The Question Every Beginner Asks (And the Answer Might Surprise You)
One of the most common questions I get from people learning tarot is whether they have to read reversals. And there’s usually an underlying anxiety in the question, a sense that reversals are complicated and maybe a bit scary. Upright cards seem manageable. But reversed cards? Those feel like they require special knowledge or skill or some kind of deeper understanding. Which is why I’m starting with the answer to that underlying question right away: no, you do not have to read reversals. You can have a perfectly legitimate, powerful, useful tarot practice without ever working with reversals. That said, once you understand what reversals actually are and how they work, a lot of people find that adding them to their practice actually makes readings clearer and more nuanced, not more complicated. So let’s talk about what reversals are, whether you should use them, and if you decide to, how to work with them in a way that feels intuitive and honest.
Do You Actually Have to Read Reversals?
The Short Answer: No
Let’s get this out of the way first. You do not have to read reversals. There are experienced, skilled tarot readers who never work with reversals and have been reading brilliantly for decades. Some readers actually prefer not to work with reversals because they find the practice cleaner or more focused without them. Some traditions and decks don’t include reversals as part of the practice at all. So if reversals feel like too much or don’t resonate with you, you can absolutely skip them. Your tarot practice is yours to design however feels right.
Why Some People Skip Them
The reasons people choose not to work with reversals are legitimate. Some readers find that reversals can feel overly negative, particularly if the reader defaults to interpreting them as “bad” versions of the upright card. Some find that reversals create confusion or require too much memorisation. Some prefer to keep their readings simpler and more focused. Some find that the upright cards contain enough nuance on their own without needing the reversal layer. All of these are valid reasons to skip reversals, and skipping them doesn’t make your readings less accurate or less useful.
Why Some People Love Them
On the other hand, plenty of readers find that reversals add a valuable layer of nuance to their readings. A reversed card can indicate delay, internal experience rather than external manifestation, a different perspective on the situation, or a weakening of the card’s upright energy. For some readers, reversals let them read a situation more precisely because they have more granular options for interpretation. It’s not that reversals are necessary. It’s that for some people and some readings, they’re genuinely useful.
The Middle Ground
Many readers work with reversals sometimes but not always. They might use reversals for certain kinds of readings (relationship readings, shadow work) but not others (oracle spreads, quick daily draws). They might shuffle in a way that includes reversals sometimes and excludes them other times. They might have reversals as an option they look at if they feel called to but don’t force the issue. This middle ground approach works beautifully for a lot of people and is probably where most tarot readers actually land.
What Reversals Actually Mean
It’s Not Just Opposites
The biggest misconception about reversals is that they mean the opposite of the upright card. That’s sometimes true, but not always, and it’s not the most useful way to think about reversals. A reversed card doesn’t simply mean the opposite. It means the energy of the card is modified. It might be internalised instead of externalised. It might be blocked or delayed. It might be at a different stage. It might be about something hidden or something you’re not seeing clearly.
Think about the Eight of Pentacles, which upright is about mastery, skill development, and focused learning. Reversed, it might mean you’re not developing the skills you need. Or it might mean you’re putting in the effort but not yet seeing results. Or it might mean you’re mastering something internal rather than external. Or it might mean you’re frustrated with the pace of your learning. None of those are simply opposite to mastery. They’re all different textures of the card’s energy being modified or blocked.
Common Reversal Meanings
Most reversed cards fall into a few broad categories. A card might be reversed to indicate delay or slowness. Something you want is on its way but not yet here. A card might be reversed to indicate internal experience rather than external manifestation. Inner work rather than outer work. A card might be reversed to indicate the energy is blocked or weakened. Something that would be powerful upright is struggling or stuck. A card might be reversed to indicate a different perspective or the shadow side of the card. A card might be reversed to indicate something is hidden or not yet visible to you.
Understanding these broad categories is way more useful than trying to memorise specific reversed meanings for all 78 cards. Once you understand that reversals are about modification and nuance rather than simple opposition, you can interpret them intuitively.
How to Work With Reversals
The Shuffling Question
One practical question about reversals is whether you’re actually shuffling your deck in a way that allows cards to reverse. If you only shuffle in one direction and never flip the deck, reversals can’t happen. If you want reversals to be part of your practice, you need to shuffle in a way that allows cards to land either upright or reversed. This might mean doing a riffle shuffle and occasionally flipping the deck mid-shuffle. Or spreading the cards and mixing them face-down so they’re randomly oriented. Or just being intentional about orienting cards randomly when you cut the deck.
If you don’t want reversals, you can intentionally shuffle in a way that keeps all cards upright. Or you can use a deck designed without reversals. Both are perfectly valid choices.
The Interpretation Method
Once you pull a card and you see it’s reversed, how do you actually interpret it? The most intuitive method is to start with the upright meaning and then ask yourself: how is this energy modified? Is it blocked? Internalised? Delayed? Hidden? Look at the specific situation you’re reading about and ask what makes sense. If you’re reading about a relationship and pull the Lovers reversed, are the lovers struggling to connect? Is there blocked communication? Is the relationship about internal work rather than external union right now? What feels true for your situation?
Your intuition, combined with the broad reversal categories, is usually more useful than a guidebook that gives you one specific meaning per reversed card.
The Guidebook Approach
That said, some people genuinely prefer to use their guidebook for reversal meanings. Many tarot guidebooks include reversed meanings alongside the upright ones, and there’s nothing wrong with referring to that. It gives you a structured framework rather than having to figure it out intuitively each time. If that works for you, go with it. The most important thing is that you’re interpreting the cards in a way that makes sense and that you trust.
When Reversals Are Most Useful
Shadow Work and Deep Readings
Reversals tend to be particularly useful in readings where you’re looking at what’s hidden, what’s blocking you, or what you’re not seeing clearly. Shadow work readings, readings about what’s underneath a situation, readings about internal obstacles: these are places where reversals often add a lot of nuance.
Clarity Readings
Reversals can also be incredibly useful when you’re trying to get clarity on why something isn’t manifesting or why a situation is stuck. A reversal can point to where the blockage is, what’s being hidden, or what’s not yet ready to move.
Reading For Others
Some readers find reversals particularly useful when they’re reading for other people, because reversals give them another layer of interpretation to offer when a card feels like it might not be hitting quite right.
When to Keep It Simple
Daily Draws
Many readers skip reversals for quick daily draws. An upright card is often enough information for a simple daily message. Adding reversals can sometimes overcomplicate something that’s meant to be straightforward.
Beginners Still Learning
If you’re still learning the upright meanings of all 78 cards, adding reversals is going to slow down your learning and possibly confuse things. Get comfortable with the upright cards first, then add reversals if you want to.
Intuitive Readings
Some readers do intuitive readings where they barely look at the traditional meanings anyway. For those readers, reversals might add an unnecessary layer of structure.
Remember!
- You don’t have to use reversals: A legitimate practice can skip them entirely if that feels right.
- Reversals modify rather than oppose: They’re not simply opposite meanings, they’re textured variations.
- Shuffle intentionally for reversals: Make sure your shuffling method actually allows cards to reverse if you want them to.
- Use broad categories for interpretation: Delay, blockage, internalisation, or hidden cover most reversals.
- Trust your intuition first: What makes sense for your specific situation matters more than a guidebook definition.
- Most useful for shadow and clarity work: Reversals shine in deeper readings about what’s hidden or blocked.
- Keep it simple in daily draws: Quick daily cards often work better upright-only.
- Experiment to find your style: Some readers use them always, sometimes, or never – all are valid.
- Combine with your guidebook if helpful: Reference your guidebook for reversal meanings if that gives you confidence.
- Remember your practice is yours to design: Work with reversals if they serve you, skip them if they don’t.
Final Thoughts
The bottom line is that reversals are a tool, not a requirement. They’re genuinely useful for some readers, in some situations, for some kinds of readings. But they’re absolutely not necessary for doing good tarot work. Your practice is yours to shape, and the best approach is the one that feels intuitive and honest for you.
If you’re drawn to reversals, learn how to work with them in a way that makes sense rather than a way that feels obligatory. If they don’t call to you, skip them entirely. If you fall somewhere in the middle, experiment with when you use them and when you don’t. There’s no single right way to do tarot. There’s only the way that works for you.
The cards will speak to you either way. Your intuition and your honesty matter way more than whether you’re reading reversals or not.
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