Do you read reversals?

[Libra]

Personally, I don't! I'm a intuitive reader. And I rely on the specific imagery in front of me to tell me what the card is trying to say. When it's upside down, it's really limiting to me!

I've put a lot of time into exploring cards in their full range - the positive and negative aspects of all of the cards. The darkest cards have a silver lining, and the brightest have a shadow. I use the spread position, the way the card interacts with with others in the spread and my gut instinct when I see the card to tell me where on the spectrum the true meaning lies within the context of the reading.

What about you? Do you read upside down?

[Tomatosauce]

I do! I'm working on reading more intuitively, but I think there's a way to do that with reversals as well.

Basically, when I see a reversed card (or more than one), I think through a couple of different approaches to it to see which one "clicks" with the rest of the reading:

- The "traditional" reversed meaning- a negative/shadow aspect, an opposite, a blockage, an energy turned toxic, whatever
- It's a suggestion or a warning for a course of action- What does the Seeker need to do to turn the card upright and gain the benefits of the upright meaning?
- This card is literally standing on its head to get my attention; why?
- The intuitive approach: Think about the picture and what a topsy-turvy version of it would be- The Two of Pentacles drops what they're juggling, the Cups spill their contents, The Fool loses his nerve, the Knight falls off his horse, etc.

[Nemia]

It's a hairy question. For many years, I didn't read reversals because I wanted to see each card as its creator meant it to be seen - hmmm, of course, many tarot artists expect us to look at the reversed cards, too... but I didn't use reversals.

Then I had a mail exchange with John Ballantrae about reversals, and he reminded me that one of the exercises in "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" is done with upside-down images. When you see a picture upside-down, you notice composition and patterns that might otherwise be hidden because our brains take the easiest, well-known interpretation of reality when we see it "properly" and might overlook information which doesn't suit us.

At about the same time, I read Benebell Wen's book. I want to quote her advice about reading reversals. She gives an acronym, WIND, to help remind us of the nuances of meaning a reversal may hint to.

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: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal Growth (Kindle Locations 6016-6022). North Atlantic Books. Kindle Edition.

The inverted meaning got richer for me when someone on AT (can't remember who) explained that sometimes a reversal shows an inverted energy flow. For example a Ten of Wands - instead of being overburdened, it may mean that we overburden someone else. Interesting idea. I rarely use it but it's something to keep in mind.

I didn't read Mary Greer's book on reversals but I liked Joan Bunning's very well. Joan sees each card as impulse of a specific energy. An upright card shows this energy in all its glory - present, active, noticeable. A reversed card shows that the energy has either not arrived yet or has ebbed away already.

However, I still don't read reversals consistently. Before a reading, I decide whether I read with or without reversals. It depends on the deck and on my mood and on the question. And when I do, I read the reversal as hint that there is something not immediately obvious about this card's energy. I take Wen's and Bunning's ideas into account. But in the end, it's always an intuitive decision. How does the card make sense? There is no easy formula, no automatic "reversed meaning" I use.

[ParsifalsWheel]

I do both. Some decks like the Voyager aren't intended to be read with reversals (and neither are Lenormand cards), while some of the spreads I create specifically disregard reversals. But I normally read them as oblique influences with a range of possible indirect effects on the situation (delay is only one of many, and I have a whole long list). They often send me down unexpected byways that I might not have otherwise explored.

[Charlie Brown]

My main reluctance with reading reversals has to do with the matter of how the cards get reversed. I'm impartial to the idea of explicitly taking a section of the deck and reversing it. Actively inverting a portion of the deck strikes me as a huge insertion of personal will into whatever energy might be happening with the deck.

If/when I'm determined to use reversals, I'll spread all the cards out on the table and reassemble the deck via a swirling kind of motion, mixing all the cards up on the table. I'll try to keep the orientation of the cards as they are but, invariably, about 5-10 cards in the deck will become reversed. That, however, is a slow, pain-in-the-butt way to shuffle.

Also, if cards pop out of the deck during the shuffle and I don't feel compelled to treat them as special jumper cards, I will steadfastly refuse to look at them or their proper orientation before putting them back in the deck. This also generates reversals.

If and when I actually do draw a reversed card in a reading, I will almost always read it as reversed.

[ParsifalsWheel]

My main reluctance with reading reversals has to do with the matter of how the cards get reversed. I'm impartial to the idea of explicitly taking a section of the deck and reversing it. Actively inverting a portion of the deck strikes me as a huge insertion of personal will into whatever energy might be happening with the deck.

If/when I'm determined to use reversals, I'll spread all the cards out on the table and reassemble the deck via a swirling kind of motion, mixing all the cards up on the table. I'll try to keep the orientation of the cards as they are but, invariably, about 5-10 cards in the deck will become reversed. That, however, is a slow, pain-in-the-butt way to shuffle.

Also, if cards pop out of the deck during the shuffle and I don't feel compelled to treat them as special jumper cards, I will steadfastly refuse to look at them or their proper orientation before putting them back in the deck. This also generates reversals.

If and when I actually do draw a reversed card in a reading, I will almost always read it as reversed.

The method of obtaining the reversals has always bothered me too. But since I don't put a deck back in upright order after each reading, it slowly happens and I let it. I found the best way is to use Grizabella's method of randomizing a deck by dealing all of the cards face-down into several piles (she uses four, I use seven), then reassemble the sub-packs in random order. Before I reassemble the deck, I turn roughly half of the sub-packs upside down. Then I overhand shuffle the deck a few times before dealing. I only go to this extent every third or fourth reading,

[BlueStar]

I've avoided reversals whilst I'm learning Tarot meanings. I think I'd be happy for them to show up once I've gained more confidence, but I wouldn't do anything specifically to include them by shuffling them in that way etc. I feel that some decks may not really need them, others seem to be open to them.For example I feel the Thoth deck totally supports reversals, but the Zen Osho deck doesn't feel like they fit. Just my perspective:)

[Vox Populi]

Yes, i started to read reversals but they literally all get clumped one behind the other all five cards after a few shuffles...every time! I took it as the cards telling me i wasn't ready. Now, I use reverses sometimes and invariably they have the same meaning as the upright (not all the time though). Again i take it as a message, i'm not quite ready. And some cards reversed just throw me. If you ever get a reversed Hanged Man come up in divination you'll know what i mean...looks totally surreal

A friend of my mum's, a big hearted gypsy woman, who is a master tarot reader, and to watch her read reversals is amazing. It's like a whole new card she's got at her disposal, and her interpretations of them are totally next level, and really accurate. It's such a skill reading reversals. I guess it's the difference between a chess player who can think 2 or 3 moves ahead and a player than can think 10 moves ahead. One day maybe!

[Tarot_scholar]

It depends on the deck. With the Thoth I use elemental dignities, not reversals. With the Robin Wood deck (which I admit I rarely use these days) I don't use reversals, since Wood admits in her book she doesn't use them herself; the same would hold for any deck with a creator who's made statements about their own practice preferences. I think of it as their own "Tarot vibes" as reflected in the artwork will guide me as necessary.

But otherwise I default to using reversals. I like Benebells WIND model, quoted above; I also sometimes see reversals as a way to negate an entire position (like if it turns up in a position for "past influences," it might just be that there aren't any relevant past events influencing the situation, or none you're not already aware of) or as "transitional" stages between cards. So a reversed 3 of Wands can mean you're moving into the 3 of Wands energy after handling the 2 of Wands, or it can mean that you're almost done with the 3 of Wands and are nearly ready for the 4 of Wands.

[Amoroso]

I prefer using reversals since they give my readings more nuance. Some decks advise against reversals when working with them and I almost always respect that.

[CharlotteK]

I might be inclined to read them if they appear accidentally though I almost always turn them right side up. I've got Joan Bunning's book on reversals so will read that and see if I change my mind. Like Charlie and others, it bothers me a bit to manufacture reversals and feels a bit artificial to deliberately reverse cards in a deck by turning them the wrong way round. I like PWs approach of letting it happen more organically but again it bothers me slightly that once reversed a card will stay that way unless I flip it.

[Myperception]

I don't read or connect well with reversed card, but i am traying to practise and accept it. Still in the midst of handling it. Sometimes when i read a more negative element card such as tower, when it become reversed i will think is it become a positive outcome? A good news? A better but fast changes? I am still practising it and observed what i see and how i feel towards the card.

[TheColorsofSand]

I don't generally read reversals- I feel that both meanings (upright and reversed) can be present in all cards at all times, and I use the context of the question or other cards to determine what the card means at that time. That being said, there are times when a card just "decides" that it is going to be reversed. Usually, when I read I flip them right-side up if they come up reversed, but every once and a while a card will leap out of the deck (or at one point I tried to pick it up and it kept falling out of my hand reversed) and I try to take that as a sign that it wants to be reversed.
In the end, they are your cards, and it is your deck, and you are the one that is communicating with them. If you don't want to read reversals, just define that at the beginning of your reading, and the cards will accept that as the proper way to communicate with you.

[AnwynnTarot]

I go back and forth on this. I tried to once I got comfortable with reading upright cards, but like Vox Populi, I encountered signs that showed I wasn’t ready yet. Part of me hopes to grow into reading reversals and part of me isn’t sure... how did those of you with firm ideas on the subject decide you were ready to start reading reversals, or that you just wouldn’t read them?

[SaturnCeleste]

I do read reversals when I do 3 card readings. If I'm doing and advice style reading I don't use reversals and I don't use them for all my Celtic Cross, only for the readings I feel the reversals will add more information.

[chongjasmine]

I don't do reversals.
I find there are enough scary cards in the tarot, without adding more to it.
Since reversals are generally negative, they will add to the scary cards.

[spider]

Hi
I sometimes read reversals and find that when I do they add an extra something to the reading. If a large percentage of the cards in a spread are reversed I take that as meaning that the querant and the question they ask are out of balance in some way.
I definitely do not see all reversed cards as negative. It depends so much on the cards surrounding them. Sometimes I have known a reversed card to indicate that if certain actions are taken, the negative impact will be less.