Using Reversals--When Did You Start?

[HOLMES]

From beginning, used eden Grey books.. 

I also thought ill dignified meant reversed. 

It wasn't until later I learned it meant the elemental energy of the surrounding cards. 

For me I feel a person should learn reversals from the beginning, but same with the minors and majors together. 

 

[TarotCeline]

Yes, Grasshopper, to read the cards in the upright position only, or to read the cards upright and reversed, that IS the question, as Shakespeare would say.

My goal, when I started learning Tarot 30 years ago, was to learn "divination" and "predicting the future". Learning to read the major arcanas upright and reversed, and only reading with the major arcanas, was the way to go to achieve my goals: reading the past and present, and predicting the future! When you read the cards upright and reverse, you get the whole gamut of the best and the worst of what the past/present/future reveal. As far as I am concerned, it allows for more crystal clear readings. Yes, no. Good, bad. Great, awful. I was never interested in "foggy" readings. That is, for me to sit in front of a client as the High Priestess, and give a reading they will need to decode or mull over. I like to sit in front of a client, and as soon as they have a question, I like to give a direct, down-to-earth answer. Reading the cards upright and reverse has allowed me to do just that. I am not saying that is the only way to read cards. But if you are into "divination" and "predicting the future," that is the most efficient way. I have worked with numerous tarot card readers over the years (in my psychic reading business) who refuse to make predictions, but are otherwise great tarot card readers. And they all read tarot cards upright only. I predict the future all the time, and have no problem with that. But I read the major arcana cards upright and reverse. I do not use the cards for "coaching" with the pros and cons of what might happen. I tell clients what is happening and what will happen. I get my feet wet all the time! Learning to read the past and present and predicting the future was what I was looking for from the very start. And I do not see it possible if one only reads the cards in the upright position.

 

 

[TarotCeline]

5 hours ago, rainydayinagoodway said:

As a grasshopper, this thread has been so insightful and there is such a wealth of information here!

I am just now getting my footing with using my own intuition in my readings and it has been the toughest challenge to decide whether to read with or without reversals. The responses here really show that it is a personal choice based on what feels right, and can change depending on the individual reading and the chosen spread. I particularly find the insight into the reversal of major and minor cards extremely riveting, and hope to direct a good bit of research there. 

Thank you all for your wisdom!

• Have left a comment on your wonderful thoughts a bit further down.

Edited August 14 by TarotCeline

[TarotCeline]

On 6/18/2025 at 10:25 AM, Misterei said:

Do you find your method it skews the Trumps toward positive?

For example, how do you read Empress which is generally considered benefic?

 

Or does your method hold true for all the trumps? You read the benefic aspect of the card as upright and the malefic aspect as reversed? Which I suppose maintains statistical neutrality--22 possible benefic vs. 22 possible malefic ???

Excuse me for the delay in responding to your question about how I read the Empress reversed, Misterei. I have been hesitant because my vision of this card is slightly different than those who have learned tarot cards based on the extremely popular Rider Waite deck and its interpretation of the cards. For me, the Empress is about "creativity of the mind". The Emperor who follows her brings into concrete reality her ideas, but she is the "conceptor". For example, she will imagine and design the plans of the house, but he will be the one building and materializing it. When she comes upright, ways of understanding, thinking, imagining, communicating, and creating are all well-conceived, so one will get a positive outcome to their projects. Reversed, things are not exactly as you think they are. You need to go back to the drawing board and revise your ways of understanding, thinking, imagining, communicating, and creating, as some of them may be ill-conceived. As an answer to a specific question, such as "Will this work?", the Empress in reverse may be a "no" or "not yet," so at best you can expect some delay in the results you wish for. I just want to add that with some high-energy and "way more physical" cards (tower, devil, for example), the upright versus the reverse meanings will be a lot more drastic. 

Edited August 14 by TarotCeline

[Christgal1983]

I had not really started doing reversals as I am still trying to memorize the upright meanings of the cards.

Reversals will only complicate matters for me.

[Misterei]

11 hours ago, Christgal1983 said:

I had not really started doing reversals as I am still trying to memorize the upright meanings of the cards.

Reversals will only complicate matters for me.

When I first learned Tarot I memorized reversal meanings--but years later stopped using reversals. I seldom use them today.

Many people read all uprights. There is no rule that you must use reversals.

 

The main thing is that if you read all upright--there must be some alternative way of getting the nuances that reversals provide.

For me this is what I call "card yogas" How the cards combine and interact with other cards in the spread. But of course, this comes later. If you are memorizing upright card meanings you're off to a great start--you can choose to add reversals to your reading style--or not.

[geoxena]

I never use reversals.  Doing so just doesn't seem necessary to me.

[Elaina]

I actually learned playing cards before tarot. Once i started tarot, reversals were since the beginning.   Between books and the classes at the local Wiccan shop, reversals were always there. 

 

When I did classes for intuitive readings, they didn't reach reversals as such, but notice the position of what catches your eyes.