Reading Reversals in Tarot
A few ways to interpret reversed tarot or oracle cards – some of them make reversals in to helpful and powerful cards. Gleaned from my own reading and online sources.
Protection/Warning The card serving as a warning. “Watch out for this.” The 7 of Swords serves as a warning of betrayal, for example. The 6 of Cups can become ‘beware of becoming lost in the past.’
Opposite Meaning The card is simply read as it’s opposite. The Sun becomes Darkness. The World becomes the Fool.
Different Timeline The card will manifest before or after all the other cards.
Return to the Previous Card This card cannot be accessed because the lesson from the previous card has not yet been learned. For example, if the 3 of Cups is reversed, it means that the lesson of the 2 of Cups needs to be learned before the 3 of Cups can be resolved. If an Ace appears, it is the 10 that needs to be returned to; if it is the World, return to the Fool.
Blocked Energy This card is attempting to manifest, but the energy is blocked and manifestation is currently not possible.
Delays This card is attempting to manifest, but there will be delays.
Unconscious Awareness The querent is not aware of the issue in this card. This represents something ‘buried deep’.
Fear of the Card The querent fears what this card contains, or they are unwilling to work with the lessons the card contains.
Inability to Achieve The querent needs to consciously achieve this goal, but has an inability to do so. Different from ‘blocked’, which is outside the querent’s control.
Inability to Move On The querent cannot move on from this card; they can’t let the card go.
Pay Attention! Sometimes a reversal is just an indication that a card needs special attention.
Unimportant The magnitude of the card is lessened. It’s there, but not terribly high in energy or very important to the situation.
Confusion The querent doesn’t understand this card or the message it holds
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