Method of Pulling Cards

[EmpyreanKnight]

Once you have shuffled your deck, how do you pull the cards?

 

For me, if the spread isn't that big like if it only has 7 or less cards, I just cut the deck into three piles, have the querent stack them however she sees fit, and draw from the top while I would occasionally pull from the bottom for base/spirit cards.

 

If I'm going to draw a lot of cards, I find myself fanning them after shuffling and having the querent choose from them. It just feels more apt to me somehow.

 

How about you?

[Starlight]

I usually shuffle the deck several times and then divide the deck in two in my hand putting the front section to the back and reading the cards from the top of the section that is now in front.

[Little Fang]

Riffle shuffle 5 times if able.

Overhand if I feel it necessary.

Cut deck with left hand once.

Pull from the top for the spread!  8)

[High Priestess]

I shuffle the deck 1-3 times, cut the deck in half if I'm reading for myself or have the querent do this if I'm reading for another person, fan the cards in my right hand or fan them on a surface in front of me, and I always pull cards with my left hand.

[EmpyreanKnight]

It's funny that you mentioned that, High Priestess. I always cut the deck, stack them, and pull the cards with my left hand. I ask my querents to do so using their non-dominant hand. I turn the cards over with my right hand tho.

[High Priestess]

Hah, I also flip them with my right hand ;)

 

I feel it's better for my right hemisphere/left hand to select the card because of its connection with universal/non-logical knowledge, but flip with my right hand to form a connection to my logical left hemisphere so I can put into words what the energy communicates to me through the cards.

[Raggydoll]

I think I might be the only one who never cuts my deck. I just shuffle until I feel inclined to stop, the I take a deep breath, focus and flip them using my right hand. I always lay my cards upright on the table, I don't like to turn them over as I go. It feels important to get a first full view and let my mind wander before I begin with the reading.

[Guest]

I cut and shuffle with my left hand always leading. If I am drawing cards for myself I pull one card at a time and put them where they go. If for someone else I lay out the spread explaining the meaning of each card while they are upside down and flip them on the table.

[Esk]

I just shuffle, cut and then choose my cards from a fan. I don't pay attention to the hand I use and don't really care. It's the method I'm most comfortable with.

[Ix Chel]

I always shuffle the cards. Then I lay all the cards in a row, and I choose the cards which attracts me the most.

[Queen of Nothing]

I shuffle until I feel the deck is ready and then fan it out. Or I will draw from the top if I need several cards, always overhand shuffling in between each drawing.

[EmpyreanKnight]

I'm not so good at fanning out cards - they almost always clump in sections so I have to adjust them again to even out their spread. It looks a bit awkward if I'm with someone else. :-[

 

Have you guys experienced this? What do you do about it?

[faerybraids]

I honestly just shuffle and draw cards when it feels right. Sometimes I'll the cut the deck as well. Most of the time I just draw all the cards from the top of the deck, but recently I've been reshuffling the deck between cards or pulling from mid-deck as well, or occasionally from the bottom. A couple times I've even pulled from multiple stacks.

 

I'm not sure I could fan a deck if I tried--I'm pretty sure I was terrible at it with playing cards when I was younger. I might try in the future just to see how it feels, though. Might end up fanning a small portion of the deck in my hands instead of the whole thing on the table, though, just coz of space. Do people usually fan their cards on a table or in their hands?

 

So, yeah. My gut determines how I do it.

[EmpyreanKnight]

They're usually fanned on a table, since they're much bigger and have more cards than a regular playing deck. Thanks for your insight, faerybraids. :)

[faerybraids]

Cool, that's what I figured. Sometimes my small hands make me wonder how other people think when it comes to stuff like that, though. Thanks for answering my silly question. :)

[EmpyreanKnight]

It's not silly tho - I see street magicians doing it, fanning a deck on their hand and asking bystanders to choose a card. I think most people with big hands can do it - some readers may even think it's a more intimate way to make a querent choose his/her cards. :)

[Esk]

I'm not so good at fanning out cards - they almost always clump in sections so I have to adjust them again to even out their spread. It looks a bit awkward if I'm with someone else. :-[

 

Have you guys experienced this? What do you do about it?

 

It happens to me too! The frequency often depends on the deck. If the cards are a little glassy it's easier. But there's some decks thare are really difficult to fan. My Zombie tarot for example is awful! So far it has never been a problem for the very very few people I've read for. Actually it seems more annoying to me than anyone else.

[Trogon]

I shuffle from 3 to 5 (or more) times - whatever feels right. If I'm reading for someone else, I have them cut the deck, then I flip the cards from the top of the deck. I hold the deck in my right hand and pull the cards with my left, but that's just the way I've always done it - including when I would play poker or other card games. I "flip" the cards from top to bottom as I pull them - think of taking the top card to look at it then laying it on the table. I always lay the cards out for me to read them, not for the querent.

 

I've never tried fanning the deck for the querent to pick from. It's just not the way I learned. Though this discussion reminded me of one person I did a reading for years ago - I put down the deck for them to cut, and they cut it into like 5 piles - I just asked them to hand me the one they wanted me to pull the cards from. I think if that happens again, I might just pull the top one off of each pile.

[Trogon]

And now that I think about it ... this might be a good method to have the querent kind of pull their own cards. Shuffle, have them cut the deck into the appropriate number of piles, then take the top from each.

[EmpyreanKnight]

I have considered doing this, Trogon - cutting a shuffled deck into different piles and picking the top card of each pile. I'll try this one time.

[Albadawn]

I shuffle and shuffle and sHuFfLe. I shuffle while I'm thinking of a question, I shuffle (sometimes riffle) to "clear" the last question, I shuffle absent-mindedly while I'm watching videos online. I like to shuffle a lot.

 

When I'm focusing on a question, I shuffle until I get the sense to stop. On the extremely freak occasions that I read for someone in person, I shuffle until they tell me to stop (I don't like other people touching my cards. Or my kitchen utensils, come to think of it). I would rather decide this myself but tbh it's the only way I can think of to help them feel involved with the no-touch rule. I always draw from the top of the deck as if I'm dealing out a card game, face-down, and then I flip the cards one at a time, building the interpretation and pointing out themes/associations as I go.

 

That's for tarot. I have a completely different shuffle/draw ritual for oracle cards, and different again for playing cards/Lenormand. Why? I have no idea. ;D

[Alta]

I shuffle, then fan the cards and draw randomly from the fan.