How do you know when you're done shuffling?

Sometimes I shuffle until the cards get "bossy" meaning they start falling out or feeling tight or not meshing well...that is an indication I should stop.
But my nephew told me according to Einstein 7 times shuffling a deck is enough to make it totally random...so I usually stick to 7.
Although if I am dreamily thinking of my question and mindlessly shuffling I might go till the cards are bossy.
But for clients it's usually 7.

I shuffle until I feel a "tug" from my cards. It's like a pull of energy that draws me to the cards that I need to lay out. It's difficult to explain, but I feel it in my chest when the cards are right.

jupitarius said:

I shuffle until I feel a "tug" from my cards. It's like a pull of energy that draws me to the cards that I need to lay out. It's difficult to explain, but I feel it in my chest when the cards are right.

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Interesting. I get a similar feeling whenever shuffling/cutting. There are days when I'm really feeling I most definitely need to shuffle my deck, my hands feel warm and I can go on for ages without stopping, I get splendid readings that way. Also, before I actually do the reading, I cut the cards in three piles. Usually I close my eyes and let my hand hover above the three piles. I look at the piles mentally and whichever makes me feel more 'right' and makes my hands tingle is the one I'll choose to be on top.

However that doesn't always happen lol There are days when it's just bleh, I'm too lazy to do this calmly, or too anxious to get a reading, and end up messing my cards up.

I resurrected an old thread about shuffling since there are already so many. I just wanted to share my new method.

I shuffle my cards several times before each reading but it's always kind of nagged me way in the back of my mind that maybe that wasn't enough to randomize the cards fully.

What I've started doing now, and it works absolutely wonderfully, is that I shuffle three times, then make four piles of cards and deal them into those 4 piles, pick up the four piles and shuffle three more times. It takes a little bit longer, maybe, but now I'm sure the cards are totally randomized.

For me, I wait until I feel that the shuffling is enough.
It is a weird kind of feeling.

teleriprincess said:

I'm having an unexpected difficulty in shuffling. I can shuffle for ages and ages and ages without ever getting a feeling that the deck is the way it is supposed to be for the reading. It never feels "right", you know? I ended up getting tired of shuffling and tried pulling a spread anyway, and it came out totally garbled. Unsurprising to me because I personally feel like the shuffle is of pivotal importance to the reading. Diagnosis? What indicates to you guys when a deck is shuffled "just right"?

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If you have a problem with this, decide on a set number of "rounds" to shuffle it, say, seven, or ten or some other number you like. Don't ever change that number. Tell your deck that when it's been shuffled that many times, it must have all the right cards in the right order on top of it. They will do it straight away. Often having a system and sticking to it is all your deck needs.

nisaba said:

If you have a problem with this, decide on a set number of "rounds" to shuffle it, say, seven, or ten or some other number you like. Don't ever change that number. Tell your deck that when it's been shuffled that many times, it must have all the right cards in the right order on top of it. They will do it straight away. Often having a system and sticking to it is all your deck needs.

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I have a pattern, but if I feel like I should stop early or go longer, I do. Intuition's usefulness is rooted in rescuing you from your habits.

chongjasmine said:

For me, I wait until I feel that the shuffling is enough.
It is a weird kind of feeling.

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"Shuffle until 'song'" comes to mind xD

I do that too. It's a gut feeling. Sometimes I catch myself shuffling for a long time... When that happens, I find that it means I need to rethink my question...my mind needs to be in a better place before I ask the tarot...

ETA - it doesn't happen often when reading for myself; it's more when I read for others on here. I wonder if the length of shuffling time is also a reflection of the state of mind of the sitter.

The way I shuffle is to keep going until I feel the cards stick/block just don't shuffle smoothly anymore, once it sticks I'll cut the deck once, then I'll pick my cards, for some online readings I'll ask the sitter to pick a number and then pick their number from my cut, I also tend to shuffle and cut for each card I pull, just the way I do it, think my decks are used to my shuffling technique now.

I always know when it's time to stop shuffling. I can't explain it, I just know and I advise my sitters to stop shuffling as soon as it feels right to do so.

Once I'm done shuffling, I cut the deck anywhere I feel like it using my left hand. I'm not sure why I do this lol it's just a random habit I've developed over the years, but it seems to work well for me