Question by AmericanPrincess: Tarot Card Question: How do you know if a card is reversed?
In the book that came with my Tarot cards it says the “Positive” meaning if the card and the “Negative”. Am I supposed to you the Negative part when the card is reversed? And if so, how do you know if the card is reversed in the first place.
I usually just shuffle and cut the cards and deal them out in a spread. Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks so much for the answers!
Best answer:
Answer by CC
When you flip a card over from the deck, you have to flip it over side to side to retain its orientation. A reversed card is one that is upside down.
What do you think? Answer below!
If it’s upside down, when you flip it over, onto the floor / table, it’s reversed.
There are so many misunderstanding about the Tarot. Ok yes typically if the card is reversed it is construed to be ‘contrary’ however depending on the placement of the card and the spread you are using an upright card can have a contrary meaning, and a reversed card can signify an end to a particular difficulty. If you would like to learn more about the Tarot please email me and I will send you a link to an online group that meats once a week to discuss the Tarot and its uses. And to the Christian trolls out there don’t even bother emailing me your hate rants as I just delete them.
A reversed (or inverse) card is one that comes up upside down when you deal. The cards should be shuffled so that the cards go in both directions, just like standard playing decks.
When the card appears upside down in a spread. For instance, lets say you shuffle where about half the deck will be right side up and the other half upside down–when you begin putting them in their places for the spreads. The ones that are upside down are reversed.
Many people do not read reversals and shuffle so they do not get reversed cards. However, usually if they do that and they end up getting a reversal they will take into consideration that that happened.
Many readers do not like reading reversals because they can be confusing. Some will turn the card right side up if it appears reversed. Some believe that a reversal is the exact opposite meaning of the card. Others believe it’s the negative version of the up right meaning. Some believe it’s similar to the upright meaning but that the energy–so to speak–has been blocked, or there is something blocking the person from attaining their goal–blocking them in the way the card in its upright position is defined.
I suggest also that you experiment with the terms I’ve given you. In addition there are many books out there–but sadly, a lot of them do not go into any meanings for reversals. Mary K. Greer–a true Tarot master–has written a book called “The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals.” I suggest that book if you are going to experiment with reversals. Furthermore, if you are just starting out, it’s a lot easier if you just shuffle the cards so you get no reversals–and then when you advance in your Tarot studies you can experiment more and more with the different ways in reading the reversals. Hope that helped a bit…
Some cards have more of negative meaning to them when they are upright so you can’t just say that negative =reversed because it doesn’t. Like the 10 of swords upright means disaster but reversed it means that the disaster is over and you survived it.
So don’t look at it like reversed is automatically a negative meaning or that the upright is automatically a positive one.
Also you know a card is reversed when it is upside down.