Reversals - Random or not?

I've used reversals ever since I got my first full tarot deck and have always believed that they held significance - not necessarily the traditionally agreed upon reversed meanings every time but that the card's orientation did hold significance of some sort. However, I'm starting to wonder if maybe it really is random. I've pulled cards in reverse and instinctively knew the reversed meanings did not apply here and I've also seen the reversed meanings fit perfectly. There have also been times when the reversed meaning fit better with a card that came out upright.

I did a spread this morning to help me find a missing item of clothing and every card came out reversed. Ex: the outcome was the Page of Cups Rx (upright = he "finds" the fish, reversed suggests nothing being found). In the past, I might have said "It's either going to be very difficult to find or won't be found at all." But I had a strong feeling that was not the case here and, lo and behold, I found the item exactly where the cards appeared to be indicating. I even tried the same spread again with a different deck to see what the result would be and it basically gave me the same answer but with different cards (1 reversed, 2 not).

When I shuffle, I always do 3 riffles to fully randomize the order and I also turn one of the halves upside down to make sure the same cards aren't always stuck in the same orientation, so maybe my shuffling method is somewhat to blame and it really is random. But I've also seen enough instances of the same cards appearing in reverse that makes me think there's more to it than chance. Either way, I'm heavily questioning my use of reversals and wondering if I should abandon them altogether or just not rely on them so much. It's hard to see myself ever not using them but maybe it's best to revise my current usage of them. For the ones that do or have used them, what have you found the significance (if any) of them to be?

As I said in a couple of other threads, if there are a bunch of them I think of them as an "undercurrent" that may be working at cross-purposes - or at least obliquely - to the stated purpose of the spread. But I would generally do that in a much larger spread than three cards. With only three cards, I might see it as inadequate mixing. I used to "stir" the cards around on the table-top (I once called it "smooshing" here) to get a good blend of upright and reversed. Now I use Grizabella's multi-pile deal and just turn a few of the piles upside-down before reassembling the deck. Then I might do a few reversed splits in the final shuffle. Any attempts at randomizing should always address reversal if you're going to use it with confidence. With only one or two reversed cards, I just see it as that particular energy being delivered in a different manner, without changing its basic meaning. So it could be delayed, oblique, re-channeled in some way, catch you by surprise, take a detour, even be partially blocked. If the outcome card of a "lost item" reading is reversed, I would probably just view it as the item being well-hidden in the area shown by the card, or possibly opposite from where the card says it is.

I use reversals sometimes but not always. I was just sitting here thinking more about it and I'm thinking that a reversed card, rather than meaning its opposite or indicating blocked energy, might just be the deck's way of emphasizing the reversed card or cards.

For instance, if you were to do a reading about a relationship that might be having difficulties, if you got the reversed 2 of Cups it could mean that you need to stop and evaluate realistically what your own contribution to the strife has been. It wouldn't mean that the relationship was doomed but that you should take an objective look at where you might be wrong instead of just considering it one more nail in the coffin of an already ill relationship.

ETA I just looked back at your question and I think Barleywine covered it pretty well. I've always been bothered by the thought that I might be picking my deck up the wrong way without realizing it and turning all the upright cards the wrong way if you know what I mean, so I go through and put all the cards upright again after a reading I've used reversals with and then do what Barleywine does if I want to use reversals for the next reading. That makes me feel confident that the reversals were all meant to be there for that specific reading.

Grizabella said:

For instance, if you were to do a reading about a relationship that might be having difficulties, if you got the reversed 2 of Cups it could mean that you need to stop and evaluate realistically what your own contribution to the strife has been. It wouldn't mean that the relationship was doomed but that you should take an objective look at where you might be wrong instead of just considering it one more nail in the coffin of an already ill relationship.

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I like this! It implies that one of the two parties to the relationship may not be fully engaged or "pulling his or her own weight."

I was just thinking about this today as well, lol. I will say, as a querent, the strongest readings I've gotten (i.e. the most accurate) were readings that used reversals. Obviously there's a lot that goes into an accurate read, most importantly being the skill of the reader, but it just seems that when the reader opens up the possibility of using reversed cards my readings are much richer and more accurate.

As a reader, I use reversals and often find myself getting stumped by them. Most of the time if one card is reversed, I don't have a problem. But I have noticed that lately I have been reading for people and pulling entire spreads of reversed cards...which is super difficult to navigate through for me as I'm still learning. I think BarleyWine is right in my case though, as I feel it is a mixing error on my part moreso than anything else - I have just started to shuffle my deck after I am done reading for the night, which I never did in the past. I also do the 4-pile method and so far I'm happy with the results. I still get reversals, but they feel more deliberate now and seem to make sense.

Barleywine said:

If the outcome card of a "lost item" reading is reversed, I would probably just view it as the item being well-hidden in the area shown by the card, or possibly opposite from where the card says it is.

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This is exactly how I read reversed cards in lost item spreads. My found item ratio is pretty high too so I feel pretty confident in this method of interpretation.

Reversed cards I think just add a level of complication that can easily throw readers and make you feel like your readings aren't accurate. In my experience, every card I have ever pulled, reversed or upright, gave me the correct answer...I just wasn't always able to interpret it correctly. I am a big fan of pulling more cards personally - I never use 3 carders in a reading for a client because I think, unless the question is super simple and straightforward, that it never gives an accurate picture of the situation in question. I usually use between 5 and 8 cards so it could be that, especially with reversals, more cards are necessary to tell you if the reversal is indicating a problem with the querent, the situation itself, or others in question. I also think relying on intuition is paramount with reversals, so if too many cards confuse you, you may want to do some exercizes to strengthen that connection. It's all about what works for you. For me, I have read with reversals and without and I much prefer using reversals even if they can be a pain.

QueenOfTemperance said:

I was just thinking about this today as well, lol. I will say, as a querent, the strongest readings I've gotten (i.e. the most accurate) were readings that used reversals. Obviously there's a lot that goes into an accurate read, most importantly being the skill of the reader, but it just seems that when the reader opens up the possibility of using reversed cards my readings are much richer and more accurate.

As a reader, I use reversals and often find myself getting stumped by them. Most of the time if one card is reversed, I don't have a problem. But I have noticed that lately I have been reading for people and pulling entire spreads of reversed cards...which is super difficult to navigate through for me as I'm still learning. I think BarleyWine is right in my case though, as I feel it is a mixing error on my part moreso than anything else - I have just started to shuffle my deck after I am done reading for the night, which I never did in the past. I also do the 4-pile method and so far I'm happy with the results. I still get reversals, but they feel more deliberate now and seem to make sense.

Reversed cards I think just add a level of complication that can easily throw readers and make you feel like your readings aren't accurate. In my experience, every card I have ever pulled, reversed or upright, gave me the correct answer...I just wasn't always able to interpret it correctly. I am a big fan of pulling more cards personally - I never use 3 carders in a reading for a client because I think, unless the question is super simple and straightforward, that it never gives an accurate picture of the situation in question. I usually use between 5 and 8 cards so it could be that, especially with reversals, more cards are necessary to tell you if the reversal is indicating a problem with the querent, the situation itself, or others in question. I also think relying on intuition is paramount with reversals, so if too many cards confuse you, you may want to do some exercizes to strengthen that connection.

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You sound like a kindred spirit! I feel that reversals add depth and nuance to a reading, and can open up whole new vistas of inquiry that I wouldn't necessarily explore otherwise. Since I see myself as a story-teller as much as an interpreter, reversals can add a bit of "color" to the narrative. And really small spreads leave too many gaps that have to be filled with intuitive guesswork; I like more "meat on the bone."

I never use reversals (meaning upside-down cards), as the whole idea just seems a bit too heavy-handed to me as a way of determining whether a card is displaying its positive or negative aspects. All cards express their energy across a wide spectrum ranging from dark to light, and I typically use a combination of intuition, context, and elemental interaction to guide my interpretation.

I rarely, if ever, interpret a card as completely positive or negative; in my own readings I usually see a given card as more positive than negative, or vice versa. And the opposite, whether positive or negative, is always there at least in potential.

I agree that looking at the shadow side of the cards adds important depth and nuance to a reading, I just don't get to that by turning cards upside-down.

For what it's worth...

Krystophe said:

I never use reversals (meaning upside-down cards), as the whole idea just seems a bit too heavy-handed to me as a way of determining whether a card is displaying its positive or negative aspects. All cards express their energy across a wide spectrum ranging from dark to light, and I typically use a combination of intuition, context, and elemental interaction to guide my interpretation.

I rarely, if ever, interpret a card as completely positive or negative; in my own readings I usually see a given card as more positive than negative, or vice versa. And the opposite, whether positive or negative, is always there at least in potential.

I agree that looking at the shadow side of the cards adds important depth and nuance to a reading, I just don't get to that by turning cards upside-down.

For what it's worth...

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This accurately summarizes the opposing viewpoint. I think reversals provide a kind of shorthand (and shortcut); I find that they let me "cut to the chase" without having to noodle over the potential downside of every nuance of an ostensibly positive card. Of course, I still do that when the sequence of cards points that way and there are no reversals in sight. Are reversals perfect? Not by a long shot. Are they useful? Absolutely, as long as they're handled with sensitivity and vision, not just interpreted as the direct opposite of the upright meaning.

Barleywine said:

This accurately summarizes the opposing viewpoint. I think reversals provide a kind of shorthand (and shortcut); I find that they let me "cut to the chase" without having to noodle over the potential downside of every nuance of an ostensibly positive card. Of course, I still do that when the sequence of cards points that way and there are no reversals in sight. Are reversals perfect? Not by a long shot. Are they useful? Absolutely, as long as they're handled with sensitivity and vision, not just interpreted as the direct opposite of the upright meaning.

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Shorthand/shortcuts can certainly be valid and useful, especially when dealing with a complicated spread involving a lot of cards. And I agree as well that reversed cards shouldn't be interpreted as the direct opposite of the upright meaning.

I prefer to avoid the whole issue of upside-down cards because it seems to encourage too much of "the switch is on or the switch is off" approach, but handled as you have described they can certainly have their uses.

I actually need to get back in touch with reversals again soon. It was originally how I started and mostly learned tarot. I'm a highly visual, but systematic, reader so the reversals tend to help me with the "flow" or "direction" of things. It may still hold the upright meaning for instance, but perhaps I need to see the Knight of Wands moving towards the future/right, rather than moving towards the past/left.

For instance, if I had three cards like this:

Card 1 + Card 2 + Knight of Wands; I'd tend to read the Knight as an incoming influence that is more like someone "new" since it is coming from the future direction.

If I had three cards like this:

Knight of Wands RX + Card 2 + Card 3; I'd tend to read the Knight as an incoming influence that is more like someone "known" since it is coming from the past direction.

The Knight of Wands might still mean the same thing whether it's reversed or not. Make sense?