My Take on Shuffling the Tarot
Okay, so folks sometimes ask how I actually do the tarot thing, especially the shuffling part. It’s not super mystical the way I handle it, more like a routine I’ve settled into after trying different ways.
First off, I grab my deck. Usually the same one I’ve been using for ages, feels right in my hands. I don’t do a lot of fanfare, maybe just take a breath, clear my head a bit. You know, just try to be present.
Then comes the actual shuffling. I’m not fancy. I mostly do a standard overhand shuffle. You know, holding the deck in one hand and sliding chunks of cards off the top into the other hand. I do this for a while. How long? Honestly, I don’t count. I just go until it feels… done. Like the cards have mixed enough. Sometimes it’s quick, sometimes I shuffle for a couple of minutes, especially if I feel stressed or my mind is racing. It kind of helps settle things down.
Handling the Cards
I try not to bend them too much. These cards are old friends, gotta treat ’em okay. I’ve seen people do the riffle shuffle like playing cards, but I never got into that. Feels a bit rough for my deck. So, just the simple overhand, over and over.
- Hold the deck comfortably.
- Slide small packets of cards from one hand to the other.
- Keep it loose, don’t grip too tight.
- Stop when it feels right. Trust that feeling.
Getting the Cards Ready
Once I feel the shuffling is complete, I usually cut the deck. I place the whole shuffled stack down. Then I use my left hand (just a habit, probably doesn’t matter) to cut it into three piles, usually from left to right.
Then I restack them. Sometimes I go middle pile onto the left, then both onto the right. Other times I just stack them in a different order than they were cut. Again, it’s more about what feels right in that moment than following a strict rule.
After stacking them back into one pile, that’s when I’ll draw the cards for whatever spread I’m doing. Could be a simple three-card draw, could be something more complex. But the shuffling and cutting part, that’s done.
That’s pretty much it. My process for shuffling the tarot. It’s simple, practical, and it’s what works for me. Gets the cards mixed, gets me focused. Nothing too weird, just part of the process I’ve worked out over time.
