Reversed Card

Origin

The use of reversals in cartomancy goes back at least to the late 18th century. Etteilla, the French cartomancer who is generally credited with the first systematic divinatory tarot, gave each card a separate upright and reversed meaning in his manuals of the 1780s. The convention spread through 19th-century French and German cartomancy and entered English-language tarot through Arthur Edward Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910), which provided distinct paragraphs of "Divinatory Meanings" and "Reversed Meanings" for each of the 78 cards.

Not every tradition uses reversals. The classical Tarot of Marseille tradition, particularly as taught by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Philippe Camoin, generally does not read reversals; the Marseille reader interprets every card from its upright meaning, modified by suit, number, and adjacency. The Lenormand tradition does not use reversals either, since each card has a stable meaning regardless of orientation. The Rider-Waite and Thoth traditions, by contrast, both employ reversals though with different theoretical frameworks.

Meaning and function

There are several principal interpretive frameworks for reversals. The "blocked or delayed" reading takes the reversed card as the upright meaning prevented from fully manifesting: a reversed Sun is light obscured, a reversed Six of Wands is delayed victory. The "inverted" reading takes the reversed card as the opposite of its upright: reversed Strength is weakness or panic, reversed Hierophant is rebellion. The "inward-directed" reading takes the reversed card as the upright energy turned inward rather than outward: reversed Magician is internal transformation rather than external manifestation.

A more subtle approach is the "shadow" reading, popularised by Mary K. Greer in The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals (2002). In this approach a reversed card invites you to see the unconscious or unintegrated aspect of the upright meaning: reversed Empress points to neglected nourishment, reversed Hermit points to isolation that has hardened into avoidance. Some readers also use a "release" reading: the reversed card describes an energy that is leaving the situation rather than arriving, finishing rather than beginning. Test the framework that resonates with your practice and stay consistent.

In practice

If you want to use reversals, deliberately rotate some cards as you shuffle: split the deck in two halves, turn one half end-for-end, recombine, and shuffle. Otherwise, with a well-shuffled deck most cards will come up upright by chance. Decide before the reading whether you will use reversals; do not flip a difficult-looking card "right way up" because you do not like its message. Many beginners simplify their practice by reading all cards upright until they have mastered the 78 cards, then slowly introducing reversals as a refinement.

In a Celtic Cross, a high proportion of reversed cards (more than half) often signals a situation in which energies are blocked, internalised, or moving in unexpected directions. A single reversal in an otherwise upright spread sharply highlights that one card. In love readings a reversed Ten of Cups can mean a happy family's loss of harmony; reversed Two of Cups can mean a love offered but not yet accepted. Apps like Rider-Waite Tarot Answers let you toggle reversals on or off in their settings.

Symbolic depth

The reversed card has been the subject of much theoretical debate. Some occultists, including Crowley, considered reversals a misunderstanding: each card carries its full range of meanings within itself, and the reader's task is to determine which aspect applies, not to read a separate "reversed" meaning. Others, including Waite and Greer, argue that physical orientation gives the reader an extra layer of information that should be respected. Both positions have merit. Practical experience suggests that reversals are useful as a discipline: they force the reader to consider shadow, blockage, and inward direction, which can otherwise be overlooked.

In Major Arcana readings, reversals carry special weight. A reversed Wheel of Fortune may speak of a phase of stuck cycles or stagnation; a reversed Tower may describe a needed collapse postponed; a reversed Star may describe lost faith. In court-card reversals, the temptation to read "the opposite person" is often misleading; better to read the reversed court as the same archetype turned inward, exhausted, or in shadow. As always, treat the reversed card as a question, not a verdict. Visit the glossary for related concepts and the tarot hub for reading tutorials.

Also known as

• Inverted Card
• Upside-Down Card
• Reversal
• Reversed Tarot Card
• Carte Renversee