Incorporating Bottom Cards in a Read?

[FairyCrystal]

I sometimes see readers also reading the bottom card of a deck, and there's one who often reads some 3-4 cards from the bottom even though she's had a spread laid out with cards?

Anyone here does that too, and if not, how do you feel about it?
I'm always a bit sceptical about it. One card, okay. That could make sense. But 3 or 4?
I don't get the reasoning behind it.

Now I am not one to shuffle and take lots of cards from the top. I prefer jumping cards or cutting the deck to get my cards as then it feels more like getting the right cards to me. I don't really believe all the cards I need have miraculously gathered together during shuffling and are neatly on the top, one after the other. Maybe that's why I feel different about this.

[tealily]

I go through phases with bottom cards

I also know readers that like to pick a spot in the deck (usually from the top) and do the continually pulling cards from there thing

I think it's one of those tarot YMMV things (my favourite weird story is the first person who taught me tarot, who said one of their clients was too impatient to learn how to read cards so she just threw a tarot definition book up into the air and whichever page the book opened to when it landed on the floor was apparently the card selected... (by gravity???) for the client

[KristinCali]

Originally Posted by FairyCrystal

Now I am not one to shuffle and take lots of cards from the top. I prefer jumping cards or cutting the deck to get my cards as then it feels more like getting the right cards to me. I don't really believe all the cards I need have miraculously gathered together during shuffling and are neatly on the top, one after the other.

Agreed! I kind of wondered if other people also shuffled the deck between each card pull.

[Pandora.]

I sometimes incorporate it. I actually find it quite useful when I do. I pull two cards from the bottom. The very bottom card I designate as the overall theme and the next card is the underlying energy.

For example, a reading about a relationship might have the Ace of Cups reversed. The underlying card might be The Moon. Along the lines of unopen to new potential because they have underlying fears from a previous relationship. Obviously the actual reading will have a bearing - it may have come up in the reading that this person just split from their partner, or whatever.

I think it's important though to set the intention on what you want the bottom card to mean. Otherwise, it's just too random and won't necessarily make sense.

Hope that helps.

As you know, I'm kind of eclectic with my reading style.
I like to pull the bottom card when someone is vague about the theme of their question. I find the bottom card tends to shed light on what the sitter really wants to know but doesn't feel they can ask.
Pulling several from the bottom of the deck would lend itself to getting a broader story behind that.
As for where I pull cards from really depends on how I feel. I riffle shuffle so don't get 'jumper' cards. Some days I just pull cards from the top, others days I'll split the deck and read the card that is on top of the split. I even have days when I fan out the deck and take cards from wherever I feel drawn.
I don't have a set practice, I like fluidity. I don't even do a CC in the usual form. Some days I don't use a spread at all and just pull cards until I feel there is a natural conclusion.
I've even told a sitter to literally toss the deck in the air and read the cards as they land. Boy was that messy but funnily enough, I got the reading spot on and it all came to pass (and turned into a very messy situation too).

[FairyCrystal]

Thank you all for your reactions! They certainly give me something to think about :)

55Degrees, you are hilarious, haha. I can see it happening, throw the entire deck up in the air. But I can understand the reading would be good! For some illogical feeling it makes perfect sense.
And typical the situation turned out to be very messy too! I have noticed such things myself too. Sometimes when shuffling for someone the cards keep flying everywhere, with others it works perfectly fine. The way it goes says something about the energy of the one you read for.

[KatieChristine10]

I do this sometimes as well. Usually I just try and go off of the vibe of the cards when I am doing a reading, and go with the flow.