Off we're gonna shuffle, shuffle off to Buffalo!

You wouldn't think people would get hung up on something as simple as how to randomize the order of tarot cards before drawing them -- but when it comes to tarot, details seem to matter. A lot.

There are so many myths, legends, superstitions and just plain misinformation out there about tarot, and one them is the 'correct' way to shuffle the cards. Some people have it in their heads that there is an acceptable or proper way to shuffle the cards, but there really isn't. People actually have asked me how I shuffle -- here's how I do it. 

Riffle and Bridge 

This is my absolute favourite shuffle, and I use it for every deck that I can fit into my hands and has card stock that is flexible enough to bend. You've probably seen this shuffle before. You divide the pack into two halves, then bend the card slightly and allow them to 'riffle' from your thumbs so that they interlace:

Riffle shuffle

Then you can either 'smoosh' the cards together and tap them on the table to even them up, or you can bridge, which is to pick them up, bend them the other way, and place slight pressure on the outer edges, allowing the shower or fall back into place: 

Bridge 

To me, the act of riffling and bridging a deck is wonderfully soothing. I love the way the cards feel and I love the sounds they make as I put them through these motions. Some people object because they say it damages the cards, but I find it helps me develop a rapport with a deck. It's a very tactile thing.

Hand over Hand

This is the shuffling method that I use with cards that are either too large for me to get my hands around, or that are too stiff to bend. You just hold the cards in one hand, hold the other hand beneath it, and let a few of the cards at a time drop into your hand. You can alternate dropping the cards in front and back of the stack in the receiving hand. 

Hand over Hand

'Washing' the Cards 

Sometimes there's a deck you can't riffle and you can't do hand over hand -- like a round deck! For these cards, I push them out across a flat surface face down, and then carefully and lightly start moving them around to mix them up, in a 'washing' motion. A lot of people prefer the washing shuffle to the riffle, saying it does less damage to the cards, but it's been my experience that the edges of my cards seem more in peril of nicks from washing than riffling. I guess it's all in the technique. 

'Washing' 

After the shuffle, whichever method used, I stack the deck and cut it once, restack it, and the cards on top are the cards in the draw.

If I'm giving a reading in person, I do all the shuffling. I might ask the client to put their hands on the deck before I start, and I always ask them to make the cut. But the shuffling I do myself. It is an important part of how I connect to the energies of the question, the cards and the customer.

How many times to shuffle

Personally, I tend to shuffle in sets of 3. I'll either shuffle 3 times, or 6 times or 9 times...I have no idea why. It just feels right. Sometimes I shuffle so many times I lose count. I just keep going until something inside tells me to stop. :) 

What shuffling methods do you use?