Reading Tarot FAQs - Reversed Tarot Cards
This post is part of a series of posts where I answer your Tarot questions.
what do reversed tarot cards mean?
One question I often get is “What ways are there to read reversed Tarot cards and how do you decide which of those ways you’re going to use in various readings?” Whether or not to read reversals is perhaps one of the most contentious topics of the Tarot reading world so let’s start by answering the question…
Do you have to read reversals?
Of course, you don’t HAVE to read reversals. Reading with reversed Tarot cards isn’t necessarily the right way for all Tarot readers. It is hotly debated in the Tarot community as to whether one should read reversed cards.
As with everything, this is ultimately a personal decision. If you want to read reverse cards differently from the upright ones, have at it. If you don’t, that’s okay too.
There are a couple of reasons I wouldn’t suggest using reversed cards in your reading…
I believe that if something is throwing you off in a reading, or taking your mind out of the headspace necessary for reading, then it’s not beneficial to your practice. If reversals make it hard for you to interpret the reading, then it’s okay to just flip all the cards to upright.
If you are new to Tarot, you already have 78 card meanings to learn, don’t overwhelm yourself by doubling it. This is also true if you are using a new deck that has unfamiliar imagery. Start by learning the upright meanings before adding reversals into the mix.
If you are more experienced with Tarot and you have tried reversals and decided they just aren’t for you, that’s another reason not to use them. Tarot is meant to be joyful, don’t force yourself to do something that doesn’t feel comfortable.
With that said, here is why I like to read reversed Tarot cards…
Reading reversals can add a whole new layer of depth to your Tarot reading. They can show you where there are energy blocks or imbalances, underlying issues, unknown opportunities, and internalized energy (as opposed to externalized energy).
They can help you answer “yes or no” questions with clarity, where the reversed cards indicate “no” and upright cards indicate “yes”.
Additionally, reading reversed Tarot cards offers a new perspective to expand your understanding of the Tarot universe by basically giving you twice as many ways to discover new insight about your situation from a reading.
Now, there is a misconception about reversals adding a level of gloom to a reading. That reversed simply means the opposite of upright, which results in keywords like deception, betrayal and treachery. This isn’t always the case, and if this is the reason you decided not to use reversals, I highly recommend giving them another chance.
How can reversed cards be interpreted?
There are several ways to see the reversed cards meaning.
Internal vs External
The first way to read tarot cards is to think about how the energy of the card is expressed: internally or externally.
If the card appear upright, it is externalized energy. in other words, the energy of the card is being expressed into the world and is experienced in your external environment, like in your relationships with people and situations.
Reversed Tarot cards would then be internally expressed energy. That is, energy that is held within ourselves or that is more private or even secretive.
Using this technique you can better understand where you need to take action. If the majority of the cards are upright, you can look for opportunities to act in your external environment. Inversely, if the cards are mostly reversed, you will need to turn your attention inward to find solutions.
If we use the six of wands as an example, this card upright is about a desire to receive public recognition for an achievement. When reversed, the card would point to the need to recognize yourself for your achievements, a reminder to celebrate your wins.
Take the nine of cups as another example. When you see it upright it’s energy is about having a wish fulfilled appearing comfortable and happy. So with this method, the reversed card would be an internal sense of gratitude, maybe being secretive about some joyous news that you aren’t read to share with the world.
To simplify this method for reading the reversed card, take the upright meaning of the Tarot card, and then add “self” or “private” to the interpretation.
This technique for reading reversed Tarot cards takes the qualifying terms like “good” and “bad” out of the reading because it’s not just taking the traditional meaning of the upright card and saying the opposite. It leaves room for light and shade no matter which way the cards fall.
Energy Imbalance
The next method is for reading reversed cards is whether there is an imbalance in energy. That is, there is too much or too little of the cards energy in the situation.
Let’s look at the Knight of Pentacles for an example. Upright, he represents approaching matters methodically and conservatively.
What does this look like when there is too much or too little of this energy?
He might become overly cautious to the point where he cannot make any progress or loses his efficiency (too much of the Knight of Pentacles energy).
Or perhaps he is not conscientious enough to the point where he is putting progress before quality (too little of the Knight of Pentacles energy).
When you are reading the cards, you might pose it as a question, “What role does routine in financial settings play for you? Do you feel over-cautious, or are you lacking caution?” Ask, “How can you make routine in financial settings work for you?”
In other words, how can you bring this energy back into balance and alignment?
Blocked Energy
The next method is is similar to the ‘too much or too little’ energy, with a slight difference.
In this technique, a reversed card may indicate that you are seeking the energy of the card but there is something blocking you from experiencing it in a beneficial way.
For example, the Ten of Swords reversed. You may be looking for an ending to something and you don’t even care if it happens with pain and sorrow or in a happier way because you are so done with this situation. But there is something keeping you from this ending.
You would then want to ask, “What’s getting in the way of achieving an ending to this situation?” This will help you identify the blockage. Then ask, “How can I release the blockage associated with the ending?” to help you figure out which actions to take next.
Just keep posing questions to the Tarot until you find some clarity. (Don’t do this in an effort to find the answer you want, that doesn’t help anyone).
Imagery
Lastly, you can look at the images themselves. This works best when you are using cards with lots of details and want to connect with the situation intuitively. It’s also helpful if you are already a somewhat visual person. The images create a link to your subconscious mind, which is where I believe your intuition lives.
If a Tarot card appears in the reversed position, simple look at the picture and think about how it changes the energy when it’s upside down vs right side up.
Take a look at the Ace of Swords. The positioning of the hand looks as if it has stabbed the sword downward rather than is holding the sword strongly. Whereas, upright the message is about the power of a new idea and how that feels like a breakthrough, the reverse meaning appear more like the finality of making a decision.
The Eight of Pentacles shows a man working hard to develop his skills. It speaks to the importance of repetition when it comes to mastery. When it’s reversed it looks almost as if he climbed the pentacles nailed to the post to get to his perch. It feels more playful and the message may become that one can develop a skill simply for the fun of it.
When to use them
I have shared four methods for reading reversals that I use most often. There are, of course, other options as well.
When a reversed card comes up in a reading, I hope you feel confident testing out some of these ways to read them. What you do with these techniques will dependent on the situation, your comfort level and the question that was asked.
Personally, I vary my approach to reading reversals from one reading to the next. Sometimes, I will stick to one method for all the cards in the reading and other times, I will use all four methods in one reading.
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