What Are Reversed Tarot Cards?


When just starting out with reading tarot cards, having to learn the meanings and interpretations of all the 78 cards in the deck will for many people out there already be enough reason to quit their newfound hobby before sunrise.

Therefore I can totally relate to the slight feelings of resentment creeping in when finding out there is also a phenomenon in tarot known as ‘reversed tarot cards’. Knowing there is an additional level to tarot that would in theory double the amount of card explanations would frankly put any sane person on the verge of ditching their tarot decks altogether. Now before you jump to any radical decisions, let’s find out what reversed tarot cards are and in what way they could actually come in quite useful for you throughout your readings.

What are reversed tarot cards? Reversed tarot cards are tarot cards that will present themselves jumping out of your tarot deck in the opposite position, giving the card a different meaning and interpretation as to when it would come out in the regular upright position.

Now let’s dive a bit further into the ways reversed tarot cards can possibly be interpreted and whether they really deserve the negative character they have seem to be assigned to  sometimes.

Are Reversed Tarot Cards Bad?

Most of the times when reversed tarot cards come to the table, there seems to be a bitter flavour associated with them.

Where upright cards are mostly viewed as positive cards that bring a message of growth and prosperity, reversed tarot cards are often viewed as an omen of doom and despair. But it shouldn’t be interpreted this way at all.

Tarot cards in reverse can actually bring an extra level of depth to your reading that you wouldn’t have reached with just reading the cards in the ‘upright’ position.

Most of the times, a reversed tarot card is trying to show you the deeper meaning of a specific card in relation to a certain situation in your life.

When you take a good look at the tarot cards surrounding the reversed card, you should be able to see a connection between them which might give you an additional clue regarding the situation or question you’ve centralized within your reading.

So in short, no, reversed tarot cards should not be perceived as ‘bad’, but rather as a way to level up your tarot reading to gain even more helpful insights when it comes to your spiritual self development and connection towards your higher self.

How To Interpret Reversed Tarot Cards

There are a lot of possible ways to look at reversed tarot cards, which cannot be learned straight out of a tarot guide book.

Where the ‘upright’ cards can be pretty straightforward when it comes to finding out their meanings and possible ways of interpreting them to your specific life situation, reversed tarot cards take a lot more experience and practice in order to be interpreted in the correct way.

Reversed cards serve as additional clues to the already dealt upright cards.

When doing a tarot reading and a reversed tarot card decides to presents itself, try to get a clear look on the central topic or question you have asked throughout your reading.

When a reversed card presents itself in such a situation, make sure to look at it from a different perspective (literally) and try to interpret the card in a way that it gives you a clear take on things you might still have some work to do.

Also, a very important factor to keep in mind when interpreting reversed tarot cards is to look at the other cards that you have already come out of the deck.

Most of the time, if not all of the time, there will be some bigger meaning in relation to the other cards. Try to see the bigger picture and in what way they might be connected to each other.

It will most of the time give you some great hints and insights that you wouldn’t have gotten with just looking at the regular upright cards.  

What Is The Difference Between Upright and Reversed In Tarot?

Whether upright or reversed, the tarot cards in themselves are still the same, the deck of cards hasn’t changed. It’s just that their meanings change depending on how the tarot cards jump out of the deck (upright or reversed).

Upright cards mostly can be interpreted and seen as positive, while reversed cards most of the time will try to send you messages on an even deeper level.

They will be giving you a specific sign regarding a certain card which should be looked further into.

Try to look at your reversed cards from a different angle in regards to the original meaning of the card and see in what way they could be serving you of helpful advice and clues.

Should You Read Tarot Cards Reversed?

Especially when just starting out with tarot, it is not necessary to read the reversed tarot cards. As you gain more and more experience, you could eventually slowly incorporate the reversed cards in your reading, but you certainly don’t have to.

A reading with just your regular ‘upright’ tarot cards can be really clarifying already, however reading the reversed tarot cards as well might give you some extra depth within your reading.

A reversed tarot card can show you the real facts you might have been avoiding and will give it to you straight. There is no denying a tarot card in reverse.

Although it might feel uncomfortable at first, sometimes these are the type of cards that can actually help you deal with a certain situation more quickly, you just have to be open to receiving the message.

It is recommended to first learn all the tarot reading basics, before even considering reading the tarot cards in reverse as well.

It will be difficult enough for someone just starting out to get familiar with the meanings and possible interpretations of all the 78 cards in a tarot deck, let alone learning about all the different ways the cards could be presenting themselves in the reversed position.

Just take it slow and easy when learning tarot in order to gain the best results eventually. You will learn as time proceeds that reading the tarot cards will be something that will become more natural to you as you gain more experience.

When you are just interested in reading the cards in the upright position, that is totally fine. There are no specific rules, just do what feels right for you and let your intuition guide the way. You will know what feels right for you soon enough.

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