Learning how to read tarot cards is a great skill set that can come in handy in all sorts of situations in life.
They can provide guidance, help you solve problems, provide hints about the future, provide clarity, illuminate improvement areas, and so much more.
Plus, you don’t have to be a psychic to start reading tarot cards. As you practice, you will slowly develop intuition, and that’s most of what you need.
So, if you decide that you want to dive into the world of tarot cards, you should get yourself a standard deck of cards. My recommendation would be to start with the Original Rider-Waite deck, but there are plenty of others available.
Then, the first thing you should learn is how to shuffle tarot cards.
Initially, you might be tempted to start learning the meanings of the various cards and trying to form your own interpretations. But that can happen later.
For the time being, shuffling tarot cards should be your first priority.
Why Do You Shuffle Tarot Cards?
There are mainly two reasons why. First, you need to introduce a certain degree of randomness in the deck.
The key to doing a great reading is to let the cards be as randomly arranged as possible so that your subconscious mind doesn’t get influenced by any patterns.
Imagine not shuffling the cards properly and getting the same cards over and over again. That might be discouraging, to say the least.
Also, if you do a reading for someone, it’s vital to shuffle the deck so that the next person doesn’t end up picking up the same cards.
The second reason is that the act of tarot shuffle can get you into a more relaxed, intuitive, and mindful state.
It gives you an opportunity to connect to the cards on a deeper level and put some of your energy into the deck.
After all, you make physical contact while you’re shuffling them, and you can use this time to form your questions or ask a higher power for guidance during your reading.
This programs the cards with your queries and it becomes more likely that you will get the answers you seek.
This is why so many tarot readers consider tarot shuffle as a meditative act.
Before You Shuffle The Cards
Now, when you are ready to shuffle your cards, it’s a good idea to cleanse the deck. This applies to both brand new and secondhand decks.
This is because, by the time your tarot deck reaches you, it interacts with many people along the way. And it might pick up and store the energies of all those people. This might interfere with your readings, and you might get inaccurate or totally whacky answers.
It’s also important to cleanse your deck between readings for the same reason. This is especially important if you are reading for others.
To cleanse your deck, you could burn some sage or palo santo and waft the smoke around the deck for a while.
You could also place your deck in the sun to get rid of any residual energies.
I like to sage my cards regularly, but I also keep mine in a cloth bag with a piece of clear quartz so the cards are continually cleansed.
Finally, you can meditate with your deck of cards in front of you. Meditation clears a given space of any negative energies, and it can definitely cleanse your tarot cards.
Learn how to do a full moon tarot spread.
How Do You Shuffle Tarot Cards?
Now that you have understood why you should shuffle tarot cards and how to prepare for a shuffle, let’s now take a look at how you should actually do it.
But before we do that, let me tell you that there is no “wrong” way of doing it.
No matter which tarot reader you talk to, everyone will tell you that you can’t get it wrong.
And don’t worry about not being very good at shuffling traditional cards either. I was a terrible shuffler when I started working with tarot.
The idea with shuffling is just to mix the cards and get a feel for them.
So, no matter what technique you use, you are going to be fine. You can even invent something of your own!
But to help you get started, here are the most common techniques that tarot readers use to shuffle their cards.
1) Overhand Shuffle
This is one of the most common and easiest techniques. Follow these steps:
- Hold the deck of cards in your non-dominant hand. For most people, that’s their left hand. Using the left hand is beneficial as it is said to harbour feminine energies that can increase your intuitiveness.
- Now, pull out small chunks of cards with your other hand and place them on top of the deck. You can pull these chunks from anywhere in the deck.
- Repeat this six or seven times and you are done!
2) The Drop And Smoosh
This is quite a fun way of shuffling your cards and many tarot readers love it because it assures randomness. This also helps if you’re not confident with shuffling.
- Place your tarot cards face down on the floor or table.
- Then, spread them around and mix them up until you are happy.
- Then, bring them together and arrange them into a deck once again. You now have a completely random deck of cards.
3) Restacking
This technique is similar to the overhand shuffle. But there is one minor difference. Let’s look at how you can do this:
- First, place the deck of cards on a flat surface like a table or the floor.
- Then, pull out chunks of cards from anywhere in the deck and place them back anywhere you like.
- Do this five or six times or until you are happy with the mix.
4) The Three Pile Cut
This is a pretty easy technique that a lot of beginners like. You can even use this method as a tarot spread. Let’s look at how this can be done:
- First, shuffle your cards using any of the techniques you like.
- Then, place the shuffled deck of cards on a flat surface.
- Next, divide this deck into three piles and select any one of them for your tarot reading. This adds another layer of shuffling.
- Alternatively, you can also use the three piles to do a simple past, present, and future reading. Just take one card out of each pile and assign them to the relevant positions.
5) The Fan
You have probably seen this technique used in casinos or by magicians. It certainly looks cool! Let’s see how you can do this:
- First, place your deck of cards on a flat surface and fan them out. It might take a little bit of practice, but you’ll get there.
- Then, all you have to do is choose cards at random.
Final Thoughts
Shuffling your tarot cards is important as they need to be well mixed before a reading, and it also helps you put your energy and your intention into your cards.
Remember that you don’t need to be an expert in shuffling cards, so don’t stress about it, and just find a technique that works well for you.
I started Spirit of Sapphire in August 2017 after finally building up the courage to start reading tarot for people other than my loved ones.
At the same time, I embarked upon expanding my spiritual knowledge and skills and so attended various psychic mediumship courses and circles, and I also began to train as a Reiki practitioner.
I’ve designed this site to be a hub of spiritual knowledge. As I learn new things, I want to share them with you.
- Pegasus Symbolism: Understanding The Spiritual Meaning And Dream Meaning Of Pegasus - November 5, 2023
- 50 Beautiful Moonstone Affirmations To Try - November 5, 2023
- The 6 Best Samhain Crystals To Work With This Spooky Season - October 23, 2023
