when people don't shuffle the deck properly!

hollyelizabeth

Twice now i have done readings for people who (i presume) haven't shuffled the deck enough and a lot of the same cards in a similar order appeared... it seemed to fit in with their reading/the question etc

but what is the protocol for that sort of thing? should i shuffle between readings? i'm also not very good at shuffling... its difficult and it takes ages... is there a way i can learn to shuffle cards properly lol?
 

Patrick Booker

I only do spreads for myself, and I am afraid I don't shuffle them all that thoroughly between spreads. This means that cards tend to clump together. But if I do want to make them more random again, I use a method I got from R. J. Stewart. There are two variations, and I can't rememember which he recommends. The first is to count out the cards in sevens, so you end up with seven piles of eleven cards plus one. The second, which I prefer, is to do this with three rows, so you get twenty one piles. The cards are then stacked into one pile. I sometimes use nine instead of seven, but I think that the choice is subjective and intuitive. For me, this procedure can acquire a sort of ritual quality. You can repeat this if you want, but I find that once is enough. I tend to restack the piles in a random order, and then do a few normal shuffles.

Not strictly relevant, but if I am working with one deck over a period of time, I keep a spreadsheet to note patterns of occurrence. They can be very interesting.

Patrick
 

Zephyros

It's a superstition, I guess, but I shuffle the cards before I give them to the querent, in order "bring them back to me" and then I hand them over to them to shuffle. I've never been a good shuffler, but practice makes perfect, like everything.
 

starlightexp

When I have the space. I have them shuffle the deck, then I fan it out in front of them and have them draw cards. This would prevent the same cards coming up unless they REALLY needed to come up. I look at it as they have the whole universe spread out before them, and this is the path that they are choosing.
 

Sulis

Why not just pick the cards from random places within the stack or from a fan? That way it doesn't matter if they've been shuffled enough.
 

tarotbear

When I am doing multiple readings at a party or fair, I usually shuffle the cards myself a few times between Querents, usually while I am talking to them. Then I have them shuffle their cards. If the same cards pop up in the same order for them - they were meant to come up!
 

rwcarter

Whenever I do a reading, regardless for whom, when I'm done I put the cards back into the deck in different places instead of all together in a clump. That way if the same cards appear again they were meant to.

For example if I do a 6 card spread, instead of putting all 6 cards together into the deck, I put each card into a different part of the deck.

HTH,
Rodney
 

Egypt

special edition deck shuffling

I have two decks that are very hard to shuffle as they are made of scratchable material. The two decks i own are by Marchetti and a deck made of gold leaf by los scarbos.What is the best way to shuffle those decks? I have just been shuffling them by gently placing the cards inbetween each other. It is not always an acurate shuffle though so if you have any suggestions please let me know thanks.
 

Thirteen

Overhand Shuffle

hollyelizabeth said:
what is the protocol for that sort of thing?
Click to expand...
Up to you. I do shuffle in-between readings and I recommend that. It's not only to randomize the cards for the next person, but to clear out the influence of the last person and their reading--to take the cards back to "neutral" so to speak. It's also a very meditative exercise for you, the reader, and can bring you back to neutral as well. Speeding it up and getting good at shuffling only takes practice which you can do anytime you're on the phone, or watching television; it's something a reader should know how to do. This is harder if you've got small hands, or just a large deck, or a new deck which is very stiff and slippery. Pick one that fits your hands and, if possible, one that is a little broken in, and just practice, practice, practice.

This will strengthen your hands as well :)

Another way you can do it is called the "overhand" method, and it's far easier on the hands and you can learn how to do it faster and easier than the usual cut and ruffle together. The overhand works like this: hold the cards side-wise in one hand, pull cards up from it with the the other, and set those pulled out back in a different place front or back. See this video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZByHu_NUJs

Do this a few times and your deck should be ready to hand back to another sitter for shuffling and a new question.
 
Hierophant as the base of the relationship Nine of swords reversed