I have come across this term several times in the tarot subreddits lately and I don’t like it. “Jumpers”. As in cards that “jump” from the deck while the reader is shuffling. Some say they only read “jumpers”.

It takes agency from the reader, who is now at the mercy of the mischevious deck of cards. Also it shapes technique where readers do careless sloppy shuffling to help the naughty little jumpers escape the deck.

There is something about this that annoys me. I believe reading cards should be an act of empowerment. The cards are a tool to aid in thinking, they are not alive with a will of their own. It doesn’t make sense to me.

I do acknowledge that cards do fall out on occasion while shuffling, and I note them when they do, but they do not have more significant meaning than the normal, “well behaved” cards. (lol)

Whichever cards you pull, or that fall from the deck, have the ability to add information to the reading. Details you can use to know more and find answers. In my opinion, as far as I can tell, the magic happens inside of the reader. Tarot triggers our brains, it is a thinking tool. I do not know the mechanism of how it works exactly, but in my experience it definitely works.

Saying the tarot has jumpers, or that the tarot is being mean to you, or other statements personalizing a deck of cards, sounds silly. Suddenly the tarot is not a tool but some kind of personality that judges you and has some kind of insight into your life. Not true, that insight is yours and tarot is a tool that can help bring it into focus.

This is all my opinion, and I could be wrong or acting my age (older), but I do feel that using the cards as a tool to enhance your thinking is the way to go. The more worried you are about the outcome, the more you need to keep your agency when reading cards. Do not give that deck the right or the power over you. If you do you are more likely to feel afraid, to feel like something bad is inevitable, that there is nothing you can do!

Trust yourself, and do not fear. Tarot is to enhance your life by giving you more information, insight and validation as you navigate the ups and downs of daily living.