entire spread reversed

hi, i had a friend do a reading for me what do i need to know in regards to my depression ive had a black cloud hanging over my head for some time and its not letting up. its getting too close to the holidays for this. so i had her do a reading for me and she said that most of the cards were reversed which gave me a very negative feeling but heres what we got. she never told me what deck she used, but any interpretations would be nice and does all reversals mean bad things thanks, bleu
1. queen of staves rev. - overall situation
2. 8 of swords not rev. - what is influencing the situation for better or worse
3. prince of staves rev- foundation of the issue
4. the world rev - past or influence now passing away
5. tradition rev- ( i think usually means something about marriage) - whats on my mind right now
not really
6. 5 of pentacles rev - near future
7. queen of cups rev- how situation is influencing me.
8,.magic rev- how others view me and how they are help or hingering
9, 10 of cups not reversed - hopes and fears
10. 7 of staves. rev - outcome
she said she could tell i was very depressed but it wouldnt last. if it does then i will need pro help to get through it. ive never been through this before so if anyone could help i would really appreciate it. and thanks to everyone who has made me feel welcome. bleu

Bleu,

If you'd like to post your birth date (with the exact time, if you know it) and city, state, (country) of birth, I'll take a look at your astrological chart.

I'm sorry to hear that you're depressed. Sometimes, it's a Saturn or Neptune thing, but I won't know until I get your data.

You may want to check out innerself.com. There are many articles there on feeling better and changing your life/thoughts.

I'll send you some positive energy and hope you're feeling lots better!

AG

Bleu: If you will provide your birthdate, I can see what I come up with in terms of Tarot & numerology. Also, could you please find out what deck was used? I am not familiar with the cards listed as "Tradition" (The Hierophant/Pope?) & "Magic" (The Magician?) but would like to have an idea of what they correspond with.
Reversals do not necessarily mean "bad things". Their meanings depend on how they relate to other cards in the spread & their positions within the context of the spread.

my birthdate is january 22 1981 and i was born right after midnight, i think i just had a negative feeling about the reversals the cards she used are just like the rider waite deck but the major arcana is with different pictures but with the same meaning im using the rw deck and i like it but hers is different i cant do readings for myself. anyways thanks for the good vibes i sure could use them HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

MeeWah (21 Nov, 2001 15:07):
Also, could you please find out what deck was used? I am not familiar with the cards listed as "Tradition" (The Hierophant/Pope?) & "Magic" (The Magician?) but would like to have an idea of what they correspond with.

Click to expand...

I´m almost 100% sure that the deck used was the Goddess Tarot. I remember the cards from dare´s reading (<g> something good always comes with the bad, I guess): Magic = Isis = Magician; Tradition = Juno = The Hierophant.

Bleu: I don´t have time right now to do an indepth reading (sorry), but I can give you a quick overview:

Reversed cards can mean (among other things) blocked energy. The quality of the card can´t express itself harmoniously. Or they can indicate introversion, passivity or instability. There was a discussion about reversals some time back, if you´re interested, try a search in the forums.

There are a lot of staves (=Wands, Fire energy) in important positions, and they are all reversed. Fire indicates your personal power, your drive, passion, will; it also stands for your personal vision, things you want to accomplish, goals that are important to you, your sense of purpose and direction in life.

Others can see that you somehow lost or blocked your power (Magic (R) ), too.

When I look at the cards "Tradition" and "10 of Cups" (your intellectual and your emotional response to the situation), I get the impression that you have somehow given away that power. You´re hoping for some outside authority to fix this situation for you. The 10 of cups is the "too good to be true" card: an over-idealized situation, perfect bliss, perfect comfort. if you measure your reality to such impossibly high standards, you´ll sure going to be disappointed time and again.

How can you get out of there? I see two clues here. The first is the 8 of Swords that is the major influence on your situation. It depicts the mental cage, the inability to take a fresh perspective. You need to change your outlook towards life. try to see where you demand impossible standards - of yourself, of others, of life in general.

The other card is the reversed 7 of Staves. this is a card of personal power. 7 is the number of the hero. You *do* have the Fire in you. It is already there. You can tap into it, if you really want to take the responsibility for your life in your own hands.

Please understand that I am not belittling your pain. I have suffered from depression myself and I know how hard it is to break out from under this dark cloud that seems to mute out everything in your life. But it is possible, I know because I´ve been there.

I would also urge you to seek psychological and/or medical help if you get the feeling that you need it or that you can´t manage this problem on your own. Well-meaning friends and family, or Tarot readers, are limited in their ability to help. The decision to reach out for help is part of the process to claim responsibility over one´s life.

I wish you all the best and happy holidays.

i guess i do put my standards too high and i could take life into my own hands but im afraid to. i think thats where i get depressed . i have a councelor from previous 'down in the dumps'. and i believe i will go to her for some pro help but i still feel that im just to chicken to step up and use my abilities. thanks for the help. and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

I forgot to ask when you get reversals do you read them as the opposite of the original meaning or do you kinda feel what they mean ya know like a negative feeling sometimes when i do a reading and i get a reversal it doesnt seem to go with the persons situation or their question, so i look at the picture and go from there. also do you have to do reversals when reading a spread? i see some people do and some dont i just thought i would ask and be sure. thanks again, BLEU

Hello Bleu,

In giving your chart a very quick look, the only thing that jumps out at me is that you're still under a Sun/Neptune transit (although it's leaving). S/N is depictive of an idenity crises; who am I?, why am I here?, where am I headed?, etc. During this time, issues and answers are never clear. It's a very introspective time and one where you can easily get lost in the fog. (I always recommend a compass with fog lights during these transits...hehhee).

Fortunately, you have three planets in Aquarius and the Moon in Leo (perhaps, if your birth time is near correct). You can survive anything! That's a strong chart, lots of fixed planets which denote fortitude. Your Moon does square Uranus and that's a tough aspect of changeable emotions. Of course you've had this all of your life, so it's nothing new. John F. Kennedy Jr also had this aspect.

Without having the precise time of birth, your ascendent is questionable (probably Scorpio). However, at this time, you have several favorable transits taking place, which can assist in making life a lot more bearable.

My intuition tells me you need to like who you are (don't we all?). Once that revelation takes place, I'll think you'll be thinking a lot more clearly. I don't know if you're religious, but your chart suggests this might be a good time to seek out a new religion or Higher Authority. Just my opinion for whatever it's worth.

I sincerely wish you the very best and if you have any questions, please ask.

AG

Hi bleu,

that´s one of the beuties with tarot, the second you see the card, you start changing the energies, so a (what I call) look out card will get your attention to any obstacles on your way through a day and that way you can turn it to a wonderfull one.

As for the reversials, well they seem to bug a lot of readers, and many has excluded them for just that reason. Others tend to think that there´s enough cards already to state the point without having to do reversials aswell.

As for interpretations written in stone, the one you get from books, remember there´s a designer behind with his/hers oppinion and a author with another oppinion, and really it´s up to you as the reader to see what´s going on in the card, in other words follow your instincts.

I use reversials in my readings, and I tend to sometimes get a story out of them, not always, it really depends on the designer.
I start with the upright card thinking what does this mean, when I´ve figured that out, I turn it around and say: so what would that make if reversed?

For example 8 swords reversed - I had that one in one of my daily draws. I´m trying to get rid of the book interpretations, so I haven´t opend a tarot book for almost a month now. My interpretation was like this:

8 Swords described me very well, felling blindfolded and bound, having all these rational thorghts on how to do a reading, depending on the books to tell me how.

So the card reversed meant to me:
Instead of letting your rational thourghts and limitations breath you down the neck (swords behind woman) you should let yourself free (untie hands) and open your eyes (remove blindfold) and turn around. (face the swords) See what all these thourghts and obstacles are all about (why you´re afraid of your intuition) and remove them one by one (practise to trust your instinct) in that way the road towards the castle and the fairytale ( your fantasies) will once again be free for you to travel.

Buttom line, there is no rules and no meanings written in stone - what you decide to do and what they mean to you - that´s the right way for you to do it. Let your fantasy run wild and don´t hesitate because "it may not be the right way" ..... if it makes you feel comfy and you get the connection, then you´ve found your way

- I´ve had 12 reversed cards out of 16 possible in my daily draws, and they all made sence for the particular day they were drawn.

And yes in over all, my life is at a new stage, making new routines and getting stabilitie in life, both in my household aswell as reading tarot.

I gave birth 5 weeks ago, have an older daughter 16 months, so nothing usual there ...... getting a new family member defently turns things up side down
And trying to read cards without depending on books after 10 years of bad habits *G* goes without saying .... also a very big change.

So if you tend to get cards reversed alot, it could just mean that your life was diffenrent than usual or turned around in some way, nothing negative about it, just a fact.

And think about it, if Tarot didn´t have a purpose in showing the cards reversed, it does have 78 other possibilities to get the message through )

Enjoy your tarot journey