When you start on your tarot journey, one of the first questions you may ask relates to how you shuffle and cleanse your cards. Whether they were gifted to you brand new, or you’ve acquired a used deck, it’s essential to “clear” your deck and any energy attached to the cards. RELATED: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To Reading Tarot Cards
Here’s how to shuffle your tarot deck in 5 steps.
1. Before shuffling the deck, relax your mind.
It’s important to be in a relaxed state of mind before beginning any type of tarot reading, as well as shuffling the deck beforehand. Because tarot is all about intuition and feeling, you’ll want to clear any stressors or commotion that may invade your mind.
2. Meditate and cleanse the deck.
Whether you cleanse your deck using sage, incense, or even crystals, do so while meditating. This allows you to set your intention for more accurate readings.
3. Imprint yourself onto the deck.
To imprint yourself onto the deck, you must seek the guidance of a higher power like the universe or the god or guides you believe in. You do this to ask for help and receive answers to the questions you have in the back of your mind.
4. Focus on the question you want answered.
While you shuffle the cards, focus hard on the specific question you have, posing one at a time. Are you seeking guidance or clarity for your romantic relationships? Is there a job you want? Are you feeling stuck and want to move forward? These are all potential things to consider.
5. Draw your cards.
Once you’ve finished shuffling your cards, you are ready to begin your reading. The most important thing to keep in mind here is that there’s not necessarily a correct way to shuffle the cards; as long as you’re doing it in a way that feels right to you personally, you’re doing it correctly. There’s no wrong method here. There are many ways to shuffle the deck of tarot cards, but here are 4 easy techniques to get started.
Tarot Card Shuffling Techniques
1. Overhand Shuffle
This is the most common way of shuffling a deck of cards. Hold the deck in one hand, usually your less dominant hand, and use your other hand to take one section from the deck and place it in a new spot in the deck, whether in the middle or the top. Repeat the process 5-7 times.
2. Cutting the Deck
For this method, you cut the deck into multiple different sections, most commonly 3 sections. If you incorporate upside down cards, known as reversals, you can flip the card sections as such. Then, once you have your three piles, bring them back together again, putting the top section on the bottom, the bottom section on top, and the middle section back where it was.
3. Casino Style
Also called playing card style, split the deck into two equal sections, using your right and left hands to hold one section. Make sure the cards are face down and touching one another. To shuffle the two sections together, use your thumbs to combine the cards at the corners, eventually bringing the stacks together. Repeat the process 2-3 times.
4. Messy Pile Shuffle
Known as scrambling the cards, in this method, put the deck of cards facing down and spread the cards into a big messy pile. Move the cards around in the pile, scrambling them, and then push the cards back together into one pile. Repeat this process 2-3 times. RELATED: Why It Matters What Time Of Day You Pull A Tarot Card
How do you cleanse your tarot deck?
Now that you know how to shuffle your cards, there’s one more step to do before starting any reading. You can cleanse a new or old deck, but cleansing your deck is especially important if someone else has used it beforehand or if they have been around negative energy. You can also cleanse your deck if you feel stuck in your readings or just want to reconnect with the cards again.
1. Sort and shuffle your cards.
Start off with the Major Arcana, then go into the Minor Arcana. You want to do this for a couple of reasons. First, it can help you reconnect with the meanings of the individual cards. Most importantly, you can make sure you have a complete deck. After, shuffle them however you see fit.
2. Meditate
Make sure to meditate with your cards. Reinvigorate your energy and your connection to the universe while you do this. If you know Reiki, you can also use those practices at this time to recharge your cards.
3. Moon bath
Leave your cards out next to the window during a Full Moon. The energy of the Full Moon will recharge your cards, especially for certain readings.
4. Salt burial
If your cards have been around a lot of negative energy, a salt burial will draw out any bad energy clinging to the cards. Wrap them up and place them in an airtight container before burying them in salt for a few days.
5. Smudge stick
Using sage, rosemary, or even palo alto, pass your cards through the smoke of the smudge stick to help rid it of negative energy, as well as cleansing your crystals and your space.
What is the best way to shuffle tarot cards?
While some people may think that there is an exact way to shuffle the tarot deck of cards, there is no right or wrong way to do so. The most essential part of shuffling is that you lead with intention and intuition, remaining mindful as you do so. Simply put, the best way to shuffle tarot cards is however you see fit.
How long should you shuffle tarot cards?
Along with the best method for shuffling your tarot cards, there is also no set time to do so. It may take several times through, or it may just take once; it really depends on how you feel. Again, let your intuition speak to you as you shuffle your cards; this will indicate how long you will need to spend on this process. RELATED: 12 Brilliant Tarot Card Quotes From Expert Readers On How To Do A Reading Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who has written hundreds of articles about relationships, trending news and entertainment, numerology and astrology. Follow her on Twitter for more.
