How do you shuffle?

[crowds]

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 ?

 

[DDwarks]

I do.
I'm always careful not to put drawn cards back together in deck in the first place.
I shuffle my deck, cut it in 3 piles then chose 1 of them from which I draw cards straight from the top.

 

[Barleywine]

First off, I don't riffle because I'm not very good at it and the cards stock is often too thick or rigid to do it aggressively without risking damage, or too thin to resist bending or creasing (very few of the decks I own are as suitable as playing cards for it). If I have time between readings, I deal the deck out into seven random piles, altering the sequence, then turn about half of those upside down to create arbitrary reversals. Finally, I shuffle overhand a few times until it feels "right," then cut the deck into three piles, reassemble it in a different order, and draw from the top. Sometimes I'll fan the cards and pull randomly from that. If I don't have time, I'll just do a thorough overhand shuffle, but it doesn't randomize the deck as well as the "7-stacks" method. In a public setting, I always have my sitters shuffle and cut for themselves or, if they really don't want to shuffle, I just have them cut. I'm still basically following the method I learned from Eden Gray's books back in 1972.

We've had numerous discussion of this before, and I finally concluded that the "randomizing" part isn't the goal of the final shuffle-and-cut, it's actually "ordering" the cards in the way necessary to communicate the message.

 

[MistyDay]

I used to do so... simply shuffle the deck and then draw cards straight from the top. Seemed to work. When I got the deck I'm currently using I started to shuffle and cut in two piles as well, then draw cards from the bottom one. Just... because. Seems to work as well. I have tried fanning cards and then drawing them randomly but it just doesn't feel right and result doesn't make sense.

 

[Talulah26]

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 do this too, I shuffle, split into three piles, gather them up then shuffle again. To draw I just take the cards from the top of the deck after shuffling.

 

[JustJazzie]

I give the cards a good shuffle before I ask my question. I always journal while I am reading so after I shuffle, I type my specific question and make sure the wording is what I like. Then I start shuffling the cards vertically, and overhand ( I have tiny hands) and I let the cards "jump" from the deck. Maybe its a card that stays in my fingers when all the others are gone. Maybe its a card that sticks out from the deck when the others have stacked neatly. I always think "is that my card" sometimes I get a "no" from my intuition and sometimes I get a "yes" If its a yes, then thats the card I put into place. Sometimes a card jumps/falls out of the deck, and I take that as an obvious sign. I just repeat this until all my cards are dealt.


I used to just shuffle, shuffle, shuffle until I heard "stop" or "now" from my intuition. It worked well with my beginner deck, but when I branched out a particularly slippery deck I adopted this new method. It works well for me!

 

[CrystalSeas]

I shuffle.

I let the quierent cut the deck into three piles, watching which way they cut, which hand they use, etc.

I turn over each pile for a quick past-present-future reading and then have the querent re-stack them, again watching to see which hand s/he uses and which order the stacks end up in the pile.

Then I lay out the spread, starting with the top card.

==================
Hah!
I just figured out why I don't use the bottom card as the 'base' card. I've already looked at it as part of the past/present/future assessment and factored it into the interpretation.

 

[Sharla]

I just shuffle how i feel to shuffle at that given time, most times its a hand shuffle or i could even chuck all cards in the air and pick whatever.....its whatever YOU want to do, they're your cards and your rules. Your cards work with you and how you relate to them, don't go by what other people do.

Some people shuffle and split with left hand into 3 piles and pick top card from each pile....well yes you can do this, but only if it feels right for you.

I tried doing this at some point, but for me it didn't feel right, so i carried on with just shuffling and randomly choosing cards.....as that's what i'm comfortable with.

As i'm a shuffler, if one day i feel to divide piles etc, then i will do this.....its entirely your choice. Go with your gut and follow it, as to what feels right for you, that's all you can do.

I don't believe there is any rules to tarot or any other divination....its all about yourself and your connection with the cards that make the reading your own.

Regarding others replies, i think others worry too much about doing the right thing, but it shouldnt be like that.

 

[rwcarter]

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.

To avoid that, I place the cards from a completed reading back in different spots in the deck one by one.

I have considered drawing all the cards straight from the top after a good shuffle, anyone else do this ?

I take the cards from the top of the deck. But I have shuffled 7x, cut into 3 piles to the left using my non-dominant hand, selected one of the piles and reassembled the deck putting the pile on the furthest right under the pile I selected and then putting the last pile under that. That changes the order of the piles. I do that 3x before taking the cards off the top of the deck.

I read that method in a book when I first started, and it resonated so I've stuck with it all these years.

Rodney

 

[CrystalSeas]

Regarding others replies, i think others worry too much about doing the right thing, but it shouldnt be like that.

I'd appreciate it if in the future, you would avoid characterizing my reply as worrying too much about doing the right thing

You're welcome to your own opinion, but please leave derogatory comments about my reading style out of your posts. I can decide for myself whether or not I should be reading that way.

Thanks