A Brief Guide to Tarot Reversals

An upside down card in a tarot reading can be interpreted by the reader in a larger variety of ways that are more nuanced than just ‘reversing the meaning of the card.’ Selecting which type of reversed meaning to use is one of the decisions that we all get to make when we intuitively dive into the tarot cards, seeking their meaning on spiritual and divinatory levels.

Here are several ways that tarot reversals can be interpreted. We can use ‘The Sun’ card to see each of these interpretations in action. For the purpose of the exercise we’ll use the keywords ‘material happiness’, ‘contentment’, ‘joy’, and ‘vitality.’

Opposite

You can interpret the reversal as meaning the opposite of the right-side up card. Use the card’s keywords with ‘no’ or ‘not’ or ‘lacking’ to help shape what it might mean. For our example of the Sun, the opposite would be interpreted as ‘not happy,’ ‘not content’, ‘lacking joy’, ‘lacking vitality,’ or as a situation that is in darkness.

Out of Balance

If you were to express the action within the card as being excessive, or somehow over or under compensating (the ‘shadow side’ of the action), what would it look like? For The Sun, it might mean excessive happiness that is blinding you to a truth you need to see, or maybe overindulgence, or even a lack (or overabundance) of confidence.

A Lessening or Weakening of the Card’s Meaning

Instead of the card being at it’s full influence or power, it might only partially express itself in the situation. For The Sun, there might be very fleeting joy and contentment, or material happiness that also feels a bit unstable.

Blocked or Transformed Energy

The action in the card might be incomplete, or the action is misdirected. When considering how to make this interpretation, try to visualize what could block or change the direction of the characters on the card? For The Sun, what would happen if the horse went the other direction, would the joyous child quickly become exhausted and damaged from the sun?

Refusing the call..

The ‘call to action’ within the card could be refused, and you (or the person you’re reading for, the querant) could block or change the motion within the card. For The Sun, you could refuse to acknowledge the good that you’ve created in a situation, or be incapable of seeing how far you’ve come and what you’ve accomplished.

The Expression of the Card is Turned Inward

The card’s energy isn’t manifesting externally — yet (or maybe at all). Instead it’s meaning is just below the surface of actions. For the Sun, you can interpret this as meaning the you may achieve some inner clarity or direction, or you may experience joy and self-acceptance.

Misused or Misdirected Action

What would happen if the action of the card was misdirected or misused? In the case of The Sun, things might feel far too intense, or you might be overzealous in how you’re approaching a situation.

Unreliability

Interpret the card as containing unreliability, in either the way people behave or intrinsic to the situation itself. In the case of The Sun, the situation might ultimately turn out to be too good to be true, or a false sense of contentment.

Projection

The meaning of the card is being projected onto others. For The Sun, Instead of seeing yourself as a confident leader, you see someone else in the situation that way.

Another cycle — being retried, retracted, reviewed

The action is being retried, retracted, or reviewed because another cycle is beginning. There may be lessons that have to be learned again. Applying this interpretation to The Sun might mean you’re seeing prior times of joy in a different light now that you have more experience, and new information, to add to your understanding.

Delay

Everything will still happen, but there will be a delay. The Sun could be interpreted with a delay as in you will receive some clarity shortly, or contentment, joy, and material happiness are just around the corner.

Trauma

You may have experienced trauma related to the events in the card. In the case of The Sun, you might find joy to be a difficult emotion to navigate due to prior trauma, or feelthat you are unable to really experience joy due to prior trauma.

Layout-Driven Reversals

There may be some instances in which you only want to interpret a card as being reversed. Some readers I’ve known only interpret the ‘crossing card’ in the Celtic Cross as the reversal or shadow of the card.

Revert to the prior Card in the DECK

The reversal indicates the upright card that was prior in the deck. The Sun reversed would be interpreted as the upright Moon.

Revert to the Prior Card in the READING

The reversal would revert the card to the prior card within the reading.

Unconventional or Humorous Interpretation

Reversals can also involve the reversal of expectations. What would happen if that red flag in The Sun flipped into the kid or horse’s face? How does that change the illuminating power of the card?

Pre-selected Reversals are introduced based on the Current Situation

You, as the reader, can introduce some reversed cards that help indicate the situation or experience that you are trying to explore during your reading. Make sure all of your cards are upright, and then identify the cards you would like to reverse. Reverse them within the deck, and interpret the reversal when they appear in the reading.

Don’t Read Reversals.

It might seem counterintuitive in a list about tarot reversals, but you’re certainly welcome to not interpret them at all, and to recognize both the shadow and the light reading of all the cards as they appear.