Reversed or Not: An Endless Debate
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a topic that is apparently never going away, so here is yet another of my attempts to be “definitive” about it.
Even those diviners who avoid pulling reversed cards by always orienting their tarot decks in the upright direction sometimes find themselves embroiled in the online debate about whether there is a good reason to apply upside-down meanings. There are strong opinions on both sides of the argument, and I find myself frequently explaining my own approach (which is constantly evolving even after fifty years of reading reversals). I typically post in favor of using them (except with the Tarot de Marseille and the Lenormand cards) but my methods have become increasingly modulated over the years, as reflected in my long-running series of essays on the subject. (For the record, the bottom line for me is “You’re missing half the fun if you don’t use reversals.”) Here is the latest installment of the “Do you or don’t you?” saga.
The question once again raised its ubiquitous head this morning, and I answered as follows:
“I read both (upright and reversed orientation, that is) but I don’t see them as polar opposites. A card’s meaning “is what it is,” reversal just adds nuance to the way its energy is delivered and received. I think of it as ‘oblique’ rather than head-on.”
In contemplating this statement, I arrived at the useful analogy that an upright card in a spread is like an unfolding “head-on collision” that “hits you right between the eyes.” There is absolutely no doubt about its trajectory, so the only uncertainty to be resolved by the reading is how the querent should react at the point of impact. Reversal of the same card, on the other hand, is more like a “glancing blow” or, in vehicular terms, a “sideswipe.” This can make it difficult to see the misadventure coming and take appropriate evasive action; we might anticipate something amiss from the fact of reversal but won’t know exactly how we will be affected: whether forced off the road, compelled to take a detour or entirely “blindsided” and disabled by circumstances.
I always look to the inherent nature of any card first before considering its orientation. Just as a “leopard can’t change its spots,” a card can’t escape its fundamental meaning. However, its agenda might be shrouded by the phenomenon of reversal such that its implications are hidden in a bit of mystery. The common opinion of those who read reversed cards is that it imparts depth and subtlety to their narratives; I would add that it also introduces some unpredictability to the equation. I once established fifteen broad categories and compiled over 200 discrete ways in which reversed energy might manifest in a situation; these are not card-specific but more general in scope, to be overlaid on a card’s standard (upright) definition as one might put on a mask.
The objective is to select which possibility best fits the context of the question or topic and then “shade” the meaning of any reversed cards in the spread according to the anticipated consequences. For example, if “Avoidance” seems to be the likely response suggested by the cards, the following “reversed” assumptions might be applied to the seeker’s condition: “head in the sand” or literally “looking the other way;” having a “Hanged Man moment” by sacrificing time and initiative; procrastination; “sitting on one’s hands;” denial; “blame-shifting;” passive-aggressive resistance. When the range of potential ramifications has been established, the querent can be advised regarding what to look for in the way of unhelpful attitudes and their attendant risks, which can ideally be mitigated with adequate foreknowledge and decisive action.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on April 10, 2024.
