What Is a Reversed Tarot Card?

When you draw a tarot card from a shuffled deck, it may come out upside down, reversed. This is called a reversal, and it changes the way the card is read. Understanding reversals is one of the first steps beyond pure beginner tarot, and it opens up a significantly more nuanced vocabulary.

What a reversal means

A reversed card doesn't mean the opposite of its upright meaning. It's more subtle than that. Reversals generally suggest one of the following:

Blocked or delayed energy. The card's upright energy is present but not flowing freely. Something is impeding it, internally or externally.

Internalised energy. The card's themes are playing out inside rather than outside. The reversed Strength card might suggest inner doubt rather than visible weakness.

Resistance. There may be a refusal or reluctance to engage with the card's energy. The reversed Hermit might suggest avoiding necessary solitude.

Shadow expression. The less healthy or more challenging expression of the card's themes. Not necessarily negative, just more complicated.

Should beginners use reversals?

Not necessarily, and this is genuine debate in the tarot community. Many experienced readers choose not to read reversals at all. Others find them essential. Both approaches are valid.

For beginners, the most common recommendation is to start with upright cards only. Get fluent in the 78 upright meanings before adding the complexity of reversals. Once the upright meanings feel solid, introduce reversals gradually, perhaps starting with just the Major Arcana.

How to get reversals in your deck

Reversals happen naturally when you shuffle in a way that allows cards to turn. Some people shuffle with a riffle method that inverts cards. Others specifically turn some cards around before shuffling. If you don't want reversals, shuffle in a way that keeps all cards oriented the same direction.

Reading a reversed card

When you draw a reversed card, start with the upright meaning and then ask: how is this energy blocked, internalised, or complicated? What version of this card's theme is showing up in a more challenging form?

The reversed Tower isn't an absence of disruption, it might suggest a collapse that's being delayed, or a disruption happening internally. The reversed Star isn't an absence of hope, it might suggest that hope feels distant, or that renewal is available but not yet accessible.

A reversed card adds a question mark where the upright card adds a statement. It asks: what's getting in the way?

Reversals in Morrow Arc

In Morrow Arc, every card has both an upright and reversed meaning. When you enter a card during a reading, you can toggle between upright and reversed to see the relevant meaning. The reading reflects whichever orientation you select.