Upright and Reversed Tarot Cards
Posted in the History and Lore category
There is great debate about whether or not the position of the tarot card when revealed during a reading plays any significant role in its meaning. For some, the orientation of the card will determine the specific relationship between the subject and the card, and aides greatly in any interpretation. For others, the card’s orientation does not matter at all and is simply seen as random.
The Orientation of the Cards
When each card is drawn during a reading it can either be upright or reversed. An upright card has the picture in its proper orientation relative to the reader. A reversed card is opposite - it will appear upside down to the reader.
Why It Matters
Some Tarot card readers place great significance in the orientation of each card when making their interpretation. They follow the principle that nothing in the world is chance, and therefore every little detail in a reading holds some meaning which can be divined. The occult is there to help us interpret our lives and aid in life choices or uncertainties - it would seem foolish to disregard anything during so powerful a ritual.
Interpretations of Reversed Cards
There are many different ways to interpret a reversed card, and each reveals new information about the subject. The first is to think of a reversed card as symbolizing the opposite of the upright card. For example, Strength is associated commonly with courage and conviction. A reversed Strength could mean that the subject was wobbling on important decisions in his or her life.
Another way to interpret reversed Tarot cards is to think of them as a more intense symbol of the upright card. Here the fact that the card is reversed is believed to draw greater attention to that card’s significance during the reading, as though Fate used her heavy hand to make the matter even more clear.
A third way to look at reversed cards is to view them as representing undeveloped traits in the subject. These cards call attention to underlying strengths or weaknesses that the subject has within that have yet to be developed.
The Shuffler
Some claim that reversed Tarot cards bear no extra meaning in the reading because of shuffling. When the subject or reader shuffles the cards, he or she is choosing with Destiny’s guidance the cards that will be revealed. Since the cards’ orientation is generally determined before the shuffling, they may not be representative of the subject at all.
Finding the Meaning
The specific meaning of reversed vs. upright tarot cards will depend upon the reading being performed. Since nothing in this world is without purpose or meaning, use every detail at your disposal to interpret the meaning of the cards.
Tarot Deck Varieties
Posted in the Tarot Decks and Spreads category
The specific tarot reading you get and the symbolism and guidance it provides will depend greatly on the cards that you choose to use. There are many varieties of tarot card decks in use today, and knowing which provide what will help you in determining their meaning and power.
The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck
The Rider-Waite tarot deck is the most commonly used in the English-speaking world today. If you chose at random to get a reading, it would likely be with these cards? So who made them and why are they so popular? The architect behind these cards was Arthur Edward Waite, an academic and mystic. He chose to place the strongest symbols represented by each card in the illustrations themselves in order for them to convey even more meaning. Pamela Colman Smith painted the beautiful illustrations on each card. The cards were initially published in 1909 by the Rider company (thus the reason for the term Rider-Waite) and have been in print ever since. The Rider-Waite tarot cards have been very influential in the world of divination, and many more modern decks are merely copied from this iconic masterpiece.
The Thoth Tarot Deck
The Thoth deck was conceived by Aleister Crowley, although it wasn’t published until after he had died. The illustrations of this deck are also rich in symbolism, but they draw upon a wider breadth of mysticism for their symbols. The Thoth cards use symbols of the occult from Egyptian and Chinese sources in addition to the traditional Latin sources. They also differ from the Rider-Waite in that Crowley renamed many of the cards. The court cards of the minor arcana as well as the Magician, the High Priestess, Strength, Justice, Wheel of Fortune, Temperance, Judgement, and the World were given new titles. Crowley published an entire tome, the Book of Thoth, to explain the various meanings.
Hermetic Tarot Deck
The Hermetic tradition uses the Tarot cards as educational devices for learning alchemical philosophy and wisdom. This deck uses the archetypes of the arcana to reveal insight into the psyche and the imagination or subconscious.
Oracle Tarot Decks
These Tarot decks are used for inspiration and divination by using more modern or popular symbols of occult power, such as angels, power animals, gods and goddesses, etc. These decks do not follow the historical structure of Tarot.
Pop Culture Tarot Decks
These are Tarot decks which have copied the structure of the Rider-Waite deck but have replaced the symbolism rich illustrations with those from pop culture comic books. While they may be popular in certain crowds, they will never have the power and meaning of the Rider-Waite and Thoth decks for lack of occult symbols laiden in each card.
Know Your Cards
Knowing the power of the deck you are using for your reading will significantly help your ability to understand the meanings behind the cards.
Tarot Card Meanings Revealed
Posted in the History and Lore category
Welcome to Tarot Card Meanings Revealed. We’ll soon be adding content about the meanings behind tarot cards, so keep posted!
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