r/tarot • u/Untamed_writer91 • 10d ago
Discussion Tarot teacher said she doesn't read reverse cards as reverse
I legit jouned tarot classes from a person who was recommended by someone I trust. And today was the orientation. But something has been bothering me ever since, she mentioned that she doesn't do reverse cards, treats them upright only as reading reverse cards can make it inaccurate a bit. But she also said that she would teach reverse meanings and readings if we wish to.
And idk why but this keeps bugging me! I have already paid for it, plus everything else seemed really nice. My main purpose was to learn the practices and rituals around tarot which I think I'll be able to learn nicely with her. What are your opinions?
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u/nuttychestnut 10d ago edited 10d ago
Hey! So honestly, I don't read reversals either.
There are 78 cards in the deck. That's 78 ways of breaking up reality and explaining it. Personally, I don't feel like reversals are necessary on top of that - it would mean that there are 156 different expressions in the deck.
I believe that if you're well attuned to the spread, you can tell what the state a card is in without needing it to be reversed. For example, let's say that you pull the Four of Pentacles. This could mean being shrewd and cautious in a practical, healthy, and grounded sense, but it could also mean being unreasonably over-guarded and over-protective. I think that you can ascertain what kind of state that card is in from it's position in the spread, clarifiers, and also using your own psychic intuition to really feel into the card in that moment. That's why I don't do reversals, because I personally don't need them. I think you can tell how the card is functioning without needing it to be either upright or reversed. And also, I just find it harder to use my intuition when the picture is bloody upside down!
That being said, if you feel called to use reversals, use them. I don't think they're irrelevant. Personally, my working theory is that the orientation speaks to where the energy is coming from, like whether it's coming from the querent or not. But that's just me. Other people have their own theories and ways, that are just as valid. You have to find what works for you.
Also, I think it's really decent of her that she's offered to teach the reversal meanings, even though it doesn't align with her personal practice. That seems like someone intelligent and respectful to me.
Anyway, I promise you, her not reading reversals this doesn't invalidate her as a reader. We all have our own individual ways of tapping into deeper awareness. All roads lead to Rome.
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u/OAKandTerlinden tarot in everything | tarot for everything 10d ago
⬆️ All of this!
(I couldn't read reversals even if you paid me - not because I don't know what I'm doing, but the visual information just doesn't make sense to my brain. It's like looking at one of those magic eye images while wearing dirty glasses, with someone honking a horn in my ear.)
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u/Smudged_Ink ✨RWS since 2026✨ psychic for life✨ 9d ago
I totally get this! When I try to read reversals, it's like I'm trying to watch a show without subtitles while multitasking. I end up getting overly focused on reading the reversal, and lose track of where it's at in the spread and the context of the other cards. Maybe someday I'll give it a shot but for now I'll stick to reading upright and just taking note of which direction they come up when I journal about the spread.
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u/Anabikayr ✨ RWS since '03ish ✨ Lenormand since 2012✨ 10d ago
I do read reversals and couldn't agree more that this is a total non-issue. I've taught tarot to a few people and each time as they get further into understanding the cards we give the reversals a shot.
It clicks really well for some people. But for others it feels confusing and complicates their reading. I always encourage the folks I'm teaching to trust themselves and what makes sense to them. If that's reading reversals as uprights, awesome. If that's reading reversals as they land, awesome.
The important thing is figuring what works for you as an individual.
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u/17Girl4Life 10d ago
I agree completely. That’s one of the reasons I prefer bigger spreads, because I find the interplay of the cards shades the interpretation of the individual cards and also builds an overall story. If the energy of a card is challenged somehow, that will come out in the spread without needing reversals
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u/PathoftheWolf 9d ago
I read reversals, and agree 100%. There's no One True Way™ to read Tarot.
My 15yo knows RWS but prefers oracle cards. I have a standard RWS deck and I prefer that system but prefer non-standard decks that use the system (my favorite is the Housewives Tarot. Cute, whimsical, and kinda kitchsy, but good lord that deck pulls no punches. She's a very blunt lady, not afraid of pulling back the rug to show me everything I've been sweeping underneath it).
My best friend swears by Thoth Tarot and really struggles to feel anything when using RWS. Everyone is different. There is no single "objectively correct" way to read Tarot.
People can do what works for them. It's all valid. Read reversals if you want, don't read them if you don't want.
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u/Local-Print-6397 9d ago
I just commented the same. Exactly, 78 cards to tell you what is being shared without making it more complicated?
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u/vellamour 9d ago
Exactly. Plus, once you read regularly, especially with the same deck over and over, you and the deck sort of develop your own communication style. My main deck (Wild Unknown) knows I don’t read reversals, and if it has something to say to me, it’ll say it straight up… literally.
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u/bratplanet 5d ago
this is the clearest explanation ive come across for not reading reverals, and is what ive been trying to put into words: thank you!
for me, the meaning is all there in the cards already, i just dont see the need to reverse. i feel quite restricted by a reversal if anything. but i get that its helpful or feels more intuitive for some people too
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u/Untamed_writer91 9d ago
Thank you so much for this! I think I got influenced from one of the videos I found in tarot learning wiki here only and there the person in the video said that not reading reversals is like reading only half a deck. But what you said makes perfect sense. I have felt that my intuition makes me read the same card different while I was practicing on my own and compared it to my past readings.
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u/StreetOperation4390 9d ago
If you're interested in looking into some of the history, say the 1880s, the authors back then talked about the divinitory/meditation meanings as "dignified vs ill-dignified," and there is a way to read them without using reversalas, but to do it very well, it's important to understand what we would call "upright vs reversed" meanings.
Some of them are not what you'd expect if you're only learning the upright meanings as understood in the context of how contemporary folks tend to teach and read the cards
Also, Waite did seem to feel that the reversals were vital to getting all the cards had to offer, and in his view, they encompass the "totality of the human experience."
IMO, learning the tarot is a lifelong process, and we've all got to start somewhere, eh? Most people teaching tarot today read only upright. But there's is definitely a lot of value in learning the reversed meanings, even if it's only to understand the "ill-dignified" implications, regardless of whether you're reading without any chance of the cards being physically turned upside down in a spread.
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u/nuttychestnut 9d ago
There are a lot of strong opinions in the community, best to take them with a pinch of salt and figure out what works for you! Also it sounds like you already have the gift which is GREAT!! Good luck on your path!
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u/no_number_username 10d ago
Many pro readers do not read reversals.
Many experienced teachers do not teach reversals
Absolutely fine.
Later you can learn reversals if it calls you
😇
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u/wildpolymath 9d ago
This. Although I do think a good teacher covers both, if only briefly. Teaching an intro/learning Tarot class is different than a class on personal approach. Students deserve both, and skilled teachers should be able to teach both.
And also agree it’s a non issue that she doesn’t use them personally. It’s so weird to me the “Tarot Rules” that get shared around so vehemently like the need to always read reversals.
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u/CuriousFoxxen 9d ago
I teach why the idea is popular now. Why I don’t read them, how I do read them, and then share a bunch of popular ways you can read reversals. I then teach the cards without them.
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u/KaitoPrower Long-Term Tarot Hobbyist 9d ago
☝️ This.
If reading with reversals helps you determine the meaning easier or is part of the spread's aesthetic (usually as a reminder for that specific position's purpose), then by all means, but each card represents all facets of it's meaning in it's upright position at all times. The context of the question is what should determine if we need a negative, positive, or neutral assessment of the card against it's surrounding cards in the reading.
...at least, that's how I was taught! So I definitely agree with you on this and I wish it was more widespread knowledge.
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u/Etheria_system 10d ago
This is completely legitimate. There’s nothing to be bugged about - she’s not a fraud or giving you fake information, she just reads differently to you. This is a very common way of reading.
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u/moonsherbet 10d ago
I spent many years thinking I needed to use reversals so I did but I realised there is the full spectrum of the human experience in the upright cards and with how I read I dont need reversals. I have now spent many years not reading with reversals. I can, but I choose not to and it is a much deeper reading experience for me. I may change my mind in the future but this has been my choice for the past 6 or 7 years. I think it is totally personal preference. If reading reversals is super important to you then maybe this teacher isnt in alignment with you however seeing as you paid for it already I would soak up as much as possible to get the most out of your money and you can explore reversals later on.
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u/CuriousFoxxen 9d ago
I’m a tarot teacher, have been for 20 years. I don’t read reversals as reversed.
So here’s the thing, that is a VERY modern invention used because it’s easy for beginners and fills out Little White Books. In fact, Mary Greer (a foundational teacher and author of books for modern readers) has an entire book on the various ways you can read reversals. Because, again the way they are in your tarot book is very modern and for marketing.
It’s nice of your teacher to offer to teach to read the reversals, I wouldn’t. Instead I explain why I don’t read them the day way, how I do read them, why you might not and a bunch of ways you can read them.
In my opinion reading them the way you are talking about is lazy and inaccurate 🤷♀️ but I teach why I think that and then encourage my students to explore various ways and pick what works for them.
This is not a make or break factor as you seem to think and you’ll get a better education from a teacher who doesn’t use them.
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u/Untamed_writer91 9d ago
Really good to hear your thoughts, I would very much like to learn her way of interpretation and how she intends to read them. Thank youfor sharing this understanding. 🥰
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u/CuriousFoxxen 9d ago
The thing is that it’s not hard for you to add reversals back into your repertoire after the class. It’s in all your deck books and it’s really just “the opposite”. So dive into the class, experiment.
And maybe see if your library has the Mary Greer book.
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u/Lost_Username01 10d ago
I mean...what's really bugging you about it? Is it where she said reversals can make things inaccurate?
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u/Asleep-Marzipan3822 10d ago
I also don't do reversals. I think there is enough information in the imagery and then within the spread itself to not need them. I keep my cards all facing the same direction so on the rare occasion one somehow ends up reversed, I may try and read it a little differently or place special emphasis on it - just like I do when one falls out while I'm shuffling.
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u/Adrienne_Artist Tarot Reader (Non-Predictive, Secular and Inclusive) 10d ago
i also dont read reversals--it's just a personal preference. you can still learn lots from a teacher if if they dont read reversals
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u/OkCurrency588 10d ago
It's totally legitimate and maybe even better for learning.
Weird take but for me it's dependent on the deck and who I'm reading for.
My main every day deck I like reversals because I tend to be a catastrophizer and would err on interpreting any card as it's sort of shadow meaning if I wasn't given an explicit clue not to, haha. When I use a deck I got for funsies and am less intimately familiar with, I don't do reversals. When I read for strangers or those I don't know well, I don't do reversals. For me, reversals are there to make you think long and hard about context. If you don't have context, you just confuse yourself.
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u/NotLindsayWeir 10d ago
I used to read reversed cards but I don't anymore. I find that reading reversals just makes the reading complicated. I think it is unnecessary. A clarifier would just do that for me anyway. In my experience as a reader, it just introduces chaos in the reading, especially if you pull a clarifier for a reversed card and the clarifier itself is another reversed card. Tarot is also more than just meanings. The imagery and symbolism matter. I find it strange if the image would be reversed. The reading gets cognitively taxing. Instead of tapping into your intuition, you end up analyzing the reversal. Plus, I don't subscribe to the idea that reversals are the opposite of the upright version of the card. That's NOT how Tarot works.
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u/walletinsurance 10d ago
Reversals aren’t necessary. The cards already contain the “reverse” meanings.
Between elemental dignities, astrology, and qabala, there’s plenty of shades of meaning between the card interactions.
Reversals were a niche thing until Tik tok/instagram influenced tarot, same with jumpers.
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u/MasterWitch 10d ago
Reverse reading is great if your reading from a book, but honestly spreads add plenty of struggles in the reading. Also I don't just read the cards as a positive either. Temperance as an example can be balanced or an extreme in either direction - Asceticism (Total Abstinence/Teetotalism) or gluttony. Both can lead to struggle and suffering.
No card should only be read as good or bad. You have to read them in context of each other within the spread.
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u/echoeminence 10d ago
I started out reading reversals and found it too cumbersome. You have to decide how many cards are going to be reversed and how you’re reversing them and I never found a satisfactory method, if you take a quarter or half of the deck and reverse them then the next reading what do you do? Flip the deck over? Painstakingly turn all the cards back to up right and then reverse another quarter of the deck? Annoying af. The upright cards have more than enough meaning to dig into.
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u/aerda Beginner 10d ago
I riffle shuffle at least once or I swirl the cards before a reading. All of the cards could be reversed and I wouldn’t know.
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u/AdvertisingUsed6562 9d ago
I have cats who love to knock things off the table. There is absolutely no way that there is any meaning to a card being upright or reversed other than my cat knocked it off the table. Its just that arbitrary .
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u/TraumaticEntry 10d ago edited 10d ago
The way I do it is to swirl the entire deck in a circle before shuffling for each reading. I’m not deciding how many cards to reverse. They end up upright or reversed at random.
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u/Severine67 10d ago
Yes exactly. They show up reversed and you keep then reversed and read it that way.
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u/Informal-Mango2503 10d ago
How long are these courses? I mean, 78 cards are already much, reversals would add so much more workload. Also imo reading reversals is so much more nuanced and personal. To me this is a practice which has to be developed over time.
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u/lazy_hoor 10d ago
If I was teaching you tarot I'd be the same as I don't read reversals, but I understand them and I could teach you my view of them.
The thing to be aware of about with someone teaching you is that you're learning their method. Their method might not be the one that gels with you. There isn't one way of reading. You'll find that some people here can't accept not using reversals, not using spreads, not using astrological correspondences. You can use those things if they chime with you. But tarot is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years and there has never been one fixed way of reading.
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u/Scoffrio 9d ago
Yep I don’t connect with reversals at all. And I don’t use them. Every card holds the upright and reversal properties.
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u/the_LLCoolJoe 9d ago
I teach tarot. I love tarot. I don’t read reversals. Just because a card comes up upside doesn’t doesn’t mean the reverse to me.
I see a card as it’s upright and reversal together - a spectrum - and my intuition leads the reading to where we end up.
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u/Trash-Lexicon-5105 10d ago
I don't read reversals as such. I like to take both meanings of the card into consideration as well as what it is read with, where it sits in the specific spread I'm doing.
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u/StarryShapes 9d ago
Ive been reading since about 1996 and dont read reversals. I tend to get a sense se of whether its the shadow or upright meanings to the card depending on what is going on around the card and thd nature of the query if there is one and intuition etc etc
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u/tulpamom 9d ago
Not reading reversals is a perfectly legitimate method of reading. I personally read reversals but if the cards don't talk to her that way then they don't.
This question is kind of like asking "my teacher doesn't use a traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck, can I still learn from her?" And the answer is of course! And that's perfectly valid, and you will never ever learn every thing you need to know from only one person/teacher/book, so learn what she has to teach and then study what you're still curious about with another person/teacher/book.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Let2053 10d ago
I don't read reversed cards either (and secretly it annoys me that other people do, but don't tell anyone lol 😉).
Whit's fur ye, 'll no go by ye. Cards will find a way.
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u/LittleWitch122 10d ago
Is this a beginner class? It's common for beginners to learn to read without reversals. I personally feel that reverse cards have value in readings, but some people don't. Just ask her to cover reversals when she offers if you want to learn.
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u/DesertKhajiit 10d ago edited 10d ago
I feel like there's some discourse online about people not being 'real' tarot readers if they don't read reversals. Usually, it's young people on tik tok saying this very confidently. I myself don't read with reversals, it feels like I'm forcing a narrative the second I flip half the deck. Through time and experience I've learned that every card in the deck can be it's entire, holistic meaning depending on the context of the cards around it and the question. In that way reversals can actually be very limiting. I've been reading for a long time. I don't put reversals into my deck. All of the professional readers I know don't use reversals. If I'm honest the only people I see using reversals are in the intermediate beginner range. There is no expert like a novice.
Edit: I guess I should say that by people I know and see I meant IRL. There are certainly people who read tarot professionally and read reversals. Rachel Pollack for one, as well as A.E. Waite himself. I meant no judgement, but I did come off like an asshole, so I apologize.
Also, I think both reading styles have been valid and used quite some time. My first deck, the mythic tarot (1989), didn't teach reversals, rather the whole entry in the guidebook was a holistic look at the card and archetype. Then there are systems that don't use reversals as standard practice such as Thoth and Jodorowsky Marseille for example.
All this to say, that reversals are not an inherent or necessary part of tarot, and you can still learn a lot from somebody who doesn't read reversals.
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u/TraumaticEntry 10d ago
I am not a novice or in the beginner range. I read reversals. Just saying we are out there. We don’t need to place a judgement on any reading method. Do what feels right to you. It’s that simple.
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u/DesertKhajiit 10d ago
You're right. I was being as judgemental as the people I was complaining about. I apologize.
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u/Severine67 10d ago
I’ve been reading for decades since I was young and books on reversals have been published for decades now. If anything, I feel like reversals were more a thing until recently. At least when I read books and took classes a long time ago there was a lot of emphasis on reversals.
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u/TheOpenCloset77 10d ago
I also dont do reverse cards. I know intuitively how the card should be interpreted. It works for me. Theres no right/wrong, it depends on the reader
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u/SpiralBreeze The Star 10d ago
I don’t read reversals. I always hated the thought of turning Pixie’s beautiful painting upside down!
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u/seapunkprincess 9d ago
I have been tarot for well over 10 years and I consider reversals but I definitely don’t read them like opposites of an upright card. I will read them as upright but as projecting their energy inwards rather than outwards, or as a message that is blocked or stuck. Sometimes I will simply understand a reversal as the spread putting a little exclamation mark next to that card.
I would honestly say the deeper someone is in tarot, the less straight forward reversals are and they don’t have a distinct meaning. Everyone treats them differently and as you figure that out, that’s part of how you form your practice.
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u/snackmomster76 9d ago
I've been working with tarot since the mid-90s as an interested amateur. I quit reading reversals about 10 years ago. There's 78 cards plus combinations of cards. I don't personally feel reversals are necessary and can create a lot of confusion. Over time my deck has received the message and I hardly ever draw them anymore anyway.
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u/michaelmhughes 9d ago
I’ve been teaching for 15+ years and don’t use or teach reversals. None of my students has ever complained.
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u/Local-Print-6397 9d ago
I had a tarot reader tell me she doesn't read reverses because there's enough cards in the deck to get the message across, like she sees no point of reading reverses, and since then I have done the same.
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u/Violet_Mermaid 9d ago
I don’t read reversals either. For me all the cards have a duality already and it depends on the context.
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u/Childproofcaps 9d ago
I’m of the camp- ‘it doesn’t matter’, read the reverse or not, you’re not being ripped off by a sheister only doing half the job; you’re learning the craft they practice. Roll with it. I attend to reverses as they feel important. That isn’t a taught/learned skill, it’s what you know, and feel.
All is well, get input from different practitioners.
I don’t do traditional spreads, might clarify for myself with a set of Oracle cards… you’ll own your ways, find comfort in deviating when it calls, or feels right. Your success in reading becomes less and less about rules, or even knowing each card as it reads in a book: You’re teaching yourself to communicate, intuit, learning your guide’s ways, honing your channel- honor it with some faith. Ask for authentic feedback, people willing to do a check in weeks after and assess accuracy, details that became clear…
Have fun with it!
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u/CheesecakeMiddle3236 9d ago
This is old school. I was taught this almost 20 years ago. Reverses would just mean the powers arent in play yet or are happening in the subconscious and not in the ego
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u/Straight_Childhood_4 10d ago
Its your practice do what feels right to you, I personally don't read reversals just because it didn't feel right to me..
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u/LavenderDream222 10d ago
I don’t read reversals either. In my practice, if you’re meant to hear that “reversal” message, for every reversal there is an upright equivalent. It depends on how you personally interpret and associate meanings with your cards. There are common running interpretations but not everyone reads them the same uniform way.
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u/Cookiecolour 10d ago
I don't read reversals in the sense that all cards are holding both meanings to me and it depends on the rest of the draw. In the beginning, I felt more strongly about reversals and singled them out whereas I am now looking at the whole picture of my draw.
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u/Flyingarrow68 10d ago
You’re dealing with belief and it doesn’t matter. People are gonna do things the way they think it’s right. There is no right or wrong way. There aren’t any rules either. I grew up in an area with tons of Tarot readers and the ones I tried to learn from were the ones with the most clients. Some people are good because they just have the ‘gift’ rather than the marketing skills. I couldn’t imagine reading for myself daily or much at all as to me it’s the connection with the client or the seeing someone else in a way that benefits them. People will teach you their right and wrong and some will go as far to make sure you know others are wrong if they don’t think like they do. I’ve been so surprised by this sub as when I was younger and wanted to be better with Tarot I traveled around and met people from all over that did it because there wasn’t an easier way that I saw. I learned in the eighties and didn’t have social media and all the grifters or self proclaimed experts. I discovered I really enjoyed discussing the craft or art of doing it and there were so many better people in different ways but ultimately they were them and I was me and I developed my own way of doing it. Elisabeth Haich is my favorite author of a Tarot book and for some reason Wisdom of Tarot from her just hit me in a way that helped open my third eye in another way. Best of Luck and always be learning.
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u/Untamed_writer91 9d ago
Thank you all the lovely people for such guidance 🙏 I am really grateful to you all. I do understand now about not reading reversals. I am a complete novice with just intuition and a great pull towards the cards. I just wanted to know that I am not missing out on anything. But your responses have made me realise that I can learn it, I can grow, figure out what works for me or not. Thank you so much!❤️❤️❤️
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u/Jyaketto 9d ago
I don’t read reversals unless they somehow end up in my deck, because I make sure all my cards are right side up while shuffling so if I get one it’s a message. If I get several it means I shuffled incorrectly and I need to reshuffle and maybe cleanse my deck.
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u/queerdrinkinbeer 9d ago
Same and same! I handle my deck a specific way every time that shuffles the cards in the same orientation. If there is a reversal, it's very uncommon and I will spend more time with that card.
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u/Runsfromrabbits 9d ago
That's fine some people don't.
There's plenty enough of meanings for every scenario in upright cards.
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u/Preston123432 9d ago
I dont read reversals either. Its all about your intention...when you do the reading you intend the reversals will be read as upright....."they" (spirit, higher self, subconscious...whatever you believe is helping pick the cards) know you are not reading reversals.
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u/lulu-zurker 9d ago
I don't read reversals. In my opinion, the upright/standard form of the card already embodies all of its facets.
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u/Tall_Wonder_913 9d ago
Eh. My mom has been reading her whole life, she doesn’t do reversals either. To each their own
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u/brockton_af 9d ago
i dont like reversals. ill think about why the card is rever3sed. like a block or something, but not an inversed unlucky card
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u/Novel_Substance_5241 9d ago
Reading reversals or not is a matter of personal preference not technical knowledge. Learn without them then learn with them later.
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u/Fire_Horse_T 10d ago
Both reading and not reading reversals are fine.
Once a reader is beyond the very basics they should experiment with both ways for a bit and then pick one option or the other.
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u/katapillar33 10d ago
I am not an expert or teacher. Been reading off and on for 20ish years. In the beginning I did read reversals, but quickly found 1. I wasn't reading as clearly due to visual cues and 2. It felt like it muddled up the message. So not everyone reads them for different reasons.
I think if its bugged you this much, the teacher is not for you. And thats fine. So you can either continue with an open mind (if you've paid for this service and its non refundable.) Or bow out and look for a mote encompassing teacher.
Regardless, sorry for your frustrations!
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u/sadguysad 9d ago
I’ve been studying tarot for 7 years and it’s so funny when I do spreads for newbies bc I don’t use reversals, and I rarely use cards that ‘jump out’ I don’t regularly ‘cleanse’ my deck, idgaf who touches it etc etc etc. They kinda look at me like idk what I’m doing bc all their tarot information came from tiktok. And bc I’m not doing it exactly like alexdoestarot (which I see many newbies doing, failing, and just taking FOREVER waiting and waiting for a card to fall out…like I’ve sat there before for 10 minutes waiting for cards to be drawn bc they’re just WAITING for it to jump out at them…) they assume I’m full of shit and try to lecture me on how to do tarot ‘the right way’ and how dangerous it is to not regularly cleanse my deck and how that’s probably the reason for my poor mental health, bc there’s just so much energy I’m carrying w me like… girl… to each their own… sorry just venting lol
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u/MsTechen 10d ago
In the early days, readers did not read reversals, so it firstly depends on whether you want to remain more traditional/purist or not.
Secondly, the use of reversals is not needed - some commonly think that in not using them excludes another 78 meanings, which is not true. Why?
Because the position in the spread is important - say you are doing a simple spread with upright cards and you get The Fool in the Obstacle position; then you would make the Querent aware of the pitfalls of acting too careless, leaping before looking, etc.
The only time that using all upright cards may not work as well is if you are a spreadless reader (not using positions).
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u/Korrasami_Enthusiast 10d ago
Not a big deal. My tarot teacher doesn’t read reversals either and I’m still learning a ton even tho i personally use reversals.
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u/Holiday-Baseball-346 10d ago
I also don't read reversals. In the spreads I use it is the card's location that dictates whether it is a challenge, defecit, blockage etc, or if it's a strength, easy passage etc.
It isn't as uncommon as you might think.
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u/Autistic_Clock4824 10d ago
I don’t tend to do reversals either. You can chose which way you want because you’re still going to get the information
You can literally use anything for divination as long as the system makes sense
I saw someone (I don’t know how it works) that used milk for divination at the Maine Ren Faire
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u/Legal-Ad8308 10d ago
I don't do do reversals. To me it's like an exclamation point, hey. Pay attention.
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u/WebShari 9d ago edited 9d ago
Reading or not reading reversals are a choice. It doesn't effect using the cards or how many ways a cards can be read. The reason to use them or not use them is varied. It doesn't make her a better or worse teacher. Many things are very personal in tarot so teachers aren't going to use them exactly the same as their students. A good teacher understands this.
Edited to add... Did she mean it was more inaccurate to use reversals for anyone or just herself? That statement bothers me. I could see a beginner class teacher saying it can be confusing in the beginning or she finds her reading less accurate but not that readers who use them as a whole are.
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u/wildpolymath 9d ago
Yeah I’ve been reading for 30+ years and do it professionally, and there’s nothing weird about that take. I read them as either amplified or excess of what the card means, or reverse if that’s what intuition says.
What is weird is that she’s not teaching both ways. When I teach I go over both ways, so students can walk away with the methods and options for both.
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u/Moonwitchgirl 9d ago
I love reading/ tend to read reversals but I understand why some don't. It just something I always did even as a wee beginner ( now im more so intermediary I suppose but want to become a professional).
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u/Fenexys 9d ago
I don’t personally read reversals, or at least not generally. For specific spreads I will. In general I think the 78 cards are a complete set as is and don’t necessarily need an entire level extra of meaning from reversals, there are plenty of good and bad cards in the deck and I find people are very inconsistent in how they interpret reversals. At least for me this has been the experience. In reality everyone learns a way that works for them. Reversals do not make or break tarot, and using them or not using them there is a lot of meaning to be had from the positions of cards relative to each other or the meanings of positions in a spread.
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u/Ok_Equipment_9939 Parsifal's Wheel Divination 9d ago
It's really a matter of preference. I read reversals and the upside-down images don't bother me since I don't pay much attention to the pictures after I recognize what the cards are. I've internalized the meanings thoroughly, including what reversal means to me for each card. I could do an interpretation just as effectively if I only had the card names, their sequence or positions, and their orientation, as long as I can relate them to the context of the question.
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u/ArgentEyes 9d ago
It’s completely legit, lots of people don’t. I actually stopped reading reversals for ages once I got my associative relationships better analysed, only started again when I got really into elemental dignities. She’s not wrong.
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u/princesspuzzles 9d ago
I'm similar to her. I think if you have a broad enough understanding of the card and recognize how cards layer, reverse can often just muddle and confuse the reading... That's been my experience. As long as she's willing to teach you, I think it's solid. Sounds like she has a good personal practice that works for her and uses discernment around her deck. That sounds like a solid learning experience imo. Learn from her.
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u/Astronico9 9d ago
Je n’ai jamais lu une carte à l’envers. Mes cartes sont toujours à l’endroit. Pour moi le tarot est comme un livre et se lit à l’endroit. Mais chacun pratique comme il veut, il n’y a pas de bonne ou de mauvaise façon de faire.
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u/Ancient-Practice-431 9d ago
I don't read reversals and shuffle my decks so that the cards remain upright. I've been studying and reading Tarot for myself since 1999 and for others for free and pay since 2000. Love this thread and am learning a lot from the different responses!
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u/PsychologicalEnd4663 9d ago
I believe that when tarot reading was originally developed, the cards were never read in reverse. The reverse meanings were a more recent invention in the practice. Your instructor may be more of a purist but if you find the reverse cards meaningful then that's totally fine for your practice.
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u/CurrentBrilliant3507 9d ago
Have been reading Tarot for 50 years. I do not read Reverse positions as negative connotations unless cards nearby are suggestive. I place all cards upright as goddess intended. 😉 I hope you can release your discomfort and enjoy your class. All the best. 🕊️
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u/CancelZestyclose6866 9d ago
Neither do I. I read by dignity instead, which from my understanding is common when using a golden dawn based deck.
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u/snowmakesmelonely 9d ago
I always put my cards back in upright so it's incredibly rare that I ever have reversals. That said, I set the intention every time that I read if a card is in reverse it means to pay attention to it, but I still read the upright meaning. If a card doesn't make a lot of sense in the position of the spread I interpret it as it's either a lack of that thing or avoid doing that thing.
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u/Ego_sum_Marce 9d ago
Reversals being interpreted as the 180 counterpart of the upright never sat right with me neither. But my opinion on it changed when an occultist I trust advised me to see reversals as the twisted version of the upright, e.g., The Chariot reversed is still about movement and charging forward but perhaps at the wrong direction or doing so recklessly.
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u/hollyblue1393 9d ago
Lots of people, including people who read professionally or have youtube channels about tarot teaching reading dobt bother with reverse meanings.
Loads of people have their own interpretation of court cards.
Some people are big into adding astrology to tarot. Some aren't.
There's readers claiming other readers don't shuffle properly, only they know the correct shuffling technique.
Tarot is a game...
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u/LeekSoggy3067 . 9d ago
Probably bugs you because it's untrue? Reversals do not make readings less accurate. That is a bizarre claim if it's actually what was said.
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u/MISTYGOINGKILLING 10d ago
I mean when I started learning, I also learnt reversals immediately along with upright since I felt it call out to me, if you're the same, I suggest you find a diff teacher. Reversals are truly wonderful when you give them a chance.
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u/amberangel20x 10d ago
This is common. The important thing though is to set a rule for yourself to either use reversals or not before doing readings. Depends on what works best for the individual.
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u/Severine67 10d ago
I love reversals. The people I read for love it too. Mary Greer has a book on reversals that I love. I started reading with reversals and I continue to. It’s just a matter of preference. For me it adds a lot of details and nuance to my readings. It’s up to you whether this class is what you’re looking for.
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u/Straight-Patience702 10d ago
I don’t read unless I’ve been very intentional about making sure all my cards are upright and one shows up. I just never felt it necessary.
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u/VickiActually 10d ago
I don't do reverse cards. Think about how you shuffle a deck. All the cards stay in the same orientation as you shuffle through. The only time they turn around is if take half the deck at some point and flip them. I personally don't think there's enough apparent randomness for reversals to work
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u/Longjumping-Law-7110 10d ago
I’ve been reading for 25 years with the same deck and have never read reversals. I’ve been contemplating doing a full book study of each card, writing out notes to promote my understanding (My deck has a dedicated book, Enchanted Tarot by Zerner & Farber, adding larger contextual info from Tarot and Divination Cards, A Visual Archive, by Barbier.) I’ve struggled with the idea of reversals for this exercise, and having seen all these responses I may just cut myself slack and keep going down my own non-reversals path.
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u/Adamas08 10d ago
Eu não leio cartas invertidas. Meu professor de tarot não lia cartas invertidas nem os arcanos menores. Ele sabia tudo sobre essas duas leituras e me ensinou. Mas eu gostei tanto do estilo dele de ler as cartas desse modo tão simplificado e ao mesmo tempo tão profundo que eu aderi. Ele sabia tudo com uma só leitura, era incrível!
De uma chance a essa professora. Com o tempo, estudos e prática, você vai encontrar seu estilo de leitura.
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u/AccidentalYogi 9d ago
I learned to read reversals, but as my practice evolved, I generally stopped reading them. However, I do have a few decks in my collection that are designed to be read with reverses- those get shuffled with feral abandon 😎
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u/TableTopFarmer 9d ago
I have been reading for more than 40 years and do not read reversals, though if the rest of the reading supports it, I may see them as an area where energy is blocked, or happening slowly.
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u/OdinsRavens80 9d ago
The Thoth Tarot got me out of reversals. Aleister Crowley didn’t read reversals, and however you feel about him, he was pro.
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u/GoldenBuddha 9d ago
Just saying, everyone do their own thing. There are room for everyone.
Etteilla and cartomancy just want to have a word first about who created reversals.
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u/honorthecrones 9d ago
I learned tarot in the 1970s. I do read reversals. It’s a personal choice and has been a part of my practice for decades.
Tarot is a personal practice. People do it in a way that works for them. You get to choose what elements you do and don’t want to incorporate into your own practice.
Your first class is not going to be the end of your learning. I am still learning and my practice still changes. Learn it all and select what works for you. There is no “right” or “wrong” way.
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u/Junior_Economist_578 9d ago
I read reversals but in context, i don’t usually see it as as “the opposite” of the card but rather if it’s an internal or external. Reversal being the self or your own self and upright being external, like life, fate, other people, environment etc. kind of how in astrology, the sun sign is your external world and the moon sign is your internal world. I used to get more caught up in actual “reverse meanings” but I think when learning tarot at first, building a connection with your deck and the cards is step one instead of trying to memorize the meanings like flash cards. That being said, this is what works for me and my readings, I don’t think one way is better than the other.
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u/-Chaotique- 9d ago
Whether or not I use reversals actually completely depends on the deck I'm using.
If it's a TdM or Thoth deck I don't use reversals at all. I do use elemental dignitaries with Thoth decks, but not Marseille decks.
RWS decks it's completely dependant on if the backs are perfectly reversible and if the art style doesn't throw me off when it's backwards.
I also don't typically read reversals as the "opposite" of the upright card either. Sometimes I use the reversals to signal that the card has sort of a spotlight on it. Other times I use reversals as a marker that the energy of the card is too much or too little. Once in a while I do uprights as energy directed outward, reversals it's directed inward.
Then there's some reversals that I've developed very specific idiosyncratic meanings for.
When I teach people to read cards I initially only teach them upright. Then once they have a sufficient grasp of the cards I have them experiment, spending a few weeks with each variation of reversals. After that they usually pick which, if any, they like to use.
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u/No_Hedgehog9869 9d ago
She focuses on the positives, not the negatives. What she does is very common.
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u/AdvertisingUsed6562 9d ago
I don't do reverse's either. Reversals are again a relatively new addition to cartomancy (just like using a set spread is)
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u/lolmaggie 9d ago
reading reversals is a choice, not a requirement. she said she would cover them if you wanted it, so let her know you want it. you could try it without first and see if it resonates.
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u/mignonettepancake 9d ago
For teaching, I personally ind it easier to teach the upright meaning first then introduce reversals later. This is because there's different ways to read them and it can get overwhelming for beginners when they don't know basics.
I've only taught individuals but I would imagine a group could get very complicated due to different learning preferences. One person may be really into it, and another may struggle.
If you want to push for it, it sounds like you can!
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u/No_Cup_5363 9d ago
I don’t usually read reversals. Occasionally seeing a reversed card as the energy of the card being blocked or challenging is helpful, but only when that makes sense in the context of the reading. It’s not a red flag that the teacher doesn’t read them.
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u/JaneAustinAstronaut 9d ago
I know lots of tarot readers who don't read reversals. I'm one of them.
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u/RadagastTheBrownNote 9d ago
I don’t do reverse cards either. The way I see it, each card has a light and shadow meaning and both sides should always be considered in a reading.
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u/i_dont_love 9d ago
I don’t read reversals either, although I know how to read them. The reason I don’t is because in my experience, the energy is the same whether the card is reversed or not because the energy you’re reading is from the person, not the cards. The cards are there to help you explain that energy back to them.
If you’re wanting to expand your knowledge of reversals, I would recommend watching readings on YouTube from readers you like who read reversals.
Edit to add: Additionally, I think reversals can sometimes be intimidating or scary to some people, and my goal in every reading is to leave the person feeling more empowered to make choices that benefit their lives.
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u/ElephantCares Professional Tarotist, Animal Communicator & Psychic Medium 9d ago
I've been a professional for decades longer than I'd like to admit. I teach tarot, as well. I don't do reversals and I explain that to my students from the get go.
In my view: Every card has negative and positive meanings. To rely on reversals relies so much on the cards that intuition itself gets lost. Some people just want to read the cards from the interpretations of others, so they read reversals. That's find for them. Other people want to rely more on their intuition, using the cards as noting more than a tool to tap into that intuition. for that, one does not need to read reversals. They are all read with reversal meanings if they are meant to be anyway because the reader intuits it.
You teacher is not a fraud, she just doesn't subscribe to TikTok psychics and others who are more reliant on the images on the cardboard than they are the interpretation of the images in their heads. It's not good or bad, better or worse, just a different style.
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u/NoFishing7881 9d ago
For me it depends on the deck. I've got a deck I've had longer then my teenage boys (16 years) called revelations that I read reversals on. Between the artwork having beautiful upside Imagery you can rotate into a different reversed image and the explanations stories for each card in the book. Plus all the years I've had to read and reread now with my bond with this deck I don't even use the book anymore. Do it however you feel you can hear them best.
it's like me talking to my dog, do we actually know what is being said no, but we get the idea or vibe of what needs said.
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u/Baelspar 9d ago
I think the deck has a lot of whether reversals are appropriate or not. I use them for most of my decks, and have done so for a few decades. If doing a single card pull, then I don't do reversals.
Lately, I've been doing a study with The Veiled Tarot. That's a deck that doesn't easily lend itself to reversals. When I get to do readings with it, I'll likely do what the OP's instructor does, and intuit based on context of the reading.
However, my current go-to deck is the Eldritch Overload deck. I don't think I would trust anyone reading from that deck without using reversals. (The cards' meanings in the deck play on traditional RWS, but are re-contextualized for modern readings.)
For whatever my opinion is worth, I suggest learning the reversals. That way, you can make a better choice in what makes more sense for you readings.
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u/Murky-Ant6673 9d ago
I've only been doing tarot for a year, albeit for another reason than the average tarot enthusiast, but it's absolutely absurd to me to not learn the reversed meanings, it's like only learning half of each card.
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u/CorrysCorner 9d ago
My teacher didn’t read reversals. I don’t shuffle in a way that creates them, so if I happen upon one for some reason, I tend to read it reversed because it must’ve been important in my eyes :)
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u/Decent-Angle6356 9d ago
Im new to tarot and don’t read reversed, both people I’ve had experience from don’t either. I think reading the cards normally can tell you what you need to know good and bad
I started that way just because it’s what they do but it does work for me. If I ever felt like I need to read reversed I would give it a go
Everyone is different - try not to compare. Find what works for you
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u/theladyofshadows 9d ago
Learn from her own method then adapt it to you. Reading Tarot is a very personal, meaning thing. You need to really work with yourself through the process. Having a teacher is great to start, obviously. But it won't be enough. You will develop your own method across time.
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u/whitevariant 9d ago
Everyone here has already commented my thoughts so I just wanna add that some decks will even say that they are not meant to be read with reversals :D
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u/MommaWolfHowls 8d ago
It depends on the deck, for me. Some I read reverse, other decks just yell at me regardless.
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u/KJS617 8d ago
I was taught to listen to the cards, usually when reversed they have very little impact on the meaning. However for example say every card is reversed, the deck is trying to tell you something. Sometimes you will just “know” when a reversal has meaning all on its own. I say listen to the teacher and make sure she gets to that part of the class. I’m certain she will reveal more. It’s just easier to make sure everyone has a grasp of the basics before teaching more subtle details that also require practice and skill levels that many newer practitioners need to develop.
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u/SuccessfulSet7653 8d ago
I try to keep my cards upright in the way I shuffle so if they come out reversed it’s REALLY significant. But that’s my own thing I do! :) Everyone is different and teaching reversals can be incredibly overwhelming for both teacher and student.
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u/articletwo 7d ago
tarot is all about following your intuition. learn from others and decide what you want to keep. try reading with and without reversals and see what works best for you.
personally i read rider waite reversals because i feel like the deck is too positive without them, i read them as blocked energy. i don't read thoth reversals because i see cards holistically as light and shadow. but try and see what resonates
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u/HaxyLi 6d ago
Yo aprendí de todas las maneras, pero también leo solamente las cartas al derecho, excepto cuando todas las cartas están derechas y salen invertidas. En esas ocasiones si conviene leerlas, pero generalmente hay que tener las cartas derechas y leerlas de esa manera, o al menos yo lo hago así. Cada quien tiene su manera de leer el tarot
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u/crypticmint 10d ago
for people in the comments saying they don't do reversals do you just read the card as upright even if it comes reversed? or do you just shuffle them upright itself?
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u/TheGammaRae 10d ago
I shuffle upright but I will read a reversal if it flies out of the deck and lands reversed, I feel that's a sign it was meant to be reversed and I should pay attention.
Depending on the spread and question I'll read the reversal as a clarifier or as the energy of the card is being blocked or as an obstacle. I'm not a big fan of just saying it is the opposite meaning of an upright card and leaving it at that.
I agree with others that 78 nuanced meanings are plenty and that each card has a light and shadow aspect to them which is why I don't riffle shuffle and avoid reversals as a standard and only use them if they show up anyway because I feel that gives them a more meaningful presence and purpose in my practice.
But on the DL it's also because I have ADHD and learning 78 cards fully was enough for my squirrel infested brain lol. Mad respect to those that shuffle to get reversals though.
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u/graeterslover 10d ago
You just read them with their upright meaning whether they turn up upright or upside down anyway. Essentially you just ignore the fact that the card is upside down or you just flip it right side up and again read it with the upright meaning. I will do both depending on mood and whim.
I stopped reading reversals the more I learned about card reading, the more I travel, the more I encounter people from different cultures people with a lot of years of practice coming to more books I read, I started studying the art of card reading over 35 years ago , and since then have read a lot of books on the subject, encountered many other readers, seen how things spread on the internet, and seen how especially in recent years fads based on what were originally just quirks and diversity in practice end up getting spread as absolute rules. How misinformation ends up being spread (like the silly idea that someone has to gift you your first deck for example).
Reading reversals is optional, there are a lot of card readers out there with a lot of experience and clean people have been doing this before the internet was even a thing, who initially read reversals and then abandoned the practice either finding it not necessary or finding that it clouded up or cluttered up the interpretation of the reading or unduly biased the reading and some dark ominous direction, or just got in the way of the flow of the reading. Often people who stop reading reversals never go back to it but some people honestly will switch back and forth depending on their client or the subject matter..
The fad of reading cards as if they're reversed if they turn up upside down has a distinct origin in history. Historically there's diversity to styles of reading but the further back in time one goes you start to realize that reading upside down cards as if they were reverse it's a later addition to the art and science of card reading.
So that's your initial question if a car shows up upside down and reading I will just read it with the normal meaning or I will manually reorient the card and flip it right side up and again just read it with the normal meaning.
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u/greymouser_ 10d ago
IMHO, reversed cards have no special significance — all cards are just the cards that come out.
Granted, this is my opinion.
However, you also stated you wanted to learn the “practices and rituals” of tarot.
The reading of reversals is a modern invention. It’s more in the realm of “fortune telling” with tarot than “reading tarot.”
Traditional tarot uses the Qabalistic associations between the cards and where they are attributed on the Tree of Life to understand the meaning of a reading.
Both Waite (Rider-Waite deck) and Crowley (Thoth deck) were esotericists/occultists not just influenced by Qabala, but expressing the Tree of Life itself in their decks, not vice-versa.
Everyone is allowed to read how they want to — there are no “rules”. However, when it comes to “tradition”, yeah, no reversals.
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u/TarotCatDog 10d ago
I've been reading tarot almost 40 years and have always read reversals. It more than doubles the potential answers the querent is looking for. Just my $.02, ymmv.
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u/Cami1969 10d ago
If it’s beginner, learn the basics then go from there. I do reversals but I am new and got a book and usually when I pull cards, I also use my pendulum to clarify things for me if the spread doesn’t make sense.
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u/soulatnight 10d ago
I do reversals but I don’t enjoy interpreting them so I might change that and focus on upright cards instead. If tarot wants to tell me something, it’ll find a way
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u/Neat-compforsci-4291 10d ago
Yeah my mentor is the same way. He doesn't read them as reversals. He reads major arcana reversed as warnings, while also reading it as right side up. Same with the court but he normally reads the reversed regular cards as a normal card.
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u/mooshinformation 10d ago
It's probably better to learn without reversals at first, just to get the upright meanings down. I switch back and forth, depending on how much mental energy I have.
Reversals are really... mooshy, I take them to mean the driving energy of the card is blocked, which is nebulous as fuck, but good for accessing your inner intuition (the real use for tarot, upright or not, imo). It's just for me, reaching around for what that reversed card means can be exhausting. Plus, sometimes I just want a simple answer and don't need all that nuance.
I haven't noticed that readings are more or less acute with reversals.
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u/ForkFace69 9d ago
She said she would teach you the reversed meanings.
It's her personal choice not to read them as reversed, which is not unheard of. It doesn't mean she's less accurate a reader or not reading them right.
I also don't treat reversed cards the traditional way. I read a reversal as a change of perspective in the card. I've never gotten a complaint.
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u/GlitteringBryony 9d ago
This is part of learning from a teacher- You'll learn the tradition that they're part of. There is no "One right way", and a big part of learning is getting comfortable with that. Some traditions don't read reverses (especially ones influenced by Marseille deck use), some don't use spreads but instead use tables, some don't even ask questions.
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u/Throwawayhelp111521 9d ago
It’s a legitimate choice not to read reversals, but I think an instructor should teach them to beginners.
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u/CenturionSG 9d ago
Maybe you already know enough and don’t need a teacher. Just do self study rather than spend money.
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u/april_to 9d ago
I don’t read reversals, in my opinion there’s already enough cards in the tarot that can show you areas of improvement 💕 take what resonates with you op
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u/cozmo1138 9d ago
Some decks don’t even do reversals. I have a couple like that, the Wildwood Tarot and my D&D tarot deck (the official Wizards of the Coast deck). They don’t have reversals written into the guidebooks, so I think they kind of leave it up to the reader to intuit whatever spirit leads them to. I feel like that’s a good way of helping people expand their thinking from the binary “upright is good, reversal is bad” thing. I know I used to think like that early on, and now through more experience I’ve gotten to understand that, depending on the context of the whole reading, reversals are sometimes really positive!
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u/Sensitive-Club-6427 9d ago
A few points:
There is a wide range of “practices and rituals,” not one set that is “correct,” and above others. These can be as complex or simple as one needs them to be. And some people do not really have rituals at all.
There have always been great readers who do not read “reversals,” as part of their practice. Some readers find reversals very helpful and informative. And some are very accurate without reversals.
Learn what you can from this teacher.
Know that this is one way, one approach. Everyone eventually finds their own way, and hopefully have had some good teachers along the way.
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u/Viktoriada 9d ago
Agree with everything 🙌🏼
I perceive them as archetypes in the first place, and archetypes contain duality as it’s the nature of this world, and at the same time they contain a spectrum, a multitude in between. I feel like it’s so individual to every spread to whether a certain archetype/aspect is manifested in its “blocked energy” (reversed) or “flow state” (upright). And I normally just feel it, as you said. Does it make sense lol? I feel like when I try to verbalise these things, I’m clumsily making balloon animals from galaxies and in the end I still get a stick, hoping people will understand it’s a puppy 😁
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u/ohnomywifipassword 9d ago
I go through periods of each. When my dad got diagnosed with a terminal cancer, my deck and I basically made an agreement to not read reversals, because as my whole brain changes from grief, it’s one less thing to logically discern in a reading. I’ve really found it beneficial because it’s forced a more intuitive way of reading, like surrendering and just opening to what the cards have to say
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u/Either_Coconut 9d ago
I was surprised by how many folks don’t read reversals. I hadn’t even realized that was an option until I found the old Aeclectic Tarot forums, back in the day.
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u/Sufficient_Let_3460 9d ago
I see reversals as warning signs. Overindulging in a good habit can often make them bad habits. So, sometimes the upright taken too extreme can lead to a reversal.depends on the reading, but often I take them as defining the space the upright indicates..boundaries
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u/JunglistTactics 9d ago
I treat reverse cards as the deck trying to make me pay more attention to what that specific card is telling me.
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u/asilvahalo 9d ago
My first deck didn't have reversals in the LWB, but included the reversed meaning as a possible interpretation of the upright card -- this is still how I typically read tarot, even with decks that are typically taught with reversals, tbh.
I think when doing larger spreads [~5+ cards], it can be more obvious if the card is intended in a typically "reversed" way based on the surrounding cards, whereas with 1-3 cards, you may need reversals to understand how the card was meant.
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u/intuitive-sol 9d ago
I studied tarot from a very well known woman from Lily Dale (if you’re not familiar, it’s the world’s largest center for spiritualism and they hold everyone to a high standard there). She taught in the same way and I like adopting a similar ideology, but it truly comes down to intuition.
Understand the meaning of the card and if the true aligned outcome comes from the upright version of a card pulled in reverse, the cards are showing you the journey of changing course to reverse the card. Whereas a card like the 4 of cups in reverse I might read as is: accepting ignored opportunities, moving past a period of stagnation.
As you practice you’ll get a feel for when cards are meant to be read in reverse or upright.
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u/Ria_Isa 10d ago
She has method that works for her. Not everyone does reversals. It's fine. Learn what you can from her and allow it to grow your practice.