You MUST read reversals.

Did I just cause an aneurysm? Did your boxing gloves come off? Wanna fight about it?

Let’s first talk define what a reversal is.

What is a Tarot Reversal?

When experienced Tarot readers say they don’t read reversals, I ask what they really mean. Usually it means they don’t place cards upside down during a reading.

But that doesn’t mean they ignore alternate meanings. Most still use a system to decide when a card’s message shifts.

Many beginners think skipping reversals means skipping the deeper meanings. Let’s be clear: I don’t care if you flip cards upside down—I care if you avoid learning the full stories behind them.

If you only focus on the main plot of a card, you’ll never match a reader who knows the full narrative, subplots, and alternate meanings.

Yes, memorizing Tarot keywords took time. Learning reversals feels like starting over.

But guess what? If you learn the Tarot stories, you won’t have this problem. All the sub-plots, side quests, alternate meanings, etc. are found in the story!

So, when I say “reversal” on this site, I mean the act of physically placing a reversed Tarot card.

When I need to talk about alternative meanings of the cards, I coined a new term that fits my relationship with Tarot better:

The Shadowed Perspective

There are many sub-plots within the Tarot stories. How do you know when you should interpret a card’s main meanings, or if you should you look for a deeper, hidden aspect of the story? Reversals are just ONE well-respected method. However, I find traditional methods for reading reversals (as blocked versions of the upright meaning, delays, or opposites) don’t capture the depth you need to actually interpret them.

Shadowed Perspectives are the sub-plots or variations of primary card meanings.

While looking at card meanings on the Learning Hub, you’ll notice I don’t pull out specific meanings for shadowed perspectives. That’s because they are part of the card’s overall story! Look for bold words to clue you into shadowed perspectives.

Some Decks and Reading Systems Don’t Use Tarot Reversals

In the Thoth system of Tarot, readers never place cards upside-down. The guidebooks don’t include reversal meanings.

But that doesn’t mean Shadowed Perspectives don’t exist. You just must use other methods to tell when a reading calls for a card’s Shadowed Perspective.

Readers who don’t “read reversals” have said they use these methods for determining when to “alter the meaning of a card” (aka, read the Shadowed Perspective):

• Context
• Intuition
• Spread position

But guess what? There are also more formal methods, just like Reversals, for when you don’t want to use… reversals.

For example: The Golden Dawn teaches that every card has a “fated” and “ill-fated” meaning. To determine when a card is “ill-fated,” use the court cards in a reading: if most court cards look away from a card, you consider it “ill-fated.”

Of course, wouldn’t it just be easier to place reversals instead of jumping through all these hoops to avoid them? Tarot Reversals make the whole experience of learning and reading Tarot simpler.

I highly recommend immediately using reversals as an indicator of a Shadowed Perspective. Then, build in context, intuition, spread position, and even other system’s indicators, if you so desire. Every layer you add as you progress in your Tarot journey makes you a better and better Tarot reader.