Tarot without reversing cards.

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 21 Jan 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.

VisionQuest	21 Jan 2005
Does anyone else keep all the cards right side up? I just started Tarot and the book I got with my deck wasn't very good at all, especially when it came to reverse meanings. Even the info I found online had me confused about reversed cards, so I decided that until I got used to using Tarot cards I was just going to keep all the cards right side up and not bother with reversed ones. I've gotten used to it and I like it this way and don't see a real need to use reversed cards, so I'm wondering if anyone else feels this way?

September Pixie	21 Jan 2005
I never use reversals.. ever. Some do and feel it adds to the reading, I personally don't see the point and never use them.. if it confuses you or you don't feel its necessary.. there is no rule that says you must :)

VisionQuest	21 Jan 2005
Oh good, I'm glad to hear that. I started that way because it was confusing, but it just really feels right at this point. I may change my mind in the future, but for right now I'm thinking this is the way for me. Thanks for your response, good to know someone else does it that way too :)

Fulgour	21 Jan 2005
Nobody knows why "reversals" ever became part of things, but I think the idea was originally that a card was somehow different under certain circumstances, but not upside down. Still, you will meet some of the best readers in the world who handle their cards with a self-assured control, and "reversals" are part of their approach, proven so, and taken comfortably. For me, I discovered early on that I prefer to read uprights.;)

VisionQuest	21 Jan 2005
Cool, Thanks Fulgour :) This is very helpful :)

KathleenC	21 Jan 2005
I used to use reversals, but now if a card is reversed I will look at the card from another perspective after my first impression of its meaning.

similia	21 Jan 2005
I'm just finishing reading Mary K Greer's book on Tarot reversals. It was pretty useful for both the upright and the reverse meanings. Although she did say she uses reversals mostly, but not with all decks (e.g. Thoth, and another one I forget now). This book made me a lot more aware of how the many options for interpretation presented by a reversed card can be better understood in relation to the cards position in the spread. (The best feature of the book for me at least)

Fudugazi	21 Jan 2005
VisionQuest wrote: Does anyone else keep all the cards right side up? I just started Tarot and the book I got with my deck wasn't very good at all, especially when it came to reverse meanings. Even the info I found online had me confused about reversed cards, so I decided that until I got used to using Tarot cards I was just going to keep all the cards right side up and not bother with reversed ones. I've gotten used to it and I like it this way and don't see a real need to use reversed cards, so I'm wondering if anyone else feels this way? I feel that way entirely. The only times I ever read reversed nowadays is when a card accidentally arrives reversed -that 's not very common.

VisionQuest	21 Jan 2005
wow, thanks for the great input everyone :) I love this site :D

Centaur	21 Jan 2005
similia wrote: I'm just finishing reading Mary K Greer's book on Tarot reversals. It was pretty useful for both the upright and the reverse meanings. Although she did say she uses reversals mostly, but not with all decks (e.g. Thoth, and another one I forget now). I found that book to be pretty helpful too!!! I sometimes read with reversals, and sometimes not. Again, I think it is very much a matter of what best suits each individual. In my opinion, it is what the cards trigger in terms of your intuition, and if you find that upright works fine for you, then you should feel happy with that. I used to always read with upright cards, but then I decided that I wanted to learn some more about reversals. I was given the Greer book, and my interest further developed, so that now I sometimes use reversals, whereas at other times I prefer to use only uprights.

Grizabella	21 Jan 2005
I don't use reversals. I read well enough now that I could use them, but I just don't prefer to do it and don't see the need to. I think the card give you your answers no matter which way you choose to do it.

ivyrita	21 Jan 2005
i thought i was doing wrong by the tarot, by not using the reverse card meanings.. thank goodness i'm in the clear on this :)

WhiteWolf	21 Jan 2005
I don't use tarot reversals either and I have read in public as well - the feedback has always been good ::knocks on the proverbial wood::. I have entertained the thought of using reversals and have even tried it a couple times. It just doesn't seem to flow well with me. 78 meanings seems diverse enough to me. However, I would like the tarot reversals book by Mary K. Greer. I'm not close-minded to the topic at all and it might be fun to learn :). All I know is that they are not necessary and it's good to use them only if it strikes your intuitive fancy. WhiteWolf

Darla	21 Jan 2005
In the classical way I don't use reversals either and never have. When shuffling I even make sure that all the cards are upright. However, I frequently give a card the reversed meaning when it feels right. For example, when I do a simple "What's up?" spread, feel totally miserable and get the Sun card I will assign the opposite meaning of this card to my spread. The Tarot always tells you what you already know and if something feels right, it is for you. Remember, there are no real rules in Tarot.

stella01904	21 Jan 2005
MM ~ I don't use them as a rule, I'm more of a "neighboring cards" type in my reading approach. If a card comes up reversed in a spread accidently I will read it that way but I don't shuffle them with the intent of reversing a percentage of them. BB, Stella

ArwenNightstar	21 Jan 2005
I used to always read with reversals and now I don't. I stopped when challenged by a student who said that there is enough information in the Tarot Cards that they don't need to be intentionally reversed. I tried it and found that I agreed with her. Now if something falls out reversed, then I do pay close attention to that!

fluffy	21 Jan 2005
Some times in particular decks (usually just RWS) i do use reversals because i seem to be able to read them with this particular pack. However, i have become acquainted with the fey since christmas and only read those now and i do not use reversals. There is no particular reason why i chose do to this it just seemed like the right thing, they don't seem to want to be reversed and the readings speak for themselves. I agree that it is a matter of what you are comfortable with some people use reversals and some don't! Love Fluffy

ros	21 Jan 2005
~ sometimes and sometimes not! But... when I read, the Majors are always read upright and if there are reveresed cards I let the client pick another card for the reversed cards. I read the card upright with the other card chosen. I just started doing this & my readings are working!

Clau	21 Jan 2005
I don't use reversals either. I think All cards have good/bad sides to it so is beter to read it as a whole better than splitting meanings because of the way they turn up. Plus, it has been hard enough to get the first 78 cards, imagine getting 156!!!! I'm just not that bright....:P Blessings, Clau

ivyrita	21 Jan 2005
Clau wrote: Plus, it has been hard enough to get the first 78 cards, imagine getting 156!!!! hahaha.. my sentiments exactly :)

ros	21 Jan 2005
Yes Clau your right! I got lazy and decided to read reversed cards as a block. ~ Too much information sometimes for me!

Annabelle	21 Jan 2005
When I first started reading tarot cards, I never used reversals. I deliberately shuffled the cards in a way that kept all of them upright. Lately, though, I've started reading reversed cards, and have come to prefer just scrambling the cards around so that reversed cards will occur. I enjoy readings with reversed cards...however, I've got a long way to go before I actually start remembering all the reversed meanings without using a book.

rachelcat	21 Jan 2005
I stopped using reversals (or trying to!) when I found that every time a reversed card came up, I had an immediate sinking emotional reaction. I stopped using reversals, and now I only get that feeling when the 5 of Swords or the Tower shows up! So basically I stopped using reversals because I'm too superstitious! But seriously, I don't think I'm missing anything. I do have Mary Greer's reversal book in my Amazon shopping cart, however . . . Just in case I decide I am missing something, I guess!

Keslynn	21 Jan 2005
I used to use reversals in my readings. Then I decided to challenge my intuition by not using them. My rationale was that, without having the card physically reversed, I should be able to sense from the surrounding cards and my intuition whether the energy of a particular card is blocked. It worked. I find that my intuition tells me lots when I let it. I will read a card as "reversed"/blocked if my intuition tells me that's what's going on, but I don't shuffle to create physical reversals. :) Kes

FlashFighter	23 Jan 2005
Well.... I don't use reversals, and shuffle in such a way that prevents reversals from coming to be.... but if a card is accidentaly reversed... I have a feeling that I must read it reversed.

Nevada	23 Jan 2005
I started out, years ago, not using reversals, and then somewhere along the way reluctantly began using them, until I got more comfortable with them. Now I'm heading back in the other direction. Keslynn's intuition challenge makes great sense. While I remain aware of reversed meanings, I find that I like to see the cards upright. Lately I waver, reading sometimes with reversals and sometimes without. In times of personal stress I find a lot of comfort simply in having the images upright, no matter the negative or positive aspects of my readings. I don't see either as a weaker method. Just a matter of preference. Nevada

Mokey	23 Jan 2005
Hi there. I am new to tarot and i dont use reversals so i shuffle them in a way where they are all the same way but just the other day i noticed that quite a few had reversed somehow so i read the reversed meanings in the reading and it added so much more!!. I think i will try to use these when i am a bit more confident in the upright meanings. XXXX

ocho8s	23 Jan 2005
Hello To me the beauty of the Tarot is that it works with whatever is comfortable with you. My aunt tought me some reversals but I do not feel right with them, so I shuffle the cards in a way that it is hard to get any, but just the other day I got one reversal, and read it that way, it sure was special. So I like that way, always upright unless faith puts it in reverse Bendiciones Anaoly

f. silvestris	23 Jan 2005
well, I never use reversals myself, as I think that any given card has a consistent meaning which is nuanced by its position in the spread and the surrounding cards, but the single most accurate reading I've received from someone else was entirely reversed ...

VisionQuest	23 Jan 2005
You know what I just thought of... When I was doing readings for my family, I was still using reversed cards... And I did a reading for one cousin, someone else, and then my cousin's sister...shuffling well in between of course... We were doing simple "Past,Present,Future" readings for them, and the two sisters got the identical card, in each position, except that they were exactly reversed from what the other sister got. We were all pretty shocked, and none of us really knew what to make of it, my crappy little accompanying book didn't cover any reversals for the minor arcana, let alone something like that! lol... But what I'm thinking now is, even though I am not really comfortable with reversed cards, that would never have happened. I believe that when you don't use reversals, whatever the reversed card would have been, another card is "chosen" that represents the same idea... So in that theory, the second sister wouldn't have gotten those cards, and we wouldn't have been astute enough to pick up on the similarities at that time I don't think... So what I'm trying to say is...I'm torn now. LOL I believe it all works out in the end, but still that experience was pretty fascinating for all of us. hmmmmmm

Stacie Doll	25 Jan 2005
VisionQuest wrote: Does anyone else keep all the cards right side up? i do. i only recall using reverse cards once. i don't need the cards to be reversed to tell me something not so positive...cool name btw. the same as the deck i am using now :)

SoulFlower	25 Jan 2005
I use reversals. I think if you draw a card upside down it must mean something different than when you draw it upright. I think just turning the cards upright and read them like that results in a loss of the meaning of the cards. I believe there is a reason why some cards are upside down and that's why I think it's important to read them differently than upright cards.

f. silvestris	25 Jan 2005
but this is getting on to a discussion about how we shuffle cards: I prefer to use big decks [large thoth, carey-yale] and, even though my hands are the size of dustbin lids, I need to hold the cards in two stacks by the longer sides in order to shuffle, so there's no possibility of cards being reversed unless I deliberately turned one stack upside down in order to create reversals

Clau	25 Jan 2005
As I said earlier, I don't use reversals... but then whenever I shuffle I don't do anything specific to get reversals but I do, so when I lay out the cards if I get reversals I just turn them around so they're all upwards(?!) (not reversed). I've seen many people here intentionally shuffling not to get reversals, and it started me thinking about it. Is it ok unreversing the cards (note the creative use of laguage...lol) after they have been picked and turned over or is it another matter of do as you wish, make your own rules? or maybe this is even another thread? Blessings, Clau

ros	25 Jan 2005
I keep reading over threads like this to learn other methods. The cards have all the correct answers, but what is picked is what we are to focus on. Now I'm too the point that maybe "my" readings would be much richer if I didn't read with the reversals. This way I would give a more indepth reading of the cards without focusing on if it was reversed or not. ~may have to change my reading style again Thanks for the thread!

Phoenix Rising	25 Jan 2005
At this present time, I will stick to uprights. I know of a experienced reader of 50 years, doesn't use reversals either. she's done alright. A guess it's a personal thing, and reversals can add other meanings to the cards, like another 78 meanings. Just can't see anything in upside down pictures.

HANDMAIDEN MI	25 Jan 2005
Oh Gawd I'm glad to hear about others who choose upright readings! I got my first deck, with the book to go with it.. The Witches Tarot, and it is read with seasons, Qabala and reversals. I jumped right on in, not knowing anything about it, readings readings and readings with reversals, and the confusion was FUNNY! I went right out and got the Waite book, and other books to figure out a larger consciousness on it. I abandoned the consistent incorporation of reversals. No, as most of you do, I go upright, sense energy as I study the layout, just seek intuition. But, there are sometimes we might wish to get a "fuller" picture which there are two sides to everything right? I take all the cards and lay em down and swirl and swirl and swirl, like the old game for shuffle in "match". When I feel it is enough, I pick out the cards and turn them in over... lots and lots are reversed but that is o.k. Shock is good sometimes. Some questions are regarding complex issues and might be better served with the opportunity to let those... reversals step up and give us a "cracked eye" the new perspective we need for growth as a Reader. I just go with the flow..... on it, I have actually had cards jump out of the deck during shuffle and end up reversed before me on the floor... I definately take note of those occurences! there is no wrong way. Ms. Ae

tmgrl2	25 Jan 2005
I, too, chose early on to set the cards upright. When one reads with the Tarot de Marseille, it can be tricky to know and remember how the artist designed the "upright." AND....I feel with Tarot de Marseille, I just read the pips as they come out. With a RWS style deck or another tradition, I still set them upright, since I feel that all elements are contained within the card itself, whether it is set upright or reversed. It then becomes the task to read the cards as they fall within the spread, as they relate to their positions, other cards, the sitter, the interaction with the sitter and the topic(s) that emerge throughout the reading event. I have whole books on "reversals." I may read these books and find additional interpretations that I had not thought about, but I just read and take note internally....I don't try to remember any of it specifically since I feel I will receive what I need when I do the reading. terri

bleuivy	25 Jan 2005
Hi, VisionQuest. Good question; I've learned alot about reversals based on what people have said. When I was a newbie reader, I read reversals. After becoming hopelessly confused and scrapping tarot study for a few months, I came back to it and haven't read reversals since. I used to get a negative reaction, something akin to dread, every time a reversal showed up. So now, I shuffle the cards so there won't be reversals, and that solved my problem. I do, however, read reversals when reading for other people. I read the reversed cards as being "blocked" or somehow lacking energy. I do this mainly because when reading for others, I feel as though I need a few extra hints, whereas for myself, I can usually tell what the cards are talking about without relying on reversals.

Chara	26 Jan 2005
Hmm...Personally, I don't do reversals myself... I started with The Mythic Tarot, which doesn't use reversals, but I actually learned on The Goddess Tarot which does. So, going from not even considering reversals to having to figure out how they'd get reversed in the first place...It was just too much for me! The way I shuffle and handle my cards doesn't actually allow for any cards to become reversed. The only way is if it falls from my hand on the way to laying it down or something. Which has happened, and in that case, I remember that that particular issue deserves some sort of special consideration, and that's pretty much that. (It depends on the question/issue/spread, whatever. Sometimes a reversal means "Hey! Look at me!" and sometimes it means "Throw everything you know about this card out of the window.") I also decided not to do it, consciously, because I feel like it limits me to LWB descriptions. SoulFlower suggested that you lose meaning, and that it means two different things this way or that way, but I don't give pre-assigned meanings to the cards anyway, and there's more than enough cards in the tarot to state any idea that a reversed card would mean, so.... I don't worry about it. :D

Fudugazi	26 Jan 2005
Clau wrote: Is it ok unreversing the cards (note the creative use of laguage...lol) after they have been picked and turned over or is it another matter of do as you wish, make your own rules? I also shuffle in a way the cards don't get reversed. But sometimes a card gets accidentally reversed, or falls out reversed. Then, like Terri, I pay special attention to it - there's reason why that one card came out reversed. I don't feel that not reading reversed takes away from meanings- not if you integrate all possible meanings within a card. In very rich decks, with strong symbolism , meanings are a bottomless pit anyway, and there are any number of ways you can explore them. In a reading, I hope my learning and intuition will guide me to the ones I need for that moment!

WalesWoman	30 Jan 2005
When I first started learning Tarot I didn't use reversals, but it seemed like I wasn't seeing things clearly enough and started using reversals just so I would know it meant to look at the alternate view. I did that for awhile and now I go back and forth between using them and not. Confusing isn't it? For one, I couldn't decide how many cards to be reversed unless they happened by accident while shuffling them, and then sometimes I just pick up my cards after doing a spread and put them back in the box with the rest of the deck, so they might be upside down to the rest of the deck. It got to be more confusing than ever, thinking maybe I was holding the deck upside down if there were more cards reversed in a spread than not, so I decided the heck with reversals. I'll take my chances and try to see how the cards interact with each other and wait for feedback to see if I'm reading ok or not.

The Tarot without reversing cards. thread was originally posted on 21 Jan 2005 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.