Reversals.. a debate

[Aine of the Fae]

Do you use reversals when you are reading? I don't because I find that if the reading is bad, then it's bad with or without reversals.

[Mithrea]

I work very hard to keep my cards from getting turned upside down because reversals make no sense to me. However, occasionally they do get upside down. I don't read the card reversed though with the assigned reversed meaning. In that situation I read it as an upheaval or reversal of the situation it represents --OR-- I view it as something trying to place more importance on that particular card.

[Flaire]

I don't really like using reversals. I had at one point, but I just kept getting confused when they came up, so I stopped using them.

I'll probably try again when I feel more comfortable with them (after a lot more studying. :rolleyes: )

[Lavender]

I didn't vote...I read reversals sometimes, depending on the deck I'm using.

[Morrighana]

I voted yes, because although I do turn all the cards upright before I begin shuffling, they occaisionally present themselves reversed in spreads anyway. I feel that just as there is an important reason why each card lands in a certain position in the spread, there is a reason behind reversals.

Generally, I read reversals as a diminishment of the upright meaning...for instance, in the Rider Waite LWB (not a deck I read from but it makes for a good example), the World card, upright, means assured success in a voyage/change of place. I would read the reversed World as success which is still in one's grasp, but which is by no means assured...wheras the LWB says inertia, fixity, stagnation, and permanence. My interpretation of reversals in most of the cards is the upright meaning with a warning or red-flag attatched.

It seems to be working for me :nyah:

[Azure]

I don't read them either. I started out reading them, but found that as my intuition grew and my understanding got better, reversals did more to "muddy" the reading than anything else. If a card has negative implications, they usually show up regardless of whether or not it's reversed. It's all about "listening" to the cards.

[Armitage]

It depends on the cards, and even the deck sometimes. My Vertigo deck works very well when I read with reversals, and I usually factor that in. Then, if it doesn't make sense, I go with the original meaning. My Thoth deck, however, doesn't seem to work like that.

[Pan]

I never read reversals. I figure, like was already said, if the reading will be bad.. it'll be bad without me needing to read reversals.

Not all tarot decks have reversal meanings, either.

[shnen]

still learning, but from what I have gathered from it, I don't think I will...

[Witchy Cowgirl]

Genreally, I don't read reversals. Like Mithrea, I try my best to keep the cards from becoming reversed. So when they do, I pay attention. For example - yesterday - in my daily draw I pulled the NINE OF WANDS - reversed. So, I reached over and turned the deck what I thought would be right side up. Then I got the feeling I needed to check. The deck was already right - side up. The whole deck - I checked. The only one that was reversed was the NINE OF WANDS.

[faelin]

When I shuffle, on EACH shuffle I always turn around my right hand cards. I get a totally different reaction to reverse cards, I love it!

[tarotbear]

I think ( in my mind-LOL!) there is a difference between 'reading' reversals and 'using' reversals.

I don't need reversals - when I look at a spread, I can usually tell right off which cards should be interpreted as though they are reversed, but that took years of working with the cards to see.

[Zander770]

Do, Yes, but of course I use Reversals (now: the Swords are "really" Fire and the Wands are "really" Air! Now . . . that's a Debate)!!!

[AmbivalentMirage]

I'm not comfortable with reversals, really. I just consider it my own error if I find a card upside down. ;)

[Ravens_Tears]

I have always used reversals, especially when doing readings regarding chakras or relationships. I believe (for the most part) they are indicative of where energy is blocked, negative and/or stagnating. I read my cards on a spectrum (if that makes any sense) Also, it is important to note that not all cards are negative when reversed.. some of the more negative ones; reversal indicates that the negative effects are not as intense or that negativity in that regard (to what the card refers), is not going to be a concern or consideration.

[Theres]

i generally don't pay attention to reversals. i'm more concerned with how the card is 'dignified', how it relates to the cards immediately around it.
now, if that suggests something negative, i might pay attention to the fact that the card is reversed.

but the fact is, i really don't read the cards very often. i see the system of tarot as so much more than just divination.
but that's just me.

[Emaleth]

I don't use reversals, I feel I still have a lot to learn before I start dealing with them. For now I just turn the reversed cards around, as it was suggested in a course I'd taken.

[Lacykitten]

I don't read reversals. I'm not sure whether I will or not, but.. I don't.

I personally think that the negative stuff in a reading will show through in the cards regardless of what ways they are facing, and the cards' meanings (at least in the book in my deck) are pretty much positive or negative depending on the card and what it's saying. There isn't any info on reversals in my book but I don't feel that I need to use them.

.. so yea. ;) I don't. With this deck anyway.

[Amulet]

Reversals. Scary- for some, threatening, inconvenient, challenging. But also part of the whole.

If you want the whole experience, read reversals. Do it right from the beginning so you never have to go back & learn all over.

If you want everything your own way, make up all your own meanings, turn all the cards upright, take out Death & the Devil & have a wonderful day.

P.S. Nobody wants to hear this. I already know.

Amulet

[Theres]

i'm not so sure they are "part of the whole".

i don't ignore reversals because they're unpleasant or inconvenient, but because (to me) they're irrelevent.

[Morrighana]

I agree 100% with Amulet. If the reversals weren't meant to be read, the original makers of tarot decks would've made reversable images, like playing cards. There are reasons why they didn't.

And Amulet, even if people don't want to hear it, always post it anyway! It wouldn't be much of a debate if everyone always agreed with everyone else! :D

[Ravens_Tears]

Originally posted by Amulet

Reversals. Scary- for some, threatening, inconvenient, challenging. But also part of the whole.

If you want the whole experience, read reversals. Do it right from the beginning so you never have to go back & learn all over.

If you want everything your own way, make up all your own meanings, turn all the cards upright, take out Death & the Devil & have a wonderful day.

P.S. Nobody wants to hear this. I already know.

Amulet

:lol:

I don't even know that it's a matter of "learning" all the meanings. As I stated earlier, I feel that the cards should be read on a spectrum, reversals indicate a leaning towards the other end of the spectrum for that card in that particular position. There are some decks that I still need my books for when I get stuck, or some I enjoy reading bcause the book has a n extra story or legend of significance that the creator has incorporated into the card but in general I leave my books behind. I find that they can be very limiting to interpretation. If a particular card is difficult for me within a reading I will take that specific card as the significator and pull the next set of cards out of the deck to see what I am missing. That has always worked for me. I have also found it helpful to meditate upon a card that I am having difficulty connecting with. When I first began to read, I found I learned better after I put my books to the side and just wrote down my initial impressions of what was presented to me. Then I would go over the books to clarify... What's important in any reading is how your cards speak to you. How they speak to me certainly isn't the same way they will speak to anyone else. Use what works best for you.

And by the way, (IMHO) pulling Death and The Devil from your deck will do nothing but tilt the balance in a deck towards negativity...

[SylverStar]

with my two decks that I use I don't use reversals. Like others have said there is a vibe to them that will show itself. To me every card has positive and negative sides whether its reversed or not. Which aspect to take in account comes from the surrounding cards and intuition. I don't try and stop reversals either but if a card is reversed I usually read it like normal. However I do think it depends on the deck also.

[Cev'aq]

i generally don't pay attention to reversals. i'm more concerned with how the card is 'dignified', how it relates to the cards immediately around it.
now, if that suggests something negative, i might pay attention to the fact that the card is reversed.

but the fact is, i really don't read the cards very often. i see the system of tarot as so much more than just divination.
but that's just me.

I'm in the same boat, Greenman, on all counts. Well stated. :)

[FaerieGothMommy]

Nope! Never use reversals... and purely because i don't like them! I prefer to read them right side up... If theres some opposite the cards want to tell me,then they will! I don't need to do the reversals!

[zakzekezedd]

I rarely read reversals. I find that the tarot does a pretty good job of letting me know what's going on without worrying about reversals. Like Witchy Cowgirl, I usually keep my cards "upright" so when a reversed card does sneak in, it deserves attention. I also listen to my intuition about what's up with the reversed cards. Sometimes I just get a really strong impression that this is what needs to be said.....

[meg]

i don't read reversals. there are 78 cards that can each be interpreted so many different ways. why the need to invert and complicate?

<3 meg

[RedRaven]

I for sure use reversals. depending one what card is reversed the meaning can be either an internal emotion/feeling/thought or it can be as simple as the opposite of what the upright card means.

RedRaven

[schadenfreude]

I think everyone is different .. and everyone can get as much from the deck being used as they can .. but I find that it is essential for *me* .. to use reversed cards. I don't fix the cards .. I refuse to *clean* the cards before a reading (putting everything one direction) .. but that's just me. I really enjoy seeing what comes up .. and I find that for *me* .. I get more .. and become more accurate and detailed .. if reversed cards are used

:ringaroun

[alexx]

I read reversals - I find they bring a lot of subtleties, as for me thay aren't always simply an opposite or a negative, but a more/less so, or an emphasis. I feel there's a meaning they present that way. I keep records of my readings and have found it's often the same cards for me whic happear reversed, same for others I read for regularly - which siggests the cards think for me this is important. However I do think its personal - i nthe same way some don't read with the Minor Arcana.

[vikinggoddess]

I keep going back and forth on my feelings about reversals and whether or not to use them. I feel like I shoulld use them, but I'm always dissatisfied by the outcome.

I started out with these cards, where position is key, but find it is hard to make the transition to tarot. http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/russiangypsy/

[dawns_eve]

I do read reversals occasionally but I dont like to use them. I have the same feeling about neg spreads, if there are to happen they will regardless. :colorful:

[LisaT4P]

Yes, I read reversals.

I have experimented with not reading them, and I found that the cards will still give me very good readings, but it felt like something was missing. I feel the reversals add a shade of subtlety to the readings that's just not there for me if some of the cards aren't reversed. For me, it's the difference between black and white, and shades of gray... if that makes any sense to anyone else. :D

It's all a matter of intepretation, as so much is with tarot. If you start off with knowing that you are NOT going to use reversals then your readings will of course be just fine. I think it's when you are not specific (just as when you aren't specific with your card positions) that the issue can become confusing.

Lisa :)

[ButterflyBranwynn]

I tried reading reversals when I first starting doing tarot but it screwed me up. So now I don't do it and I have pretty good readings so I haven't thought about it. :)

:thewave:
Blessings,
ButterflyBranwynn

[Habiduh]

I don't read reversals. I feel that all the cards will present their meanings well enough without depending on how they were drawn. The method I learned from said not to, because 'Each card is a double edged sword - they can be both good and bad. It is best to your intution and the influence from the other cards that surround it.'

Besides, what if I accidently flip the card while drawing it? What if I hold the deck upside down?! lol. I don't know, the way I learned was to not used reversed, and it works just great for me, so I don't see myself using that method any time soon.

[Faeawyn]

I don't read reversals either. I just trust in the cards and my intuition to tell me what the cards are trying to say.

[Ara_Anonyma]

Yes, I do read reversals. I could make up a rational reason, but it boils down to an intuitive inability to ignore reversals. That's probably not a great reason for a beginner. However, at this point I've encountered too many spreads where a card made no sense to me unless I took its reversal into account. So, they're kinda stuck in my brain by now.

Where is a thread on the Fire:Swords::Air:Wands debate? The search engine doesn't like me. :(

[Aidron]

When I do begin officially reading after extensively studying my latest deck I plan to try reading without reversals. Dorothy Morrison intrigued me with her thoughts on reversals, stating that she found the information (negative or positive as they are often associated, and these words contained here are mine, not her's) was readily available if you looked no matter the card's position. She suggested anyone and everyone to try it and see what results they produced, and I plan to do just that. I'd also encourage everyone else to do the same, simply to see if you can focus on reading the actual card and worrying less about its reversed or upright position. I theorize you may be able to recieve more accurate information should you be more focused due to the lack of "Oh, so it's reversed/upright."

If it meets with astonishing success I doubt I will try reversals anytime soon.

[morrigen]

I use a few different decks, and for me it really depends on what deck I'm using. if I use my cagliostro deck orthhe Tarot of the cat people, I'll use reversals...but for the Victoria Regina, the Gothic tarot, Tarot de Paris, and the Gothic Tarot of the Vampires (phew..) I don't use reversals.

[Jenne]

Well, I've always read the reversals, if only because, when I don't, it's sorta what Lisa was talking about--there's a depth or something that's missing. It's not like I focus on it and make it the only part of the reading I'm paying attention to. It's just that if I don't figure in the reversals, the reading just doesn't gel for me. *shrug* I think it's a to each her/-is own sort of dealiebob anyway...

[samiaminsane]

Nope, not a big fan of reversals. I read them as I see them, and upside-down has no special meaning for me.

[Aine of the Fae]

:lol: I had to laugh when I saw this thread pop up.... Aoibheann was my old screen name a long time ago... then I went away and forgot my password and had no access to the email account.... so... i started all over...

[xmo0driinq]

no reversals for me...

i feel like if the reading is going to be negative, it can be negative without the reversals...but when a card or two does turn up reversed i feel like it might have a signifigant meaning so ill look it up.

[jinx1_2]

I try to pay close attention to every part of the spread, when I do a reading, which includes reversals.

[HorseCrow]

Yep, I always read with reversed cards as well.

[soilsigh aingeal]

Do you use reversals when you are reading? I don't because I find that if the reading is bad, then it's bad with or without reversals.
If I don't get a reversal than I go by the that interpretation but if it doesn't make any sence, I'll just use the regular interpretation. But I agree with you, if a reading is bad, it's bad either way.

[9-2-2]

I do reversals. I think it's silly NOT to read or use them. A reading can be bad, but if you don't use reversals, how can you know the subtleties and the details? There are only so many "negative" cards in a deck, and they don't all mean the same thing. The same goes with reversals. I feel that not using reversals is horribly skewing the message you're trying to get.

Reversals aren't always negative. They're just "different" from upright. A reversed card will send to me a different message than one that is upright. Different qualities of the card will stand out to me and speak to me differently than a card that is upright.

This reminds me of an old friend I used to have... whenever she performed a tarot reading, she always turned reversed cards upright not because of the reasons stated on this thread, but because she didn't like the negativity they stood for (this person is also highly unbalanced, and shuns anything to do with negativity from her life). I often wondered that, if she didn't like seeing ANY negative messages at all, then why is she even doing tarot readings instead of putting on her rose-colored glasses and smelling the flowers? :bouncingb

[Faerin]

Certain decks are not made to have reversal readings, like the Shapeshifter Tarot for instance. If a specific deck has been known to give reversal readings, then I would definitly read them as intended by the authors.

[prk001]

I read reversals. Depending on my mood, my meanings for reversals changes. In some reading, I just look at the images and thoughts that come to while looking at that spread. So, the reversals doesn't matter to me at that time. In other cases, I take it that the energy of that card is blocked or stagnant.

[celestrialdragon]

I read them depending on the deck I use. Most often than not I find it to be a good explination as to why all the cards tie together.

[Kadynas]

Do you use reversals when you are reading? I don't because I find that if the reading is bad, then it's bad with or without reversals.
I do use reversals... I guess part of me thinks that reading every card right side up is "manipulating" the answers in some way, so I read them as they fall. :)

[Zander770]

I'm only just finding this topic thread, yet again, and, I RESPECT readers like Robin Wood and Rachel Pollack, et al., whom do NOT "use 'reversals,'" but . . .

The Tarot was INVENTED for its use! Why NOT utilize its . . . FUNCTION? What's to FEAR? I just do not understand it: Why?

Because it's "easier?" Pwsah!!!

I mean: REALLY!!!

:artist: ~Z~770~

[Elderbush]

I use reversals and one reason why is that I look upon the cards as a language that my gods use to communicate with me. Using the cards in both positions extends the vocabulary considerably. I don't think of the tarot cards as fortune telling cards - divining the future - but more of a conversation between us. Sometimes I need warnings, sometimes encouragement and the extended deck allows a lot of nuances in the conversation.

[OMmomma]

I read my tarot for mostly enrichments purposes, and not divination. That said, The deck I prefer to use, and learned with, has a distinctive pattern on the backs that have always guided my hand to automatically lay them obverse. I have tried other decks that don't have that kind of clue, and I noticed that I am not exactly comfortable with them for pathwork, but seem to be OK to read for divination purposes. I take that back, there was one deck that was quite revealing without having to be always obverse, that was the Hermetic Tarot, and that taught me just how revealing the 'mirror' could be.

Great Topic! :bigblue:

[Dashifen]

I read with reversals but I don't see reversals as being negative. Instead, it simply changes the meaning. A lot of people ask me how I remember 78 right-side-up meanings and another 78 up-side-down meanings and my answer is always: I don't. Most of the cards I have a pretty standard interpretation for but many change based on their placement and what I notice on the image of the card first. I misremember which card it was -- something in pentacles -- but I never noticed that it looked like there was a postcard in the image. Ah! It was the Ace. I'd never noticed it before I did a reading two nights ago. I utilized that image which seemed to Pop! for me that night in my interpretation.

It's similar with reversals. The six of wands in the vertigo deck (attached below) shows a murky area with the six wands rising from it and then one large flame. I've always seen it as a group of people working together to bring a new idea to fruition. But, reversed the idea is below the people leading to the murkiness. So this, to me, shows a new idea which has taken a hold on a group of people and their not quite sure where it's going. In the first case, the process is understood as it's happening by the people. In the second case -- the reversal -- the opposite is true; the idea is growing and changing as the group work on it. They construct the idea in the process of working on it.

The card image is form the Vertigo tarot, copyright 1995 by DC Comics and illustrated by Dave McKean.

[Dawa Lhamo]

I do use reversals... I guess part of me thinks that reading every card right side up is "manipulating" the answers in some way, so I read them as they fall. :)I feel the same way. I don't like reversals, because they, to me, seem harder to interpret; harder to see their place in the pattern, but I read them nonetheless. However they fit best is how I interpret them, whether they mean nearly opposite of upright, a downplayed upright, an extreme of the upright, a problem with the upright, etc. I don't feel that ignoring them is appropriate for me. They are indeed frustrating at times, though. But I think that looking at them, even though they're difficult, is like looking at the problems in your life. It's not fun, but ultimately it's beneficial.

Tashi delek!
Dawa Lhamo

[gurlygurl2004]

I was taught that reversals are just part of the reason and it doesn't help at all to turn it around.

[gurlygurl2004]

*reading*

[DarkWaltz]

I think everyone has a relationship with their own deck and if they were meant to read reversals they would be given motivation and means to do so.

[sari0009]

I read reversals as energy resisted/blocked/interfered/subconscious or not fully, well, or yet realized.

I didn't like them at first, however, since I had read that they were "negative," and I was right in the middle of a nasty divorce--I felt I didn't need any more negatives. I’m very grateful that I did manage to get a few good tarot books that expounded upon the topic of reversals.

My favorite would be Tarot for Your Self : A Workbook for Personal Transformation Second Edition, by Mary K. Greer, ISBN 1564145883. She does discuss reversals on page 59 in a powerfully concise manner and includes an example of what she meant.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1564145883/qid=1103063048/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-6809982-3955150?v=glance&s=books

That author additionally has another book out called The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals that I'd love to have, but haven't read yet.

Being that my introduction to tarot was during a time of my life that I was undergoing tremendous change, the idea reversals deal with opportunity became quite an attractive idea. I grew to feel very pleased with the results and felt this added angle (of reading reversals) really enriched readings and actually, corny as it sounds, helped me change my life. I came to affectionately call my tarot decks "my thinking cards." :)

I do use my intuition when considering a reversal as I find much of what I want to connect to or accomplish has answers within...A reversal may give me pause and cause to acknowledge a wish/potential and that's really important to me.

I do appreciate, however, that not everyone reads cards the same way and that others may do wonderful readings without using reversals.

[Aidron]

Despite the fact that this thread is labeled a debate I am not posting in order to debate anyone's approach to the tarot.

However, I personally have found that regardless of whether the card is reversed or upright the energy it conveys is still present to unlock my psyche, therefore I do not utilize them.

Of course, this can be hindered or enhanced in accordance with what deck you utilize. My own deck is designed to not incooperate reversals, something that was a "must" when I began looking to purchase one some time ago.

[MoonDragn]

I usually use them depending on the situation. Sometimes a card is bad rightside up or uside down. You have to trust your own instincts. Just like some people love to draw cards at random out of the deck, and some like to pull just from the top. It is all your own personal preference. Remember, the ability is inside yourself. Not the cards. The cards are just symbols that you use to interpret your intuition. You have to trust your intuition and develop your own system of interpretation.

[Raven Heart]

Reversals. Scary- for some, threatening, inconvenient, challenging. But also part of the whole.

If you want the whole experience, read reversals. Do it right from the beginning so you never have to go back & learn all over.

If you want everything your own way, make up all your own meanings, turn all the cards upright, take out Death & the Devil & have a wonderful day.

P.S. Nobody wants to hear this. I already know.

Amulet
I agree. Life ain't all good. Sometime energy is going wrong and a reversal shows up. It is all part of life. Now some cards reversed have more a postive note to them. Most of swords have postive influnces when reversed.
So yes i use them alot.
Raven Heart

[fallingwater]

I tend to let the surrounding cards tell me what energy a particular card is sounding out.

[Lady Khaibit]

I personally do not use reversals. All of my decks don't contain any insight into reversals, therefore for me it would merely just twist the meaning. I just look at it as energy that is blocked or undiscovered at that point. Now I'm not saying anyone is wrong or right, that's just how I read my cards.:broomride:


Lady Khaibit