How do you shuffle?

Tanga

I shuffle hand over hand on the short side of the cards - so this is holding the deck with the long sides between forefinger and thumb of my right hand, and pulling the pile towards me and placing it on top with left.

Then cut a couple of times... If there's a querent I ask them to cut.

Then shuffle hand over hand on the long side of the cards - this is holding the deck in the left hand with the long side lying against the length of palm and thumb, and this time pulling the pile up and then placing on top.

Then - I may either deal straight from the top,
Or split into 2 piles and deal from one, or both of them.
If there's a querent - I fan the cards out on the table and ask them to choose cards randomly as they like.


I never rifle shuffle - like Barleywine I'm crap at it and cards end up damaged or on the floor.
:)


Sometimes - if the cards are difficult to handle for some reason - I'll place them face down on the table and "smoosh" them around (stir them around on the table surface).


If I have the time at the end - I will randomly place each drawn card back in the deck, then shuffle.
If not - I'll just put it all together and shuffle.
 

nisaba

Curious as to how different folk go about shuffling and drawing cards for a reading.

I just do a standard overhead shuffle, turning the deck around for larger decks. I never riffle - I respect the edges of my cards too much.

As to drawing cards, I have this deal with all my decks that shuffling and cutting the deck gives them time to put all the cards I've going to need in the correct order at the top of the final deck. That method hasn't failed me ever, and I've been reading since the 1970s. As long as your deck understands your method and you use the same method, the cards will be there consistently.

Regarding psychically picking cards out of a fan: a few years ago, my then-partner liked to waste our time watching a brain-dead TV game where two contestants would compete by picking briefcases, hoping to end up with one that had a large amount of money in it. They had a special Psychics episode, where a card reader, a pendulum user and an overhead clairvoyant were the contestants. The overhead clairvoyant spoke to his guides, held his hands over the boxes, and with great assurance picked out a box - with $1 in it. The pendulum user picked the box where the pendulum went wild (with a little help from the person's arm), and similarly bummed out. Their senses didn't work all that well.

You can't guarantee, as they couldn't, that your sensitivity when choosing decks will be spot-on every time, so tell the deck to put all the cards in the right order at the top, and let it do its job so that you can peel off cards with assurance. :)
 

crowds

I like your reasoning on giving the cards time to order themselves nisba. I think I'll give the cards from the top a go. At least when my new deck arrives... My puppies got out of their crate last night and my thoth deck was one of the casualties :(
I'm also curious as to the significance of which hand is used to split the deck?
 

rwcarter

I'm also curious as to the significance of which hand is used to split the deck?
I think it's because your dominant hand is associated with rationality and your non-dominant hand is associated with intuition. So with your non-dominant hand you're intuitively cutting the cards where they need to be cut to get the message you (or the Querent depending on who does the cutting) need to receive.

Rodney
 

LauraKai

I split mine into two halves and riffle them. Sometimes I then shuffle them a bit as well, but that doesn't work as well for me, as I've got small hands. I also worry about chipping the edges with some decks. When it feels right, I halve the deck and take the top card from the bottom half.
 

Tanga

I think it's because your dominant hand is associated with rationality and your non-dominant hand is associated with intuition. So with your non-dominant hand you're intuitively cutting the cards where they need to be cut to get the message you (or the Querent depending on who does the cutting) need to receive.

Rodney

:)
Since I'm not cleanly Left/Right... (Left handed but do a lot of things with my right... but my Left side is weaker due to my hyper mobility being more apparent on that side... etc.etc.etc.) all those Left/Right ideas never quite stuck with me.
I do what feels good (maybe subconsciously so - waha!).
 

SunChariot

Curious as to how different folk go about shuffling and drawing cards for a reading.
Shuffle wise I like to deal the cards out into three rows and three columns to help break up old groupings of cards from previous spreads and then gather them up before a normal shuffle.
As to drawing... i go two ways. Sometimes I spread the cards out and pick the ones I am drawn to. Other times I split the deck and take the top card before shuffling and drawing the next card.
How about you?
I have considered drawing all the cards straight from the top after a good shuffle, anyone else do this ?

I've gone through a number of variations over the years, but seem to have settled into this one.

For shuffling, I really had to stop and think about this one. LOL It's become such a habit for years now that it's become instinct and I don't think about it at all.

So let's see. I just take the deck in my left hand. Then take are few off the top and put it in my right hand. Then take some cards off the bottom of the original pile and add that to the ones in my right hand. I keep taking them from the top, then the bottom alternately and adding them to the growing pile in my right hand until all the cards are in my right hand. I tend to shuffle a number of times usually in the range of 8 to 17. More times if I want to use reversals, to randomize them well.

After all that, :grin: ...

what I do to choose the cards is I turn the deck upright in my hands as I close my eyes (at the same time). Then I tend to feel through them and try to FEEL the cards that feel like they are answer. The ones that are meant to be the answer. If I feel that "tingle" in my hands I take that card out and it is part of the answer. I keep going until all the cards I need are chosen. Seems to work for me anyway,

Babs
 

rwcarter

:)
Since I'm not cleanly Left/Right... (Left handed but do a lot of things with my right... but my Left side is weaker due to my hyper mobility being more apparent on that side... etc.etc.etc.) all those Left/Right ideas never quite stuck with me.
I do what feels good (maybe subconsciously so - waha!).
I'm right handed but drive and can write with my left hand if I take my time. So I still see my left hand as my non-dominant hand and that's the one I use when cutting the cards and selecting which pile feels right.

Different strokes and all. :)

Rodney
 

crowds

I think it's because your dominant hand is associated with rationality and your non-dominant hand is associated with intuition. So with your non-dominant hand you're intuitively cutting the cards where they need to be cut to get the message you (or the Querent depending on who does the cutting) need to receive.

Rodney

Ahh I see, ok thank you :)
 

Melissa`

I used to be very careful and shuffle hand over hand. Since coming back to the cards, and now with kids, I need to hurry up and get on with it - so I'm learning to riffle shuffle. I say learning because it's a bit hard for me to stretch my fingers on the standard decks, I bent a card in half the first time I tried it. Oops. The pocket sized cards in the tins are really easy for me to riffle. I'm finding I quite like to shuffle this way - especially once I got it in my head that I believe they are just cards that I can replace.

Now if I get back into buying special editions, indie prints, etc.. then I may not riffle those :D