How do you shuffle/pull cards?

Hi everyone,

I'm new to Tarot, just got a deck recently. I was wondering, when pulling cards for a spread, am I supposed to shuffle, then take the cards directly from the top, and lay them down? Or do I pull cards from the anywhere in the deck and lay them down? None of the books that I've looked at so far were clear on this.

Thanks so much!

[Squatchit]

Hiya ninja

Welcome to SF.

It's very much up to you would be my advice. Use your intuition. I tend to shuffle and wait for them to either fly out or flip sideways.

Hope you enjoy your new cards.

Squatch

Well, I found that I developed my own unique way to pull cards.

There are many different techniques out there, but I feel the best one is the one that feels natural to you. There is no one 'right' way.

When I first started tarot, I stressed about pulling cards the right way. But I came to realize that the information that I should see, will come to me no matter what. So, feel free to develop your own technique... you should be guided to it. :)

Before I shuffle my deck, I hold it in my hands and ask God to guide my inerpretation of the cards and I state how many cards I intend to pull. Then, I wait for a number to pop in my head (it happens usually right after my prayer). Whatever number it is, I shuffle the deck that many times then I draw the cards from the top of the deck! :)
Everyone does it differently. As you become more comfortable with Tarot, you will figure out what works for you.

Sorry to post again but I just remembered something.
Some people spread the cards out in a line and pass their hand over the cards. Usually it's their left hand. If they feel a card, like if the air around it feels warmer or cooler than the surrounding air, they use that card. They do that until they've drawn their desired number of cards.

Thanks so much for the tips!

Squatchit - thanks for the warm welcome! I will use my intuition to see what feels right.

missrachel300 - Yes! I was also feeling stressed that I was pulling cards wrong and that the reading would not be accurate.

AbbeyWilcox - Great ideas, I will try both methods.

Thanks again, so glad to have found this forum!

[Aurora Borealis]

Originally Posted by Squatchit

I tend to shuffle and wait for them to either fly out or flip sideways.

There it is again, our twin-ish vibrations; I do exactly the same! Haha!
- And here I was, thinking I was the only one.

[Denv12]

Hi.

I use oracle cards.Here's what I do:
1) start shuffling whilst thinking of the what I want guidance on.Because I live on my own I just say it instead of thinking it.
2)Then I fan the cards out across the table with the cards face down.I spread them out so that you can see all the cards overlapping each other.
3)I slowly scan the cards with my left hand.If a card "feels" right as I scan I pick up that card and put it its position in the spread.
I continue that selection process until I have chosen all the cards for that spread.

For some reason it just feels good for me.It just feels right.Works for me.
I have tried the shuffle,cut the deck,put one half of the cards over the top of the other half then pull cards from the top.

Thank you, Denv12! Is your left hand your non-dominant hand?

[Jenny Crow]

I've found that what works for me is first of all I ask the cards to "Tell me true what I need to know" and then I shuffle the cards as I'm thinking of my question or what it is I need answers on.

I then lay the deck face down on the table in front of me and with my left hand I cut the cards to the left which gives me two piles of cards in front of me. Then I go back to the first pile and cut it again with my left hand and lay that bunch of cards down to the left of the first lot that I cut. I pick up the first pile I cut (which is the middle pile) then I pick up the second pile I cut then I pick up the remaining pile. I read this method years and years ago in a book I had and it's always worked well for me. I also read for clients and I get them to do the same thing.

Jenny Crow