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?
In This Article...
How does a Tarot reversal card come about?
The four methods I personally use to interpret Tarot card reversals are listed below, though I’m sure there are many more. Which method is best for each circumstance will depend primarily on what your own intuition tells you is the right decision, as well as the spread and question the card is addressing and the person you are reading for (if any).
I strongly advise you to give reading reversals a go and see if it works for you as they can be a wonderfully empowering method to soften the shock of the more negative cards as well as giving more detail to your interpretations.
You can either split a Tarot deck in half and flip one half of the cards over before shushing them back together to achieve a more equal distribution of upright to reversed cards, or you can spread the entire deck out on the ground and mix it up for a more haphazard, organic distribution of upright cards to reversals.
Here is how to interpret reverse Tarot cards when you are prepared to conduct a reading:
Resistance
Looking at a reversal as a resistance to the card’s message is by far the most frequent technique that I find to be accurate and that also makes sense to the inquirer. This might be interpreted as a deep-seated desire to reject what is true or what the solution to our query is, whether consciously or unconsciously.
For instance, if the reversed 2 of Swords appears, we may be aware that we must choose yet fight the pressure from the energies around us. Alternatively, we can be resisting employing both logic and intuition in conjunction and instead concentrating only on one or the other, or attempting to balance both possibilities rather than taking a position.
Lessening
The second possibility is a dilution of the significance of the card. This can indicate a reduction in the energy represented by the card, such as when a positive card doesn’t feel as positive as we anticipated it would or when a more challenging card appears but we manage it rather effectively.
For instance, if the 3 of Cups reversed is drawn, we might experience a sense of camaraderie and joy around us, but it is not necessarily abundant as the card might sometimes imply. Alternatively, if the 5 of Pentacles reversed card appears and we are currently going through some financial difficulties but we have a long-term plan in place and are managing it as best we can, it won’t have as big of an internal impact on us as it may have on someone else.
Completion
Although I use it less frequently, this is another popular modern interpretation of Tarot card reversals. It is understood to signify that the lesson contained in the card’s message has been fully learned as the current cycle comes to a close. This might indicate that you’ve virtually internalized the card’s lesson and are making your way out of it, or it could just indicate that the energy is naturally coming to an end.
For instance, if you draw the 5 of Cups reversed, your intuition may indicate that you are towards the conclusion of a period of mourning, that you are still grieving something, but that you are moving past it. Or, if you draw the 2 of Pentacles reversed, it may indicate that this entire situation of juggling possibilities and multitasking will naturally come to an end with one task being completed.
Internalised
Another common interpretation of reversals is that the energy is more internalized and felt within than it is externally observed. In the case of court cards, where they can represent the querent (seeking), a third party, or the circumstance, this might be especially advantageous. If it appears in reverse, it may mean that the person asking the question is experiencing this archetype personally rather than someone else exhibiting these traits or reporting the circumstance. When using the internalized energy option, it’s possible that the way something feels in the card isn’t actually an exact reflection of what’s happening.
For instance, dragging The Tower backwards can make us feel as though the world as we know it is collapsing and all of our shaky foundations are toppling, yet this is not the case externally. The World turned around, on the other hand, might signify an internal sense of culmination, growth, and the start of a new phase, but this might just be a newfound sense of inner contentment and a cycle ending; there might not actually be anything noteworthy going on in the world. Internalized also refers to the subconscious mind as opposed to the conscious mind.
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!
Does the tarot card order matter?
Because so many subsequent cards drew inspiration from its iconic artwork, the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck is an excellent starting deck. The deck is referenced in practical tarot publications like 78 Degrees of Wisdom as well. Start with the Rider-Waite deck and then add more decks that speak to you to your collection. Although it is available online, you are welcome to visit your neighborhood occult shop to see what appeals to you there.
When a tarot card is pulled from the deck, what does that mean?
An old tarot proverb states that if something falls to the ground, it is at the door. Typically, we interpret this to mean that when a card is drawn from the deck, it signifies an impending event.
How are Tarot cards purified?
Here are four simple steps to purifying tarot cards.
- Meditate. Simply unwind for a moment and get rid of all your thoughts.
- Pass each card through the smoke after burning sage.
- Place bay leaves within the deck of cards.
- And for protection, place a crystal on top.
Do you reverse-read oracle cards?
Oracle cards that are turned over need not be interpreted as reversals. The reader’s choice in this matter is often their own. While reading reversals in tarot is common, only a few oracle decks are made specifically for this purpose. Reversals are frequently interpreted as a roadblock by those who read the cards.
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. Remember, there is no one way to read tarot! 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.
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.
Which way should I lay my tarot cards down?
It’s time to actually lay out the cards after you’ve focused on your question, shuffled, and, if you’re going to, cut, the cards. On a table or other flat surface, the cards are often removed one at a moment from the top of the deck and set face-down. If you’re reading for someone else, this is unquestionably the greatest approach and most straightforward technique. Again, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to do anything, so feel free to follow your instincts and try something new. Some people prefer to spread the deck out face down and pick the cards that appeal to them the best, especially when reading for themselves. Some people may choose a card at random from the deck. But whichever approach you go with, arrange the cards face-down in the chosen spread’s pattern, one card at a time, until the spread is finished. Then place the remaining cards face-down to the side and get ready to turn them over one at a time as you start reading.