Shuffle a deck by hand and some cards will come out upside down. Many readers give these reversed cards their own meanings; others turn every card upright and read only the upright meaning. Both are respected ways to read. This site lets you choose: reversals are on by default and can be turned off in your account settings.
Four ways to read a reversal
Blocked or delayed: the card's energy is present but held back. 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 rather than chosen solitude, 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 reversed often softens. The Three of Swords reversed can mean grief that is beginning to heal; The Tower reversed, a crisis postponed or averted.
Choosing which way applies
You do not need to pick one approach for life. Read the upright meaning first, then ask which of the four ways best fits the position and the question. The written reversed meanings on this site lean on whichever is most common for that card.
