[kika_meow]

I've read that you should ALWAYS reorder the cards (from 0 to 22 the Major Arcana and from 1 to 9 the Minor and the court cards in order as well) before doing a new reading, I don't really do it this way, I reorder my cards once in a while, as well as I smudge my deck once in a while or I put it under the full moon once in a while. But I don't do it always and I've read that ordering the cards is necessary to reset the energy of the previous reading, specially if reading for other people.

What do ya'll think about this?

[Nemia]

I think you should not listen to advice that starts with should or shouldn't ;-)

I don't order the cards after every reading. I love ordering them and do so often. Sometimes I order, shuffle, order and shuffle just to keep them moving.

In my opinion, it's enough to shuffle very well after a reading to break up its energy.

[Charlie Brown]

That doesn't seem very practical if you're reading often and a pain in the butt even if you aren't. I think, for the most part, a good shuffle is all that's required. Personally, I'll reorder the deck every couple of months or so. That usually is also a convenient time to do some deck study or meditational things where I'll be picking out specific cards anyways.

[kika_meow]

Originally Posted by Nemia

I think you should not listen to advice that starts with should or shouldn't ;-)

Yeah, it didn't sound right, that's why I came to look for a second opinion. Thanks for sharing, I think that just shuffling the cards well is a good idea.

[kika_meow]

Originally Posted by Charlie Brown

That doesn't seem very practical if you're reading often and a pain in the butt even if you aren't. Personally, I'll reorder the deck every couple of months or so.

That's what I thought first, and then I thought "maybe, since people is charging money for the readings, ordering the cards in between clients might be part of the package of energy exchange", but I still think is exaggerated.

Thank you for being specific about the time it takes for you to reorder your cards. I do it more often because I read reversals and my readings become a mess when most of the cards start showing reversed. But I agree, ordering the cards every time sounds like a pain in the butt! >_<

[Barleywine]

I take an opposite approach. I always thoroughly randomize my decks before reading in a professional setting, and since there often isn't time between readings to do that with a single deck, I take a few randomized decks with me to a reading session. I randomize both for sequence and for orientation. The main problem with ordering the cards in advance according to rank, suit and number is that my sitters seldom shuffle long enough and well enough to achieve a distribution that accurately zeros in on their subconscious awareness of the situation, so the cards "clump" in series that I find difficult to take seriously. My preferred method for drawing cards can be vulnerable to this, so I use Grizabella's "deal randomly into several piles" technique to separate any existing clumps before a reading.

But when you think about it, the sitter's goal in shuffling is actually to align the cards subconsciously in the proper order for the reading, so I prefer them to start with a "random scatter" that then coalesces into a meaningful narrative pattern as the sitter shuffles. This approaches the objective from the other end of the spectrum, drawing sympathetic cards together out of a featureless "cloud" rather than trying to create intelligible distinctions within a pre-established set. One way to dodge the clumping phenomenon would be to draw the cards randomly from a fan, but I find that cumbersome and counter-intuitive to the purpose of the client's shuffle. Thorough riffle-shuffling is another way, but most sitters either don't do it or aren't very proficient at it. Like many things about tarot, this is an area that only personal experience will tell you what works best in your own practice.

[EmpyreanKnight]

They say that ordering the cards after a reading is a way of cleansing them of any negative energies they imbibed during the reading. I almost always do this, except if I plan to use the deck at a latter time, in another reading that also touches on matters that were discussed in the previous one.

So yeah, in a way I (almost) always order the cards before a new reading.

[Barleywine]

Originally Posted by EmpyreanKnight

They say that ordering the cards after a reading is a way of cleansing them of any negative energies they imbibed during the reading. I almost always do this, except if I plan to use the deck at a latter time, in another reading that also touches on matters that were discussed in the previous one.

So yeah, in a way I (almost) always order the cards before a new reading.

Whether or not the cards hold onto energy, negative or otherwise, is another entire debate. I'm one who doesn't believe it's a major consideration, so I don't feel the need to do any cleansing of the cards. Clearing the reading space itself between readings is something I like to do.

[page of ghosts]

I'm too lazy to bother with it. I think if you need to "reset" the deck for whatever reason it can be good - I really like doing it if I'm trimming a deck and do the cards in a particular order - but doing it all the time for every reading? Not for me. I suppose it could be different if I was doing a lot of readings for other people but then I think Barleywine's idea is a good option.

[EmpyreanKnight]

Originally Posted by Barleywine

Whether or not the cards hold onto energy, negative or otherwise, is another entire debate. I'm one who doesn't believe it's a major consideration, so I don't feel the need to do any cleansing of the cards. Clearing the reading space itself between readings is something I like to do.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I'm not OC, but cleansing my cards after each reading is something I know I have to do, otherwise I'd feel like I did not conclude things properly, like I just performed an incomplete, improperly conducted ritual. That's just me tho.

But like you, I do clear my reading space too.