THE TAROT NOTEBOOK
Upright vs reversed tarot cards
A reversed card is the same card turned upside down. It changes the interpretive question, not the card’s identity. Start with its main theme, choose a way to examine that theme, and connect it to the position in your spread.
Which way is upright?
In this generator, read the card as it appears on your screen. Upright is the normal image. Reversed is that same image rotated 180 degrees; its identity stays the same.
Teaching illustration, not a personal draw. Both images use the same historical Rider–Waite–Smith artwork by Pamela Colman Smith. Artwork source.
- With physical cards: agree whether they face you or the other person before laying them out. Brigit Esselmont describes this as a choice, rather than one universally correct viewing direction. Read Biddy Tarot’s viewing-direction guidance.
- With this tool: open a fixed Sun reversed teaching card, or read The Sun’s reversed explanation. Opening the example does not rotate a saved reading or draw a new random card.
Direction is not position
One card result has three separate pieces of information:
- Card identityThe Sun
- DirectionReversed
- Spread positionFocus
Direction tells you which explanation to consider. Position tells you what the card is doing in the spread. The Sun upright in Challenge and The Sun reversed in Support are different combinations; direction alone does not explain either reading.
- Your next draw
- The reversal switch changes whether the new draw can include reversed cards.
- Your current reading
- Revealed, saved and linked cards keep their directions. Use a labeled teaching example to compare them.
The quick comparison
Use upright-only readings while learning the images. Add reversals when you can explain what the upright theme means in your own words. This is a suggested learning sequence, not a rule every reader must follow.
Swipe the table to compare all columns →
| Question | Upright | Reversed |
|---|---|---|
| What do I see? | The illustration is right way up. | The illustration is rotated 180 degrees. |
| Where do I begin? | The card’s central theme. | The same theme, with an additional question about its expression. |
| Does it mean good or bad? | Either supportive or difficult themes can appear. | A reversal does not automatically turn a helpful card into a harmful one. |
| What does the spread add? | A role: challenge, support, action or another position. | The same role still applies; orientation does not replace it. |
| What changes in this generator? | Reversals off produces upright cards. | Reversals on gives each card an independent 50% chance of reversal. |
Why guides disagree
There is no single reversal method used by every author. Compare the method as well as the keywords. These frameworks are interpretations, not measurements of an objective force.
Brigit Esselmont: inward, uneven or blocked expression
Biddy Tarot describes inward expression, imbalance, blockage and upside-down imagery as approaches to reversals. Choose a lens for the reading rather than treating them all as simultaneous answers. Read Esselmont’s methods.
Tina Gong: excess, reduced intensity, blockage or opposition
Labyrinthos includes several lenses and explains why a reversal need not be negative. An opposite meaning is one possibility, not the default for every card. Read Gong’s guide.
A historical example: The Sun in Waite’s list
Waite gives The Sun reversed a reduced version of its favorable upright meaning. That is one historical example, not proof that every reversal means reduced intensity. Read the Greater Arcana divinatory list, item 19.
When two guides differ, check the deck, direction and question first. Then examine how each author reached the interpretation. Our exercise below uses a theme as a reflection prompt and asks you to compare it with circumstances you actually know.
A method you can repeat
Establish the upright theme
Write one plain sentence before looking at the reversed entry. For The Fool, try “starting something without complete knowledge.” This gives the reversal something more specific to modify than “good.”
Choose one lens before interpreting
For this exercise, ask: What makes this theme difficult to express? An obstacle, a mismatch in scale or an overlooked requirement are different possibilities. Use the surrounding facts to decide whether one fits.
Choosing in advance limits the temptation to switch meanings until one gives the answer you wanted. You can try another method in a separate practice session and record the difference.
Include the spread position
The Fool reversed in Action might prompt a smaller first step after checking the requirements. In Support, the same card might draw attention to useful caution. The position gives the interpretation its job.
Check the interpretation against a fact
“I have postponed the introductory class three times” is an observation. “The card knows I will fail” is an unsupported conclusion. If the card seems irrelevant, write that down instead of manufacturing a connection.
End with a question or a modest action
Choose a detail to check, a question to ask or a small experiment to try. It should make sense even to someone who did not see the cards. Revisit what happened without treating the card as a prediction.
Three cards, read both ways
The following comparisons are our teaching examples. They demonstrate a method; they are not fixed definitions for every reading.
Swipe the table to compare all columns →
| Card | Upright starting point | Reversed possibility | A question that makes the distinction useful |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Sun | Recognize what has become clear. | Clarity is available but difficult to acknowledge. | What progress am I discounting because it is imperfect? |
| The Fool | Make room for a first experiment. | The beginning is stalled or insufficiently prepared. | Am I missing a necessary step, or demanding certainty I cannot have? |
| Death | Acknowledge an ending or transition. | Part of the transition remains unfinished. | What is still mine to complete, and what am I continuing only from habit? |
The reversed Fool example contains two different possibilities. Do not select one simply because it sounds pleasant. If a class requires equipment you have not arranged, preparation may be relevant. If you already have everything and keep delaying a low-cost trial, hesitation may fit better. The surrounding facts help choose the interpretation.
Work through a reading
Imagine you began a drawing course, enjoyed learning, and now avoid finishing a sketch because your standard has become unrealistic. This is an invented learning scenario.
Open the fixed three-card example: The Fool, The Sun, Death reversed. The positions are Past, Present and Possible direction.
- Past — The Fool upright. The course began as an experiment. You were willing to be a beginner.
- Present — The Sun upright. You can identify skills that have improved, such as seeing proportion more clearly.
- Possible direction — Death reversed. Using the “difficult to express” lens, an ending may need attention: perhaps the expectation that every practice piece should become a finished work.
A synthesis could be: “I can keep the curiosity that helped me start, recognize a skill I have gained, and let one practice sketch remain a practice sketch.” The action is to date the sketch, record one lesson and move to a new page.
An alternative explanation is possible: perhaps the difficulty is simply a missing drawing technique. The cards do not settle that question. Reviewing the sketch or asking a teacher can help distinguish the two explanations. This extra check is what keeps a symbolic reading connected to the activity.
Try the same exercise yourself
- Keep the cards and positions unchanged. Replace the drawing course with a small project you know well.
- Write one sentence per position. Underline the words that refer to observable details.
- If the entire reading could apply to almost anyone, add one specific detail before saving it in your own notes.
Mistakes that make reversals confusing
- Changing methods midway without noticing. Explain why each lens fits. For beginner practice, a single lens is easier to review than an unrecorded mixture.
- Doubling a difficult meaning. A challenging card reversed does not require a more alarming story. Begin with its theme and position.
- Ignoring an upright card in a difficult position. Upright cards can describe challenges too. A bright image does not erase the word Challenge above it.
- Turning the card until the reading feels better. Record the drawn direction first. Label a comparison exercise separately from the original reading.
Questions about reversals
Do beginners have to use reversed cards?
No. Upright-only practice already includes a wide range of experiences. You can focus on imagery, suits and position meanings before adding orientation. When you try reversals, compare a small number of cards carefully instead of attempting to memorize 78 additional paragraphs in one session.
Is a reversed card the opposite of its upright meaning?
Sometimes a reader uses that approach, but it is not the only method. Our starting exercise asks what makes the central theme difficult to express. This leaves room for blocked or uneven expression without assuming that clarity must become deception or a beginning must become an ending.
What if every card is reversed?
With reversals enabled, this tool assigns orientations independently. All cards can therefore be reversed. That pattern does not require a special negative verdict. Read each card in its position, then look for a theme you can explain without relying solely on the number of upside-down images.
Does changing the switch change my current reading?
No. It affects your next draw. A revealed, saved or shared spread keeps its original orientations. To compare a meaning, open the card’s guide; drawing again creates a separate spread and may also change the card identities.
Should I read the orientation from my side or another person’s side?
In this tool, orientation is defined by the image as it appears on screen. For a physical reading, agree on the viewing direction before laying out cards. This prevents the same image from being called upright and reversed at different moments merely because people sit opposite each other.
Does a reversed card count as a different card?
No. The deck contains 78 card identities. A spread cannot contain both The Sun upright and The Sun reversed because that would duplicate The Sun. A later, separate draw can contain either orientation because it starts with the full deck again.
Why does my book use a different meaning?
Check its deck tradition, author and reversal method. Some books emphasize historical divination; others focus on imagery or contemporary reflection. Note the difference in your journal and choose a consistent approach for the current exercise. A disagreement is a reason to examine the method, not to hide the source.
How should I record a reversed reading?
Write the date, question, position, card, orientation, chosen lens and one specific observation. Add your interpretation afterward. Keeping the observation separate makes it easier to see later which parts were grounded and which were possibilities. The generator saves cards locally; personal journal notes belong in your own notebook or document.
Continue with the step-by-step generator tutorial, start a three-card reading, or compare one-, three- and five-card spreads.