Shuffling & *When* to Layout the Cards

[krysia322]

I apologize if this has already been mentioned; nothing came up when I searched.

(I've always been curious about the different ways people handle this. :))
When shuffling, how do you know when to stop shuffling and start laying out the cards?
Most times, for me, I get a ...zing that's not unlike a tension uncoiling and letting go. It varies from mild "zing" to "ZING! - LAY OUT THOSE CARDS NOW" LOL! But it's a tingly-zinging sensation of inner tension that spreads out to my fingertips.

Sometimes, however, I'll hear a voice (inner voice that doesn't even sound like my own which is weird, lol) that simply says "Stop".

Rarely, I'll just find myself on "auto-pilot", already laying out the cards before I even realize I've stopped shuffling.

[Red Emma]

I'm in awe of people who receive such clear messages. For myself, I was just fine with shuffle-riffling the deck three times, then along the way it became five. It's been seven for some time now, which I'm getting very bored with. However, whenever I try to stop at three or five, I feel distinctly uncomfortable.

I often wonder why I feel it must be an uneven number. But there it is.

[MeeWah]

I prefer to shuffle until the deck feels "tight" or "ready". When the mood hits, I shuffle a minimum of 7 times but I tend to not bother counting as it varies.

An alternative is to shuffle a few times then fan the cards out on a surface. Slowly pass the receptive hand over the fanned cards. Choose those that cause the hand to feel warm or cause some reaction. I use this method sometimes with cards of thin stock to avoid damaging them with shuffling.

Edited to add: Usually cut the deck 3 ways & put them together before laying out the cards with whatever hand.

[lunalafey]

I'm one who shuffles & shuffles & cuts & shuffles & shuffles & turns & shuffles & shuffles & shuffles & turns & shuffles & cuts & shuffles......
in other words, I shuffle & cut & turn(for reversals) randomly for quite a while...then when I feel the deck is ready, I pick a number that relates to the person, shuffle that many times as the last, cut the deck & then draw the cards.
Sometimes I shuffle for a little while, sometimes it looks like I'm never going to stop....
'tight'--MeeWah I feel what you are saying, the more I shuffle, the more condensed the deck feels. It becomes a deck, not a stack of cards.

[HudsonGray]

I'm one that gets the *zing* STOP NOW. The deck always says when to stop shuffling.

[krysia322]

I often wonder why I feel it must be an uneven number. But there it is.
Hmm. Red Emma, does your date of birth = an odd number? Or does your Destiny number?

An alternative is to shuffle a few times then fan the cards out on a surface. Slowly pass the receptive hand over the fanned cards. Choose those that cause the hand to feel warm or cause some reaction. I use this method sometimes with cards of thin stock to avoid damaging them with shuffling.
I've done this, especially when I've already laid out a spread and would like clarification with the remaining, undealt cards. Or I'll use this method to pick 1 card (though usually I shuffle til one falls out --- I'm never comfortable with just picking one, LOL).

I'm one who shuffles & shuffles & cuts & shuffles & shuffles & turns & shuffles & shuffles & shuffles & turns & shuffles & cuts & shuffles......
ROTFL! Been there! Sometimes I feel hours have passed while I wait for that "zing". But I simply cannot deal cards until I get that reception. If I try to deal out prematurely, the reading feels false and so do I, LOL!

I'm one that gets the *zing* STOP NOW. The deck always says when to stop shuffling.
Yay! It isn't just me! :D

[krysia322]

Red Emma,
I just checked your profile and your date-of-birth actually equals a Seven.
:)

[Melissa`]

I like to shuffle.. shuffle.. and shuffle some more. I've never counted how many times. Sometimes I'll just keep doing it.. other times I'll just stop. Sometimes I know when to stop.. when the cards just won't shuffle anymore. Most of the time I shuffle hand over hand and if the cards won't go in.. I won't make them. I just know to stop.

~ Amaya

[Red Emma]

Originally posted by krysia322
Red Emma,
I just checked your profile and your date-of-birth actually equals a Seven.
:)

Krysia, thanks for your input. It seems that these date-of-birth numbers mean more than I understand. Is there some place that I could look them up to get a better understanding of the concept?

[ZST]

there was a time, maybe two months ago, when I had the *really* annoying tendency to always feel uncomfortable when I stopped shuffling, like I had stopped too soon or too late... on the other hand, I was never feeling that it was the right moment :-|
I let the cards untouched for sometime and it passed naturally

What seems to work for me is shuffle until I find it's the right time to stop, most times I cut the deck in three, and pick cards from the top.
I don't like to call it a method (I only do it because it "feels right" for now)... I'm very down to earth, I don't like those kind of "you *must* shuffle this way, you can only cut the deck with your left hand, etc ,etc"

I do, however, have a personal nitpick: I just *can't* pick cards trough the deck, randomly, it just don't feel right...always from the top, for me.... :)

[amyel]

I shuffle until one of three things happens,

1. It just "feels" right. I'm not conscious of any message, it seems like the right time to stop; or
2. The cards just dont; want to shuffle anymore; or
3. A card "jumps out" or falls out when shuffling.

[Shadow Wolf]

I also just know when to stop shuffling, I hear a voice in my head that says "Stop Now."

But I really pay more attention to the cards that fall out while
shuffling.

[krysia322]

But I really pay more attention to the cards that fall out while shuffling.
Does it matter whether they're face up or face down?

[Grizabella]

I just had an interesting question enter my mind. If you're going to fan and choose cards from the fan based on a feeling you get from them when running your hand over them, then why shuffle? Wouldn't you feel the same cards whether you shuffle or not? I shuffle and then deal out from the top of the deck, figuring the cards have gone in the order they're supposed to show up, but if a person does the fan method, wouldn't they get the appropriate cards whether they shuffle or not?

[star-lover]

this might sound strange but after shuffling for a bit i tend to get a warm fuzzy tingly feeling in my hands
thing is i dont know if i should stop right there or shuffle till that feeling gets stronger

ah well
trial and error i guess
im reckoning once that feeling kicks in stop shuffling more than an extra 1/2 times

[krysia322]

If you're going to fan and choose cards from the fan based on a feeling you get from them when running your hand over them, then why shuffle?
When I "fan", it's usually for a 1-3 card spread, and while I'll shuffle before fanning (usually just once or twice, to "wake up" the cards and get them ready), I don't after fanning. I let the heat of my palm tell me which cards to pull.

i tend to get a warm fuzzy tingly feeling in my hands
thing is i dont know if i should stop right there or shuffle till that feeling gets stronger
I get something similiar; warmth in my hands, but the fuzzy/tingly feeling in my chest, and I usually take that as the sign to stop. On occasion, if it's really faint, I'll keep shuffling until it gets stronger (which it nearly always does). I take the "faint" ones as a sign that it's "almost" ready. LOL.
:)