Reading Reversals
A card drawn upside-down doesn't flip to the opposite. Here's how to read reversals without overcomplicating it.
A reversed card — one that lands upside-down — is one of the most misunderstood parts of tarot. It does not simply mean the opposite of the upright card. It shades the same meaning toward one of three registers: blocked, inward, or in excess.
Blocked: the card's energy is stalled or resisted — the Ace of Cups reversed as love that can't quite flow. Inward: the energy is turned inward or kept private rather than expressed outwardly. In excess: too much of a good thing — strength curdling into force, confidence into arrogance.
You are never required to read reversals. Many fine readers keep every card upright and let the surrounding cards supply the shadow. If you do use them, don't overthink it: read the upright meaning first, then ask which of the three registers the reversal is nudging it toward.