When you shuffle a deck and lay out the cards, some may appear upside down. What should you do with them? It is one of the most debated questions among tarot practitioners. Some readers give reversed cards a specific meaning; others turn them upright without paying them any attention; others still shuffle in a way that avoids them altogether. There is no universal rule, but there are good reasons behind each choice.
Where the practice comes from
The custom of giving reversed cards a different meaning spread with French cartomancy at the end of the eighteenth century, particularly through the work of Etteilla, who assigned many cards an "upright" and a "reversed" meaning. From there the practice passed into the esoteric schools of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Arthur Edward Waite, in the guide to his deck, also gave a reversed meaning for each card, helping to make it common in the English-speaking world.
In the tarot's origins as a game, naturally, the orientation of the cards had no significance. This too is a good reason to consider reversed cards an option, not an obligation.
Four ways of interpreting them
Those who choose to read reversed cards can do so according to different approaches. It is best to choose one and keep to it consistently.
1. The opposite meaning
This is the simplest and oldest approach: the reversed card expresses the opposite of its upright meaning. The Sun reversed would become sadness, the Star distrust. It has the merit of clarity but risks being reductive, because many cards have no real "opposite".
2. Blocked or delayed energy
The reversed card indicates that its quality is present but cannot fully express itself. The Ace of Wands reversed would not mean an absence of energy, but energy held back, struggling to find its way. It is a nuanced approach, widely used today.
3. Inwardness
The reversed card indicates that the theme is being played out inside, at a private level, rather than in the outer world. The Emperor reversed might point to the need to bring order to one's inner life before one's outer life.
4. Excess or deficiency
The reversed card shows its quality in an unbalanced form: too much or too little. Temperance reversed might indicate either a lack of measure or a moderation so rigid that it becomes immobility.
A practical comparison
| Card | Upright | Reversed (blocked energy) | Reversed (excess or deficiency) |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Magician | Initiative, skill | Ideas that fail to get going | Manipulation or insecurity |
| Strength | Self-mastery | Courage lacking for now | Harshness or surrender to instinct |
| Three of Cups | Friendship, celebration | Bonds struggling to express themselves | Too much revelry or isolation |
| Ten of Swords | Painful end of a phase | An ending not accepted | Dramatising or denial |
As you can see, the different approaches produce coherent readings with different nuances. What matters is knowing in advance which one you are using.
When it is better not to use them
There are good reasons for choosing not to read reversed cards.
- For beginners: seventy-eight cards with two meanings each become one hundred and fifty-six. Learning the upright meanings first allows solid foundations to be built.
- With Marseille decks: some cards, especially the pips, are symmetrical and do not clearly show when they are upside down.
- For a contemplative approach: many readers prefer to draw nuances, including negative ones, from the position and the neighbouring cards. Every card already contains its light and its shadow.
The Studio Esoterico Cornelio often suggests that beginners work for a few months without reversals, introducing them only when they feel the need for an extra tool.
An example reading
Question: "What is holding back my creative project?" The Star reversed comes up. With the opposite-meaning approach, one would read a lack of hope. With the blocked-energy approach, the hope is there but is not being nourished: perhaps the project has been set aside for too long. With the inwardness approach, trust must be rebuilt first of all within oneself, without seeking outside approval. The choice of method steers the reflection, but all three readings open useful questions.
How to shuffle
Those who want to include reversals can shuffle by spreading the cards on a table and turning them freely, or by flipping part of the deck during the shuffle. Those who do not want them can simply turn upright any card that comes out reversed, without giving it any meaning.
In short
- The meaning of reversed cards spread with eighteenth-century French cartomancy and with Waite.
- There are at least four approaches: opposite meaning, blocked energy, inwardness, excess or deficiency.
- It is important to choose one approach and keep to it consistently.
- For beginners and with some decks it may be better not to use them.
- Every card already contains its light and its shadow, even when it comes out upright.
