Some people purposely shuffle to include reversals, and some people (like me) purposely shuffle to avoid reversals. I do read reversals if they show up, rare as they are. Because I take steps to avoid them I feel if they show up they are quite significant. But that's me. Some people just flip the card right side up and read it, choosing not to give significance to reversed cards. Everyone has their own style!
I do exactly this. Exactly! But at the beginning, once I'd got the card meanings under my belt, I did use reversals. Also I read without a spread most of the time, now, but for a long time didn't know that was an option. My point is that we go through phases of doing it one way and then another; I think most people try out techniques as they hear of them, and you have to DO it to give it a fair trial - and then either incorporate the technique or reject it (I did this with dignities for example; but I may go back to them one day).
Oh, I also do it differently when I'm reading for myself. For others I'm more "free form" but for myself I need more "rules" - to avoid bias, mainly, I mean to avoid mixing up intuition with wishful thinking.
The important thing when reading is to know which way you're using, for this particular reading, before you begin to read. That avoids the temptation to switch halfway through interpreting because the cards are confusing, or are saying something you hope isn't true.
happen to draw one for your daily studies, then: for purposes of READING the card, the reversed meaning holds true. For purposes of STUDYING the card, there's no reason you can't refer to both the upright and reversed meanings.
EXACTLY.
As for righting the whole deck, in my opinion that's one of those questions, like allowing other people to handle your cards - some people are fine with that, others avoid it. Also wrapping them in silk etc; it's a matter of do what you feel like doing.
Honestly thank you to everyone, this was all really helpful and now I don't feel so overwhelmed!!
Overwhelmed = your Self telling you that you're trying to force something which isn't right for you, at this time. Try out different things and something will
feel right. It's foolish to persist when something doesn't feel right.
Enjoy!