A plain-language definition for anyone researching reversed tarot card, what it is, where it comes from, and how practitioners use it.
85 plain-language definitions · Cited sources · Persona-authored
By Luna Ravenwood · Updated August 3, 2026
Divination and Dreams Guide
What is reversed tarot card?
A reversed tarot card is one that appears upside-down in a reading. In tarot tradition, reversals are often interpreted as blocked, internalized, or delayed versions of the card's upright meaning, though many readers do not use reversals at all.
When a card lands upside-down, the long tarot tradition documented by Mary K. Greer suggests it speaks differently than the same card upright. The Empress reversed, for instance, might describe creative blocks or difficulty with self-nurturance, not the opposite of nurturing, but its shadow side. The archetype itself remains; only the expression shifts.
Not every reader uses reversals. Some readers interpret only upright cards, letting position and adjacent cards convey the difficult notes. In my own practice, I sometimes read reversals as an invitation to look inward, the upright card faces outward into the world; the reversed card faces inward toward the psyche, Jung's shadow becoming legible.
Reversed-card interpretation appears in tarot literature at least as early as the 18th-century French esoteric tarot tradition. The most thorough modern treatment is Mary K. Greer's The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals (2002), which catalogs traditional reversal meanings while emphasizing that reversal use is a choice each reader makes. Some traditions (notably Marseilles-style tarot) use reversals heavily; others (some modern intuitive schools) avoid them.
To incorporate reversals, simply allow cards to fall in whatever orientation they land in during shuffling. When a card appears reversed, ask first: is this the upright meaning, blocked or internalized? Or is this the opposite of the upright meaning? Or is this a quieter version of the upright? Different readers and traditions answer differently.
A useful starting practice is to read without reversals for the first months of tarot study, learn the 78 upright meanings thoroughly first. Add reversals only after the upright vocabulary is solid. The three-card spread is a gentle place to practice both modes once you're ready.
These glossary terms are closely connected to reversed tarot card:
No. Many experienced readers do not use reversals, letting the spread position and adjacent cards convey nuance instead. Reversal use is a tradition-rich option, not a requirement.
Most often the same archetypal theme expressed in a blocked, delayed, or internalized way. A reversed Tower might be a long-delayed collapse, an internal restructuring, or resistance to needed change.
Start by learning all 78 upright meanings thoroughly. Then sit with each card upside-down and ask: what does this energy look like when it's stuck? Mary K. Greer's reference book offers many possible reversal meanings to study.
Yes, larger spreads simply contain more cards, so reversals appear more often in proportion. A single-card draw produces a reversed card about half the time if you shuffle thoroughly without controlling orientation.
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