Should I start with just upright cards or upright and reverse?

[Moony]

I’m new to tarot and was wondering when I do readings either for myself or other people should I start involving reversed cards? Or would it be better to learn the meanings upright first?

[gregory]

You go with whatever feels right to you - but I don't even use reversals NOW - after 15 years or so. I'm not alone - many readers  never do.

 

I'd suggest upright only to start anyway - less to think about; more space to reflect on the cards.

[Nemia]

I tried to use reversals for a number of times but in the end, always returned to reading upright. 

 

I found Benebell Wen's Holistic Tarot tip for reversals helpful and want to quote it here:

Quote

Mnemonic for remembering card reversals:

WIND.

 

W Weakened energy of card meaning due to being overpowered by other forces.

 

I Inverted meaning of card, i.e., the opposite of what the card would mean upright.

 

N Negative influence on Seeker (most notably in court cards; think N for nobility).

 

D Delay before outcome will materialize. Not all factors have fully matured yet.

 

Wen, Benebell. Holistic Tarot . North Atlantic Books. Kindle Edition. 

 

 

Inverted can also mean that the energy flows the other way around. This might mean for the 3 of Swords that it's not YOU who suffers heartbreak but that you cause it to someone else. 

 

That was helpful but still, I didn't use it more than a number of times. 

 

I also read Joan Bunning's excellent book about reversals. It really opened up the nuances in every card, and I'm glad I read it. 

 

In spite of all that, I still prefer to read the cards upright. Maybe it's my art historian's training: I want to see a card the way the creator painted it, even though I know that by turning an artwork around, you can discover angles and patterns  you wouldn't see when upright because you'd be so caught up in the image itself. 

 

By now, when I see a reversed card popping up, I treat it as little exclamation mark so I can go deeper into different nuances of the card, but I turn it around and read it upright, basically. 

 

If you feel atttracted to the idea of reading reversed, by all means do so, and research the whole question to find what seems natural for you. If you don't, you really don't have to. 

 

Remember though when learning the card meanings that they all transport different meanings. Even very "positive" cards can carry warnings, and even the "gloomiest" cards can be beneficial and have a positive impact on life. 

 

For me, the spread position, interaction with other cards and other factors are more important than the question upright or reversed. 

 

If you really want to discover card meanings that come alive for you, journal each and every reading and return to these notes after a while. That worked better for many people than memorizing from a book (although for the core meaning, book definitions are very helpful and probably necessary). 

 

[DanielJUK]

"the ideal"™ is that you learn the uprights and then learn the reversed cards and then decide if you want to use them in your readings or not. But you can do whatever you like.

When I was learning and studying, this was my intention but I would keep getting attracted to new shiny card and divination systems 🤣. So I was learning the tarot and then want to learn this oracle and then Lenormand, Kippers, numerology and astrology. Basically I learnt the basics of every system over some years by moving between them all. I think that is my best learning method, I revolve around them, keeps the learning fresh.

 

When you are starting out, there is so much to learn and it's overwhelming and so take it easy on yourself. Go slowly and you will improve. Practice what you have learnt with the cards as much as possible and when you get to 5 posts you can take part in exchanges here to read with others if you like. We have monthly reading circles with pairing with a member for reading together. It takes a while for it to get easier and get you more experienced. In my first year of learning, I was paired with someone and she knew everything! I was in awe! But then found out she had like 40 years experience 🤣 It was @Nisaba ❤️

 

No harm in trying to use reversals but if you find it too much, stick to the uprights. You can always add them in later 🙂

[Esclarmonde]

I read reversals from the start, but that's the way I learned. I agree with what the others posted. With regard to books, I can recommend also Mary K. Greer's The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals. I find it very useful (I might be reading reversals, but I still get stuck on the meanings of some reversed cards, especially the Minor Arcana).

[BradGad]

Hi again Moony,

 

First off, I think you're getting good input so far on this thread. Nothing I would disagree with.

 

Here are a couple ideas I will share:

 

1) If you read all-upright, you can (I would say should) think/realize that any of these cards could have (if you were using reversals) turned up upside down. That is, when you are making your spread all upright, each card could potentially have appeared reversed. If a spread isn't making sense, if you look at each card, and think "What if that were reversed?" sometimes a reading will then snap into focus. (In spreads where positions have meanings like "What is working against you?", by default I read those as reversed.)

 

2) If you do decide to adopt reversals, I think it's really constructive to not just read it simply as "the opposite." I prefer to think of it as "Delayed, Diminished, Different, or Dark.",

 

Delayed: Yes, the handsome prince in the Knight of Cups is coming... but not tonight. Possibly not even this year.

 

Diminished: Yes, your lottery ticket is going to hit, but you're not going to hit the MegaBall. In fact, you might get just enough winnings to buy more lottery tickets. 

 

Different: Yes, you are going to get a big windfall, like the 9 of Cups or 10 of Coins says, but it's not money. Instead, you're going to inherit a trout farm. Instead of a million dollars, what are you going to do with a million trout?

 

Dark: Back to the lottery example... You've probably read about lottery winners who got the big bucks, but a year or two later, their life had become a dumpster fire: addiction, bankruptcy, even suicide. In short, the indications of the card could well manifest themselves, but -- in the end -- they will do so in a dark way.

 

(I don't shuffle my decks with reversals; instead I try to keep alert to "potential reversals.")

 

Edited February 17, 2023 by BradGad

[Wyrdkiss]

3 hours ago, gregory said:

You go with whatever feels right to you - but I don't even use reversals NOW - after 15 years or so. I'm not alone - many readers  never do.

 

I'd suggest upright only to start anyway - less to think about; more space to reflect on the cards.

Absolutely 100% agree with the above advice.  Start upright, and decide for yourself later if you reversals are effective and appealing.

 

I'm a Thoth boy initially, so I never bothered with them.  Now that I read all manner of decks I still never use Reversals.  I find a good spread makes them

nearly irrelevant to me.

enjoy your process when you come to it, but consider tackling reversals later to avoid being overwhelmed or confused.

[Misterei]

When I first started Tarot, I memorized the meanings for all uprights and reversed cards. But over the years I discovered that i don't like the way reversals look. So I stopped using them and developed other systems for reading the nuances that reversals can provide.

 

Some readers say you NEED them. But I only use reversals rarely to never and don't miss them a bit.

 

Personal taste ... and it may take awhile to know your style and preference. It took me 10 years to STOP using reversals };>

Edited February 17, 2023 by Misterei

[Moony]

7 hours ago, Nemia said:

 

 

Inverted can also mean that the energy flows the other way around. This might mean for the 3 of Swords that it's not YOU who suffers heartbreak but that you cause it to someone else. 

 

 

i liked your wording of the energy flowing the other way around. Even if i use upright cards only, is it still possible to see it the other way around? Like your example with 3 of Swords, could I feel more I guess “in tune” with the reversal meaning despite it being upright?

[DanielJUK]

It's really worth thinking of a positive, neutral and negative idea or meaning of each card as you study and look at them. If you don't use reversals, they can appear on a spectrum of different contexts 🙂 . I often find I have to think of a negative idea in a challenging position for a positive card (for example). Reversals are annoying to look at reversed but I find it easier (personally) to know this has a different energy from the upright. Even then, it's not as simple as positive / negative. People have posted ideas here about what it means to them but it's worth exploring how it works for you.