Tarot
Reversal
Definition
A tarot card that appears upside-down (reversed) in a reading. Many readers give a reversed card a different shade of meaning — often a blocked, internal, delayed, or excessive version of its upright sense — though using reversals at all is optional.
A reversal is a tarot card that turns up upside-down in a reading. Many readers treat a reversed card as carrying a shifted version of its upright meaning — commonly a sense that the card’s energy is blocked, internalised, delayed, or taken to excess. A reversed Sun, for instance, might point to temporary gloom or delayed joy rather than the upright card’s bright optimism.
It’s worth knowing that reversals are entirely optional. Plenty of experienced readers don’t use them at all, reading every card upright and letting the surrounding cards supply the nuance. Neither approach is more correct — it’s a matter of style. Whichever you choose, a reversal is best read (like everything in tarot) as a prompt for reflection, not a verdict.