You can either decide to flip all the cards at once or complete the reading as you go after you’ve flipped your first card. When doing a Tarot reading for yourself, always arrange the cards in a spread from left to right.
If you are performing a Tarot reading for someone else, however, and you want the cards to face them, arrange them from right to left so that, from their perspective, they seem from left to right.
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What does it mean to turn a tarot card over in reverse?
It basically implies that you’re missing some of the energy of the card’s turned-right-side-up meaning when you draw a reversed tarot cardwhich can happen accidentally or on purpose if you flip the deck upside down and choosebecause you’ve lost some of the energy of that meaning. The queen of cups, for instance, denotes both excellent intuition and emotional security. Therefore, a reversed queen of cups could represent emotional insecurity and a blockage to intuition. (You might think about purchasing a tarot book or visiting a tarot website to confirm the precise significance of a reversed tarot card that you selected.)
You are free to select whether or not to interpret a card as a reversal. Maria Sofia Marmanides is a tarot reader.
According to astrologer and tarot reader Maria Sofia Marmanides, you are under no obligation to interpret reversed tarot cards when you are dealt them: “The choice of whether or not to interpret a card as a reversal is yours. You get to choose how you want to approach that trip because tarot is a very individualized discipline, and one of the things you can pick for yourself is whether or not you read reversals.” You’re learning various things depending on where in your tarot journey you are “Adds she. “In the beginning, it might be best to merely adhere to the upright meanings rather than the reversed ones. Why, if you don’t have to, would you want to increase the amount you need to learn?
Lay some simple ground rules with yourself
Before you even pull your card, Marmanides advises you to consider what your gut feeling is telling you about the solution.
We are expected to consult the tarot guides for knowledge or direction, but we should also trust our instincts. Therefore, whether you’re performing a tarot card spread or just picking cards, you should follow the High Priestess’ advice and go inward. Concentrate on the directions you want to be led in and the feelings you already have about a specific circumstance, then channel that energy into your reading.
How can the shuffle of the tarot cards be reversed?
There are many various ways to shuffle the Tarot cards, despite the fact that it may appear to be very straightforward at first glance. Here are a few examples:
The most typical approach to shuffle a deck of cards is in this manner. Shuffle the cards in the main deck from one side to the other while holding the deck in one hand.
The deck should be divided into numerous piles, then the piles should be reassembled.
After placing the cards face-down on the table, spread them out into a large, jumbled pile with your hands. Bring the cards back together into a single pile after that.
Which approach is thus the best one? So, give them a try and decide which works best for you. Additionally, you might combine different approaches in your readings. As an illustration, I shuffle overhand, divide the deck into three piles, turn one pile 180 degrees, reassemble the piles, and shuffle once more.
You might be curious as to why I rotate a stack 180 degrees. That’s because I deal with reversed cards and prefer to shuffle them while turning them both upright and reversed.
How are tarot cards facing?
There is no “correct” response, as there are numerous things in the Tarot. The best course of action is to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of all your options before choosing the one that feels most natural to you.
You have a choice here between dealing cards with yourself or the client facing you. This is crucial when using reversed Tarot cards since you need to be able to distinguish between the upright and the inverted cards. Therefore, be cautious to choose your strategy before you lay down the cards.
Dealing the Cards to Face You
It is simpler to read the cards if they are dealt face you. It happens frequently that an image will attract your attention and communicate a certain tale, which you can then share with your client. If the card is upright, the image will seem differently and might convey a different message than if it is inverted. Therefore, facing the cards allows you to witness the story as it is being told.
In addition, I think it’s crucial for you, the reader, to see the cards as they are being set out rather than your client because it is you who will be giving the cards their meaning. Similar like trying to read a book upside-down to a young child, it is possible, but it is more challenging!
What should you do initially while using a Tarot deck?
What to Do First:
- Get out your tarot deck.
- The cards are in your hand.
- “Knock or tap the pile of cards numerous times while holding them in your palm to disseminate your energy throughout the deck.
- Shuffle the cards completely.
- The cards are divided into three heaps, which are subsequently reassembled into one pile.
Can you perform a self-tarot reading?
It’s normal to be a little clumsy when you first start practicing the tarot. Tarot study is similar to learning a new languageit takes time to become proficient. But what happens if you no longer require the booklet and have intimate familiarity with the deck? Are you able to read yourself? No, except for a few rare instances. Simply put, it’s a horrible idea.
You see, the majority of us turn to astrology or tarot when we’re looking for clarity amid a period of ambiguity. In contrast to astrology, which is quite technical, our consciousness restricts our capacity to read tarot cards. Working with your personal interpretation of the cards, you are not constrained by short- and long-term cycles like the planets’ orbits. It might be tricky to go beyond your current circumstances while utilizing the tarot to better understand a trying scenario. Even if all the cards are spread out in front of you, putting them together requires such a broad perspective that it is all but impossible to fully understand the meaning of each card. Basically, any biases you already have will always be reflected in your tarot reading!
How are Tarot cards charged?
Leave your deck in a sacred location where you can “knead (shuffle) it each hour, giving it your magical power with your hands, for one waking day, much as you would a loaf of rising bread.” The greatest time to use this charge is when you’re taking a day off at home or in a retreat.
Should I face up my tarot cards?
There is no right or wrong way to interpret tarot cards, as anyone who knows me will attest.
The fact that I think there is no right or wrong way to shuffle your tarot deck also shouldn’t come as a surprise. It is not necessary to face all of the cards in the same direction, cut it sideways, or shuffle it seven times.
Seven times of shuffling a 78-card deck is the “Who has time for the ideal number of shuffles needed to distribute cards evenly? You can shuffle your deck as often or as little as you choose.
Either you or the person you are reading for can cut the cards. Or not. Although it actually doesn’t matter, it’s always pleasant to include others in the reading process if you are doing it for someone else.
It is time-consuming and useless to face the cards in the same direction. Simply flip the card to the upright position when you place it on the table if you decide not to read reversals.
Don’t feel obligated to send the cards back to their owner either “appropriate sequence following a reading. Until your next reading, they can sit tangled up in a mound, making new friends with the cards nearby.
Is it proper to shuffle tarot cards in an upside-down fashion?
I occasionally receive an intriguing email query.
Normally, I respond to each one personally, but occasionally, a question is so brilliant that I feel it should be included on my blog for the benefit of others.
I was asked the following a few weeks ago:
Some people, in my observation, only use the upright cards when reading the cards. I’m interested in learning how to read exclusively from upright playing cards. Additionally, how should the cards be reversed if we want to include them as well? Should we simply wait for circumstances to turn them around?
Reversals depend on personal preference. Many readers perform incredible readings without having them present.
For further details, see this post I did about reversals: Reversals, Court Cards, and Patterns in Tarot. Additionally, see Mary Greer’s outstanding book on the subject: The Whole Tarot Reversals Book (Special Topics in Tarot Series)
Reversals are used in my own practice because I think they provide subtlety to the reading.
A reversed Devil card, for instance, can represent being freed from a difficult circumstance.
It’s like getting to choose from 78 different perspectives!
Try them out, is my advise. Check to see if you enjoy working with them. If not, look into systems like elemental dignities to see if they are more appealing to you. Find your own personally meaningful approach if neither of those works for you. Keep in mind that there are various tarot reading methods! Each of us must determine our own strategy.
You might wish to attempt a scheme like “elemental dignities” if you don’t use reversals.
These systems can deepen and improve your readings.
Consider these sources for fundamental decency:
By Elizabeth Hazel, “Tarot Decoded: Understanding and Using Dignities and Correspondences.”
Cards in the second portion of the question will naturally reverse. And that’s the way you ought to let them. Just shuffle them, and if any appear, read them. Turn them right side up if you are a reader who doesn’t utilize reversals.

