More Than Upside Down
Whether or not to read reversed cards in a spread is a decision each reader must make for themselves. For those who choose to read reversals, they must then decide how to interpret the reversals. Most do not use the older methods, such as reading them as the opposite of the upright meaning or using a memorized traditional meaning (which often have nothing to do with either the upright meaning or the image). Instead, readers struggle to find a coherent method. Leeza Robertson focuses on five distinct aspects in her new book, Tarot Reversals for Beginners. Here is what she has to say:
When a card lands in your reading reversed, there is more going on here than just an upside down card. In many respects, this upside down or reversed card has some important information for you that goes far beyond the fact that it is the wrong way up. Just as there are many ways to read an upright card, there are numerous was to interpret an upside-down card. In this chapter we are going to explore 5 aspects of reversed cards. This will give you a larger framework to pull from when one of these stray cards wanders in to one of your readings or daily draws. These five aspects will set the tone for the rest of this book. In fact, each card you come across will have an explanation for one of the following aspects of a reversed card. You may find that one of these aspects speaks to you more than the others do in relation to your question. Or perhaps all 5 give you a larger view of both the problem and the solution. In many respects, you will use the information in this book on an intuitive level. You will know which aspect or aspects are right for the answer you seek.
The five aspects we will be exploring are as follows:
– Blocked
-Protection
– Mirror
– Shadow
-Retrograde
To the untrained eye the above list could just look like different words meaning the same thing. But the reality is the slight differences between them is vitally important. Understanding these differences is going to be your greatest tool for becoming comfortable and even confident with dealing with upside down cards.
