Flipping/dealing the cards. HELP

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 23 Jul 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Newreader	23 Jul 2003
Hi all. I am just starting out in Tarot and I have a few questions. 1) When you deal cards do you deal face up or down? 2) When turning the cards over (either coming off of deck to spread or after already spread) how do you go about it so that you get the right meaning(reversed or not)? 3) When reading for others what do you think about as they are shuffling the deck and asking a question? also what is the best beginning spread for answering a querents question? Sorry this is so long and choppys and thank you all for your input.

Umbrae	23 Jul 2003
Flip deal deal flip…what to do, so many choices… Great questions! These are my opinions…so it’s not like gospel or law or anything. Do what feels right (at the time). Sometimes I deal, sometimes I allow the sitter to pick. Last night I had a sitter pick from the deck face up… I like to start with the cards laid out face down…sometimes…but sitters sometimes start turning cards over…which means I’ve lost control of the reading. So usually I deal face up. It also gives me a quick ‘overview’ before I begin to actually do the reading. But there is a time and place for a face down spread. And when you are learning, it may be a great way to maintain focus on each position. Also, for your first six months of reading – I suggest sticking to one, two, and three card spreads. What do I think about? Nothing. I watch their hands, and their eyes…and understand that what I am doing is interacting with a miracle, another person. I thank their higher power for allowing me to interact in such a precious moment. I feel love.

Trogon	23 Jul 2003
Howdy Newreader, and welcome! Okay... for me... I deal the cards face up. And I do so by flipping the cards over (top to bottom). This is what works for me and it does work quite well. So much for the mechanics of a Tarot reading. Generally, I shuffle the cards myself, but this is primarily because many people are not very adept at shuffling so many cards and such an over-sized deck. But, even on the occasions when the querrent shuffles, I am simply keeping the querrent's question in my mind as well as concentrating on keeping my mind calm and centered so it doesn't go racing off by itself somewhere. As for what spreads to use? I think Umbrae definitely has the right of it. No more than 3 cards until you're more used to tying the cards together in a coherent reading. Then go on to some of the 5 to 7 card spreads. Save the 8, 9 or 10 card or larger spreads till you feel you have some experience under your belt. I made the mistake, when I was first starting out, of jumping straight into a 10 card Celtic Cross. In retrospect, I honestly believe that slowed me down a lot, making the learning process much more difficult than it needed to be. That's my personal opinion on it anyway...

Diana	23 Jul 2003
I never flip my cards. I fan them out (always face-down) on the table and just choose them "at random".

Emily	23 Jul 2003
Hi Newreader, welcome to the forums :) The choice of how to turn the cards is really up to you but be consistent with which method you use. I like to turn my cards like turning the pages of a book but some people like to flip the cards from top to bottom, I don't do this because I don't use reversals so I shuffle and lay the cards to keep them the right way up, sometimes though those sneaky reversed cards still get in and then I have to read them lol :)

Elle	23 Jul 2003
I make the person being read "shuffle their life" into the cards. I believe they must touch them and focus their thoughts as they are doing so. Just my personal method. Do whatever you feel comfortable with. Good Luck! Elle

divinerguy	23 Jul 2003
I like my querent to touch the cards too. I ask them what they see in each card, and I ask them what it means to them.

firemaiden	24 Jul 2003
Once in a while I like to fan out all the cards, close my eyes, and move my hands slowly over the fan until I feel a strange energy pulling my hand. I am usually startled by the cards that come up in these circumstances. Sometimes I pull a few cards from around the energy center, not exactly sure if my hand hit the exact spot. Often the cards around it are amazing too. But most of the time I don't have the patience to do that, and I just shuffle, cut, and then turn over the cards on top. :D :D They usually make a lot of sense anyway.

The Flipping/dealing the cards. HELP thread was originally posted on 23 Jul 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.