AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here is a companion piece to my previous essay on reversed cards as indicators of introspection or introversion that explores another notion I picked up from Paul Fenton-Smith, who observed that the reversed 3 of Swords can imply being "haunted by past disappointments." Unlike the influence of an upright card, which will often … Continue reading The Haunting: Residual Implications of Reversal
tarot-reversals
Reversal as Introspection or Introversion
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In my rereading of Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master-Class, I frequently encounter his assumption that a reversed card points back to the previous upright card of the suit to suggest unfinished business relevant to its nature. Most recently, he described the reversed 5 of Cups as showing a need to go inward and retreat … Continue reading Reversal as Introspection or Introversion
Deja Vu, Take 2: Rear-View Mirrors of the Minor Arcana
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The title of this essay refers to the fact that I already posted on the subject of "deja vu all over again" in the Lenormand category. Here the target of the famous Yogi Berra quip is the Minor Arcana series of the Waite-Smith (aka "RWS") tarot. (Note that although I much prefer the … Continue reading Deja Vu, Take 2: Rear-View Mirrors of the Minor Arcana
Reversed Fours: A Stumble and A “One-Point Landing”
AUTHORS NOTE: Having finished re-reading 54 Devils, Cory Hutcheson's playing-card divination book, and not yet possessed of a new tarot book, I picked up my interrupted reassessment of Paul Fenton-Smith's Tarot Master Class (which I believe has now been renamed). In it he mentions that the 4 of Wands reversed can indicate a "lack of … Continue reading Reversed Fours: A Stumble and A “One-Point Landing”
Numerous Reversals as Trade-offs: Pyrrhic Victories and Strategic Retreats
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Encountering numerous reversed cards in a brief tarot reading can present a challenge that is difficult to resolve. In an otherwise favorable forecast they can mean willingly giving up just a little more than you get to achieve your goal (the "Pyrrhic victory"), while in a less fortunate augury the implication is that … Continue reading Numerous Reversals as Trade-offs: Pyrrhic Victories and Strategic Retreats
The Roads Not Taken (There Can Be Only One)
AUTHORS NOTE: In his famous poem, Robert Frost had two roads to choose from. Here I'm proposing four and using reversals to decide which ones should not be taken in favor of a more promising upright signpost pointing the way. Select a deck that has non-reversible card backs so you can discern orientation without turning … Continue reading The Roads Not Taken (There Can Be Only One)
Leveraging Reversals
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Over the past few weeks I've offered a handful of spreads that include a fixed series of reversed cards in contradistinction to an equal number of upright cards. The idea is to identify an alternate path to the same objective that is less obvious in nature, symbolic of a detour into an unfamiliar … Continue reading Leveraging Reversals
The “Ace-in-the-Hole” Spread: Just a Little Extra
AUTHOR'S NOTE: "Ace in the hole" is a stud poker-players term for a face-down Ace or similar high card that the other players don't know about until it is played for the win. Here is a spread that uses reversals to create a "resource pool" of hidden cards that can be tapped when the predicted … Continue reading The “Ace-in-the-Hole” Spread: Just a Little Extra
Redeeming Reversed Cards Through Coping
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In a recent reddit conversation about reversed cards, the OP asked "Can it be said that the aim is to do something that will turn the card upright again? But how does this work for cards such as the Devil rx or the Seven of Cups rx? I'd assume having them rx is … Continue reading Redeeming Reversed Cards Through Coping
The “Side-Eye” – Looking Askance at Card Meanings
AUTHOR'S NOTE: In one of my online tarot conversations I've once again fielded the perennial question about the need to use reversals in divination. My response was: "Many people insist that - depending on the context of the reading - they can squeeze contradictory intent out of the upright meaning of any favorable tarot card … Continue reading The “Side-Eye” – Looking Askance at Card Meanings
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 