Tarot reversals are a time-honoured technique of interpreting cards that appear upside-down (inverted) in a reading. In practice, when a card is drawn from a shuffled deck, it may land upright or reversed; readers who use reversals ascribe distinct meanings to the inverted position. This method was introduced into Western tarot divination by the French occultist Jean-Baptiste Alliette (known as Etteilla) in the late 1700s[1][2]. In Etteilla’s system (one of the first decks created for fortune-telling), both upright and reversed meanings were given for each card, and he even recommended deliberately shuffling or cutting the deck so that some cards would be flipped, ensuring ‘cards will come out in both senses’[2].

In modern practice, the Rider–Waite–Smith (RWS) tradition is the best-known framework for using reversals. A.E. Waite’s Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910), the companion book to the RWS deck, lists an explicit interpretation for every card in both upright and reversed positions[3][4]. Thus, the RWS deck was designed with reversals in mind. Waite’s text, for example, includes entries like:

‘Nine of Cups: Divinatory Meanings: Concord, contentment… victory… satisfaction…[4]. Reversed: Truth, loyalty, liberty; but the readings vary and include mistakes, imperfections, etc’.[4].

This illustrates that each card’s ‘divinatory meanings’ are accompanied by a ‘Reversed’ clause. Waite’s version firmly established the convention of treating upside-down cards as distinct signals in a reading. (In fact, the Waite deck was so influential that today most modern decks either include guidebooks with reversed meanings or build their symbolism assuming reversals will be read.)

Prior to Waite, the idea of reversed meanings was already in the air. Etteilla’s 1770 book Manière de se récréer avec un jeu de cartes (1783) explicitly provided meanings for cards ‘in regular and in reversed positions’[1]. Later occultists like S.L. MacGregor Mathers and the Golden Dawn fraternity also worked with reversals, although some Golden Dawn practices emphasise elemental dignities instead. In fact, some historical systems (e.g. Crowley’s Thoth deck) avoid reversals altogether, focusing on the rich upright symbolism or alternative methods. Nonetheless, the tradition of reversals has deep roots in divinatory tarot, beginning in the 18th century and continuing through the RWS era to the present[1][3].

How Reversals Are Used

When a reader uses reversals, any card drawn upside-down is noted as having a special ‘reversed’ meaning. This requires that the deck be left un-fixed during shuffling and cutting, so some cards end up inverted. One classic instruction (Etteilla’s) was that while cutting the deck into piles, the reader might deliberately flip one or more piles before restacking, ‘ensuring that cards will come out in both senses’[2]. In practice, many readers simply shuffle thoroughly or drop cards one by one from the deck so that inversions occur naturally. Others ‘pre-orient’ the deck (arranging all cards upright beforehand) or consciously avoid reversals, but the standard method is to allow random orientation.

Once the spread is laid out, each reversed card is typically flagged. Its interpretation then depends on the reader’s method. Common approaches to reading a reversed card include:

• Opposite or negative meaning: The simplest traditional method is to take the upright meaning and invert it. For example, a card of success upright might mean failure or block when reversed. This is sometimes the exact approach given in older guidebooks. As one tarot blogger notes, ‘traditional reversed card meanings… focus on the opposite of the upright card meaning’[5]. In other words, a ‘failures’ reading becomes ‘successes’, and vice versa.
• Blocked, delayed, or diminished energy: Rather than simply ‘good vs. bad’, many readers view reversals as indicating that the card’s energy is weakened or obstructed. In this model, a reversed card suggests that the upright lesson or power of the card is present but ‘blocked or delayed’. For instance, one interpretation is that the card’s positive force is not fully manifest due to obstacles. Another common phrasing is that the card shows ‘too much or too little’ of its quality. Biddy Tarot, a popular modern guide, explains: ‘Reversed Tarot cards can often point to an imbalance in energy. That is, there is too much or too little of the energy’[6]. Similarly, the reversed position may signal that you must deal with inner or subtle issues before the card’s promise can unfold.
• Internal or personal emphasis: Another approach is that upright cards reflect external, outward events while reversed cards indicate internal, personal dynamics. For example, if the upright card means ‘nurturing others’, the reversed might mean ‘self-nurturing’ or ‘taking care of yourself’. As one writer puts it, the reversed card shows ‘where the energy is being felt’ – in this case, inside you rather than outwardly[5]. This view avoids ‘doom and gloom’ by treating reversals as neutral shifts of focus rather than purely negative omens.
• Imagery cues: Many readers simply look at the reversed picture and let the upside-down symbolism speak intuitively. The card is turned face-up, but its imagery (now inverted) may suggest fresh insights. For example, if a tower is crashing down upright, the reversed image might draw attention to something else in the art. This method treats the card as still essentially the same scene, but read upside-down – a kind of creative, psychic interpretation.

In practice, most readers use a mixture of these methods. Some may decide in advance (or intuitively during the reading) whether a reversal is best seen as blockage, opposite meaning, or internal focus. For instance, one might agree to interpret all reversals in a reading as ‘blocks to overcome’, directing the querent’s attention to what is hindering progress[5][6]. The key is consistency and context: one technique can be chosen per reading or per card as suits best the question. In any case, reversals are an optional layer; they are not mandatory. As one modern author notes, ‘reading reversals is completely optional. You can absolutely have deep, insightful, and powerful tarot readings using only upright cards’[7]. Whether to use them is a personal choice, but if used, they add nuance.

Sample Interpretative Themes

To illustrate how reversals add nuance, here are common themes associated with inverted cards (sources vary):

• Diminished Energy: The card’s meaning is present but weakened. For example, upright The Sun (success, vitality) reversed might mean that success is delayed or partial. There is still positivity, just dampened. (See Biddy Tarot: ‘too much or too little’[6].)
• Blocked or Stalled: The card’s upright promise is blocked by obstacles. A reversed Ace of Wands might indicate creative inspiration is there but being blocked. (Biddy’s ‘blocked energy’ method[6].)
• Opposite Outcome: The card’s usual meaning flips. A reversed Ace of Cups (love, new feelings) could read as heartbreak or blockage of love. Waite’s own Key often gives opposites (e.g. ‘sorrow’ for reversed Three of Swords).
• Internal Focus: The energy is turned inward. If The Empress upright means nurturing others, The Empress reversed could mean you need self-care. This ‘self’ or ‘private’ emphasis avoids labelling it good/bad and just notes a shift in where the energy goes[5].
• Negative Tendency: Some traditions list reversed meanings as ‘chief drawback’ or shadow of the upright. For example, upright Temperance (balance) reversed might imply excess, disharmony, or lack of moderation.
• Yes/No Signals: In single-card readings or binary questions, some readers simply treat upright as ‘yes’ and reversed as ‘no’. (However, this is a simplified system and not universally applied. The nuanced methods above are richer for interpretive readings.)

These interpretations often overlap. For instance, what one reader calls a ‘blocked energy’ might look like a diminished effect to another. Crucially, context matters: a reversed Tower (disruption) in a generally positive spread may warn ‘loosen up control’, whereas in a negative spread it may double down on caution. Also, a card’s neighbouring cards and position may modify how a reversal is read. The community of readers generally agrees that reversals should be handled thoughtfully; they are neither purely ‘all bad’ nor mere accidents[5][6].

Using Reversals in a Reading

1. Shuffling and Cutting: Allow cards to invert naturally. One classic method (from Etteilla) is to cut the deck and purposely flip some portions, as noted above[2]. Others simply shuffle face-up and draw cards as they lie. Some readers prefer to pre-orient the deck (all cards upright) so that only intentional inversions occur by cutting; this ensures randomness but controlled orientation.
2. Identifying Reversed Cards: Lay the spread and mark which cards are upside-down. Many readers circle them or note them separately. It is crucial to keep track, because the interpretation changes.
3. Consulting the Guidebook or Keywords: If using a deck guidebook (like the Rider-Waite Key), flip to the reversed entry for that card. If working from memory or intuition, recall the possible themes (blocked, opposite, etc.). For example, Waite’s Key lists specific words for reversed cases; the Pictorial Key even on its title page promises ‘regular and reversed meanings’ side by side[3].
4. Synthesising with Other Cards: Consider how the reversal interacts with nearby cards. In traditional Golden Dawn terms, a reversed card’s elemental ‘dignity’ might interact with its neighbours. In general, read the three-card context (or the spread position). For example, if reversed cards cluster, one might infer an internal crisis theme running through the reading; if a lone reversed card appears, it might pinpoint the main issue.
5. Deciding on an Interpretive Method: Some readers announce, ‘I will read all reversals this reading as delays.’ Then interpret consistently. Others gauge each card’s reversal individually – perhaps one card is best read as blocked energy, another as simple opposite. There is no fixed rule. Over time, a reader learns which approach best resonates with their intuition.
6. Not Overusing: Caution is advised not to force every nuance. One experienced writer emphasises that reversals ‘add nuance to the querent’s response because more direct engagement would not be productive even if it is achievable’[8]. In practice, if many cards fall reversed, some readers see it as a sign to focus on inner work, while few reversals may mean most advice or events are manifesting normally.

History and Alternatives

In the history of tarot, not all traditions use reversals. Early tarot was a card game without esoteric meanings, so orientation was irrelevant. As tarot divination developed (18th–19th centuries), Etteilla stands out as the first to formalise upright and reversed meanings[1]. His work inspired later occultists like Waite. Waite’s era (late 19th/early 20th century) fully embraced reversals in the RWS deck[3].

However, some systems deliberately avoid them. Aleister Crowley’s Book of Thoth (1944) downplays reversed positions, focusing entirely on upright symbolism (Crowley felt the cards had so many meanings they needed no inversion). Similarly, older playing-card occult systems (like Lenormand) typically do not use reversals. Many modern readers also choose not to interpret upside-down cards. One contemporary teacher bluntly states: ‘you can absolutely have deep, insightful, and powerful tarot readings using only upright cards’[7]. In her view, reversals are not required and can often be omitted to avoid negativity.

For decks where reversed art yields no new visual information (for example, most older Latin-suited ‘Marseille’ pip cards), some readers substitute elemental dignities instead of reversals. In this method (rooted in Golden Dawn teachings), the elemental correspondences or suit ‘compatibilities’ between adjacent cards determine emphasis, rather than orientation. As Sherryl Smith explains, ‘Dignities are often used with historic decks instead of reversals since many pip cards are identical upright and reversed’[9]. Thus, a Marseille reader might note that two adjacent fire cards ‘mutually strengthen’ each other, without ever considering upside-down meanings. (By contrast, RWS users often add both: reversals plus optional dignities.)

Ultimately, whether to use reversals is a matter of tradition and personal style. Rider-Waite readers expect them, so most guides include reversed keywords. Other readers prefer the clarity of upright-only spreads or alternative systems. Both paths exist in the tarot community. The important thing is consistency: use whichever system you decide and keep it consistent for clear readings.

Key Takeaways

• Definition: Reversals mean reading upside-down cards as special cases. They have distinct interpretations from upright cards.
• Origins: Introduced by Etteilla in the 18th century[1][2]. Solidified by Waite’s 1909 Pictorial Key with upright and reversed meanings[3][4].
• Interpretation methods: Common approaches include viewing reversed cards as opposites, blocked/delayed energy, or internalised energy[5][6]. Some readers also use intuitive imagery cues.
• Practice: Shuffle normally so reversals occur. Mark them in the spread. Apply your chosen interpretive method (looking up reversed meanings in your guidebook or using your own technique).
• Alternatives: Some readers skip reversals and rely on other techniques (like elemental/suit dignities[9]). This is largely a matter of personal or traditional preference.
• Flexibility: Using reversals is optional. Many readers report they can ignore reversals, especially beginners, without losing depth[7]. Others find reversals add valuable nuance.

By understanding reversals’ history and the range of reading techniques, tarot practitioners can choose the approach that best fits their deck and style. Whether through blocked energy, inverted symbolism, or extra layers of meaning, reversals remain a powerful tool in the diviner’s kit[4][5].

Sources: Historical and practical insights from tarot scholars and practitioners[1][4][9][2][5][6][7].

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[1] Etteilla – Wikipedia

[2] Ettellia Tarot (I): Arcana or main cards.

[3] U.S. Games Systems, Inc. > Tarot & Inspiration > The Pictorial Key to the Tarot Book

[4] The Pictorial Key to the Tarot: Part III: The Outer Metho… | Sacred Texts Archive

[5] [6] How to Interpret Reversed Tarot Cards

[7] Why I Don’t Read Reversals in Tarot—Mystic Rose

[8] Reversed Cards and the Golden Dawn | Parsifal’s Wheel Tarot & Astrology

[9] Preparing to Read | Tarot Heritage