As a Tarot reader, you have a lot of cards that could appear when doing a reading. When you notice that when you flip a Tarot card, it appears upside down, you may find yourself wondering if you should flip it upright or if it means something more.
Tarot cards can be upside down and are referred to as being in the reversed position versus appearing upright. While each Tarot card has a designated traditional meaning, the reversed cards could represent the opposite meaning or a difference in energy, such as being internal or blocked.
If you are interested in learning more about what it means when Tarot cards appear in the reversed position (upside down), and if you should incorporate this in your readings, keep reading below. However, remember that it can be quite confusing at first, especially for new Tarot readers, so save the reversals for when you are more experienced and intuitive.
What Do Upside Down Tarot Cards Mean?
When you turn a Tarot card upside down, it has a different meaning than upright card positioning. This does not mean that it is bad. It can also give clearer guidance for the person you are reading when interpreting cards in their reversed position.
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With your intuition and guidance from resources out there, you will be able to understand the meaning of reversed cards. While looking for help in your journey to learn the reversed meaning of all 78 cards, the book Tarot Reversals for Beginners by Leeza Robertson has plenty of information so you can become a master in no time.
Nonetheless, you can always figure out the meanings by using a specific method. Below we have outlined the four most common methods and techniques to interpret the meanings of Tarot cards when they appear upside-down.
The Opposite Meaning
Some Tarot card readers interpret reversed cards by switching the meaning of the upright card, essentially believing that the reversed card represents the opposite meaning of the upright card.
For example, if the death card were to be drawn upright, it represents the ending of something, such as a project, a relationship, or even a plan you had. The opposite of this meaning would be the beginning of something, such as a new endeavor.
Although this way of reading reversals is claimed not to be the most effective way, many Tarot readers choose to use one of the following three ways.
Difference in Energy
Another way of interpreting the meaning behind reversed cards is through an increase or decrease of the energy indicated in the card’s upright meaning.
By using both your intuition, the surrounding cards, and what the querent might have told you, you will be able to identify if the reversal’s energy represents an increase or a decrease.
For example, the Queen of Wands energy is confident and thrives in social situations. If this card is in reverse, it could either represent too much confidence, resulting in arrogance, or too little confidence, which appears shy or quiet.
You are then left to decide whether it is too much energy or too little. You can even ask the querent what role confidence may play in their life, and the insight you give can then be based on how they can increase or decrease their energy.
Blocked Energy
In the case of blocked energy, sometimes referred to as delayed energy, the reversal of the card means that the upright meaning is available to you as long as you are patient or find a way to remove the block.
Suppose the card in reverse is Temperance, instead of the upright meaning, which represents the feeling of moderation and harmony in your life at the moment. In that case, something could block your ability to feel moderation and harmony. Either through patience or looking into why it will allow you to feel the upright purpose of the card.
External and Internal Energy
When a card is upright, it is typically expressing external energy. This external energy usually has to do with people or situations in your life and affects you.
When a Tarot card is reversed, it could represent that the energy is internal, from the inside out. In this case, if the Empress appeared upright, this energy would be externally representing that you care for and watch out for others. However, in the reversed position, if this energy is internal, it could mean that you must focus on taking care of and focusing on yourself.
The great part about doing it this way is that there are no nasty or negative meanings; it simply informs you whether you need to look outside or work within yourself.
Should I Read Upside Down Tarot Cards?
Most professional Tarot readers love to include upside-down cards as part of their readings, and while you don’t have to, doing so has many benefits. While it takes some time to learn the messages uncovered from the reversed cards, it can prove to be extremely helpful to the person you are reading.
Nonetheless, it can get extremely complicated with all the different ways you can read reversed Tarot cards. That said, you should only begin using reversals when you have perfected working with upright cards.
Once you have become more experienced and intuitive, however, here are some of the many benefits of adding reversals to your Tarot readings:
- Expands your understanding of each Tarot card
- Deepens your relationship and your connection with the cards
- Can provide more insightful and accurate advice to the querent
- Adds a layer of depth to the reading that otherwise wouldn’t have been there
- Shows the querent where things need to change in their life on a more specific and meaningful level
- Makes for more interesting readings
If you are still worried about adding reversals to your readings, take some time before practice. When the time is right, you will feel more confident in reading reversals and picking a technique to use them. When you do, you can pick a technique based on your instincts, personal experience, and other cards that arise in the reading or possibly just because you prefer it.
When you do, your querent will be amazed at the results they get from their readings, and you will feel as if you were better able to look deeper into their situation to find the advice they needed to hear.
Final Thoughts
If you add an extra layer of depth to your readings by including the upside-down (reversed) cards as part of the reading, you will open yourself and your querent to a new layer of insight you wouldn’t have gotten before.
While you do not need to include reversed cards, you will provide more profound readings by looking at what they represent as either the opposite meaning, being internal or blocked energy or even an increase or decrease of the energy presented in the upright card.
However, take your time and practice reading reversals on yourself first. Once you have done this, you will begin interpreting and developing your intuition to recognize the reversal meanings much faster and easier.