One thing about tarot that has consistently challenged me is reversals. In fact, whenever I talk to another tarot reader for the first time, I always ask how they deal with these pesky upside-down cards. Some people, feeling that the cards have enough to say on their own, don’t bother reading reversals. Others have hard and fast rules they use. It turns out there are several ways to read a tarot reversal and, as always, it’s up to you to decide how you like to handle them best.
As I stated in a previous post, there is no wrong way to read a tarot card; be it through memorizing, intuition, etc., but the more tools you have available, the better your readings can be. That said, let’s get some more tools in your tarot kit and talk about different ways you can read tarot card reversals. In describing each method, I do mention my personal preferences, but please don’t let that influence your own preferences in a negative way. Whatever is most comfortable for you is the best option!
The Hermit Right-Side-Up and Reversed (Deck: Fanastic Menagerie Tarot)
Opposite Meaning
One of the most popular methods of reading a reversal is to go with the opposite meaning of the card. I think the reason this idea is so well-known is because it makes the most logical sense and it’s easy to remember; the card’s upside-down, so everything it represents must be flipped upside-down, too. For example, the Hermit usually means looking within to gain insight or finding your inner voice. Using the opposite meaning method, when reversed the Hermit may mean relying on others for advice or not seeking wisom and being unwise. While this method is well-known and the first one I encountered when learning the tarot twelves years ago, I also find that tarot readers very rarely rely on opposite meanings when working with reversals. Personally, I am less likely to use this method in a reading and choose the blocked meaning over the opposite meaning, which we’ll discuss next.
Blocked Meaning
The blocked meaning method of reading reversals is the one I’ve used most over the years. Essentially, the energy of the card exists in the reader’s life, but is blocked in some way–leading to difficulties with what the card represents. Using blocked meanings can be very similar to the opposite meaning, only you use the normal meaning of the card to give the querent insight into what they are missing. For example, the Hermit in this case may still be acting unwisely, but it’s not because their inner voice isn’t there, it’s because somehow the querent has blocked it. I like this method because it uses the notion that everything contains its opposite, so there is potential to flip things around. Using reversals in this way allows me to guide the person I am reading for towards some kind of solution and keeps the cards interacting with their lives, by giving them advice and something to think about after the reading is done.
Negative Meaning
This style of interpretation highlights the negative aspects of a card when it is reversed. For example, with the Hermit reversed, the card could mean someone who is unsociable, unfriendly, and pretty miserable. Here, I imagine the (fictional) old man who lives in the creepy house at the end of the street and only comes out to yell at kids for playing near the yard. I don’t often use the negative meaning method unless my intuition is telling me otherwise, which happens most when I am reading a reversed court card.
Appearance Alteration
I am calling this next method appearance alteration, though there may be a better term out there of which I am not aware. This method of reading reversals takes into account the difference in the appearance of the card when it’s reversed. When looking at the Hermit, we see that he is looking in a different direction. This can be significant if he is looking at a particular card or if you feel like he’s looking at the past or the future, etc. I often use this method and find that it is very helpful. A lot of times, the surrounding cards will lead me to use this method when I notice a pattern in where the cards are facing.
Here, the focus is on the center card. (Deck: Rider-Waite-Smith)
In the image above I see the reversed knight as a way to bring focus to The Chariot. This is becasue both the Knight of Swords and the Seven of Pentacles are facing the chariot. Chances are that I would not alter the meaning of the card, but would alter the reading to make the Chariot a more prominent part of the reading and, possibly, a destination for the querent.
Here, all of the cards are looking behind.
In this example, all of the figures are facing to the left, including the Judge in the Justice Card. I would read this as looking towards something in the past. Because the past plays such a prominent role in this reading, I would also read the Justice reversal as having to do with Justice being blocked.
With appearance alteration, there can also be an intuitive aspect of reading the card, not based on where it is facing, but based on what happens in the card when it is reversed. Let’s go back to our Hermit. If I look at the card and ask what happens next, I see the lantern turning upside-down and swinging behind our buggy friend. The light shines on something behind him, which makes me feel like maybe there is a lesson to be learned from the past (a place behind the Hermit) and the Hermit is looking for the solution in the wrong place.
Unfinished Business
This final reading method is quickly becoming one of my favorites. I heard about it through the grapevine at this year’s Reader’s Studio. Sadly, I cannot tell you who this little gem came from, but if I could, I would certainly credit them here! The unfinished business style takes into account the idea that there is a lesson that hasn’t been learned or a phase that hasn’t been completed in the card that proceeds the reversed card. For example, if there was a Two of Pentacles reversed in a reading, then that means there is something about the Ace of Pentacles that has not been completed; thereby blocking the Two of Pentacles and keeping the reader from advancing through the card sequence. If we take our reversed Hermit and apply the unfinished business method, then there is something about the Strength card (which is before the Hermit in the Major Arcana sequence) that has not been resolved. Perhaps the person cannot look inward until they are strong enough to the see the themselves as they really are. This method requires you to recall the sequence of cards in the tarot deck and can be a nice way to give your tarot memory muscles a workout. Ever since I learned about this style of reading reversals, it has definitely changed the way I read the cards for the better. I enjoy the extra layer of insight that it gives me.
As you can see, there is a wide variety of ways to read reversals. Each one brings its own special flavor to a reading. Personally, I do not stick with one specific method, but incorporate them as I see fit. Sometimes, I use the blocked method, others appearance alteration and I’ll even ignore the fact that a card is reversed on occasion. It just depends on what my gut is telling me at the time.
If there are any methods that you use, which I haven’t mentioned, please feel free to share them with us! Also, if you know who brought up the unfinished business style at RSo9, I’d love to give them credit! And, finally, thanks to all of the readers that I’ve talked with–or who have written about–reversals. You have helped me get comfortable with an aspect of reading the tarot with which I’ve struggled for years!
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