Thoughtful
That is exactly how l shuffle, it seemed to become a natural happening over time. Its always been a good indication of when to stop for me. So good to hear you have this method as well
How do you know when you're done shuffling?
That is exactly how l shuffle, it seemed to become a natural happening over time. Its always been a good indication of when to stop for me. So good to hear you have this method as well
Padma
I feel that way, too. When the cards seem to just want to pour back and forth in my hands, and not get laid down, then I put the deck aside, and come back later.
Sometimes, I shuffle the deck with the face sides showing, and get my answer that way. I find the same few cards keep reappearing.
And sometimes, just the mere act of shuffling is so soothing, I trance out in a way, and I see my answer without looking at the cards.
Philistine
I watched something on YouTube a while back about this, but they were using a standard pack of 52 playing cards. I wonder, does a 78-card tarot deck require more shuffles to randomize, being that it has 50% more cards? Of course, this is for riffle shuffling. For overhand shuffling, they said maybe more than 20 times would still not fully randomize the cards. But all of this is academic.
Agreed with others that you should have your method established before shuffling so the cards "know" where to be, or know what to expect when being shuffled. I riffle 8 or 9 times, then overhand about as many, and then cut into two piles. Decks that I can't/won't riffle just get overhanded a couple dozen times and cut. I like to cut by fanning across the table and picking up one side from wherever the cut card was chosen, as I feel cutting from a stacked deck (no pun intended) tends to cut at certain cards that don't lay perfectly flat with the rest of the deck.
For decks that I only overhand shuffle, I like to insert the cards from the reading back into the deck at random, instead of piling them on top to reshuffle. I think that keeps the deck a little more randomized, given that overhand shuffling tends to keep cards in clumps.
Grizabella
I've started doing this:
Shuffle three times. Then make four piles and deal the cards out onto each pile, moving across and not putting two or more cards at once on any stack. When the cards are all distributed in the piles, put the deck back together. Then I shuffle three more times. That's a very sure way to ensure that you've got your deck well shuffled. There's no chance that cards will come out in the same order as when you picked them up from the last reading unless the "Tarot fairy" arranges the cards that way. Anything that comes up from your spread is meant to.
Shuffle three times. Then make four piles and deal the cards out onto each pile, moving across and not putting two or more cards at once on any stack. When the cards are all distributed in the piles, put the deck back together. Then I shuffle three more times. That's a very sure way to ensure that you've got your deck well shuffled. There's no chance that cards will come out in the same order as when you picked them up from the last reading unless the "Tarot fairy" arranges the cards that way. Anything that comes up from your spread is meant to.
DaughterOfDanu
That is exactly how l shuffle, it seemed to become a natural happening over time. Its always been a good indication of when to stop for me. So good to hear you have this method as well
I think someone else described it as "bossy" and I always found myself describing it as "full" or "primed". Glad to see others also go with this feeling. I'd love to stick to a number like 9 but I'm so used to how I go about shuffling now it would be hard to change my routine.
Thoughtful
Like you l when l started out with tarot l used some numbers but always wondered , is it the right number
l would not class the way l shuffle now as the deck being bossy, more as the deck and l riding along on our destination waiting for the departure point, and the deck indicating and saying "ok this is where we stop and get off: This method has never let me down. Its quick and easy and very much a two way connection.
HallowedNight
I shuffle this way as well, because my hands are really small and a bunch of overhand shuffling takes forever and makes me hands tired. I put them in four piles (representing the four directions/elements) and then when that's done I'll overhand till I feel like I'm done. (I usually do a little chant or mantra while I'm laying down those four piles as well. Helps focus the energy.)
I always seem to change the way I cut the deck though. I used to put the deck on it's side and jab my fingernail into it, which I really liked because if my nail didn't stick between any cards then I'd assume that's not where it was supposed to be. But I didn't want to hurt any of my decks (though I was being gentle), so I started cutting the deck "normally" instead. I think I'm going to try the method that @Philistine mentioned about fanning the deck before cutting it, because the Wild Unknown especially statics together a lot of the time and I feel like I'm not getting the right card. (I just need to get a decent reading cloth so I can fan the cards without them sliding everywhere.
)EDIT: And I've just realized that this doesn't really answer the question! I know when to stop when I feel it, sort of like what other people have said here. I always try to do a certain number of shuffles, but a lot of the time I get to that number and then just feel like I have to keep going. Though if I'm not getting that feeling for some reason, I'll generally just stop and draw a card anyway. Sometimes it's nonsense, but most of the time it actually helps tell me why I'm not feeling the cards as well as usual, like if I'm really tired or stressed.
JackofWands
It takes 8 shuffles with a 78-card deck, if you're just looking at things mathematically. The original thread can be found here.
yannie
Sometimes, I shuffle the deck with the face sides showing, and get my answer that way. I find the same few cards keep reappearing.
And sometimes, just the mere act of shuffling is so soothing, I trance out in a way, and I see my answer without looking at the cards.
Hmm I should try the face-up shuffling sometime!
Yes the act of shuffling can be very soothing... Sometimes I'd be absentmindedly shuffling while talking to myself (well, to my guides), & suddenly a question will arise. Then one or two shuffles with that question in mind is enough before I lay out the cards, which always make sense to me
Annabelle
Several times in the past I've tried setting a specific number for myself -- i.e. shuffle the deck 6 times, then cut, then draw -- but I can never seem to stick to it.
I am fortunate, I suppose, in that intuitively there always seems to be a point where it just "feels right" to stop shuffling. My best guess is that I typically shuffle between 6 to 10 times, at least with decks that I riffle shuffle.
For the larger or more delicate decks that I'm essentially shuffling by cutting the cards back and forth over and over, or by mixing up on a table surface, I might take a bit longer to "shuffle" thoroughly.
On the other hand, if I'm using a tarot app on my phone, I tend to stop the shuffling almost immediately and just get right to the business of choosing the cards.
I am fortunate, I suppose, in that intuitively there always seems to be a point where it just "feels right" to stop shuffling. My best guess is that I typically shuffle between 6 to 10 times, at least with decks that I riffle shuffle.
For the larger or more delicate decks that I'm essentially shuffling by cutting the cards back and forth over and over, or by mixing up on a table surface, I might take a bit longer to "shuffle" thoroughly.
On the other hand, if I'm using a tarot app on my phone, I tend to stop the shuffling almost immediately and just get right to the business of choosing the cards
.