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Is There a Best Way to Shuffle Tarot Cards?
“What is the best way to shuffle tarot cards?” or “How do you shuffle your tarot cards?” are all questions that I get asked a surprising number of times.
Many people learn to read tarot cards simply for themselves and that’s absolutely okay. Most of us started exactly that way and learning to shuffle tarot cards correctly was part of that learning.
The short answer to the question “What is the best way to shuffle tarot cards?” is “Any way you like!”
The longer answer, however, is not quite so simple – like so many other things in life!
Is There a Right Way to Shuffle Tarot Cards?
Like almost everything to do with tarot, there is no one way that is totally right and no way that is totally wrong although I would caution against any cavalier approach or attitude to shuffling.
Reading tarot cards is an art, not a science, and at times it can be an extraordinarily complex art so getting all aspects of it as right as possible is important.
Like everything worth learning, it takes time and effort to learn and to know.
So, what shuffling methods are there?
There are many different methods that have been tried over the years, but there are comparatively few really common methods.
Most of us grew up and would have learnt at some time or another to deal playing cards. You may (or may not!) be surprised to learn that the methods you learnt growing up have names.
The Riffle Shuffle
The most common shuffling method which we all see on television and in movies when people sit down to play cards is called the Riffle Shuffle.
Put very simply, that’s where you split your cards into two equal or relatively equal stacks, dovetail your thumbs together, bend the cards slightly and intersperse the cards together.
It’s an extremely well-known technique and one that most of us are familiar with by adulthood.
The Overhand Shuffle
The Overhand Shuffle is another well-known method which is where you cut the cards repeatedly and move the “cut” to the front or back of the deck or intersperse the front and back.
It’s one of the easiest shuffles for anyone to do and can be particularly useful with decks that are simply too big to use the riffle shuffle with.
Washing the Cards Shuffle
I know some tarot readers who favor a technique called “Washing the Cards,” or sometimes it gets called the “Corgi Shuffle.”
This is where the whole deck is spread out face down on the table and then both hands are moved in a circular motion to intersperse the cards.
Although it’s a somewhat time consuming and messy method, it is effective. It’s a good technique for when you have read for many people, with many people watching, such as in a show or event booth. It is a method I have used myself in such a situation.
Other Methods of Shuffling
There are other methods of shuffling such as Hindu, Mexican Spiral, Mongean, Pile, and Weave/Faro shuffles.
Some are flawed in their approach, and some are too difficult or time consuming to be practical. There are a surprisingly high number of techniques but quite honestly, most are impracticable to use.
What About Automatic Shuffling Machines?
That was going to be the end of the main techniques I talked about in this article, but I got talking with Talisman and he brought up an interesting and connected question that he had been asked which was whether using an automatic shuffling machine to shuffle tarot cards was acceptable or not.
Having never used one himself he didn’t know the answer for sure although he said that intuition was certainly nudging him in one particular direction.
So, to cut a long story short he set about finding out. He borrowed a shuffling machine from a friend who used one a lot for playing card games and set about trying it out.
After a good while testing it out, he decided that the short answer to is it acceptable was “No. It isn’t.” At least, not for immediately dealing a spread afterwards.
His theory for the reason it wasn’t a good method to choose was quite simple. Effective tarot reading means being in touch with spirit through your cards.
A machine has no soul and no spirituality so that essential contact or connection if you prefer was missing. So, any subsequent dealing of a tarot spread would lead to a flawed tarot reading.
However, he did decide that shuffling machines do have some minor uses. Thoroughly mixing a new deck was one, and generally giving the cards a really good shake-up after a particularly difficult or negative reading was another.
One thing to bear in mind however, is that most card shuffling machines will only take standard playing card sized cards. Many, if not most, tarot decks are not standard playing card sized.
However (again!), he said that you absolutely MUST shuffle the cards yourself before dealing a spread so that that incredibly important and essential spiritual connection is made.
I don’t use a machine personally and neither does he (he uses the same mix of techniques that I do) but he reckoned that provided you always shuffle yourself after the machine has shuffled your reading should be accurate.
But as always you do need to do your homework and make sure that you test it out for yourself. Revisit some recent readings and see if the result is the same.
Factors to Bear in Mind When Deciding Which Shuffle to Try
There are some factors to bear in mind, however, when it comes to which shuffle to use.
Probably the most frequently encountered factor is the size of the cards. Most tarot decks that I own have a bigger form factor than the standard playing card size of 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches or 64mm x 89mm.
Not all are bigger, but most are and that can make some more difficult to use with certain shuffles. And, of course, the size of your hands will also be a factor.
Age and some of the infirmities it can bring such as arthritis may also dictate a different method.
Another factor which sometimes creeps in is the thickness of the cards. The thickness of standard playing cards is between 0.17mm and 0.24mm.
Some decks I have purchased have cards that are thinner (usually cheaper decks suffer from this problem), some are within that range, and some are significantly thicker.
One other important aspect of deciding which shuffle to try and how effective it is for you is to make sure other influences don’t play a part in the quality of your shuffle and deal.
At Psychic Revelation both Talisman and I make a point to stay as detached as we can be while shuffling. That’s not always a straightforward process and is one of the reasons why grounding is so important.
We try not to be anything but neutral while shuffling and thinking about the person the reading is for and their question (if applicable). You should endeavor to do the same so that you don’t let outside influences skew the quality of your session.
When to Stop Shuffling Tarot Cards
When to stop shuffling is not always as easy as it sounds and that is particularly so when you are starting out.
I shuffle until I feel what I can only describe as a very tiny tingle in my hands. I have learned to pay close attention to that feeling and to stop in my tracks every time, even when I have only just started shuffling.
Sometimes the tarot cards are essentially already in the order that they need to be in. Usually not though! Sometimes I have even needed to shuffle for five minutes or so and that seems like an eternity when someone is waiting for you to begin!
Over the course of learning to be a really good reader, learning to trust yourself with your shuffles and your stopping of the shuffle is something that will come with practice.
And Now to How I Personally Shuffle My Tarot Cards
As for how I personally shuffle my tarot cards, I tend to use a combination of the Riffle and the Overhand.
Having said that, I will sometimes use other methods because my favored methods won’t work with a particular deck. This is usually because the cards are oversized.
Talisman uses the same techniques as I do for the most part, and we both recommend starting with a deck of cards you can manipulate easily and trying the Riffle Shuffle first.
Depending on how accurate you feel the cards were dealt for the spread you chose after shuffling you might decide to stick with just the one method. However, if you felt the spread wasn’t great don’t be afraid to try a different technique.
And in Conclusion
If you’re drawn to learning tarot and reading for others, it is for a reason. Learning the most effective techniques that benefit the accuracy of your reading is important both for you and for the person for whom you are reading.
Even if you are only reading for yourself (and there is nothing wrong with that) you don’t want an inaccurate reading. Poorly shuffled cards will undoubtedly result in a poor-quality spread.
As you have read above, when it comes to shuffling tarot cards there are several different approaches to it that you can adopt, and it may well simply come down to trial and error to see which one works the best.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different shuffles or to use a combination of them.
Always remember though, that there is no one way that is correct. It is what works best for you that is the right way and the best way to shuffle tarot cards.
“What Is the Best Way to Shuffle Tarot Cards?” article by Charis with some input from Talisman
