Reversals (again)

I am sure this has been discussed a number of times - but kindly humour me.

I use reversals and I understand when people do not. However, for readings I requested recently, I had many cards which came back upright when I got them reversed in my own readings. For example, reading about the progress of a situation and getting the Fool upright and Fool RX are two different things. And this has confused me. Which 'version' is the most accurate, if used in the same position and read both upright and rx?

What about when you use reversals and a person prefers you to read the card upright. Doesn't that change the whole energy/vision/meaning of the reading?

Appreciate the thoughts and stories, if any!

AraLuck said:

I use reversals and I understand when people do not. However, for readings I requested recently, I had many cards which came back upright when I got them reversed in my own readings.

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Um ... what do you mean? Do you mean you did one reading and a card you already knew was reversed in the deck came out upright? Or do you mean you read twice on the same subject without any time passing between, and it came out upright once and reversed the other time? Or something else?

In the former example, it simply means the card should be read upright. In the latter example it probably means it's time for you to go out into the world and do some real-world work on the situation before doing another reading on it. If you meant something else, then I don't know.

For example, reading about the progress of a situation and getting the Fool upright and Fool RX are two different things.

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Um, yes. And this doesn't clarify what you want to know.

Which 'version' is the most accurate, if used in the same position and read both upright and rx?

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Have you done a single reading? Or a number of readings? A single reading, probably the way it came out. A number of readings, the way it came out first. Then you go away and *do* something with the situation, then you let time pass, then you read again. And if you have worked on the situation and let time pass, read it as it came out the second time. If not, then disregard the second reading.

Doesn't that change the whole energy/vision/meaning of the reading?

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er ... it can only come out one way in a reading. Now I'm getting the feeling that you're asking about if you lay it one way during a single reading, and during that same reading you choose to turn it the other way. No. Go with the way it first came out.

nisaba said:

Um ... what do you mean? Do you mean you did one reading and a card you already knew was reversed in the deck came out upright? Or do you mean you read twice on the same subject without any time passing between, and it came out upright once and reversed the other time? Or something else?

In the former example, it simply means the card should be read upright. In the latter example it probably means it's time for you to go out into the world and do some real-world work on the situation before doing another reading on it. If you meant something else, then I don't know.



Um, yes. And this doesn't clarify what you want to know.




Have you done a single reading? Or a number of readings? A single reading, probably the way it came out. A number of readings, the way it came out first. Then you go away and *do* something with the situation, then you let time pass, then you read again. And if you have worked on the situation and let time pass, read it as it came out the second time. If not, then disregard the second reading.



er ... it can only come out one way in a reading. Now I'm getting the feeling that you're asking about if you lay it one way during a single reading, and during that same reading you choose to turn it the other way. No. Go with the way it first came out.

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I meant that as I do reversals, I get the card in RX, but those who don't - other readers who have read on the same issue - get the same card upright and often in the same position (e.g. outcome).

I agree with you here with going with the meaning of the card as I originally got it. Just that different readers interpret cards differently, and when they are not using RX, it changes the whole meaning of the reading. So my question was - which reading would be more pertinent?

I'm still confused. Do you mean you ask for help with a reading but people answer your post as though all the cards are upright?

AraLuck said:

So my question was - which reading would be more pertinent?

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If the person doing the reading does not use reversals, and if the deck was shuffled and the cards drawn with the question in mind, then the reading would be pertinent. However the cards end up in the spread, if you are clear ahead of time which system you are using, the Universe will be sure that the correct cards are in the correct place in the reading.

If, instead, you are talking about a reading that was done using reversals, but other people interpret that reading without using reversals, then I'd suggest you give more weight to the interpretations that also use reversals.

If the cards were place with the expectation that reversals will be used to interpret them, then the reading likely won't make sense if they are ignored. It would be like using a spread, and laying out the cards, and then saying "but I'm going to ignore half of the cards in the reading".

The interpretations are more pertinent if they use the same system that was originally used when asking the question and laying out the cards.

AraLuck said:

I am sure this has been discussed a number of times - but kindly humour me.

I use reversals and I understand when people do not. However, for readings I requested recently, I had many cards which came back upright when I got them reversed in my own readings. For example, reading about the progress of a situation and getting the Fool upright and Fool RX are two different things. And this has confused me. Which 'version' is the most accurate, if used in the same position and read both upright and rx?

What about when you use reversals and a person prefers you to read the card upright. Doesn't that change the whole energy/vision/meaning of the reading?

Appreciate the thoughts and stories, if any!

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No two readers read exactly alike, but the cards will come up to answer each reader in the way that THEY will understand best. Which could be vastly different from the way you understand the same card. Both versions could be right. What an upright card means to me could mean the same thing that a reversed one means to you.

Add to that that there are many different ways to do reversals (the one the turns the meaning into it's opposite is just one of many, not by far the only way). I have used at least 5 completely different methods of using reversals in my time, before settling in for the most part with my own individual method which I invented from scratch.

I think the best thing we can do as readers, but not always easy to do, is to accept whatever the reader sees in our cards and not try to superimpose our own meanings on what someone else sees. Their meanings are not identical to ours. And they are also likely running on intuition and our intuition can get foggy on issues we feel emotional on.

When another reader sees a card upright, it may mean to them what the reversed card means to you, and vice versa. I try not to compare. To just accept the reading as is.

It's the message that matters, not how it came up. IF, on the other hand their meaning that they got in the reading is the opposite of the meaning you saw that is more of an issue. Either one of you is off, OR the future has changed between the first reading and the second.

I don't read in person, but if I did and a querent prefered me to read upright...I would still read in the way that I know works best for me. My job is to do the best reading I can. If someone asks me to do someting that will handicap me in some way so my work is compromised I just won't do it.

We could discuss it and why they feel that way. But in the end I would tell them that my goal is the same as theirs to get them the best reading I can and this is how I read best. If they don't accept that, I don't think I would do the reading. If I were to tell someone what I need to read for them in the best way and they insisted I do something different that will leave them with a inferior reading....something is off there I would not read for that person. As the reader, that is our job to know what works best or us and to follow it.

I can personally read with or without reversals. but let's say I felt a particular question/reading would work better with them, I wouldn't budge on that.

If you are better at reading with reversals than not, it could change things. But no, in the end whichever method you choose, the answer will try to get to you in that format. Although yes, for me in the way I read, the answers have more depth with reversals. There are more things the cards could say.

Those are my beliefs.

Babs

AraLuck said:

So my question was - which reading would be more pertinent?

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The first reading.

Do (or have) the first reading, then work on the situation in the real world.

Follow-up readings should happen only after real-world situations have been acted on and have changed.

I think what you are asking AraLuck is, what happens if someone doesn't use reversals in the same exact reading as you? I do use reversals and you give the example of the Fool (rx), well another reader might get the Fool. People who only use uprights have to really think about the whole spectrum for the upright cards. as an example only the fool reversed becomes a bit reckless, they don't think of the consequences of say stepping off the rocks in the RWS card. A person only reading uprights has to have going too far and not thinking of the consequences as a possible interpretation of that card. They have to work out if the card is more negative or more positive or neutral in the reading.

However you read the tarot, I find it gets the answer out in the best possible way and we just have to work it out interpreting! I read different decks and sometimes I read them upright, the message still comes out and it might use a different card to the Fool to make the same message. It's hard to compare but it's possible to read both ways

CrystalSeas said:

If the person doing the reading does not use reversals, and if the deck was shuffled and the cards drawn with the question in mind, then the reading would be pertinent. However the cards end up in the spread, if you are clear ahead of time which system you are using, the Universe will be sure that the correct cards are in the correct place in the reading.

If, instead, you are talking about a reading that was done using reversals, but other people interpret that reading without using reversals, then I'd suggest you give more weight to the interpretations that also use reversals.

If the cards were place with the expectation that reversals will be used to interpret them, then the reading likely won't make sense if they are ignored. It would be like using a spread, and laying out the cards, and then saying "but I'm going to ignore half of the cards in the reading".

The interpretations are more pertinent if they use the same system that was originally used when asking the question and laying out the cards.

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That makes a whole lot of sense. Thank you!

I think the best thing we can do as readers, but not always easy to do, is to accept whatever the reader sees in our cards and not try to superimpose our own meanings on what someone else sees. Their meanings are not identical to ours. And they are also likely running on intuition and our intuition can get foggy on issues we feel emotional on.

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Yes... but sometimes difficult if you're also a reader and know the context better... so you kinda know where this card fits in. But I see your point.

I don't read in person, but if I did and a querent prefered me to read upright...I would still read in the way that I know works best for me. My job is to do the best reading I can. If someone asks me to do someting that will handicap me in some way so my work is compromised I just won't do it.

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That's interesting, because I didn't realise how few people read with reversals (well here on the exchange) comparatively with the number of people who don't... so some have asked me not to do reversals because they don't. Wow, I do like your point here. But funny enough, I am also changing my view on reversals. Not that I won't use them... but there are some instances in spreads where they make no sense in reverse. Some spreads already offer the block/negative etc... so having it in reverse just kinda doesn't make sense. Would be interesting to know how you feel about this. This being said, I cannot be without reversals in any of my other readings.

I can personally read with or without reversals. but let's say I felt a particular question/reading would work better with them, I wouldn't budge on that.

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Agree - addressed this above.