Okay, so I wanted to share a bit about how I started working with reverse tarot cards. It wasn’t something I jumped into right away, you know? For a long time, I just used the upright meanings. Seemed easier, less confusing.
Getting Started with Reversals
But then I kept feeling like something was missing. Sometimes a reading felt… incomplete? Like it was only telling half the story. I’d read online here and there about reversed cards, but a lot of it felt super negative or overly complicated. I wasn’t sure I wanted that vibe.
So, I decided to just try it my own way. First thing, I grabbed my favorite, well-worn deck. The one that just feels right in my hands. I didn’t buy a new book or anything. I figured, let’s see what comes up organically.
My Simple Process
My shuffling process stayed the same. I just shuffle them the way I always do, cutting the deck a few times. I don’t intentionally try to make cards reverse or stay upright. I just let it happen naturally. When I spread the cards, or just pull one, if it comes out upside down relative to me, then it’s reversed.
Interpreting the Reversed Cards
Now, here’s the part where I tried to keep it simple. When I first started seeing reversed cards, I didn’t immediately jump to the “opposite meaning” thing. That felt too black and white. Instead, I started thinking about it in a few different ways:
- Blocked Energy: Is the energy of this card stuck somehow? Is something preventing its full expression?
- Internal Focus: Is this card’s energy turned inward? Something I’m dealing with internally rather than externally?
- Too Much/Too Little: Maybe it’s an imbalance? Like, too much of the card’s energy, or not nearly enough?
- A Delay: Sometimes it just felt like the card’s meaning was relevant, but maybe not right now, or it’s developing slowly.
I didn’t have a strict rule. I’d look at the card, think about the question I asked, and see which of those ideas felt right in my gut for that specific situation. For example, if I pulled a reversed “action” card when asking about starting a project, maybe it meant I was the one holding things back, dealing with internal doubts (internal focus) rather than external obstacles.
How It Feels Now
Honestly, it took a while to get comfortable. At first, I second-guessed myself a lot. Was I just making things up? But I stuck with it, just kept practicing with my daily draws or simple spreads.
Over time, I found that incorporating reversals really did add more nuance. It felt like the cards could give me a gentle nudge about where things might be blocked or where I needed to look within myself. It wasn’t always negative; sometimes it pointed to potential that just wasn’t being tapped into yet.
So yeah, that’s basically how I started using reverse tarot cards. No big magic formula, just trying things out and seeing what felt right during my own readings. It made my practice feel a bit richer, more personal. It’s still a learning process, always is, but I’m glad I decided to give it a shot.
