To get great tarot readings from your new deck straight away, you need to mix it up thoroughly. What you don’t want is a number of sequential cards grouped together when you deal them out for the first time.
I have a quick and effective method for mixing up a brand new tarot deck; or indeed, if you are re-ordering a working deck as part of its cleanse and care maintenance. It takes five minutes and you’re good to go.
How I Mix Up a New Tarot Deck
Deal out your cards, face up, into multiple piles. I normally use my desk as it is a large surface but a table or bed will do.
I’ve used eighteen piles to show an example of the layout but you can use any amount you like, but remember, we are looking to break up those sequences as much as possible and a large number of piles will do that more effectively.
Tarot Tip: make piles in multiples of three as this makes for a smoother reduction as we work our way through the deck.*
When you come to the end of a suit, or the majors, make sure you add the lower numbered cards onto the higher numbered cards already laid out.
The further you get in laying out the deck, you will find that maintaining this ratio means laying out the cards in a more haphazard fashion. This is what we want and helps to randomise the cards when dealing them for the first time.
Once all the cards have been dealt, pick up three piles and shuffle them together then put them to one side. Repeat this until you get to the end of the piles. Starting with eighteen piles will give you six larger stacks.
Add two or three of the shuffled cards into a new pile and shuffle that. Repeat this until you are left with two or three new larger piles. Shuffle these piles thoroughly.
Finally, add the remaining piles together and shuffle one more time, for as long as you feel is necessary.
Your new tarot deck is now ready to go and will work like a seasoned deck; and as you can see from the 3, 2, 1 Tarot Reading I did with this deck right after the final shuffle, you really can get great tarot readings from your new deck straight away.
*If you want to be purist with the number three, begin with twenty-seven piles, which will reduce to nine piles, then three piles before recompiling the deck into one.
A fun technique! I’m in the habit of simply shuffling a boatload, but I’ll have to try this.
Hi Jack,
I’m not usually quite so ordered in laying the piles, they can sometimes be very haphazard and all over my desk and laptop.. The best things about this method is its speed, simplicity and effectiveness. It’s a great way to start a relationship with a new deck!
Catherine
very nice design
What deck is that in the pics?
Hi Chris,
The deck is the Gilded by Ciro Marchetti. I don’t know if you can still get it. He did update it and called it the Gilded Royale but it is a little different to the original.
Hope that helps.
Catherine
Good web but … Is clairvoyance necessary in the tarot? Thanks for youur answer.
Hi Lucia,
Clairvoyance is not necessary at all to learn or read the tarot. It is a system that can be studied like any other but it comes into its own when coupled with the intuition, which is not the same thing as clairvoyance.
Hope that helps.
Kind regards,
Catherine