Why I Don't Use Tarot Reversals

In Episode 06 of The Shameless Wisdom Podcast with Natacha Guyot, PhD, we discuss how using reversales isn't mandatory to read tarot. I share how stopping using reversals positively impacted my tarot practice, whether I read for myself or for clients.

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Do you feel uncomfortable with tarot reversals?

Do you prefer only using upright cards?

Or if you are booking a reading with somebody and prefer they only use upright cards, you are not alone.

I am going to share 4 reasons why I do not use our reversals anymore.

First of all, what are tarot reversals?

Let's look at a quick example.

So, this hermit card from the Marseille cat tarot is currently in an upright position, which is the only type of position I now use in my practice, whether I read for myself or for others.

Now a reversal looks like that basically when the card is upside down, many of us first learn about both upright and reverse positions and their potential meaning when we get started with tarot.

The thing is it's not an obligation to use reversals in your practice.

I did that for the first 10 years of reading tarot, and I've been doing that for over 24 years now.

And at some point, I got the intuitive nudge to stop doing that.

And that made such a big difference in my practice.

The first reason why I stopped using Tarot Reversal is that it makes my reading way more intuitive and holistic.

After all, even though I am familiar with what a card may mean in an upright or reversed position, the big thing for me is that the card is going to have different meanings based on its relations, you know, in the spread with the cards around it.

Whether it's other tarot cards or even Oracle cards, what are the combinations present?

What does my intuition tell me at this time?

That means that I may consider, you know, meaning that are typically associated with a reversed position even though the card is upright.

Each card is really like a landscape, you know, or full of possibility, a map of consciousness like tarot overall ease.

So, this is why I just feel like my readings are more holistic and more new ends when I do not use reversals.

The second benefit and reason why now do not use reversals anymore is that it simplifies shuffling and pulling cards.

It may sound a little weird, and maybe that's the Capricorn in me, but I find that keeping all my cards upright also makes my brain much happier.

And also, when I'm pulling or if something falls off the deck, I don't have to be like, oh, was it upright or reversed?

I'm just like, no, I'm just putting everything in upright position and from there going back to my produce point.

I'm just going to approach it with a more holistic view that takes into account all types of meaning a card may have.

The third reason why I do not use reversals anymore is that it makes reading for others a smoother experience for all parties involved, especially for my clients.

I had a few people in my history of reading tarot for others that would get really uncomfortable because of reversal showing up in their spreads.

Maybe they're going to right away expect that something bad is going to happen or have a negative knee jerk reaction to this card.

Well, if I am only going to use upright cards, I found that my clients are more open to whatever message may come up, even when we are talking about challenging situations.

I even had clients tell me, I do appreciate that you do not choose reversals because I am able to be more present even as we unpack whatever needs to be unpacked.

And the fourth and final reason why I do not use reversals anymore is that it makes me feel so much more confident in my practice.

And I really do feel like I have grown a lot as a tarot reader since I decided to only look at cards in upright position.

It really helped me tune in more with my intuition and be like, oh, an upright may mean that or reversed may mean that, which it's normal that we get through these type of phases early on in our practice.

But I used to really feel stifled when I was working with upright versus reversed cards.

And I think it also came around the same time when I realized that I do not really care about yes or no question because it does not work well for my approach with tar reading, including for myself.

Even for myself, I do not read yes or no questions, and I also do not use reversals even if I'm reading for myself.

I really felt that doing what felt right for me help me tap into my wisdom and take it to all new levels over the years since I have decided to stop using reversals and in turn to where I show up with my clients and the support and intuitive guidance, I offer them is at a new level compared to where I was even 10 years ago.

So, there you have it, the four reasons why I do not use tarot reversals in my practice, whether for myself or for clients, this is my preference.

If you enjoy using reversals, this is wonderful.

My only suggestion is to find what resonates with you and experiments.

Nothing is ever set in stone.

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