I have read many different ways to cut the deck.
Large cards such as Thoth, Rohrig and Voyager present problems to those with smaller hands.
Another question that comes up is whether to deal the cards face up or face down. I deal face up, because I
like to get a feel for the spread as a whole, but some people find it distracting. They feel that they start
forming impressions before they have the whole spread dealt. Dealing face down avoids this.
I think that we sometimes get too tied up in the ritual and "doing things right" and forget that Tarot should be
a relaxing, enlightening experience, vice a nervous ordeal because we are trying to shuffle in a way we are not
familiar with, trying to remember the right way to cut, the proper
invocation etc. Relax, get the cards well mixed and read.
The only one I follow is to cut with your left hand. I deal
with my right hand, so I feel cutting with the left gives the deal some balance.
I also cut
into three piles. The most common admonition is to cut with the left hand into three piles to the left.
It works
for me, but I don't doubt some other method would work as well, this is just the way I learned.
You can try
shuffling them from the sides, vice the long way. You can also try swishing them around on a table (make
sure it is clean), or on your bed. Like poker cards, Tarot cards wear with time.
I still have my first
Motherpeace deck and while it is a little "thick", I have not been able to bring myself to part with it. If you
read for others though, you probably will not make a good impression with a deck so worn and fat that it is
difficult to shuffle. My old friend is reserved for my personal use only.