Using Reversals Unsuccessfully

mary ventura

I decided to try reading with reversals, but instead of turning half the deck around, which would give me 50% reversals, I just turned about 1/4 of the deck around, then shuffle a bunch of times. Sometimes, if I'm asking a really specific question, I'll just turn around a few cards, maybe 6 or 7 cards, then if one comes up reversed, I can really pay attention to it without trying to figure out so many reversed cards. It's kind of fun this way; I'm kind of easing into it.

Mary V
 

GryffinSong

Good! I'm glad to hear you've bought yourself a nice, positive deck to give yourself a break. :D
 

Nevada

Dragon-Capricorn said:
I like the approach mentioned by Gail Fairfield that you pointed out, too. I will do some more research on which book to purchase. Thank you!
Then I should qualify what I said with this: Although Fairfield doesn't apply more negativity to the reversal than to the upright, she does include negative meanings in her system. She just doesn't apply them to reversed or upright, but leaves it up to the reader to determine when the negative meaning applies.

But you might find her system interesting, since she doesn't follow a particular tradition, but makes a lot of sense out of the numbers and suits in the minors. I understand her system is popular with quite a few Marseilles readers.

The edition of her book that I have is Choice Centered Tarot, but the title has changed with later editions. You can find it by searching for her name, though.

Nevada
 

starrystarrynight

Dragon-Capricorn said:
Do you mean to say, SSN, that you think if a reader does not use reversals, then a reader should know the meaning of reversals so that the reversed meaning can be implied when negative cards show up in a reading?
I'm not sure I understand your question, but I do think that knowing upright and reversed "meanings" of all cards gives a reader a bigger and better reservoir to draw from. That just makes sense to me...the more you know, the more you have to use. I know the premise here is that you should be able to get the right reading from only the 78 cards in the deck dealt upright...and I'm sure that many excellent readers can do that. But I can't.

Going back to the Two of Cups example, which--reversed--often means unrequited love to me, I would have to ask myself what upright card would make me think that? And I'm not sure that there is one. At least, not in my experience with the cards.

That said, I have to add--again--that this is how it seems to work best for me. When I did try (for awhile a few years ago) to read only upright cards with their upright "meanings", hoping to get a good idea of a situation without benefit of blockages, reversals or even delays, I often didn't get the clearest picture in my mind. But that could be because I had used reversals before that, so I don't know...I guess it depends somewhat upon how one first learns.

I mean, some readers can give banging readings using only the majors. I can't do that either. :D

But it's way past my bedtime right now, and I'm too sleepy to give this much more thought tonight. If I think of something else tomorrow, I'll holla. :)

Basically, though, I guess it comes down to whatever works for you!

Edited to add:

p.s. I do firmly believe that reversals are NOT merely opposites of uprights, but do have a lot of different slants of their own. And many of my own "reversed-card keywords" (as well as "upright keywords") have been gleaned by keeping track of seeing how certain cards panned out in readings long after the fact.
 

Grizabella

You don't have to use reversals. I don't use them either. Just put some positions into a fairly short spread that will give you the negatives if you feel you need to. Ask things like "what is the upside" and "what is the downside" of this issue. (Over simplified maybe, but you get the idea.) Or you could get one of the decks that's a dark deck to you and lay out cards with two decks, one light and one dark.

What I do, though, is just read all angles of upright cards. Take into consideration the negative sides of the cards because any card or situation has positive and negative points. Also, stop and think of the dynamics of certain cards in combinations, like asking yourself how two court cards in certain positions might conflict or what the positive effect would be.

It's in learning to read card interactions that you get a lot of your reading, in my opinion. Just isolating each card into this one means this, that one means that doesn't tell a story. Reversing the cards won't give you any more of the story than that if you don't learn to see the interactions and patterns and find the real story the cards tell. Just like in any real life situation, there are two sides to everything.

It's perfectly alright to slow way down and take your time with a reading. I originally thought reading the cards meant to memorize meanings and then be able to rattle off individual card meanings as quickly as possible without having to pause. That's not it at all. Take your time and just "peruse" like you're deciding over which pair of shoes or which tarot deck to buy. :D
 

PAMUYA

First of all I want to thank everyone who posted here, what an interesting thread this was to read, and so many wonderful points were made.

I have always read reversals, it was how I was taught, and how my family read. What works best for you and brings out your intuition is the right way, either using or not using reversals.

I did want to add something, I don't think of cards as positive or negative... dose this card answer questions?, or dose it rasie more questions? Really, which one would be a better card? Yes we want cards to yell out at us and give us an answer, but what about those that make us have to soul search. A resversal raises a question mark, are you seeing the situation clearly? Should you or your client be looking at things differently, from a different angle? When I am doing a reading, I am not afraid to tell my client that I am stumped, this card is confusing me..we start a dialog and 9 times out of 10 there are other issues clouding the question. This is when the readings really begins, seeing the real truths(kind of got of subject, sorry).

I do know many successful readers who do not use reversals, it is a personal choice.

There is no magic in the cards, the magic is within you. ;)
 

sleepingcat

ana luisa said:
Just adding to Afrosaxon's list. Reversals can mean that the energy is:

BLOCKED
REJECTED
DENIED
PROJECTED
DELAYED
DIFFICULT
UNAVAILABLE
UNCONSCIOUS
UNCONVENTIONAL

I got this list, I think (it's been a while) from one of Greer's book and it really opened my mind to accepting reversals in a more positive way. Constructing over what's missing instead of taking that fatalistic approach. But then, again, it's really a personal choice to use them or not. Good luck !


Signed. If the readings are that off, reversals might work differently for you.

For me, they mean that it's a blocked area, or something you may not be able to get to right away.

I particularly get them when it's a matter of "The reward is good but YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE ADVICE TO GET HERE". A funny little reminder that the outcome isn't going to happen just because a piece of cardstock happily predicted it would.

Maybe it's like switches. Upright is "on" and reversed is "off" for me.

Try and see what feels right for you!
 

Dragon-Capricorn

Everyone has been so helpful in all of their responses. I'm really not sure how I'm going to move forward - either with or without them.

I did like the idea from Griz. about just simply asking what is the negatives of a situation in a spread, and pulling a card for it (while not using reversals).

I'm sure if I continue on with tarot as a life-long journey (and I see no reason why not ...) then at some point I would want to explore reversals further.

Just not right now, I don't think.