Reversal As Circumvention: “Going in the Back Door”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’m endlessly fascinated by the phenomenon of reversed cards in a tarot reading because I think it is something that is widely misunderstood and therefore mishandled. There are numerous adjectives describing its effects that go well beyond mere antithesis, although “redirection of focus” is a common theme. Here I’m using the catch-all term “circumvention” to convey the ideas of deflection, avoidance and denial (or at least stubborn refusal to grasp their often oblique import).
Unless there is good reason to suspect delay, the arrival of a reversed card’s energy is usually just as timely as that of its opposite orientation, although it can be more subtle. Its significance is often no different from the upright expression but we might have to get resourceful (or devious) about how we handle it. (I think of this contingency as intercepting and integrating the reversed card’s unique “mode of delivery” and “angle of attack” before it blindsides us.) We can choose not to engage directly and proactively with the upset condition, but instead turn a blind eye and hope for the best.
Those who refute the importance of reversal and argue that we can just parse all the possible positive and negative meanings of the “normal” state are optimistic (and perhaps more than a little disingenuous); this can be a complex task that takes far more time than it should to merge its minutiae into the broader context of the reading when reversal provides a workable shortcut to the same end (while also helping to avoid understating the case). In a face-to-face reading session I want to take advantage of all the time-saving opportunities I can muster to my cause. To those who are hostile to or undecided about the use of reversals, I’m saying “Think a little harder about it.”
Like the old Prego spaghetti sauce commercial, we can just assume that “It’s in there,” and turn the container upside-down to shake it out. The skewed perspective comes to the surface and can be tapped with little fanfare or interpretive gymnastics. A good example is the Sun. When upright it shines impartially (and sometimes mercilessly) on all, but when it’s reversed its rays may not penetrate all the way into the darkest corners of the matter. We can just try to sidle back under its direct beams and ignore the shadows, or we can bravely venture into the dim recesses to see what we can find there. I would submit that such exploration is what tarot reading is all about, and reversal can offer a leg up on that mission.
We should first ask ourselves “What am I not seeing?” about the ambiguous trajectory suggested by reversal. Are there subtle strings attached that make its course anything but obvious? Are there cautionary implications that I’m missing? Is there another way to “skin the cat” by coming at it bottom-side-up? Does the reversal serve as a signpost pointing to neglected byways (even if only to warn “Here be dragons!”) that might otherwise go unnoticed? These are all questions we should take a moment to contemplate before rejecting the presence of reversed cards out-of-hand. I don’t want to walk all the way around the barn when I can just go in the front door (well, OK, the back door).
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on July 22, 2024.
