Picking the cards? or cut them?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

MelissaH2005	06 Jan 2004
Hi Everyone :) What's the best way to shuffle the Tarot cards? Should I cut them three ways? Or should I spread them out and pick them randomly? I was told once to spread them out like a fan, and pick the cards you feel most drawn to. What's the best way? Take Care: Melissa :D

Majecot	06 Jan 2004
Hi Melissa, I find that Tarot is very personal, every one has there own "rituals" , and the answer is ... do what ever works for you. What works for me is I turn my cards sideways, ( because they are to big to shuffle like a regular playing deck), I shuffle untill i feel done or something flips out, then I deal off the top of the deck.

Emily	06 Jan 2004
Hi Melissa, I usually deal the cards out first into 6 little piles, then make one deck again then shuffle, this way I can be sure that the cards are mixed up properly again. I have a habit of sorting the cards out when I'm studying the decks and sometimes forget that they are in order. When I do a daily draw, I take 3 cards but I shuffle inbetween each card. Really its what you feel comfortable with, there is no right or wrong way to deal and lay the cards. :)

yve	06 Jan 2004
My hands are very small, my decks are large...I first do a "messy spread" when I get a new deck...but I do agree, there is no right or wrong way...try many suggestions and then go with what feels comfortable or natural to you....

Vynara	06 Jan 2004
High five yve... I share your feelings. I have difficulties enough shuffling a normal poker deck, let alone tarot... i now use the cowie push.put method, or lay them down one by one randomly into three different piles... though occasionally I get the urge to just throw them in the air :laugh:

miss_apples	07 Jan 2004
I get poked fun at for the way I shuffle any cards. I do it backwards...you know with my fingers in the front and my thumbs in the back because whenever I do it the other way...the cards fly all over the room. Unfortunatly my cards are slightly bent because of this...but I like to think of it as my personal stamp on my deck...lol

Star Spirit	07 Jan 2004
There is no best way, except for yourself. Personally I shuffle, cut, and deal one by one from the top. I don't separate into piles, or fan. But hey, everyone is different.

Agathe	07 Jan 2004
I always shuffle my cards well, then spread them out, and pick the ones I "like" ;). I remember that I tried once shuffling them, then cutting and taking one by one from the bottom. I felt it didn't work. So I went back to my previous system :D Agathe

Aerten	07 Jan 2004
As it seems many have said, I don't think there's any right way to do it! The one thing I find, though, is that if I one day drastically change my shuffling pattern then I don't connect with the cards as much as I would when I shuffle 'em the usual way. I guess this is because I'm a creature of habit and something gets subconsciously ruffled when I change things around. So in short, my suggestion to you would be to shuffle and cut them however you want, but to stick with the same method each time :) It works for me, anyway!

Centaur	07 Jan 2004
Hi Melissa, I agree with what everyone else has said. It is purely a matter of what suits you. Just do whatever you feel comfortable with. There is no right and wrong. C

draconiius	13 Jan 2004
i always put my cards on the table and i'd just put both hands on them and swirl them around into a big mess until a card 'shoots' out and i'd set it aside, doing that over and over until i get specific number of the cards needed for a layout. i've done the fan, and it does work for me as well, i'd draw the card if i feel heat radiating from a card as i move my hand over them, not touching, and whenever i feel a hot spot, i'd just keep going, and it'd feel cooler, then i'd come back to that hot spot and just keep going, and again it'd feel cooler then i'd come back to that hot spot and hover over it until i can pinpoint which card is giving off heat and i'd pick that card. it depends on my mood, but the first shuffling method i mentioned is my favorite and so that one gets used practically all the time. before i do that, i usually put my cards in the order they are supposed to be in, but that's rare as well as i just feel that whenever i shuffle, what comes out is meant to be.

Rhiannon	30 Jan 2004
I usually shuffle (riffle) the cards, cut them into 2 piles, and then deal them from the top. I do this for myself and most others I read for. However, whenever I do any kind of reading for my husband, he insists on choosing his own cards. He shuffles (not riffling) and then spreads them out and chooses each card for each position according to the way it "feels" to him. *shrug* whatever works for you! (you're going to get so tired of hearing that phrase! :D ) R :)

Osher	01 Feb 2004
I find that after I cut the pile into 3, 1 pile will 'call' to me. However, sometimes I need to reshuffle at this point, as I find the cards just don't seem right. I have seen people use the swirl method, and if that is your way, then that is excellent. Personally, I split the pack, combine, split, combine etc. I was always told not to flick the corners of two splits, to combine, ala poker players, because it doesn't give the cards time to adjust.

Orion	01 Feb 2004
It is all about what works best for your! When I started out with my very first deck, I hear about a dozen different techniques in shuffling. I admit I tried a whole bunch of them, and I found that a simple shuffle until it felt 'right' worked the best for me. And that's all she wrote!! :)

Lady Eclipse	01 Feb 2004
Hi MelissaH2005, I agree that there is no "right" or "wrong" way to shuffle or lay the cards...you have to do what feels right for you. Personally, the way I lay them out will depend on what kind of reading I'm doing. When it's for myself or for those who cannot be present, I shuffle, cut the cards into 3 piles with my left hand, put them back together whatever way feels right and then fan them out to pick. When reading for others, I shuffle, then they shuffle, and cut the cards into 3 piles. Next, they pick the pile they want and hand it back to me so I can start the reading. Then, I read from the remaining 2 piles in the order of client preference. Jpy to you, Maralee

The Picking the cards? or cut them? thread was originally posted on 06 Jan 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.