Percolating Insights: Reversed Cards in the Celtic Cross Reading
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I recently had occasion to present my view that any reversed card in a spread could be inferred as having a “Hanged-Man moment” in that it requires bringing an inverted perspective to bear on our assessment of the energy involved. Its mode of arrival is redirected along occluded channels that may be subconscious or merely obscure in their implication and effect. I believe that all of the common assumptions about “blockage,” “delay,” “denial” and the like are really factors of this characteristic obfuscation; if we can’t get our head around the energy, we can’t make effective use of it so we look for symptoms to manage instead of identifying and resolving causes.
We could say that the upright expression of a card is directly motivating because it presents a linear, one-to-one relationship between cause and effect (you push the button and the pump starts), while the reversed expression is more elliptical and conditional (you must prime the pump before pushing the button and you must secure it before shutting it down). The operation of one is transparent and the outcome is readily discernible, the other is more clandestine in its function and the outcome (when one can be detected) is often ambiguous. I like reading reversals because they can be more mystifying than illuminating at first and require a “pause to reflect.”
In the Celtic Cross spread, some of the positions are already vague enough in meaning, and adding reversal can make them that much more confounding. This is particularly true now that there are so many variations of the CC that try to bring complex psychological factors into the interpretation. I’ve concluded that handling of the phenomenon of reversal in the CC (and in any positional spread for that matter) is a two-step process.
First we must decide what the inverted perspective means for our personal experience of a card’s energy independent of context. How do we customarily define its oblique influence regardless of its position in the spread? Consider it a universal agent at this point, a kind of “free radical” that flies under the radar. We must grapple with the card itself “in the wild” before we try to bring it under the umbrella of a spread position. Attempting to do both at once can end in frustration. Is it the incongruity of reversal or its interaction with the position meaning (or perhaps the combination of the two) that is complicating our efforts at understanding?
Consequently, we must then examine the implications of that skewed energy for the particular position of the spread in which it lands. Will it run parallel or perpendicular to the position’s usual nature (e.g. the “bad card in a good position” conundrum)? At the same time, we must also look at how that position might reshape the temperament of the energy. This is not much different from the way we would normally look at any positional interaction, but reversal adds another layer of complexity that can upend some of our usual assumptions. The result will ideally be a massaged synthesis of card energy and position meaning that comes out both intelligible and actionable. (See the example reading below.)
If we think of the reversed insights as “percolating up from the bottom” of the scenario described by the position meaning, we can get an idea of how they might insinuate themselves into the narrative. One of my favorite ways to interpret them is as “sneaking up on us” from behind, and having that hint of vulnerability also “well up from beneath our feet” like quicksand adds an even more profound dimension to the outlook. In the worst case from the standpoint of progress in the matter, with a difficult card reversed in a challenging spread position we are not only blocked coming-and-going and countermanded from above, we are also being bitten on the ankles; it’s truly a 360-degree impact.
To test my premise, I performed a Celtic Cross reading to explore what the keynote experiences of my next three months will be. We are traveling by car to Florida at the end of January and staying until the first of March, so that will be the main feature of the period. I’m going to focus on the positions that hold reversed cards and only briefly touch on the rest.
There are four reversed cards in the “cross” section, two of which are Earth cards, implying that it will be a physically enervating period (particularly during the three-day drive to Florida).
The Queen of Cups reversed in the “heart of the matter” position makes me think that my wife’s well-being will be a central concern; she has lower-back problems and doesn’t travel well by car. Still, she intends to tough it out although I may constantly hear about her distress. In general, reversed Queens convey the idea of “loss of patience.”
The World reversed in the “major motivators” position (challenges and opportunities) suggests that I will have difficulty recovering from the travel fatigue at both ends of the trip, down and back. Waite’s keywords for the World include many travel-related items that I think he got from Ettiella’s “Voyage” card, including “voyage, route and change of place,” so I think this card is speaking to the prosaic impediments associated with the journey (maybe we will be significantly delayed in our arrival).
The upright 9 of Swords in the Established Past position describes the mixed anxiety and anticipation leading up to our departure that occurs ever year about a month before this trip, and is mainly caused by uncertainty about winter weather conditions..
The King of Coins reversed in the Recent Past position is another indication of physical draining. (I’m hoping it doesn’t mean I get Covid again right before we leave.) In the Golden Dawn system, the Kings (later recast as “Knights”) represent “Potential Power,” so reversal could mean that the potential is allowed to dissipate through neglect.
The upright 4 of Coins in the then-Present position portends complete recovery from the reversed King of Coins in time for our getaway. Both have to do with stability, and the 4 of Coins reinstates it at the last minute.
The 7 of Swords reversed in the Near Future position implies unforeseen complications during the outbound trip. There could be adverse weather-related conditions or mechanical failures to contend with on the way down. Reversal of this card in general can mean being “blind-sided” by circumstances that create an obstacle to unimpeded progress.
The upright 10 of Wands in the Negative Factors (aka Self-limitation) position strongly suggests that we will be taking far too much baggage with us. But it’s a big car.
The Queen of Wands reversed in the Clarifying Factors (aka Environmental Issues) position could mean a flare-up of inflammation in my wife’s condition that creates some acute problems for her while we’re away. External intervention may be necessary. Once again, “loss of patience” is the keynote for a reversed Queen, coupled with frustration in this case, and the Queen of Wands is short on patience to begin with.
The upright Lovers in the Positive Factors (aka Self-motivation) position shows that together we will make the best of it by choosing to remain optimistic.
The upright Emperor in the “End of the Matter” position has me convinced I will return “tanned and toned” (as long as the fickle February weather cooperates).
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on January 7, 2024.
