Keslynn
I've been working with reversals for a while, and I could quite easily spout off the meanings that I gathered from books, etc. However, I finally synthesized my own view of what reversals mean, and I wanted to share with you all. This is probably not a new way of looking at this issue, but I'm still proud of it. Here goes:
If the reading is a river in which one card flows into another in a sort of story, then a reversal is an eddy. It calls attention to that particular card. Since the regular cards flow smoothly, those things require less effort to come into being. But reversals are not so straightforward. They offer a choice. The choice is to move either forward or backwards (not placing a value judgement on direction). In other words, you can choose to go back to the card before it or to go to the one next in number. For example, you get the 2 of Swords in a reading. This offers a choice to go back to the potential of the Ace and to deal with it in perhaps a different way. Or you can move forward to the 3 which will cause pain but ultimately enlightenment. Either way, the querent will no longer be stuck on the blocked 2 energy.
So far this method has been working for me in my readings, in majors as well as minors. For 10 cards, you can go back to the 9 or to the Ace. The only thing it doesn't really work for is the court cards. In the case of a reversed court card, I see it (as Janina Renee outlined in Tarot for a New Generation) as someone who is not comfortable acting out a particular role, or a part of you that is not comfortable.
So that's my theory on reversals. I'm still working with it. Any of your thoughts would be appreciated.
Kes
If the reading is a river in which one card flows into another in a sort of story, then a reversal is an eddy. It calls attention to that particular card. Since the regular cards flow smoothly, those things require less effort to come into being. But reversals are not so straightforward. They offer a choice. The choice is to move either forward or backwards (not placing a value judgement on direction). In other words, you can choose to go back to the card before it or to go to the one next in number. For example, you get the 2 of Swords in a reading. This offers a choice to go back to the potential of the Ace and to deal with it in perhaps a different way. Or you can move forward to the 3 which will cause pain but ultimately enlightenment. Either way, the querent will no longer be stuck on the blocked 2 energy.
So far this method has been working for me in my readings, in majors as well as minors. For 10 cards, you can go back to the 9 or to the Ace. The only thing it doesn't really work for is the court cards. In the case of a reversed court card, I see it (as Janina Renee outlined in Tarot for a New Generation) as someone who is not comfortable acting out a particular role, or a part of you that is not comfortable.
So that's my theory on reversals. I'm still working with it. Any of your thoughts would be appreciated.
Kes