Reversed Meanings in General

Thoughtful

Well l have been experimenting with reversals. l could not make sense of the layouts l did, my cards just seemed to clam up on me. It felt so strange to see the reversed cards and it did not feel right for me or comfortable.

Ah well perhaps l am too long in the tooth for changes now to my reading style. Uprights have always served me well, so l will stay with my trusted way of reading. But it is an interesting thread.
 

Barleywine

Well l have been experimenting with reversals. l could not make sense of the layouts l did, my cards just seemed to clam up on me. It felt so strange to see the reversed cards and it did not feel right for me or comfortable.

Ah well perhaps l am too long in the tooth for changes now to my reading style. Uprights have always served me well, so l will stay with my trusted way of reading. But it is an interesting thread.

I tend to not even look at the orientation of the cards very much, and just think of reversal in abstract terms. This really isn't much different from inferring contradictory meanings in the upright expression of the cards, but it gives a quick visual cue for when that might be productive. Not every nuance of a card applies in every situation, so I will take any tool I can get that improves the odds of not wasting time in superfluous analysis.
 

Shade

I think it was Mary Greer who suggested that a beginning approach to reversals is to see these cards as the "red flags" in the reading. These will be the areas that will be the most challenging for the querent.

I think reversed cards are easiest to work with in terms of court cards. Each member of the courts has their strengths and their weaknesses (which flow naturally from their strengths). A Queen of Swords type has the full range of Queen of Swords traits but in this particular reading in which she is reversed I would lean toward seeing her more negative aspects in play in the situation.
 

Barleywine

I think it was Mary Greer who suggested that a beginning approach to reversals is to see these cards as the "red flags" in the reading. These will be the areas that will be the most challenging for the querent.

I think reversed cards are easiest to work with in terms of court cards. Each member of the courts has their strengths and their weaknesses (which flow naturally from their strengths). A Queen of Swords type has the full range of Queen of Swords traits but in this particular reading in which she is reversed I would lean toward seeing her more negative aspects in play in the situation.

"Red flags" is a good way to look at it (I really have to get Mary's book); they must to be handled with sensitivity and given careful attention, not dismissed as an aberration.