Reversed Cards as “Sticking Point”
AUTHOR’S NOTE: In a recent discussion about reversed cards on one of the online tarot pages, it was frequently asserted that “upside-down” orientation can be ignored because all 78 cards exhibit both positive and negative meanings when in their normal aspect, and whether to emphasize one over the other depends on the context of the question (and, I would add, its position in the spread). Most of the naysayers maintained that reversals are not only unnecessary, they are also cumbersome and they make for “chaotic” readings. Here is my rebuttal to one partisan of the “upright only” viewpoint, followed by a few additional thoughts on the advantages of allowing for reversal during the shuffle.
“I agree that what you say can be done, it’s just not always efficient or convenient and it can take some time to sort out depending on the context of the reading. Reversals solve all three concerns rather neatly, especially in a short reading where the querent is mainly interested in where the “sticking points” are. I would add that “chaos is in the eye of the beholder;” there is usually an internal consistency in a multi-card reversed pattern even when it isn’t immediately visible.”
Reversals are not about light or dark, they’re about “mode of delivery” and “angle of attack.” That is, they are more oblique than direct in their expression. They double the available interpretations for the cards even though they don’t alter the core concepts, they just add nuance or “shading.” I find it more laborious to squeeze two sets of meanings out of the upright cards based on position and context than I do to use reversals. They are a kind of narrative shorthand; I call it “cutting to the chase.”
The accident of reversal can shine an interpretive “spotlight” on the situation that instantly brings any discordant conditions into sharp focus, making it unnecessary to seek positive insights in a traditionally negative card or vice-versa. There are many visual cues that support this phenomenon; for example, the Hanged Man looks much happier and more comfortable when reversed than when upright since he is “rising toward the surface” to redeem himself rather than “sinking into the depths” in surrender.
Over the years I’ve encountered several online polls regarding who uses reversed-card meanings and who doesn’t. The outcome is usually that significantly more than 50% of readers favor the practice. Among those who don’t, the majority offer the above argument against it, some say they are new and can’t figure it out, and others say that the visual appearance of inverted cards makes them uncomfortable. My personal opinion is that none of these arguments is strong enough to outweigh the benefits of learning the ins-and-outs of how to apply reversals to maximum effect.
The idea of “sticking points” in a reading is a compelling one. Querents usually seek a reader’s services because they have either encountered such a “block” or anticipate that one is coming, and want to devise a strategy for handling it. While there are numerous ways to interpret the impact of reversal on the narrative (and I’ve written about most of them), I would venture to say that “blocked energy” (e.g. a stalled initiative) looms large because its likely effects can be immediately grasped. If we’re staring such an impasse directly in the face, we will be strongly motivated to find some way to surmount it as opposed to how we might react to oblique challenges of the kind that “nibble around the edges” of our situation.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on July 30, 2023.
