FadeToWhite
My "rituals" are pretty simple.
Before reading: I lay out my reading cloth. (This is actually an old head scarf I bought at a junk shop in Pennsylvania.) I take the cards out of their case (I hand-sew felt cases for all my decks - daunting since I am a collector!) and begin shuffling. At first I shuffle like a poker dealer. I do a few shuffles like that, then begin shuffling hand over hand. While shuffling like this, I concentrate on the question and the querent (if there is one).
Choosing cards: I continue to loosely shuffle hand over hand, getting looser and more "messy" (can you tell I'm not into traditional ritual? LOL!) until cards start to "jump out." That's how I pick what cards to lay out. It can take a while to get all the cards, but I have found that this method works VERY well for me.
After reading: I collect all the cards, hold them, say quietly (or in my head) "Thank you for your wisdom, your insight, and your guidance" (this is both to the cards themselves and to the Powers That Be), shuffle them a few times, and put them back into their case.
Before reading: I lay out my reading cloth. (This is actually an old head scarf I bought at a junk shop in Pennsylvania.) I take the cards out of their case (I hand-sew felt cases for all my decks - daunting since I am a collector!) and begin shuffling. At first I shuffle like a poker dealer. I do a few shuffles like that, then begin shuffling hand over hand. While shuffling like this, I concentrate on the question and the querent (if there is one).
Choosing cards: I continue to loosely shuffle hand over hand, getting looser and more "messy" (can you tell I'm not into traditional ritual? LOL!) until cards start to "jump out." That's how I pick what cards to lay out. It can take a while to get all the cards, but I have found that this method works VERY well for me.
After reading: I collect all the cards, hold them, say quietly (or in my head) "Thank you for your wisdom, your insight, and your guidance" (this is both to the cards themselves and to the Powers That Be), shuffle them a few times, and put them back into their case.