Whether to read, or not to read reversed Tarot cards in a reading, is probably the biggest debate in the world of Tarot.
Reversed Tarot cards are cards that come out of the deck upside down and are laid down in the spread (pattern) that way.
There are 78 cards in a Tarot Deck, each one attributed with both an upright, and a reversed traditional meaning. Since the reversed meaning is rarely simply the opposite of the card’s upright meaning, it would follow that one who reads reversals must learn 78 upright meanings, plus another 78 reversed meanings. This is a cumbersome endeavor, to say the least, and scares the begeebies out of novice Tarot Readers.
Some believe that Tarot cards were never meant to be read reversed. However, as far back as 1910 A. E. Waite included reversed meanings in his book, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, in which he stated he had combined the varied meanings he found in his research for both the upright, and reversed cards. It’s unclear how far reading reversed cards goes back in time, but we know it goes back, at the least, prior to the 1900s.
Regardless of the history of reversed card meanings, of the two camps, “Do Readers of Reversals,” and “Don’t Readers of Reversals,” I find myself in the, Don’t Reader camp. This means I am careful to have the cards in my deck all in the upright position, and draw and lay them down in the spread in an upright manner. I’ll elaborate on my rationale not to read reversals further along in this post.
Why the “Do Readers” Bother to Read Tarot Reversals
The diehard reversed Tarot card Readers, have very strong feelings around why, not only should they be read, but also that the deck should be shuffled in a way that guarantees there will be multiple reversed cards in the reading.
I received a Tarot Reader Certification through BiddyTarot.com, where in training videos, I observed on numerous occasions, BiddyTarot.com Founder and Instructor, Brigit Esselmont, divide her deck into two sections, turn one section in reverse order and then purposely shuffle the two halves together. Being a non-reader of reversals, this sent shivers up and down my spine, every time I observed this. Just the mental image now of her doing it, brrrrrr! Lol.
Although Brigit, and her team (all compassionate and helpful Souls) are quite tolerant of Don’t Readers, she lays out all the reasons why her preference is to ensure reversals are part of her readings. Brigit feels that reversed cards add depth to her readings, revealing the blocked, imbalanced, or internalized energies.
Other Do Readers add that reversed cards provide more twists and turns in their readings, adding something unexpected, keeping things interesting.
Why This “Don’t Reader” Avoids Reading Tarot Reversals
As an Intuitive Coaching style Tarot Reader, my aim is to, above all, give my Querents hope in their situations. Thus, I feel the upright card meanings give more than enough shade with the light to my readings, without adding reversed negative meanings to the otherwise positive cards.
Additionally, I find that reversed cards in a reading break my flow of reading the story in the cards. They are disruptive for both myself, and my Querents (requesters of readings). Also, to be honest, after learning the 78 upright traditional card meanings, I did not wish to learn another 78 reversed card meanings. Lol!
Probably the most important reasoning I can cite, for why I don’t read reversed Tarot cards is something a Tarot Teacher and mentor of mine, Susan Latner, instilled in me. Susan believes that the Tarot is an “Oracle of Wisdom and Truth” and should not be manipulated by deliberately ensuring there will be reversed cards in a reading.
Furthermore, Susan teaches to make sure all the cards in your deck are upright before shuffling, and to only read a reversed card if it turns up accidentally in the reading. And I’ve taken this advice to heart.
Thus, for the rare accidentally reversed card in my readings, I may read it with some nifty tricks for reading reversed cards I’ve learned (I’ll reveal these in a future post), or I may just turn it upright, and leave it to my intuition which way to interpret the card.
It apears that both the Do Reader, and Don’t Reader camps have substantiated reasons for their opposite stance on the reading of reversals.
Therefore, the answer to the question of whether to read, or not to read reversals, is that it’s purely up to the individual Reader’s preference. Each Reader is free to read in whatever manner works best for them, and their Querents.
From whichever camp you happen to hail, I hope you have found validation here for your chosen position on reading reversals. Happy Taroting!
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