Why I Don’t Read Reversals! (AKA Reversed Tarot Cards)

​Reversals refer to cards that are upside-down in a reading; depending on how we shuffle our cards, there’s the potential for reversals in every reading. I simply turn any upside-down cards right side up, because I don’t read reversals. Here’s why:

​Most people who do use reversals see the traditional energy of the card as blocked or stagnant in some way, and I can understand why. However, this can get very tricky when we’re working with a card that is traditionally seen as very positive or negative, i.e., Ten of Cups or Nine of Swords. For example, the Seven of Swords is usually seen as the card of sneakiness and deception, which are obviously not very positive traits. However, over time I’ve come to see this card as also representative of keeping your thoughts to yourself to avoid hurting others or because the current environment is not going to be receptive to your ideas. This alternate interpretation has been true in readings for myself as well as for others. Ultimately, I believe that the interpretation that matters is the one that resonates for the querent, because it was sent to them by their guides.

​All 78 cards in a Tarot deck have a multitude of possible interpretations based on many, many variables, such as the traditional meanings, the querent’s associations with the images, the card’s location in the spread, the question being asked…you get the picture. To narrow down a card to its “positive” and “negative” aspects has always seemed so limiting to me. I think that we have to take the full energy of each and every card into consideration. And based on my experience, I may have more positive or negative associations with a card compared to another reader. This can even vary from deck to deck because of each artist’s interpretative style. And honestly, there are light and shadow aspects to EVERY situation in our lives; I believe that to ignore one or the other is going to leave us with an unbalanced perspective. Our guides provide us with information in multi-layered and multifaceted ways; to limit their messages to positive/negative or blocked/unblocked would be so restrictive!
 
So, especially if you’re just starting out or you’re still in the process of learning all 78 traditional meanings, I suggest that you leave reversals aside for now. You can always come back to it later if you decide that it works for you! Please let me know what you think in the comments below.
 
Love,
TarotMama

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