FindYourSovereignty Posted July 2 Posted July 2 (edited) 15 hours ago, Rayne said: Thanks for responding! I have a general question about reversals. If any card can be challenged when you don't read reversals, is it better to just read reversals? Because not reading reversals will make things more confusing? I stopped reading reversals because a lot of people in the old AT forum said not to read reversals until you're very skilled/comfortable with the upright readings. I agree with this and many readers choose to never read reversals. It is not necessary, however, it does mean that each card has to be considered as though it may not be the positive meaning. For example, the 2C, that instant attraction from across the room, could also be meeting someone that intrigues, but is not truly out for your best interest, may be a physical attraction, may be a great friend, or someone that causes inner or outer turmoil, could be a constant irritant, or aversion. Seeing the reversed card is a clue that this meeting, this new connection, may be challanged. This thread is a poll about reading reversals and many share insights why they do one or the other. @Chariot is, to me, a cheerleader of reading reversals, and shares this throughout her posts. Here is one. I leaned towards the challanged 2C because of the other cards in the spread. Quote 16- She can't take off the blindfold. Her arms are bound to her sides. But, yeah, I see what you're saying. I still feel my interpretation resonates more. Wait and see, and slowly follow the water forward. Edit to add: She is the only one that can remove the blindfold. The 8S ties are loose and the person bound can remove them and will be able to remove the blindfold if they choose to; it is their own mental thoughts and beliefs that are tying themselves up, keeping them stuck and blind to what is before them. Remove the mental beliefs and the ties and blindfold disappear, fall away. The way out of the swords becomes clear. Thank you for the feedback. Edited July 2 by FindYourSovereignty
geoxena Posted July 2 Posted July 2 (edited) 11 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said: each card has to be considered as though it may not be the positive meaning. If you're saying that has to be considered for every position, I would tend to disagree on that. But I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly. For me, the designation of what a position stands for in a spread determines whether or not to apply what is usually considered a more "reversed" or negative meaning to a card. That, and the fact that I prefer to read more intuitively than "by the book," is why I don't feel the need to shuffle in such a way that allows cards to come up reversed. I usually try to include a position in the spread that stands for some sort of challenge, obstacle, opposing force, enemy, and things like that (dependent upon whatever the question is). Therefore, the interpretation of whatever card comes up in that position would sound more like a "reversed meaning." Of course the context of surrounding cards makes a difference as well. In general, I always say I don't read reversals mostly because I take care to shuffle in a way that prevents cards from turning up reversed, and if any do come up reversed, I just turn them upright. However, since the positions are a major determining factor in how they should be read, not having reversed cards doesn't mean that negative, weakened, or opposite meanings never come up in a reading. There are as many ways to read tarot as there are readers! 🙂 Edited July 2 by geoxena
DanielJUK Posted July 2 Posted July 2 This discussion has been split off from originally a reading thread here - Now we have a thread for reversed cards / negative uprights discussion here.
JoyousGirl Posted July 2 Posted July 2 (edited) 11 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said: each card has to be considered as though it may not be the positive meaning. For example, the 2C And also alternative meanings that come to mind. Then there's a scale of intensity of the thing in question. For example, when it comes to 2 of Cups it may reflect a romantic-related agreement or exchange of 'vows' but it could also be talking about entering into a contract of some sort. With regard to scale of meanings and by this I mean the archetype of the card, I guess, I offer the following example. The other day I did a layout with an old deck that is considerably alternative with 'out there' imagery. I did use reversals, and I looked at the book because the deck's meanings are very different to traditional ones. While there was a positive message because the card was upright, I was deeply stirred by the message of the reversed meaning - it really handed me a truth I identified with. Perhaps I peer too deeply into my own shadow, but the scale of the positive upright (which I would love to believe) was a - let's say - brighter shade of event/meaning. Not sure if that makes any sense. But I do ordinarily read intuitively, and upright, so position and nearby cards flesh out alternative 'puzzle placements' of the situation we're constructing with the cards. I do see the value of reading reversals though - some really good points have been made in the recent conversations regarding them. And as I write this and reflect on the recent reading I did, our shadows can mislead us, we can live in the shadows when we need to come out into the light. Maybe others throw shade on us to block our light for their own reasons - and this is the card interactions. The upright and reversed are scales of light and shadow, perhaps - the one thing with its many faces - and as I say this I see the moon phases turning. Probably getting woo-woo now! Edited July 2 by JoyousGirl misc
FindYourSovereignty Posted July 3 Author Posted July 3 11 hours ago, geoxena said: If you're saying that has to be considered for every position, I would tend to disagree on that. But I'm not sure if I'm understanding you correctly. For me, the designation of what a position stands for in a spread determines whether or not to apply what is usually considered a more "reversed" or negative meaning to a card. That, and the fact that I prefer to read more intuitively than "by the book," is why I don't feel the need to shuffle in such a way that allows cards to come up reversed. I usually try to include a position in the spread that stands for some sort of challenge, obstacle, opposing force, enemy, and things like that (dependent upon whatever the question is). Therefore, the interpretation of whatever card comes up in that position would sound more like a "reversed meaning." Of course the context of surrounding cards makes a difference as well. I think we are saying the same thing. The position in the spread matters. The surrounding cards matter. I am guessing in both areas you are also assessing each card. If a card is appearing in a very positive position and all the cards around it are also positive, I will read accordingly. Each card is being considered in this manner. I would normally want to view a layout of all the images as well to see how they are visually interacting. All of these are clues to me of what direction to go with reading a card. And yes, I am looking at each card to do that. All of these things are being assessed in my readings. It may go quickly, but the assessment is being considered. I, too, used to shuffle my deck to not have reversals appear, however, recently I am feeling more comfortable with recognizing how helpful it can be to have a card show up reversed - it instantly alerts me to the energy of that card not being 100%. 3 hours ago, JoyousGirl said: And also alternative meanings that come to mind. Then there's a scale of intensity of the thing in question. Yes! This also. 3 hours ago, JoyousGirl said: For example, when it comes to 2 of Cups it may reflect a romantic-related agreement or exchange of 'vows' but it could also be talking about entering into a contract of some sort. Definately. Partnerships count and relationships come in many shapes and sizes. 3 hours ago, JoyousGirl said: With regard to scale of meanings and by this I mean the archetype of the card, I guess, I offer the following example. The other day I did a layout with an old deck that is considerably alternative with 'out there' imagery. I did use reversals, and I looked at the book because the deck's meanings are very different to traditional ones. While there was a positive message because the card was upright, I was deeply stirred by the message of the reversed meaning - it really handed me a truth I identified with. Perhaps I peer too deeply into my own shadow, but the scale of the positive upright (which I would love to believe) was a - let's say - brighter shade of event/meaning. Thank you for sharing. I like what you sre saying about the scale of meanings. 3 hours ago, JoyousGirl said: Not sure if that makes any sense. But I do ordinarily read intuitively, and upright, so position and nearby cards flesh out alternative 'puzzle placements' of the situation we're constructing with the cards. I do see the value of reading reversals though - some really good points have been made in the recent conversations regarding them. And as I write this and reflect on the recent reading I did, our shadows can mislead us, we can live in the shadows when we need to come out into the light. Maybe others throw shade on us to block our light for their own reasons - and this is the card interactions. The upright and reversed are scales of light and shadow, perhaps - the one thing with its many faces - and as I say this I see the moon phases turning. Probably getting woo-woo now! I believe the cards can be upright or reversed and still share what we need to know. I also believe that it does make it easy to recognize an area not 100%
FindYourSovereignty Posted July 3 Author Posted July 3 19 hours ago, geoxena said: There are as many ways to read tarot as there are readers! 🙂 Thankfully. 😊
Chariot Posted July 3 Posted July 3 My daily reading today ...my 'advice' card was the reversed Judgement. The reading was about how someone's assessment, taking place this morning, would likely turn out. If I did not use reversals, and had received Judgement, I would have had to guess whether the assessment result was going to be positive or negative. As Judgement was reversed, I knew the result would NOT be positive. This turned out to be the case. The tarot's advice to me was to expect this result—and go from there. This is why I use reversals. I don't want to have to guess. If I was that good at guessing, I wouldn't need tarot! Unfortunately I don't consider myself psychic ...so when I ask the tarot a question, I appreciate a straight answer, when appropriate. Reversals help.
FindYourSovereignty Posted July 4 Author Posted July 4 12 hours ago, Chariot said: This is why I use reversals. I don't want to have to guess. If I was that good at guessing, I wouldn't need tarot! Unfortunately I don't consider myself psychic ...so when I ask the tarot a question, I appreciate a straight answer, when appropriate. Reversals help. This has been a big reason for me to incorporate reversals into my readings. I do tend to read intuitively using the images to guide, but having a card show up reversed lets me know that the energy is challanged and I like this extra help. Thank you for repeatedly sharing your approach. Have you always read with reversals or did you read negative uprights at some point?
Chariot Posted July 4 Posted July 4 5 hours ago, FindYourSovereignty said: This has been a big reason for me to incorporate reversals into my readings. I do tend to read intuitively using the images to guide, but having a card show up reversed lets me know that the energy is challanged and I like this extra help. Thank you for repeatedly sharing your approach. Have you always read with reversals or did you read negative uprights at some point? I admit to always having read with reversals. It always made sense. Why, if randomly shuffled cards carry meaning, should a reversed card not carry meaning as well? Practitioners and teachers often say that it's 'easier' to learn card meanings if you just stick with the uprights at the start. But my contention has always been that IF you learn the upright meaning of a card, you should be able to figure out the opposite meaning—or lack of that meaning—if the card comes up reversed. It is no different than considering the 'shadow side' of an upright card, except, when using reversals, the cards themselves show which side is relevant for that reading. I maintain that each card is a 'topic.' If you want usable answers to a question, I think you need to do more than just mull over all aspects of the topic. I think you need to be able to apply specific aspects of that topic to the question. Reversals help. .................... The only downside I see to reversals is how the cards must be shuffled to get them. Just a straight riffle shuffle—the kind you would use with playing cards—won't work. Some of the cards must be deliberately reversed. In order to make this a truly random action, a lot of deliberate reversing during the shuffle is required. When I first started out, I ONLY used the inelegant face-down smear, which worked fine to achieve reversals, but wasn't so great at the overall shuffle. Many times, when the cards were dealt, I discovered whole strings of cards that had not been properly shuffled. I always re-order the deck after every reading, so this can happen if the deck isn't thoroughly shuffled. I now start with riffle shuffling, but then do to the face-down smear to produce reversals. I then carefully regather the deck and finish with a few more riffles. I wish I was better at the hand-to-hand shuffle, but I can't seem to get that to work for me, for some reason. I never get accurate readings using that method. Dunno why.
FindYourSovereignty Posted July 5 Author Posted July 5 On 7/4/2025 at 1:29 AM, Chariot said: I admit to always having read with reversals. It always made sense. Why, if randomly shuffled cards carry meaning, should a reversed card not carry meaning as well? Practitioners and teachers often say that it's 'easier' to learn card meanings if you just stick with the uprights at the start. But my contention has always been that IF you learn the upright meaning of a card, you should be able to figure out the opposite meaning—or lack of that meaning—if the card comes up reversed. It is no different than considering the 'shadow side' of an upright card, except, when using reversals, the cards themselves show which side is relevant for that reading. I want to share my thoughts about this, but I cannot do that just yet. Hopefully soon. On 7/4/2025 at 1:29 AM, Chariot said: I maintain that each card is a 'topic.' If you want usable answers to a question, I think you need to do more than just mull over all aspects of the topic. I think you need to be able to apply specific aspects of that topic to the question. Reversals help. This has been my motivation to include reversals in my readings. After reading uour many, many posts about not reading reversals, I see the value in this more direct focus the card is presenting. On 7/4/2025 at 1:29 AM, Chariot said: The only downside I see to reversals is how the cards must be shuffled to get them. Just a straight riffle shuffle—the kind you would use with playing cards—won't work. Some of the cards must be deliberately reversed. In order to make this a truly random action, a lot of deliberate reversing during the shuffle is required. When I first started out, I ONLY used the inelegant face-down smear, which worked fine to achieve reversals, but wasn't so great at the overall shuffle. Many times, when the cards were dealt, I discovered whole strings of cards that had not been properly shuffled. I always re-order the deck after every reading, so this can happen if the deck isn't thoroughly shuffled. This has not been the easiest shift for me. I cannot always take the time between readings to reorganize my deck. This wasn't a concern when I didn't include reversals. On 7/4/2025 at 1:29 AM, Chariot said: I now start with riffle shuffling, but then do to the face-down smear to produce reversals. I then carefully regather the deck and finish with a few more riffles. This approach isn't an option for me when reading at the shop so I am not letting myself do it. I don't want to add it and not be able to do it. I can only do the riffle-shuffle approach of turning a few cards, riffle-shuffle several times, turn again, riffle-shuffle some more. It is working well so far. On 7/4/2025 at 1:29 AM, Chariot said: I wish I was better at the hand-to-hand shuffle, but I can't seem to get that to work for me, for some reason. I never get accurate readings using that method. Dunno why. Interesting! Thank you for sharing.
Chariot Posted July 5 Posted July 5 (edited) 25 minutes ago, FindYourSovereignty said: This has not been the easiest shift for me. I cannot always take the time between readings to reorganize my deck. This wasn't a concern when I didn't include reversals. This approach isn't an option for me when reading at the shop so I am not letting myself do it. I don't want to add it and not be able to do it. I can only do the riffle-shuffle approach of turning a few cards, riffle-shuffle several times, turn again, riffle-shuffle some more. It is working well so far. Thank you for sharing. Oh, I totally agree that re-ordering the cards doesn't work if you're doing a string of readings for other people! I don't do that very often at all, but when I do, I have several different card decks handy. I don't think there's anything essential about ordering a deck, though. It's just that I feel more comfortable starting from 'scratch' every time. Maybe it's because I like handling my cards and putting them into 'order.' 🙂 I'm not recommending this habit. It's just that's the way I prefer to do it! I also hate having to resort to smear shuffling to get reversals. It's messy, and I'm sure there are better ways to do it. It's not terribly impressive, when working with others either, unless you have a big table covered in a big cloth! I find that people I read for are often quite timid about smearing cards, and I have to exhort them to 'go ahead and give them a good shuffle!' I've never experienced the rough shuffling that some professional practitioners have done ...it would make me grit my teeth. But my problem has usually been the opposite. I do NOT read for money, though, and am not a pro. So I have not had to adapt to that sort of scenario. I just read for friends, on occasion. I'll try your riffle/turn/riffle/turn method next time I read for myself, and see how it works. It would be a lot neater. That being said, I also have quite a few decks I really like, but are either too large (even after modification) or the card stock is too stiff for riffle shuffling. This is where I'd love to use the hand-to-hand method. But, oddly, every time I do, I just get results that don't seem connected to what I've asked. Grrr.... Anyway, I'm letting this get a bit off-topic ...so back to reversals! Edited July 5 by Chariot
geoxena Posted July 5 Posted July 5 (edited) I have been thinking about this question of using reversals or not. I do not read reversals. I did in the beginning of my tarot journey decades ago. However, with encouragement from a mentor of mine, I stopped. After seeing that my ability to read the cards improved, I never looked back. I disagree with the idea that not using them means that the reader is not applying a specific method to reading the cards and is just guessing at what they mean. Sure, intuitive hits can sometimes feel like guesswork, if one does not trust their intuition, but they are not the same thing. Out of curiosity, I looked for some other threads on the topic and found one which has a number of responses that align with my reasoning for not using reversals. I thought I'd share them here, not out of wanting to debate the subject or argue my view (although I do think this is an interesting topic), but because I'm not sure that what I wrote earlier expressed my view on it well enough, and seeing these various viewpoints from several different people brought me a little bit more clarity on what I was trying to say before. Of course, using reversals is neither right nor wrong, but I am confident that not using them is right for me. The following quotes by other members ring true for me: On 6/4/2019 at 10:04 PM, Grizabella said: I determine the meanings according to "all things considered" type reading method. Meaning that card combinations, the clients' questions, the imagery and looking at the spread as a whole to look for patterns of color and such things are how I interpret the reversed meanings if they apply. I'm also a strong believer in a precise question and named positions, too . . . You can also design your spread to include positions where the cards will be considered reversed in meanings. On 6/5/2019 at 4:10 AM, katrinka said: I don't use reversals as a rule. I know how to read them, I just don't see them as necessary . . . It's not so much a psychic thing as a "The 9 of Cups is flanked by the Tower and Death, maybe this ain't so good" thing. On 6/5/2019 at 6:49 AM, Wanderer said: The question of 'when to read the card reversed' isn't quite right, because it's not an either/or situation. Each card is a spectrum, and where on the spectrum the meaning falls depends on the context, the surrounding cards, and the nature of the question... as well as just plain intuition. On 6/5/2019 at 3:34 PM, Grizabella said: To begin with I was just going to learn upright meanings and then go to using reversed cards but when I got to the place where I was ready to learn reversed cards, I just didn't feel I needed them. On 6/6/2019 at 9:47 PM, Grizabella said: Reading the cards in general is a very personal endeavor and it's only with time and experience that the reader finally morphs it all into a personally eloquent divination tool. On 8/30/2019 at 2:57 PM, Czenzi said: It’s the overall feeling of the card and its relationship in the spread that guides me. Also, I trust whatever words I hear in my mind as the card is pulled. I have toyed with using reversals more, but have never really felt the need, yet. On 9/1/2019 at 1:20 AM, Wyrdkiss said: In my experience, the position meaning of the Spread is key to experiencing the nuance of any card. I do not read or use reversals. The 5 of Cups in "what is holding you back" conveys one message; the same card in "what is your greatest strength to draw on" entirely another. On 9/21/2019 at 3:19 PM, Annabelle said: I don't use reversals . . . It seemed like an extraneous "layer" to me and I seldom gleaned anything of use from trying to read reversed cards. On 9/21/2019 at 5:39 PM, Carla said: I've never used reversals, but always looked at cards as being multifaceted. You will know when to use the darker meaning of a card according to a variety of factors, which might include the positional meaning (if using a spread), proximity to other cards, where the card falls in the story you're weaving from the cards (if you do that), or just flat out intuition. If we approach the cards with curiosity and in search of a story . . . we can relax into interpretation and this issue will no longer be a point of stress. You won't need to look at images upside down to know what they're saying to you. On 9/21/2019 at 8:25 PM, bookshop said: . . . a card's position in a spread can add a lot of complexity and reversed meaning by itself, and my stance is that such a context can render the whole idea of an additional reversal unnecessary and confusing. On 9/21/2019 at 10:17 PM, MollyCat said: I don't use reversals because to do so seems to me to second guess the question. Also, I think that reversals can complicate the question. I trust my intuition to let me see all relevant aspects of the question and to speak to them if appropriate. In conversations with the querent during the reading, often positive and negative issues arise. Questions too. Edited July 5 by geoxena
DanielJUK Posted July 5 Posted July 5 I think using reversed cards is really a personal preference, it's not right or wrong, just a reading technique. I would say though, if you always read one way, why not try experimenting with the other way, see if it works for you or not. I mostly read with reversed cards but not always. They add to my readings. The cards that come up in a reading are nuanced and even if you read upright cards only, you have to work out how the card fits in that position, the reading and to the question. Same with reversed cards, is it negative, what does it mean? You get negative cards in positive positions and positive, in negative. The ideas of each card are not easily binary, they are like a spectrum of meaning or tone. I am more of a intuitive reader but you have to work out how it appears in each reading, they can really change between readings. I think that part is a real skill that you can only learn from experience and practice. I am not the biggest fan of when people say this card is so positive and this card is negative when reversed because it's not always the case. We shouldn't water down the images on the cards but also how they appear in positions can be complex. It really is a per reading situation to work them out.
RunningWild Posted July 5 Posted July 5 I agree with @DanielJUK that you might find it useful to change things up a bit. I don't generally read with reversals but sometimes there are nuances we might not notice if we don't. An example, is something I was asked about elsewhere just a couple of days ago. In that discussion, I was asked the meaning of the Death card, and then the meaning of the Death card reversed. Oddly enough, for the reversal, I just spilled out that, to me, it might indicate stagnation or possibly, delay. I gave an example of what I meant in a position of a celtic cross spread. Later that day, I went over that converstion in my mind. I didn't run to look up the meaning of Death Rx, I just pondered it. I decided I was in the right. Even later, that evening I thought about it and it could have indicated a Scorpio with bi-polar disorder having a really rough day. (Never let it be said that tarot can't be funny). Upright, I wouldn't have thought of wild mood swings. So, there may be some benefit to those nuances. But if you struggle trying to memorize all those meanings, just practice using the cards upright. You learn as you go with the cards. There's no competition. No rush. Eventually things will just make sense.
Chariot Posted July 5 Posted July 5 Just an interesting tidbit to add to this discussion ...A E Waite, the originator of the idea behind the RWS deck, DID intend the use of reversals. Some deck designers (Anna K comes to mind—another favourite of mine) do NOT use reversals. But Waite did. Obviously it's a matter of choice, but still....
JoyousGirl Posted July 6 Posted July 6 9 hours ago, DanielJUK said: I am not the biggest fan of when people say this card is so positive and this card is negative when reversed because it's not always the case Yes, I agree with this. Sometimes the reversed is less intense, it's weakened whatever was upright, sometimes it's jumping up and down and pointing in some direction, and sometimes it makes you smile at how directly and personally it is telling you something that you know, but need said to bring it to surface consciousness. As a practice related to this 'to reverse or not to reverse' thread, I have been using reversals with my quirky deck. Some interesting things have come up that somewhat confound me. Basically, I'm identifying more with the reversed than the upright. I'm developing a much closer relationship to the deck though. Two things may be possible at once. I'm thinking of the guy on the back of the Chariot telling the victor "memento mori" - So maybe it is a case of "This is what will happen" but also the reversed suggesting "but at the same time remember." Re Position placement: in a position that represented negative forces, I had a card appear upright and it had such a positive interpretation that I wasn't sure what to make of it. So an upright card as a negative force is a bit of a quandary if we're not considering the scale of intensity / spectrum of all the facets of the thing but rather two sides, one or the other. It does add an element of WTF, particularly in the context of intentionally working with reversed cards to see how they "play". And in a spread with negative forces in several places to see what comes up. And again, I'm identifying with a lot of reversed meanings in upright cards. But maybe that's so I develop an understanding of the card's archetypal sort of 'postures'. 8 hours ago, RunningWild said: I didn't run to look up the meaning of Death Rx, I just pondered it. I think this is very important - we need to give time to the process because these are ancient archetypes and ancestral knowings or activities that might require some digging into. We would ideally think over a spread for a week, memorise the layout and wander around thinking about a card's potential message because the aforementioned layers and what we are being told by the card might take a while to unearth and sink in. Intuitive guidance doesn't always come like a hit but often when we interact with our day to day environment as a slow unveiling of ideas or de ja vu. Your upright and reversed meanings may differ to mine, and because it is intuition based it is right for your participant in the exchange, whatever shape that exchange takes. I remember something Caroline Myss said about her writing teacher telling her how to know the rules so you can break them artfully. I think that's a relevant point. Once we learn - we'll shape our card-reading practice to what works for us. That may change over time. Reversed or not reversed, whatever works for us.
Recommended Posts