Quote:
Originally Posted by Bloudwedd
So it is really a catch 22 - whatever I choose I loose something. Either I have to skip using reversals althogether or break the flow of the imagery....
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A great many people don't use reversals at all, but that doesn't mean that they forgo the Shadow Meanings of the cards. They rely on their instincts and card positions to tell them when the cards are indicating Shadow Meaning. For example, when I do a spread, a card in the hopes/fears position could well indicate the Shadow Meaning of fears.
I believe your talents are good enough that if you use the cards upright, you'll still know when they're expressing the Shadow Meanings instead, especially if you've really taken to heart those meanings that you feel ring true from the book.
Putting it another way, if all my cards are upright then it's up to me to remember that the Sun isn't always "Sunny." And I do. I don't put the cards all upright in the hopes of getting only happy readings; I do so because certain decks just look wrong to me upside down and, as you say, interrupt my flow.
If you feel you need stronger cues as to which cards to read Shadow, however, then you could easily augment or create spreads for this particular deck that have card positions that are "reversed" even if you lay them upright. Any card in this spot or that is the Shadow Meaning. Tarot is beloved because of its flexibility; if you create a spread with "Shadow" spots the cards will make use of such spots. The deck will give you the right cards to read for those spots--just as it would give you reversed cards for spots in some other spread if you were using those.
Thus, you can have your cake and eat it too.