How to read reversals: five approaches I often use

The card turns over upside down. Many people's hearts sink.

In fact there's more than one way to read a reversal. Mary K. Greer wrote a whole book on reversals, and several beginner books explain them differently. These are the five I use most:

1. Blocked: the card's energy is there, but held back or delayed. Like the Eight of Wands reversed: the news is slow.
2. Inside, not yet showing: it's there in your heart, but can't be seen from outside yet.
3. Too much, or too little: The Emperor reversed may mean too much control, or no one in charge at all.
4. On its way out: the old state is coming to an end. With the Nine of Swords reversed, for example, you can talk about whether you've recently become more willing to share your worries.
5. Truly reversed: occasionally, it really is the opposite of the upright meaning.

So which one do I use?

Look at three things: what you asked, which position it's in, and what cards are beside it. The same Emperor reversed reads differently for a work question and a family question.

One more rule. Decide before you draw whether you'll use reversals. Don't declare that this one doesn't count only after drawing a card you don't like.

Further reading: Mary K. Greer, The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals; Joan Bunning, Learning the Tarot. Reversed meanings for each card are in the tarot study room.

Common questions