?s re: cutting the deck and practice

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

tabitha24	09 Jan 2005
I'm brand new at this and the book that I started with made no mention of cutting the deck. Is this always required or can I do a reading by just shuffling? My first 2 readings were:a three card spread and a cross spread which I found were fairly easy to read. Are my results relevant since I didn't cut the deck? Also how often is it recommended to practice? Is a cross spread recommended for a beginner? Thanks for your advice.

mzoltarp	09 Jan 2005
Some people shuffle the cards by tossing them together in their hands, others shuffle them like playing cards. Some cut into two stacks and others into three. I don't cut the cards. Some let the querent cut the cards and others do not. There are no rules. The "rule" as I understand it is to meditate and shuffle the cards until you feel "ready" to lay out a spread. I started with the celtic cross because it is the standard spread in tarotville and it gives more exposure to the cards and their interactions than a 3 card spread. However, my way will take a person longer and a 3 card spread is a faster way to get in and get confident in your growing skills. Only you can tell yourself if your results are relevant. Finally do not believe all that you read in books. The celtic cross is a time-honored spread, yet the "experts" writing the books do not agree on the correlation of the past and future cards (#4 #6). Dive in and start enjoying tarot.

Greyling	09 Jan 2005
I know many people who allow their querents to cut the cards because they want the querents to be--and most importantly to feel--involved with the process of shuffling the cards. However, they don't quite trust other people to handle their cards. People inexperienced with tarot cards will often riffle and bend them. They're used to normal playing cards, which are cheaper and made of more flexible stock. I think this is one reason why cutting the deck is such a ubiquitous practice, not because it validates the ritual. Allowing the querent to cut is one way to involve him/her in the process. Fanning out the cards and asking the querent to choose the cards is another. Allowing the querent to choose the position of the cards or to turn them over is one more. In fact, there are countless ways to welcome the seeker into the ritual. Cutting is not a hard and fast rule, just a preferred method for some readers. And if you choose not to let the querent handle the cards at all, that's fine too. These are all personal decisions. Now, it sounds like you're just reading for yourself so far. In that case, you're free to do whatever feels comfortable to you when reading. As mzoltarp said, handle the cards until you feel easy with them in your hands, and shuffle until you feel done. Don't be afraid of making a mistake that will "invalidate" the reading. Just concentrate on your question and the movement of the cards. Celtic cross spreads are often recommended for beginners, perhaps because they are time-tested, Mother-approved. However, if they feel too complicated to you, start out with simple three card spreads. You can do Past, Present, Future spreads; Situation, Obstacles, Advice spreads; or you can devise spreads of your own. There is a great list of three-card-spreads for beginners here on Aeclectic: in the forum called Tarot Spreads, there is a sticky at the top called "Tarot Spreads Forum index". Click there and scroll down; you'll find a very helpful list of three-card-spreads. And if you have more questions about shuffling and cutting, that too has been discussed near to death; in the forum Using Tarot Cards, there is a sticky at the top called "How to Read? - Links to all questions about reading". Just a little ways down, there are dozens of topics on shuffling and cutting. Hope this helps.

The ?s re: cutting the deck and practice thread was originally posted on 09 Jan 2005 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.