Four ways to read a reversed card
- Blocked or delayed: the card's energy is there but not moving. The Chariot reversed is momentum that has stalled.
- Turned inward: the card is happening inside you rather than in the world. The Hermit reversed can be loneliness, or a search you are avoiding.
- Too much or too little: the card's quality is out of balance. Strength reversed can be self-doubt, or force where patience was needed.
- Easing: a hard card often softens when reversed. The Three of Swords reversed can be grief beginning to heal.
How to choose which applies
Read the upright meaning first, then ask which of the four fits the position and the question. A reversed card in the past position often reads as something easing; in the advice position, as something to rebalance; in the outcome, as a delay rather than a refusal.
Look at the whole spread too. One reversed card stands out; many reversed cards together can suggest that energy is held back across the whole situation.
Should you read reversals at all?
Reading without reversals keeps things simple and leans on the position and the neighbouring cards for nuance. Reading with them doubles the vocabulary. If you are starting out, try a month of each and keep whichever feels clearer.
On this site you can switch reversals on or off in your account settings; the readings and the reading as a whole adjust.