When a card jumps out

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 16 Jun 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Pook	16 Jun 2004
I haven't had much experience with this until lately, and just in the past three days I have had about five cards jump out of the deck into my lap. The funny thing is, in three of these five instances the card was the same...and I must say I am not thrilled with it..... THE TOWER ....how much fun is that? I am not looking for an interpretation here...I pretty much have a firm grasp on what this means for me right now. I think, anyway. Either that or I haven't grasped it yet and that's why it keeps showing up. Either way, what I am actually wondering is how to read the cards that jump out at you. Do you read them on thier own apart from the spread you were about to do, do you read them in the front of the spread as the first card, or do you read them at the end as clarification? I searched for threads about jumping cards, but didn't really find the answer I was looking for. It looks like everyone agrees that the jumpers are important, but where do they fit? Any insight would be helpful.

Ravenswing	16 Jun 2004
MoonDreameR-- Most of the time-- unless intuition says elsewise-- I use that card for the first and finish out the spread right then and there. No more shuffling or cutting-- just lay them out. I see the jumper as a go sign... fly well Raven

contrascarpe	16 Jun 2004
This happened to me a couple of days ago. I have been doing a daily draw from my Osho Zen and TAO Oracle. On the TAO, I had a jumper ..... I replaced it, and shuffled them mightily but had another jumper, and it was the same card. Unfortunately, my short term memory loss prevents me remembering what it was, but I remember it was meaningful .... guess I need to go back on my post and see, hehe. Dan

divinerguy	16 Jun 2004
Not being the type of guy to ignore fate, I go with it. The fact that you're dealing with the Tower doesn't make me weak in the knees. For me, no card is a certain upper or downer, as you have to take things in context. It could be something as innocent as unexpected change (albeit a change of significance).

Umbrae	16 Jun 2004
I never ever ever use a jumper. Unless nobody is holding the deck at the time...it's difficult to justify 'shuffling error' with a 'message from the Goddess'.

Pook	16 Jun 2004
Wow, Umbrae. You're the first person both here at the forums (that I've seen, anyway)and in my 'real life' experiences to say they don't regard a jumping card as significant. I guess that's just more proof that everyone has their own way of lettting the cards speak to them. Just wondering though...do you even look at the card in case it shows up in the reading, or do you just stick it back in the deck without even taking a second glance?

tao51	17 Jun 2004
I am a careful shuffler and it rarely happens. I have also been slowly shuffling and a card seems to be spirited out of the deck. If I feel I have not been attentive then I replace it in the middle of the deck. Then continue shuffling. Sometimes I feel that there is an important message to be had. Then I use it as th first card of the reading. If the same card jumps twice then I would say this was significant.--Tao

cheekyminx	17 Jun 2004
Take note! Sometimes all you need to answer the querents question is that jumper. Its happened to me a few times, but normally 2 or 3 cards fall from the deck that is being shuffled.

closrapexa	17 Jun 2004
I agree with Umbrae. I'm kind of clumsy, and with all the cards that jump out I'd never get to the actual reading if I paid attention to all of them. One time I dropped my entire deck onto the kitchen floor and spent the next half hour fishing the cards out of dark corners. What could that mean?;)

magpie9	17 Jun 2004
WOW.............78 Pickup.....................................:D thats heavy. Sometimes it means that you won't listen to advice, others, that it would have better to wash the jello off your hands before shuffling them. And then again, and most probabably the cards were curious about kitchen corners, so they took a little outing..........:D Sorry. I've got a bad case of the sillies today. :)

ros	17 Jun 2004
Also when you get a jumper card, "catch it" Jumpers are a pain in the butt when they fly under the table, to the other side and you can't find them. This is embarassing when you don't know the person your reading for.

Pook	17 Jun 2004
LOL...guess it's a good thing I played softball for six years! :D

Sillanza	18 Jun 2004
I can usually differentiate shuffling error from a jumper -- the jumpers are a little more insistent! Whenever the whole deck just explodes all over the place, I take that as an "enough!" sign. Then I switch to another deck ...

Alissa	18 Jun 2004
I love jumpers. If I have a chunk of cards fall out while I'm shuffling, that's one thing. Those I pick up and keep shuffling. On other occasions, I'm shuffling and a card will come *leaping* out, often flipping itself over as it does so. Those do feel different. I've even had querents look up at me like, "Uh OH! What did that mean?" when it's happened, it looks and feels so odd. Those I pay attention to. Most often, I set them aside and see how the message plays into the reading. 99% of the time, the jumper acts like a "significator" for the issue at hand or the querent, when I read them.

Cynthia	18 Jun 2004
Interesting thread, this. I often get "jumpers" myself, and have wondered: to read or not to read? I typically don't read the cards that pop out like that, but take it as a sign that I should stop shuffling, cut the cards and get on with it. I think that it's an indication that I've stopped paying attention to what I'm doing, and that I'm getting sloppy, so it's time to sit up and focus.

The When a card jumps out thread was originally posted on 16 Jun 2004 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.