Before drawing the card, think about what area of your life you could need greater understanding in (job, family, friends, love relationships?) because a reversed card indicates a short circuit in that card’s essence as it relates to you. The deck should be turned over if you want to pull a reversed card rather than let it happen by accident.
“When you interpret a reversed card, it’s really about getting at the root of the issue or the shadow side, explains Walsh. From there, be receptive to the message, which may not necessarily represent what you want to hear. For instance, pulling the reversed moon, which represents ease and elegance when it is upright, may indicate that you might benefit from consulting your intuition before making any further decisions.
In This Article...
What does a reversed tarot card represent?
Every card in a tarot deck has two meanings: the upright meaning and the inverted meaning. With the average deck having 78 cards, there are 156 meanings to become familiar with.
Concerned that you’ll spend all of your reading time engrossed in a book? Fear not, you will be able to set the book down and play with reversals on your own once you get familiar with the upright major and minor arcana meanings. Naturally, as you develop and broaden your tarot practice, you can go back to the written interpretations.
There are several ways to interpret reversals, many of which are dependent on intuition or the upright meaning of the card. That is to say, there is no one right way to read reversals, and mastering the skill doesn’t require you to commit a term to memory.
You come closer to mastery and figuring out your own unique style the more you read, practice, and try different ways.
Here are some ways to explore reversals as you get started:
Look at the position while keeping the significance of the card that you have learnt so far in mind. Consider the energy entering your life or the querent’s life if you are upright. Consider it to be reversing if its effect is waning.
Consider upright cards as characteristics, individuals, or elements that have a significant influence on the current situation. The card’s reversed meaning denotes anything with a weak influence.
Think of upright cards as fully realized facets of a circumstance, subject, or character. Cards that are reversed point to a personality trait or aspect of life that needs work.
Cards that are upright often refer to aspects of life that are going well and don’t require much effort. Reversals may be a sign of problematic or difficult characteristics.
The Point: Reversals frequently serve to make the current situation more clear. Consider viewing reversals as areas you need to improve upon or qualities you need to foster, for instance, if you are conducting a reading for self-improvement.
The Situation: Take a look at the nearby cards. What enhances and what diminishes the card in question?
The Position: Does the reversed card represent the past or the future? Or a trait to value? Make use of this knowledge to direct your interpretation.
Does the reading have a dominant suit? What could that possibly indicate about the reversed card(s)?
How do you recognize a reversed tarot card?
Do you understand the fundamentals of Tarot cards? So you’re prepared for reversals now.
Tarot cards’ upright meanings might have a whole different meaning when they are turned over. A reversed Tarot card doesn’t necessarily portend negative news, contrary to popular belief. The main message of the upright card is frequently strengthened, weakened, or otherwise redirected by reversed Tarot cards.
You must trust your intuition and consider the cards around the reversed card in order to interpret what it is trying to tell you when it appears in your Tarot reading. It might be telling you a lesson you need to learn, whether it’s good or bad or neither.
The following are the top four methods for deciphering reversed Tarot cards:
Opposite meaning of the upright Tarot card
Many people who use reversals in Tarot merely think that the information conveyed by the reversed card is the exact opposite of that of the upright card. For instance, the Devil card can represent being trapped in a reading, while the Devil card reversed can represent being set free. Although it may not always be the greatest interpretation, this is the simplest approach to read reversed Tarot cards.
What does “reversed” mean?
1a: to totally reposition oneself or change course. b: to invert, or turn upside down. she caused herself to adopt the opposing stance on the matter. 2: negate, undo: for instance. A legal decision is overturned, set aside, or rendered invalid by an opposing decision.
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!
Are tarot cards supposed to be shuffled?
Because the left side is connected to intuitive and receptive energy, traditional tarot readers used their left hand to shuffle the cards. For similar reasons, some people think you should deal and shuffle tarot cards with your nondominant hand. I’ve never done this, though, because I can’t shuffle with one hand!
Apparently, it takes seven precise shuffles to get a completely random tarot deck, although in all honesty, you don’t have to follow that rule. As they focus on their query, some people prefer to shuffle their tarot deck a few times, while others prefer to shuffle for at least a minute. Use a non-traditional shuffling technique if it works for you. The most crucial step is to simply shuffle the cards.
Can you interpret tarot cards for yourself?
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 should I maintain my Tarot deck?
While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
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.
What number of tarot cards do you draw?
If you find this daunting, Howe advises you to take a deep breath and believe in your own initiative. “In order to see it less as “This holds all of these secret meanings that I have to do all this work to access” and more as “I know all the meanings; it’s just a matter of establishing the connections and being able to articulate them,” use language or knowledge that you already possess. She points out that the four elementsearth, water, fire, and airplay a significant role in the tarot, which is advantageous because the majority of people already have an understanding of the meanings of each element. ” If you do that, your viewpoint will be more personal, and you will be able to express yourself more freely.
Howe suggests the three-card draw and the Celtic Cross as the two fundamental spreads for beginning readers. In the former, three cards are chosen at random from the deck to symbolize the subject’s mind, body, and spirit, or past, present, and future. According to Howe, you could even up the stakes and use a six-card draw, with one card for each location.