cents at a department store and wrapped my deck of cards in that. Bandannas are great to use for tarot cloths because they are cheap and come in a variety of designs. Plus, for the sewing-challenged, it is a square piece of fabric already hemmed on four sides. However, the crafty folks can find directions online for sewing or crocheting tarot cloths or bags and the non-crafty can purchase bags or cloth in stores or online.
Tarot Journals, Reference Books, Recording Devices
If you are the kind of person who keeps a tarot journal or likes to have a reference book on hand, you will want to consider adding these to your kit as well. I have a tarot journal in which I record personal reflections, readings, and just random thoughts concerning tarot. I do not record readings for others in this journal aside from a small notation such as date, time, name, and maybe if I think the reading went well or not.
As stated before, I also have two of my favorite books in my kit but there is a third book that I created for myself, which I use in a reading if needed. It is a quick-flip reference book that I printed up and had bound. I then purchased tab dividers so I could flip to a section quickly. The book includes all of the cards with key words, phrases, and brief descriptions. I also have a checklist on preparing for a reading, numerological and elemental correspondences, and spaces to record the date of each reading I do.
Pen and paper are always beneficial: a small tablet, journal, or day planner can be added to a kit to keep up with events you are attending, a scheduled reading, or to take notes on readings you perform or little tidbits of tarot wisdom you may glean here and there. A person never knows when they may need to write something down.
Recording your tarot sessions (or not) is another important consideration, for personal and professional reasons. When in the tarot business, people often will record a session so that they can give the customer a copy of their reading as well as retaining a copy for themselves (in case legal issues come up). Digital recorders have multiple files and hold more information so several readings can be recorded without changing tapes or uploading immediately to a computer. Make sure to let the customer know you are recording and state the date, time, their name, and within the reading state each card’s name. It does no good to refer back to a tape and hear “this card” and not know which card it is. Finally, except in extreme cases, keep tapes confidential—clients have a right to privacy.
Having a tarot kit is the perfect way for a person to further connect with tarot and to feel confident that wherever they go they will have the means to perform a reading either for themselves or for others. Think of it as a tarot emergency kit, carrying all the essentials you need for performing a reading anytime, anywhere.