So, you’re looking at tarot cards and some pop up upright, some reversed. Big confusion for a lot of folks, and yeah, it was for me too. When I first got into this, I’d just flip any reversed ones right side up. Seemed like a hassle I didn’t need. Who wants extra homework, right?
But here’s the thing: just ignoring them felt like I was only getting half the story. Like listening to a song with one earbud out. Something was missing, and it bugged me. So, I had to figure out what the actual difference was, not just what some confusing little book said. My journey wasn’t straight, let me tell you.
My First Tangle with Upside-Down Cards
I remember getting my first deck. Super excited. I’d shuffle, lay them out, and then bam – a card would be upside down. The little booklet that came with the deck had these entirely separate, often gloomier, meanings for reversed cards. My first thought? “Nope, too complicated.” So, for a good while, if a card landed reversed, I’d just discreetly turn it upright. Problem solved, or so I thought.
It wasn’t problem solved. Readings felt flat sometimes. Or a card would show up, and the upright meaning just didn’t click with what was going on in my life. It was like the deck was trying to nudge me, saying, “Hey, you’re missing the point here!” That nagging feeling got me to actually try and understand this whole reversed business.
Figuring It Out, My Way
I started digging around. Some people made reversals sound like doomsday predictions. Everything reversed was bad, bad, bad. That felt way too simplistic. Tarot’s not usually that black and white. Others had these super intricate systems for reversals that made my head spin. I needed something practical, something that made sense in my own readings.
So, I just started experimenting. Paying attention. What did it feel like when a card was reversed versus upright in a specific situation? After a lot of trial and error, and a fair bit of just sitting with the cards, here’s the gist of what I’ve pieced together for myself:
- Upright Cards: For me, this is usually the card’s energy flowing out, clear and direct. It’s the main theme, pretty much as advertised. Think of it as the energy being active, expressed, or moving forward. It’s “on.”
- Reversed Cards: Now, this is where it gets more nuanced. It’s not automatically the “opposite” or “bad.” That’s a common trap. For me, a reversed card often means the energy of that card is:
- Blocked or Delayed: The energy is there, but it’s stuck, held back, or not quite ready to manifest. Like a traffic jam for that card’s theme.
- Internalized: The energy is turned inward. Maybe it’s something I need to work on privately, a lesson I’m processing, or an internal state rather than an external event. So, the Empress reversed might not be a lack of nurturing, but a need for self-nurturing.
- An Imbalance: Too much or too little. Sometimes a card’s energy can be overdone or underdeveloped. The Chariot reversed could be a lack of control, OR it could be trying to control things too much.
- A Call to Review: It can be a prompt to look at the card’s theme from a different angle, or to reconsider something related to its upright meaning. Maybe I missed something.
How I Deal With Them Now
So, these days, I almost always read with reversals. It adds depth. When a reversed card shows up, I don’t just jump to a negative conclusion. First, I remember the upright meaning. What’s this card generally about?
Then, I ask myself a few questions about the situation I’m reading on:
- Is this energy feeling blocked or stuck right now?
- Is this something playing out more inside me than outside?
- Is there too much of this vibe, or not enough?
- Am I needing to rethink my approach to what this card represents?
It’s more about the energy being redirected, needing attention, or being in a different state of expression. It’s rarely just “this is bad now.”
A key thing to remember: Not every tarot reader uses reversals. Some prefer to keep all cards upright and get perfectly insightful readings. There’s no tarot police that’s going to come after you for your method. You do you. But for me, figuring out my own way with reversed cards really opened things up. It made my readings feel more honest, more complete.
It was definitely a process, going from total avoidance to actually finding them useful. But that’s my experience with the upright versus reversed puzzle. It’s just about finding what clicks for you and tells you the story you need to hear.
