How to pull cards for your reading
As a beginner, it can feel like a lot of pressure to make sure you pull the “right” cards in a reading. Whilst there are no wrong ways to pull cards, some methods might work better for you than others. If you’re interested in trying out some different ways to pull cards for your reading, this post will go through some of the options you can try.
Draw one card at a time
This is the method I use. I concentrate on the question and the card position within the spread, and I shuffle hand-over-hand until a card catches my eye. I keep repeating this process until I’ve pulled all the cards for my spread. I first look at each card individually to get an idea of what’s going on in the spread positions before I interpret all of the cards together.
This method is more time consuming than most of the other options in this post, but I find that one card at a time really helps me focus on the question and the information that I’m seeking.
Draw from the top
One of the quickest ways to pull cards is to shuffle the deck until you intuitively feel ready to stop, and then pull cards from the top of the deck until you have all of the information you need. Some readers will draw the initial cards from the top, and then draw any clarifier cards from the bottom of the deck as a way to see what’s hiding underneath.
The biggest issue for beginners who try out this method is deciding when to stop shuffling the deck and start pulling cards. It’s normal to worry that you’ve stopped shuffling before the deck is ready or you’ve over shuffled because you hesitated before starting to pull cards. As long as you set your intention to shuffle and deal from the top at the start of your reading, the Universe will make sure you pull the right cards. Don’t over think it. Your instincts will tell you when it’s time to stop shuffling. Trusting your intuition will come with time, so keep practicing.
Fan and select
For this method, shuffle the deck and fan out the cards in front of you. Run your left hand over the cards and see if you feel any different sensations. Your left hand is thought to be your receiving hand, so many Tarot readers will only select cards using their left hand, believing this helps to receive stronger messages from the Universe. If you run your left hand across the cards and experience any feelings of coolness, heat or tingling, this can indicate that the card below your hand should be selected.
You can also use the fanning method to select by sight instead of feeling. Select the cards that catch your eye or stick out to you.
The fan and select method is also a common favourite when reading for other people. The reader fans the cards, leaving the querent to select the cards they are most drawn to.
Cut the deck
Cutting the deck is one of the most popular methods of selecting cards. There are a few different ways to cut the deck. Some readers will shuffle, cut the deck once, and then deal all cards in a row from where the deck was cut. Other readers will cut the deck into three piles, put the deck back together in whatever order they choose, and then deal all cards from the top of the deck. You can cut the deck into as many or as few piles as you want. If you are reading for someone else, you can ask the querent to cut the deck and put it back together before you deal out the cards. There is no wrong way to cut the deck, so go with what you feel called to do in the moment.
Jumpers
A jumper is a card that flies out of the deck while you are shuffling. Most Tarot readers always read jumpers as an important message that you should pay attention to. My shuffling can be a bit wild, so I generally don’t read jumpers because they feel like a result of my shuffling technique as opposed to a message from the Universe. However, if I start getting a lot of jumpers, I find it is usually a message to let me know my mind is wandering and that I need to bring my focus back to continue with the reading. Reading jumpers is a very personal choice, so you should set your intention prior to a reading about whether you plan to read jumpers or not.
There are some Tarot readers who will only read jumper cards. They shuffle and pull cards one at a time, shuffling until a card jumps out of the deck for each spread position. This is the most time consuming method, but if you have plenty of time up your sleeve then this could be the perfect method for you.
Your Tarot practice will change and evolve over time, so you don’t need to stick with one way of pulling cards forever. Experimenting is the best way to find the method that works best for you, so hopefully this post gives you some ideas to help get you started. The most important thing to do is to set your intention before a reading so the Universe knows how you plan to pull cards. If you set your intention first, you’ll always pull the cards you need.
