Reversals?

[RaaD]

Its personal preference. Either way with or without reversed, if you take your time and try the best you can both readings will accurate based on your level of knowledge.

I do ask my querents to chose one from either Radiant or Universal RW. One of them is with reversals and the other is without. The querent does not know which one is with reversals. So i think it is fare to leave that choice of fate to them what reading they will have.

 

[Aslan]

I feel so overwhelmed at all these helpful responses! In a good way of course. Thank you so much, you all brought up a lot of things I didn't know and explained so articulately and kindly! I've never heard of elemental dignitaries before, @poppiesrossi, I would definitely like to learn more about that kind of reading someday. Why do earth and air clash, and does that mean that fire and air complement? Also @LRichard, I assumed that using the word "reversal" in regards to tarot meant simply that the card was upside down in orientation to the perspective of the reader. I liked what you said about leaving it up to fate and the choice of the querent, @Raad. Anyway thank to everyone who replied for your thoughtful insight!

 

[nisaba]

How important is using reversals in your readings? Are they necessary to add to your readings, or does it sometimes weigh them down?

I found they were useful to me for the first few years that I read, as a learning tool. Now, I just don't need to reverse cards any more - I'm not insecure about reading them "negatively" or "positively" in a reading, I get a sense of the whole feel of the spread now, and can just about tell how to read individual cards within it.

Use reversals as long as they are useful to you. When you don't need them any more, stop using them.

 

[Richard]

ED has the advantage of being objective and algebraic, but at the same time its superiority over the two-valued system of "reversals" is still limited to a finite number of possibilities. I really think the concept of round, disk-shaped cards is viable. This allows for an infinite shading of card interpretations between 0 degrees and 360 degrees, 180 degrees corresponding to an exact "reversal."

I only use upright cards, so I guess about the "orientation," based on the original query and the overall configuration of the spread.

 

[poppiesrossi]

The best guide for ED that I found was on this blog post. You can get an in-depth reading with 3 cards alone. So the main points of Elemental Dignities are: [taken from the post I linked]

* The centre card is the most important card.
* I want you to remember, above everything else, that when reading Elemental Dignities in a triad the centre card is the most important card.
* The centre card is modified by the two flanking cards next to it.
* A centre card can either have its “meaning” strengthened by the flanking cards, or weakened by the flanking cards.

then

Fire and Air are active Elements.
Water and Earth are passive Elements.
Fire and Water are enemies; they weaken each other.
Air and Earth and enemies; they weaken each other.
All other combinations are friendly with each other.

With this system, I find myself having a base to start off with.. I look at the cards as a set and I get an impression based upon the cards laid out before me. I love the sense of order with this system. For larger readings, grouping will be different. I tend to look at the overall cards. How many cards are active.. how many are passive. And so forth. But starting with a simple 3 card reading and building from there.. even a beginner can grasp this concept. I like the mathematical basis and then use my intuition as the extra guide.

 

[beginagain]

For me, it comes down to my own inexperience; I haven't even begun to memorise the Majors, let alone the Minors, so adding reversals to the list of things I have to learn just makes my head hurt. I will, on occasion, use reverse meanings on a jumper card, but for now it's just too much for me to make a habit of it. I actually make a habit of checking the backs of my cards before a large spread to make certain there's no reversed cards to bugger things up.

 

[rwcarter]

I've never heard of elemental dignitaries before, @poppiesrossi, I would definitely like to learn more about that kind of reading someday.

There is an Elemental Dignities Study Group that's more off again than on cause I keep posting exercises and no one responds so I don't post the next exercise. The thread I linked to is the discussion thread and it contains links to all of the study group threads. So you can see EDs in action and decide if it interests you or not at this point in your tarot journey.

Rodney

 

[Aslan]

Thank you all again. I definitely am very interested in ED for someday in my journey, but I wish I could have someone teach me it in person! Rodney, I'm going to check out the ED study guide and return to it later once I'm a little more confident!

 

[swtdr34m3r]

Well I think you have made up your mind already, but to add to this discussion

I prefer not to use reversals as I feel I makes me focus too much on the negatives, whereas using intuition to feel whether or not the cards want a positive or negative meaning works much better for me, as others have said the surrounding cards or positions usually let you know more than enough info to take a card as more negative or more positive.

As for ED I like the concept, I just haven't gotten around to expanding my understanding of it enough to start using it I'm readings, I'm a little stuck on the 5 element system used in Chinese astrology and tarot lacks the metal element which kinda rounds it off for me

 

[kimtsan]

I read with reversals, mostly because it adds that extra perspective and greatly enhance the complexity of my readings. For certain oracle decks, I don't read reversals. But other than that I'm for reversals all the way.