Reversed card
A reversed card is one drawn upside down, its image appearing inverted to the reader. Far from being bad news, it brings a nuance: a softened or delayed meaning, a turn inward, or a blockage to loosen. Not every method reads reversals, and some readers prefer to keep all cards upright. It is a reading option, not a rule.
What a reversal suggests
When a card comes up reversed in your spread, see in it a quieter facet of its message. The energy may be held back, still inward, or in the middle of finding its way. It is not the harsh opposite of the upright card: more a shade, a question that asks for a little more attention from you.
Reading it without fear
You can choose whether or not to read reversals; both approaches are equally valid. If you keep them, ask yourself what within you is asking to ripen or to be released. Read the reversal as a mirror turned toward your inner landscape, never as a sentence nor as a simple alarm.
Sources
- , Tarot for Your Self (1984)