Since I began reading Tarot, I’ve always read reversals. I think this was mostly due in part to my first deck being the Revelations Tarot, which have 2 pictures on each card – one for upright and another picture that was flipped to be seen reversed. Using this deck, it didn’t make sense not to read reversals since that was a clear intent of the artist/creator. (Other readers have had issues wrapping their mind around this deck. As a newb, I gave Wong’s method a try without worrying about “traditional reversal meanings” for better or worse).
I’d heard of others not using reversals but when I read Mary K. Greer’s beloved “Tarot for Your Self” she backed up the reading of reversals; (bad paraphrase:) if the position of a card in a spread means something, then why not the position in which the card lands? MKG also wrote the book on Tarot Reversals (literaly).
As I’ve begun to involve myself in the wider Tarot community, I find that reading reversals is not very trendy at all. Since I’ve never been able to ignore reversals, and the fact that there seems to be something about it that everyone loves (easier to read?
) I’d like to go a time without reading reversals. The belief behind this is that there are enough “negative” and “positive” cards to balance the deck – why overdo the often negative aspect of reversals into a reading?
The experiment begins as of this post. Time to go flip all my decks right-side up!
Also, Arwen’s running a contest on her blog – go comment to win a free reading with the creator of the new Quantum Tarot deck!





6 comments
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September 26, 2008 at 5:00 am
TarotByArwen
Thanks for the plug! I’m so tickled by the response. I have a blog entry from Chris Butler going up Monday. He’s the artist. It’s really fascinating to see his side as well. Such incredibly generous people to do this for me.
I just realized… we meet next week! Yikes! How did that happen? LOL I need to get some stuff together on the Fool.
September 26, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Kuna
Wow, what a beautiful deck! I typically don’t read reversals – partially because I’m still -very- much learning the cards, and learning reversal readings as well feels overwhelming.
I can definitely tell that I would love the Revelations Tarot for reversals though. Goodness, the deck is so gorgeous, it’s worth having for that alone, I think!
I hope to try readings with Reversals in the future, but for now, I’m keeping it straightforward (literally!).
Thanks for introducing me to a new, lovely deck, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the differences in the readings. <3
September 26, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Kuna
Normally I would try and email this information, but I couldn’t find an email address for you. *blush* I hope that’s okay!
I thought I’d let you know about an unconventional not-tarot deck that recently came out. The Pathfinders deck was created by a bunch of online artists, and has one card for each animal – 83 total. The art is quite lovely and varied, and it’s a limited availability thing – only 1,000 decks produced.
I got mine in the mail yesterday (I admit, I am friends with one of the artists) and the one card reading I got from it was so apt and perfectly what I needed to hear at that point.
Sample : I pulled the Porcupine card. Porcupines have a sense of wonder and can enjoy life despite its setbacks, but be wary of harassing the; assailants risk getting severely stung by the barbed quills. The Porcupine cautions you to use your barbs sparingly or warns you not to let someone else’s barb continue to bother you. Don’t be too sensitive or allow others to ruin your enjoyment of life. Influence : Innocence, Protection, Wonder, Incorruptibility
For anyone who felt a connection with animals, I think the deck would be an incredible tool. But I don’t really know anyone to share it with, and your blog is really the only place I’ve felt comfortable sharing and commenting.
So, just in case you might find it interesting, here’s the link. =]
http://pathfindersdeck.com/index.html
( Feel free to delete this after you’ve read it, since it has nothing to do with your post. *blushes again* )
September 26, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Shana-Marie
When I started, I didn’t read reversals, just because I wanted to get used to the deck, and how the cards worked in relationship without adding an additional layer. Once I got more proficient with the deck, I started adding in reversals. So, once I know the deck, I add in the extra step of reversing the cards.
There is one deck that’s an exception to this though. It’s the Faeries Oracle by Brian Froud and Jessica MacBeth. They just don’t seem to want to be upside down, and any time I try to reverse them, the deck goes cold.
September 26, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Garnet
@ Kuna – Thank you so much for sharing this deck – the cards look lovely! And no, I’m not deleting your comment – so there!
If you come across any other great decks, please share!
@Shana-Marie – Your method of getting comfortable with a deck first is a good point. It makes sense after working with a deck for a while to then add layers to further your study and reading. Maybe by trying to learn everything at once I put the cart before the horse and therefore overwhelmed myself when I initially began my studies. Your note about the Faeries Oracle is interesting – maybe there are some decks that just don’t care for reversals
October 17, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Balakirev
I’ve never used reversals, though I’ve used Elemental Dignities for years (go figure). This may have to do with my interest in the cards as inner paths for walking, personal enlightenment, rather than just simply for readings. But you’ve got me interested in reversals, now, and I’m really looking forward to hearing your experiences with these. I’m definitely edging closer to using them.