how do you pick the first card?
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M$2 Answers
I have the person I read for split the deck into three piles with their left hand (Left hand because a vein in the 4th finger runs to heart is what I was told). Then I place the three piles into one stack and fan the cards out and ask the person to pick a card (I always feel like a magician but what can you do?). Then I pull the cards back into a stack and start laying the cards out. The selected card goes into the middle of my first row of three. (I don't know what layout you use but I lay out four rows of three and then do a celtic cross.)
Don't worry so much about the "right" card. The trick is to use your instinct and NOT go by your head. The spirits will guide you to the card that is correct.
Reading tarot cards for over 10 years.
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M$
When I read for myself, I always shuffle the deck until the first card falls out and then I go from there. The card falling out of the deck has always felt like it was more directly in line with whatever I needed to know at that given time. I also encourage the people I read for to take on any cards that fall out of the deck in the order in which they've fallen.
As for how to know which card is right to answer your question or request... the cards you choose will always be the right card for you, and if the answers you seek don't seem to arrive clearly in the first card placed in the position of your spread, choose a clarifying card. If you're getting cards that don't make sense in relation to your query, maybe you need to rethink the wording of your original question and try again at another time. You want to be as specific as possible while wording your query.
There are also several different philosophies when it comes down to reading the tarot cards. I definitely recommend picking up a couple of different books by different practitioners to get some ideas on developing your own personal style for reading.
Personal experience
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M$
