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 is a reversed Tarot card read?
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.
What does the hanging man upside down symbolize?
In contemporary tarot decks, a guy is seen hanging upside-down by one foot. Most frequently, the figure is hung from a tree or a wooden beam (such as a cross or gallows). Due to the possibility of viewing the card itself upside down, there is ambiguity.
A. E. Waite, the creator of the Rider-Waite tarot deck, described the symbol in his 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot as follows:
The figure from the location of the legs creates a fylfot cross, and the gallows from which he is hanging forms a Tau cross. The apparent martyr’s head has a nimbus around it. It should be noted that the tree of sacrifice is made of living wood and has leaves on it, that the face conveys intense fascination rather than agony, and that the figure as a whole conjures up the idea of life in suspension rather than death. False names for it include “card of martyrdom,” “card of caution,” “card of the Great Work,” and “card of duty.” It expresses the relationship between the Divine and the Universe in one of its dimensions, I will state simply on my behalf.
According to Waite, the card has the following connotations in divination:
THE HANGED MAN 12.
Prudence, insight, sacrifice, testing, prophecy, divination, and wisdom. Reversed: Selfishness, the masses, and the governing body.
The hanging man’s head has a glowing halo around it, denoting a better understanding or enlightenment.
The Hanged Man card is connected to the astrological signs of Pisces and Neptune.
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.
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.
After a breakup
Draw one card for each of the following inquiries if you’ve recently broken up with someone and want to know more about the reason or determine whether you’ll get back together:
- How energetic is the partnership right now?
- What caused the divide in the first place?
- What do they really think of me right now?
- What do they intend for me right now?
- What kind of relationship will this be in the future?
- Which action is ideal for me to take right now?
When job searching
You can use this spread to explore what kind of career guidance the tarot can offer if you’re feeling uncertain about your career path or thinking about a new employment. Draw one card once more for each query.
- How active am I in my career right now?
- What challenge must I overcome?
- What is my calling in life?
- How can I follow this calling more closely?
- What should I do to prepare for the upcoming month?
When deciding between two options
This spread can highlight the benefits and drawbacks of each option, guiding you toward the best decision if you’re using tarot to pick between two possibilities (two job offers, two apartments, perhaps a love triangle???). Getting the deal Per card, ask one question.
- What is the fundamental cause of this fork in the road?
- What is the likely result of choosing option A?
- What is the most likely result for option B?
- What more should I take into account that was overlooked?
- What’s the best thing I can do right now?
When something is off with a friend
If you’re concerned about the state of a friendship or feel like something is wrong but are unable to pinpoint the cause, you might be interested in seeing what conclusions and solutions this spread offers. Ask one question per card, once more, I repeat.
- What makes this friendship so crucial?
- What led to this sudden change in tone, and why?
- What has changed, in my friend’s opinion?
- What can I do to make this matter more urgent?
- What is the future of this friendship?
- What should I do at this moment?
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.
Can playing cards be used to do tarot?
You may have used an oracle deck or heard of tarot cards, but did you realize you could perform a reading with a standard deck of playing cards for a friend or yourself? Anyone is welcome to try this method of divination, known as cartomancy.