And as an added bonus, for more experienced readers and tarot students, the author’s ideas and thoughts on what those reversals are a wonderful expansion of your own ideas. My interpretations have been enriched by studying this deck – everyone should buy it!

I don’t know about Live Tarot Chat rooms, but I do know of a supportive Tarot Forum which you might like to check out.

I wish you all the best in your search.

That’s awesome. I’m in complete agreement.

This shows that the Tarot is now becoming something much more than a deck of cards. It’s now becoming something that is challenging your ideas on life (the nature of time and events) – as well as how real life and the Tarot co-exist. This is a great sign, and one that indicates that your learning has moved in a different, more holistic direction.

One thing I’ve learned in my readings is that it really doesn’t matter in which direction the cards are. They are going to tell the truth whether you want to hear it or not. Reading the cards in a “nice” way for someone is doing them a disservice. It can disappoint them or worse harm them. Not to mention it makes you, the reader, look bad.

Sheri

Thanks for dropping by

What an interesting take on reading reversed Tarot cards. I have friends that really like Neuro-Linguistic Programming and I can certainly see how it could have an informative role in delivering a Tarot reading.

I have one additional use for reversed cards – if a substantial majority of cards (say 7 in a 10-card spread) are reversed, then I conclude that this reading has to be abandoned. If it’s for me, I just put the cards away. If it’s for a client, then I ask them to re-focus and I re-deal – perhaps with a new Signifier.

That’s really interesting! The Golden Dawn also had several procedures in place to determine whether or not a reading should be abandoned. Although they didn’t involve reversed Tarot cards (they didn’t, as a rule, read with them) it did involve the use of a Significator.

Thank you for your thoughtful, and informative response to this article. You’ve provided some excellent alternatives to reading with reversed Tarot cards

Your unconscious mind can’t process negatives. It interprets everything you think as a positive thought. So, if you think, “I don’t want to be poor,” your unconscious mind focuses on the “poor”, and because it doesn’t do negatives, the thought becomes, “I want to be poor.” Being poor then becomes the goal in your unconscious mind and like a young child, desperate to please, it helps you behave in a way that will keep you poor. Obviously this was not what you really wanted.

Reversed cards may show where your client (or you!) may be thinking in negative terms. Thus 9 Swords reversed becomes, “I want to avoid sorrow,” which is NOT the same thing as, “I want to be happy.”

I have one additional use for reversed cards – if a substantial majority of cards (say 7 in a 10-card spread) are reversed, then I conclude that this reading has to be abandoned. If it’s for me, I just put the cards away. If it’s for a client, then I ask them to re-focus and I re-deal – perhaps with a new Signifier.

I’ve never thought of the reversals in that way but it makes complete sense . When I was reading your comment, I was reminded of the Hanged Man; how the upside down position shows the world in a different way. Sometimes all that’s needed is a different perspective!

I also agree with you when you say that the use of reversed Tarot cards can bring much more subtlety and depth to a Tarot reading.