It basically indicates that you’re missing some of the energy of the card’s turned-right-side-up meaning when you get a reversed tarot card, which can happen accidentally or on purpose by flipping the deck upside down and choosing. The queen of cups, for instance, denotes both excellent intuition and emotional security. Therefore, a reversed queen of cups could represent emotional insecurity and a blockage to intuition. (You might think about purchasing a tarot book or visiting a tarot website to confirm the precise significance of a reversed tarot card you pulled.)
You are free to select whether or not to interpret a card as a reversal. Maria Sofia Marmanides is a tarot reader.
According to astrologer and tarot reader Maria Sofia Marmanides, you are under no obligation to interpret reversed tarot cards when you are dealt them: “Whether or whether you interpret a card as a reversal is entirely up to you. You can choose how you want to approach your tarot journey because it is a very individualized endeavor. Among the options available to you is whether or not to read reversals.” You’re learning various things depending on where you are in your tarot journey, “Adds she. “In the beginning, it might be best to merely adhere to the upright meanings rather than the reversed ones. Why, if you don’t have to, would you want to increase the amount you need to learn?
In This Article...
How is a reversed Tarot card read?
This method might also highlight areas that require adjustments or where action is required. You’ll know you’re dealing with outside circumstances and interpersonal interactions if the majority of the cards in your Tarot reading are upright. You know you’re dealing with yourself and that any necessary acts or adjustments must first take place within you if the majority of the cards in your Tarot reading are reversed.
Method #2: Too Much or Too Little Energy
Tarot cards that are reversed frequently indicate an energetic imbalance. In other words, there is either too much or not enough energy.
For instance, consider the Queen of Wands. She stands tall and embodies a person who appreciates social interactions. What does this, however, appear like when there is too much or not enough of this energy?
Perhaps, especially in social situations, she is arrogant and overconfident (too much of the Queen of Wands energy). Or possibly, while in a room with people, she is a wallflower or a “shrinking violet” (too little of the Queen of Wands energy).
I frequently ask a question when I read the cards in this manner for a client. For instance, “What function does social confidence serve for you? Are you overconfident or lacking in confidence?
And, I frequently add, “How can you use your confidence in social situations to your advantage? In other words, how do you rebalance and align this energy? (Really empowering, no?)
Method #3: Blocked Energy
This approach is somewhat different from the “too much or too little” energy approach.
We all experience energy in our lives, yet it frequently becomes blocked or isn’t used in the most positive ways.
For instance, the reversed Temperance card may represent your desire for balance and moderation in your life, but that there is currently a barrier preventing you from properly utilizing that energy in a beneficial way.
What prevents you from obtaining moderation and harmony, ask? Find out what is preventing the energy, in other words.
Then inquire, “How can you dissolve any obstacles to moderation and harmony? Maybe you should remind yourself to keep everything in moderation. Perhaps you could choose your battles more carefully to promote peace. Maybe you should stop expecting that everything will always be in perfect harmony.
You can just engage in an open discussion or ask the Tarot to reveal its interpretation in order to learn the answers to these questions.
Method #4: Upside-Down Imagery
When I wish to connect more intuitively with the situation, I especially enjoy using the images on the Tarot cards.
Look at the artwork of the Tarot card that is upside-down if it appears in reverse, and then just let your intuition guide you.
For instance, the swords appear to be falling out of the man’s back in the reversed Ten of Swords. Perhaps the client is now able to enter a new cycle because the anguish they have endured in the past is finally being released (especially since this is a Tenthe end of a cycle).
Or the coin appears to be about to fall out of the man’s hands in the reversed Page of Pentacles. He doesn’t appear to be paying attention, and his grip is not firm. It can be an indication that without the required attention and discipline, money is merely sliding through your fingers.
If you’re a visual person, this method for reading reversed Tarot cards is highly effective. Your conscious and unconscious minds frequently instantly connect when you see something, which enables you to access your intuition.
Here are my four personal favorites for reading reversed Tarot cards.
You’ll adore my online Tarot training course, Master the Tarot Card Meanings, if you want to genuinely master the reversed Tarot cards and understand not just 4 but all 8 approaches.
In my bestselling course, I’ll teach you how to read Tarot cards both upright and inverted using your heart as well as your book. And I’ll show you the “must know” techniques that are hidden in the Tarot cards and that make learning the art incredibly simple. You’ll have everything it takes to develop into a charismatic and gifted Tarot reader by the end of the course!
What do reversed cards mean?
Each card has two meanings: upright and reversed, which you may find in any tarot book. There are 156 meanings to become familiar with with the usual deck having 78 cards.
Concerned that you’ll spend all of your reading time engrossed in a book? Fear not, you will be able to set the book down and play with reversals on your own once you get familiar with the upright major and minor arcana meanings. Naturally, as you develop and broaden your tarot practice, you can go back to the written interpretations.
There are several ways to interpret reversals, many of which are dependent on intuition or the upright meaning of the card. That is to say, there is no one right way to read reversals, and mastering the skill doesn’t require you to commit a term to memory.
You come closer to mastery and figuring out your own unique style the more you read, practice, and try different ways.
Here are some ways to explore reversals as you get started:
Look at the position while keeping the significance of the card that you have learnt so far in mind. Consider the energy entering your life or the querent’s life if you are upright. Consider it to be reversing if its effect is waning.
Consider upright cards as characteristics, individuals, or elements that have a significant influence on the current situation. The card’s reversed meaning denotes anything with a weak influence.
Think of upright cards as fully realized facets of a circumstance, subject, or character. Cards that are reversed point to a personality trait or aspect of life that needs work.
The good aspects of life that are going well tend to be addressed by upright cards. Reversals may be a sign of problematic or difficult characteristics.
The Point: Reversals frequently serve to make the current situation more clear. Consider viewing reversals as areas you need to improve upon or qualities you need to foster, for instance, if you are conducting a reading for self-improvement.
Look at the nearby cards to get the context. What enhances and what diminishes the card in question?
The Position: Does the reversed card represent the past or the future? Or a trait to value? Make use of this knowledge to direct your interpretation.
Does the reading have a dominant suit? What could that possibly indicate about the reversed card(s)?
Should all Tarot cards face the same direction?
There is no right or wrong way to interpret tarot cards, as anyone who knows me will attest.
The fact that I think there is no right or wrong way to shuffle your tarot deck also shouldn’t come as a surprise. It is not necessary to face all of the cards in the same direction, cut it sideways, or shuffle it seven times.
Seven times of shuffling a 78-card deck is the “Who has time for the ideal number of shuffles needed to distribute cards evenly? You can shuffle your deck as often or as little as you choose.
Either you or the person you are reading for can cut the cards. Or not. Although it actually doesn’t matter, it’s always pleasant to include others in the reading process if you are doing it for someone else.
It is time-consuming and useless to face the cards in the same direction. Simply flip the card to the upright position when you place it on the table if you decide not to read reversals.
Don’t feel obligated to send the cards back to their owner either “following a reading, right order. Until your next reading, they can sit tangled up in a mound, making new friends with the cards nearby.
Lay some simple ground rules with yourself
Before you even pull your card, Marmanides advises, “consider what your gut is telling you about the solution.”
We are expected to consult the tarot guides for knowledge or direction, but we should also trust our instincts. Therefore, whether you’re performing a tarot card spread or just picking cards, you should follow the High Priestess’ advice and go inward. Concentrate on the directions you want to be led in and the feelings you already have about a specific circumstance, then channel that energy into your reading.
Tarot reading is possible during periods.
You would expect that by the year 2020, society will have overcome long-standing taboos and become more educated. In offices, hospitals, schools, and colleges, we surveyed a number of young ladies. But little appears to have changed. These are some things that women are still told today.
1. If you’re a woman and angry, you must be having a period.
2. If you’re a woman in pain, you must be having your period.
3. If you’re a woman and you’re walking funny, you must be having a period.
4. Even at home, while you’re on your period, you should have a separate room, dishes, and restrictions.
5. Consuming cold food or beverages can stop your flow.
6. You are unable to exercise, visit a place of worship, or swim when you are menstruating.
7. Avoid cooking, hair-washing, and handling dairy products or pickles when you’re menstruating.
8. Women often utilize the excuse of PMS to escape uncomfortable circumstances.
9. Tarot readings are not permitted during times.
10. Women are more susceptible to supernatural beings and are more easily possessed during their periods.
11. Periods for women are voluntary and controllable. Because they enjoy the drama and the days off, they have them every month.
We’re sure you’ve found many of them to be gratingly familiar if you’re a woman. But if, like us, you’ve rolled your eyes till you thought they might pop out of your head, pause and consider why.
Why do we still lack a fundamental understanding of how a woman’s body works physiologically in this day of rapid scientific advancement, a wealth of data, and the Internet? Modern, educated women may not wish to have children or be held captive by these misconceptions and lies about menstruation. However, the majority are helpless against ignorance, a lack of appropriate education, and ignorance.
It all boils down to what people were taught as children when it comes to how our friends, coworkers, family members, and neighbors believe. Don’t you think we would be having a different kind of discourse today, whether you live in a city, a small town, or a countryside, if having periods were accepted as normal rather than taboo?
The truth that there is nothing “impure about menstruation” does not empower young women. There has never been a greater pressing need for this topic’s education and understanding across cultural and economic boundaries. The changes in their bodies and how to handle them should be anticipated by young females. Girls can continue in school and aid working adult women, especially in more disadvantaged places, to keep gainfully occupied throughout the year by providing education, sanitary napkins, and sufficient water and bathroom facilities.
However, change won’t happen until there is a movement that holds the view that all women’s lives can be improved with a single switch. Instead of outdated misconceptions with no basis in reality, girls and women of all ages need to start hearing new messages. Two-thirds of young girls in smaller towns and villages frequently don’t understand what’s happening to them when they first encounter periods, whereas women in cities have advanced to using sanitary pads, tampons, or menstrual cups. When and how should they be informed?
when they are young and during academic coursework. Discussions regarding periods need to sound more like this while they are still in school and developing:
We should be more cognizant of our flow, menstrual patterns, and the potential for infections during our periods. However, it doesn’t weaken you.
No more than you would be if you bought yourself soap or toothpaste, purchasing sanitary napkins shouldn’t make you feel humiliated.
It’s not necessary to hide and discard used sanitary towels while no one is looking.
Contrary to women who use filthy wads of cotton or rags, using sanitary napkins can reduce your risk of developing cervical cancer.
Cheaper does not always equate to better. Look for goods and businesses that are making an effort to demonstrate their dedication to timely menstrual hygiene education (especially post COVID).
Whisper has been leading the effort for the past three decades, teaching 45 lakh girls in 40,000+ schools about menstrual health and giving away free sanitary pads. Not only have they taken on period taboos head-on, but they have also educated and empowered women to become change agents at the most fundamental levels and earn a living by selling sanitary products. This ought to be the legacy we leave for future female generations. We need to picture a society in which periods are not taboo and where people aren’t scared to talk about them, share information, and work to make the world a better and safer place for all.
Questions you don’t really want answered
Even though it might seem apparent, it’s advisable to refrain from asking the tarot cards questions that you aren’t prepared to hear the answers to. That’s because answers to these questions can reveal information you’re just not quite ready to hear.
“Tarot can definitely come off as offensive if you’re not willing to hear the truth or consider an opposing point of view. Tarot reading Nicole Fortunaso
According to tarot reader and life coach Nicole Fortunaso, “tarot may truly come out as offensive if you are not willing to hear the truth of the problem or look at an alternate viewpoint.” She advises considering why you’re responding the way you are in order to reflect on the best way to address the underlying cause if you ask the question and are unsatisfied with the response.
What is the Tarot’s most potent card?
The Fool is typically seen as a card from the Major Arcana when performing a tarot reading. Contrary to popular belief, the Fool does not fall under either category in tarot card games. Instead, the Fool serves a function that is distinct from both the simple suit cards and the trump cards. As a result, the Fool has no number assigned to it in the majority of tarot decks that were initially created for playing games. Although Waite assigns the Fool the number 0, in his book, the Fool is discussed between Judgment (number 20) and The World (number 21). The Tarocco Piemontese is the only traditional game deck that numbers the Fool 0. Since the 1930s, the corner index for the Fool in Tarot Nouveau decks has frequently been a black inverted mullet. The Fool is one of the most expensive cards in practically all tarot games.
My Tarot deck needs to be cleaned.
There are occasions when you might want to perform something more particular and ritualized rather than simply shuffling the tarot deck to purify and clear the energy of the cards. Cleaning your deck could seem like a nice place to start if you’re just starting to understand tarot.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. To keep the link strong and clear, think of it as a little spiritual hygiene. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t worry about it if you don’t think your deck need it. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). Although an hour would suffice, I prefer to let it rest like this for the entire night.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Shuffle in chaos. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
Is it possible to reverse a card?
Only the turn order is altered by the Reverse card; no played cards are reversed or applied to the player who originally played them. Additionally, as was already established, if your opponent recently played a Draw Two in a two-player game, it is now their turn.