Tell me if this has ever happened to you.
You are preparing for a reading, shuffling the cards, and minding your own business. As you’re shuffling, one card or multiple cards suddenly fall out of the deck and land on the table, floor, or wherever you’re doing the reading.
Now, initially, you might think that you messed up while shuffling.
But another voice inside you might tell you that the fallen tarot cards have a really important and urgent message for you.
If this happens to you, don’t worry, it’s a common occurrence. So common that the fallen cards have a popular name: jumpers.
So, what does it mean when tarot cards fly out?
Well, depending on the situation, the jumper card may have no meaning, or may be an urgent message, a signal to stop shuffling, a sign that you are anxious or tired, etc. There are various ways you can deal with jumpers depending on which of these is the reason behind the fallen cards.
In this article, I’m going to first talk about the reasons why cards fly out and then talk about how you can deal with them.
Why Do Cards Jump Out?
Tarot readers know that there are a lot of factors influencing any reading.
The same goes for when you’re shuffling your cards. When you get a jumper, it could be because of a wide variety of reasons. Let’s take a look at some of the more common ones.
1) You Messed Up
This is the first straightforward answer that comes to mind. It could just be that you mistakenly dropped a card or two and there is no meaning attached to it whatsoever.
This can happen especially when you are working with a new deck since you are not familiar with it yet.
It could also be that the deck is a bit too large for your hands. So, there is a greater chance that you’ll drop the cards. ( I have small hands so that happens a lot with many standard size decks).
Also, if you haven’t yet focused on the question at hand, and the cards fly out, it could certainly mean that they don’t mean anything. This is because the cards aren’t responding to anything particular.
2) It Might Be A Reflection of Your Current State
Sometimes, you might be tired, anxious, stressed, angry, or frustrated during your reading.
Of course, this shouldn’t happen.
A tarot reading session requires you to be relaxed, grounded and in touch with yourself and the universe around you. Only then can you get accurate readings. However, you are a human being and your emotions might get the better of you at times.
During such moments, jumpers might reflect your current mental or emotional state. They might tell you that you are not ready to do the reading. You can easily confirm this by taking a look at the jumper cards and see what they mean. More likely than not, they might represent frustration or other negative emotions.
For instance, if you get Five of Cups, it’s an indication that you might not be in the perfect state….
3) It Could Be An “Out of the Box” Message
Finally, the jumper cards could have really significant meanings, whether you’re doing a reading for yourself or for someone else.
Depending on the situation, it could represent the solution to your problem, the real question that a person wants to ask, the missing link in a reading, an urgent message, and so on.
In this case, you will have to take note of the card ( i mostly take a mental note and put it back in the deck)and decide how you want to deal with it depending on the unique circumstances at play. ( most often, the card reappears in my spread which also confirms, the jumper was an important message 🙂 )
What To Do When Cards Fly Out?
So, now that you understand why some cards might jump out, let’s take a look at how you can deal with them. This will obviously depend on which of the above reasons is behind the jumper card.
1) Place The Card Back Into The Deck
If you feel like the card doesn’t mean anything, you can simply disregard it, place it back into the deck, and continue shuffling. In fact, a lot of tarot readers do this as a matter of principle. They believe that you should have a fixed system for readings and that you shouldn’t pay attention to any anomalies.
Of course, every reader has their own style and preferences. And you need to decide whether you will always disregard jumper cards or decide based on your intuition and the situation. I personally think that you should rely on your inner voice. ( my inner voice also often tells me to buy new tarot decks…. haha)
If you decide to always ignore the jumpers, your deck of cards will get programmed accordingly and it might not give you any more jumpers. However, if you remain open, you might get jumpers from time to time.
2) Take A Break And Come Back After Some Time
In the above list of reasons for getting jumpers, I mentioned that sometimes, they can reflect your energy. Especially if you’re experiencing negative feelings and emotions. If that is the case, you can confirm the same by looking at the fallen cards and figuring out their meanings.
If the cards indeed tell you that you are anxious, stressed, angry, or frustrated, you should take that as a hint that you should take a break and come back later.
Maybe the cards are telling you that it is pointless to do a reading in your current state since you will not be able to understand their messages.
3) Stop Shuffling
Again, you will need to rely on your intuition at the moment to see if this is true. Sometimes, jumper cards are the only cards you need to do the reading. They have all the answers that you or the querents are seeking.
I guess this happens when the deck of cards is feeling “generous” and wants to make your job easy!
If you get a strong intuition that this is indeed the case, you can stop shuffling, keep the rest of the deck aside, and focus on the fallen card/s.
Make sure you go over every single detail of the card/s because you might just be working with one or two cards. If you feel like you need more context, do not hesitate to draw more cards from the deck.
4) Make A Mental Note And Place It Back
Sometimes, you are not sure whether the jumper cards are significant or not. In this case, you can make a mental note of them and place them back into the deck. ( this is what i mostly do..).
You can then keep shuffling and drawing out cards as you would normally do.
As I told you previously, if you get the jumper cards again, you can rest assured that they indeed hold special significance.
If they don’t show up again, you can continue with the reading by disregarding them completely. If, however, you feel like there is something missing with the reading, you can pull out the jumper cards from the deck and see if they can give you a more complete picture.
This is basically a hit-and-trial method that you can use when your intuition is not helping.
5) Make The Jumper The First Card of Your Spread
If your inner voice tells you that the jumper cards are indeed important, you can place them as the first card in your spread.
This way, they will act as the starting point and play a major role in the reading.
This can be especially important in certain spreads like the Celtic Cross where the first card represents the querent. Maybe the cards want to tell you something about the person who is seeking the reading. So, the jumpers, in this case, might help you understand them better.
6) Keep It Aside And Read It If It Fits The Context
Another thing you can do with the jumper card is place it aside and draw out the cards as if you didn’t get jumpers in the first place.
Complete your spread like you would normally do and proceed with the reading.
During the reading, if you feel like there is something missing or that you need more guidance, you can take a look at the jumper card and figure out its meaning.
It could act as the final card that can tie everything together. Or it could be the missing link that can help you answer your burning doubts.
7) See It As Representing The Real Question of The Querent
Sometimes, the querent might come to you and ask certain questions.
But they might be too shy or ashamed to ask you the real question they have in their hearts.
I think this is okay because everyone has secrets and they might not be comfortable expressing those secrets out in the open. Especially in front of a stranger.
So, a jumper card might hint at the real intentions of the querent.
If your intuition tells you that this is the case, you can kindly and politely ask them what they really want to ask you.
Give them a safe and open space where they can express themselves freely. This will help you solve their real question and your reading will be helpful to them.
