whats the real meaning of reversed cards?
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 09 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| estroncios |
09 Jan 2004 |
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some people say that reversed cards have the contrary meaning, some others say that reversed cards mean the same energy but in lower levels, or same energy but blocked..and etc..so whats the real meaning of them and how can i read then????
suggestions?
cya ;)
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| allibee |
09 Jan 2004 |
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Like all things tarot, the meaning of reversed cards is completely personal ... there is really no right way (except my way of course, lol, which is to see the energy as blocked ;) )
For this very reason I do not allow reversals, as the question and throw tell me whether energy is being blocked or not anyhoo, so no need for reversals.
I'm sure you will get lots of responses, but in the meantime there have been lots of sometimes very heated discussions on reversals: their necessity/function etc. Use the search facility on the top of the board as the subject of reversals always invoke a lot of passions :)
A.
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| Tallarico |
09 Jan 2004 |
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Hi Estroncios,
I do allow reversals, However I see them as you said, a milder version from the upright, and/or blocked energy (stuck). Unless of course I get the feeling, Whoa!, then I will go with the total reversal meaning.
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| snuffy |
09 Jan 2004 |
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first starting out with tarot, i adhered by every conventional definition of "reversal " out there, but as time goes on and i grow in my readings, i've come to realize that when my cards reverse, it usually just means something so simple as there's a twist to the card's energy or situation that it represents. a lot of times, my cards like to poke fun at me-- perhaps showing me the literal meaning of a major (the tower representing an actual building, the chariot representing a car), and a reversal is almost the universe's way of slapping me on the back and laughing in the background :)
when you find what reversals mean to you, it'll click. you'll know :)!
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| yve |
09 Jan 2004 |
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I share your confusion Tallarico, as I do want and try to use reversals, but guidance in that matter is very much divided and diverse...as a result, i'm not exactly sure how to read reversals either....instead of guidance, in many forums I got a lot of negativity and people trying to talk me out of using reversals...hmmm, well, the more people say I shouldn't do something, the more I seem to want to prove them wrong and do it my way! So, right now I just use my gut instinct to tell me what the reversal means (some cards may mean the opposite, some may be repressed or unexpressed energies, or some may mean that the impact of the card is lessened or even heightened...no help huh?)...an example, a couple of months ago I did a past, present and future spread on my relationship with the future coming up as reversed High Priestess...now, the first thing that came to my mind was that a secret would be revealed...as it turned out, several months later, that is exactly what had happened, my significant other opened up to me about some hidden agendas and revealed some things to me...If the High Priestess would have come up upright, I would have interpreted as meaning that secrets were still being kept as to me she represents the keeper of secrets...
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| Vynara |
09 Jan 2004 |
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thanks for the thread shortcuts Alissa! they were an enlightening read ^^
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| lunalafey |
09 Jan 2004 |
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reversals can take some getting used to.......
one thing I noticed in you original post is you mention some people say it's the same energy, just in lower levels.....for myself, I find some reversls to be 'screaming' about the energy they express.....that this is a very heavy area......that could be a warning, a serious call for attention.....what ever the card is, it's MORE.....not less. Then there are times when a reversal points to something that was in the past. The reversed position, reflects something that is gone & done.....over with.
I am open to any possible message a reversed card can give, and it's all within the spread & surrounding cards that give me the clues as to 'what' sort of reversal it is, be it a common-- blocked energy; to a band-aid, need fixing....or that which is dead & gone, let go of it; to a HEY! look at me!, you're forgetting something!
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| ros |
09 Jan 2004 |
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I feel after all that I have studied, that reversed cards are blocked energy.They are " what is to come if the block wasn't there"
I tried the reversed & now I look to see how many are reversed, & sometimes pick a card & put untop of the reversed card to see how to open up the meaning of the card where you are stuck. It will get easier & what I think we all forget
K.I.S.S.
Keep it simply simple.
I know sometimes I try to perfect everything but when I just do it, keeping it simple, takes the pressure off & I learn more. But that's too easy for me to do always. lol
Good Luck!
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| ~X~ |
09 Jan 2004 |
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I'm one who doesn't use reversals. IMO, a reversed meaning is part of a card's overall meaning. If that makes any sense. I use card positioning and the surrounding cards to define which it is.
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| Huld |
09 Jan 2004 |
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Urgh!!
Reversals make me crazy! I've had a love/hate relationship with them for years and I still have not decided if I really want to use them or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but when I do, they almost always mean a blocked or lower intensity energy. That is of course unless I am using them within a yes/no type spread, they work really well for that.
There is a great article on some interesting ways to use reversals at the Tarot Moon website,
http://www.tarotmoon.com/articles/Reversals/reversals.html
Huld
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| WalesWoman |
09 Jan 2004 |
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I'm of two minds about reversals, it's easier to read without them, but I think sometimes it can give a "too rosy" outlook when in reality... it could be very different than what I think I'm seeing. Since I'm not that experienced to be able to just look at the cards and "know" from the position and relation with other cards just how to take it, some times I think it might be a good idea to use reversals but I haven't decided the "best" way to get reversed cards in the deck, other than swishing them around and gathering them up again.
So for reasons I can't explain I'm sticking with reading cards upright, just so I can learn those meanings and looking at the reversed meanings too if it just doesn't sound right. I figure once I feel really comfortable with that, then maybe I'll try using reversals and see how it goes. Maybe I'll try a comparison using another deck and no reversals and just see how different a reading comes out that way.
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| estroncios |
09 Jan 2004 |
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that moon tarot really has a nice article...nway thanks for all your help!
cya ;)
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| jmd |
09 Jan 2004 |
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Personally, I tend to allow reversals in any readings - and also usually always teach allowing reversals, even if later some may choose not to use them.
Reversals may indicate, as mentioned by Ros (and I seem to recall also by Hadar somewhere), a blockage of some kind.
They may also indicate a negation of the card showing up reversed. Alternatively, they may indicate a turning inward of the situation or consideration at hand ('reflect on this, rather than acting') in relation to the card presented.
With figures, for another example, a reversal may permit the eyes upon two different cards to face either one another, in opposite directions, or in the same direction. To what do they turn towards or away from? - with the 'reversal' being there to accentuate this guidance.
Whereas, for yet another example, an upright King may indicate that a decision needs to be made and the decision acted on, reversed it may indicate that the person is reluctant to possibly make such decisions for not wanting to have to act therefrom...
In any reading, the divinatory act itself may unveil something totally unexpected. Here, the combination of the card - reversed if reversed - is not as important as what it permits to uncover.
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| Agathe |
10 Jan 2004 |
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Originally posted by estroncios
some people say that reversed cards have the contrary meaning, some others say that reversed cards mean the same energy but in lower levels, or same energy but blocked
I think both depending on a card, but I would also agree with allibee that it's very personal and how you see a particular card. Through practice you should get to the point to know and see the difference.
Blessings,
Agathe
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| LadyMedusa |
10 Jan 2004 |
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Estronicos,
You will find as many answers to that question as there are readers of the cards...and it can vary depending on the deck, spread, querents question, the readers mood ect...
**My personal method- I find upside down cards distracting when I read. So whenever a card appears reversed I take note of it and turn it upright. My initial reaction is that somethings just not quite right... be it slowed, blocked, in the past, opposite, or increased energy. To me it's a signal to not just go with the obvious, to give it some extra attention.**
My suggestion for you is to try different methods. The CORRECT way for YOU, is what works best for YOU with the deck you are using at the time.
Good luck with this phase of your journey.
LadyMedusa
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The whats the real meaning of reversed cards? thread was originally posted on 09 Jan 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.
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