[Help] Not using reversals in tarot decks

[MaxElf]

I was hoping to avoid the old argument about reversed elements. The article at

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

explains it best.

It was only a game until we started adding esoteric symbols after all."

This is far from an undisputed "fact" - the story goes that the "secrets" were preserved in the form of a game because it was understood that the general public would unwittingly preserve such amusements, thus evading the persecution and destruction of this knowledge by the dominant powers that were coming to the fore at the time (presumably the early part of the Common Era).

As for swords having nothing to do with mental processes, this is also a very questionable conclusion. As polymath Jacob Bronowski observed in his Ascent of Man, "the hand is the cutting edge of the mind." This valuable insight yields many significant implications which are well worth considering in the context of elemental attributions.

Lastly I'll just point out that the Tarot is not a static object that was perfected in the past, but a living system that is evolving towards greater perfection as we interact and grow through our relationship with it.

OM TAT SAT,

BNE1

Post automatically merged: Saturday at 5:31 AM

I'm personally not fond of reversals. I also think that the cards need not be taken at face value. In a way they are a glimpse into possibilities which may or may not manifest depending on our actions. To me, feelings of fear are counterproductive. Swords represent Air, the Intellect. I know I struggle with overthinking and subsequent doubt which has its source in the reasoning mind. So one way of seeing the suit of Swords is as a guide to one's reasoning faculties. There is a place for intellect and reason, but placing too much emphasis on this aspect of life can be counterproductive to the rest.

That being said, Paul Huson had this to say about Nine of Swords in his guide to the Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot:

This card seems to have earned itself a bad reputation over the years quite at odds with its traditional import. One of the traditional cartomantic interpretations simply indicates a minister or member of the clergy, thereby denoting honesty and good faith. Accordingly, this card depicts a medieval bishop or abbot wearing a miter and carrying his pastoral staff. However, he is hedged by nine swords, a veritable forest of troubles.​

​

Keyword: Celibate.​

​

Upright Card: Bachelor, celibate, virginity, abbot, priest, monk, hermit, friar, nun, temple, church, monastery, convent, hermitage, sanctuary, cult, religion, piety, devotion, rite, ceremony, ritual, recluse, anchorite, vestal. The state of virginity. This card may also be a warning of the plots of powerful and implacable foes.​

​

Reversed Card: Justifiable distrust, well-founded suspicion, legitimate fears, mistrust, doubt, conjecture, scruple, timorous conscience, fear, timidity, bashfulness, disgrace, shame.​

As you can see, comparing this interpretation to others, there is no One Right Way with interpretation. It's often something you have to work out on your own with time and practice.

Celibacy is considered bad luck, or an "inauspicious omen," if you like - in Shaivism anyway (according to Alain Danielou; see his book While the Gods Play for details).

 

[Ladybug5]

I was hoping to avoid the old argument about reversed elements. The article at

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

explains it best.

"On the Old Fire vs Air Argument

Keeping in mind that Tarot cards were originally just a game, but were given esoteric meanings over two centuries from the late sixteenth century to Antoine Court de Gebelin, a French Freemason who published an analysis of Tarot in 1781.

In 1909, A.E. Waite switched Air and Fire on his published works, including his Tarot card designs, as a nod to his vow of secrecy. The idea is those who understand symbols would understand the misdirection.

This has been perpetuated by the publicly published works of the Golden Dawn and many modern books on the occult, which naturally parrot what is written in their predecessors.

There are actually more Tarot decks in circulation today that use the reversed symbols than otherwise, though decks the right way round are not hard to find.

Some of these are:

Art Nouveau Tarot

Australian Animal Tarot

Butler Tarot

Byzantine Tarot

Celtic Dragon Tarot

Dante Tarot

Dreampower Tarot

Fantastical Creatures Tarot

Far Sight Tarot

Legend: Arthurian Tarot

Medieval Enchantment: Nigel Jackson Tarot

PoMo Tarot

Renaissance Tarot

Shapeshifter Tarot

Ship of Fools Tarot

Spellcaster's tarot

The Talking Tarot

Tarot of the Cat People

Whimsical Tarot

Witches Tarot

Women's Tarot

Wormweird Tarot

Zukunfts Tarot

A sword is a martial weapon. It's not something you use for an intellectual purpose. Swords depict action and are associated with Fire. Just look at the Knight of swords, which indicates a matter coming or going in a headlong rush. It's hard to miss the symbols if you examine the cards.

Look at Waite's wands/staves and you see fresh green buds sprouting from them, symbolic of new ideas and creation.

There's a semi-logical argument that whatever way round you learned these associations works for you, but symbols work with the subconscious. On some level, even someone who has only seen a sword in movies knows that it's a martial weapon. It is subtleties like this that can make or break the success of a magical working.

Those who insist on believing the reversed symbols because that's how they learned it will carry on and ignore all logical argument, but I can only suggest we respect each other's differences and keep on conjuring in whatever ways seems good to us.

It was only a game until we started adding esoteric symbols after all."

Thank you for this list!

Post automatically merged: Yesterday at 10:16 PM

When I first began my Tarot journey I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew. Instead, I was more focused on learning the meaning behind the Major Arcana and the suits. As time went on, and I became more familiar with the craft, I began to tap into my intuition as I read for myself. It was as if some sort of shit occurred and I felt my relationship with my decks changed. That’s when the reversals or side cards were key to my interpretations. Cards began to shoot out in a plethora of different ways. Now, it’s a rarity that my cards come out in subtle ways. They speak loud. Just my two cents as I am absolutely no expert.

 

[quantum_gypsy]

I do not read reversals. The cards are always rotating and orientation depends on perspective.

Post automatically merged: Today at 12:28 AM

I was hoping to avoid the old argument about reversed elements. The article at

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

explains it best.

"On the Old Fire vs Air Argument

Keeping in mind that Tarot cards were originally just a game, but were given esoteric meanings over two centuries from the late sixteenth century to Antoine Court de Gebelin, a French Freemason who published an analysis of Tarot in 1781.

In 1909, A.E. Waite switched Air and Fire on his published works, including his Tarot card designs, as a nod to his vow of secrecy. The idea is those who understand symbols would understand the misdirection.

This has been perpetuated by the publicly published works of the Golden Dawn and many modern books on the occult, which naturally parrot what is written in their predecessors.

There are actually more Tarot decks in circulation today that use the reversed symbols than otherwise, though decks the right way round are not hard to find.

Some of these are:

Art Nouveau Tarot

Australian Animal Tarot

Butler Tarot

Byzantine Tarot

Celtic Dragon Tarot

Dante Tarot

Dreampower Tarot

Fantastical Creatures Tarot

Far Sight Tarot

Legend: Arthurian Tarot

Medieval Enchantment: Nigel Jackson Tarot

PoMo Tarot

Renaissance Tarot

Shapeshifter Tarot

Ship of Fools Tarot

Spellcaster's tarot

The Talking Tarot

Tarot of the Cat People

Whimsical Tarot

Witches Tarot

Women's Tarot

Wormweird Tarot

Zukunfts Tarot

A sword is a martial weapon. It's not something you use for an intellectual purpose. Swords depict action and are associated with Fire. Just look at the Knight of swords, which indicates a matter coming or going in a headlong rush. It's hard to miss the symbols if you examine the cards.

Look at Waite's wands/staves and you see fresh green buds sprouting from them, symbolic of new ideas and creation.

There's a semi-logical argument that whatever way round you learned these associations works for you, but symbols work with the subconscious. On some level, even someone who has only seen a sword in movies knows that it's a martial weapon. It is subtleties like this that can make or break the success of a magical working.

Those who insist on believing the reversed symbols because that's how they learned it will carry on and ignore all logical argument, but I can only suggest we respect each other's differences and keep on conjuring in whatever ways seems good to us.

It was only a game until we started adding esoteric symbols after all."

That's it? No references, no other information to expand upon? This isn't helpful because there's nothing actionable or explained here.

 

[Spiritual doctor]

If you use reversal tarot deck when you dicipher it again you can use reversal meaning

 

[Denise13]

It is a quoted article and I think explains it very well. What more did you want?

Referring to OP, yes I do use reversals. I'm not going to pass judgement on those who don't, but to me it's part of reading symbols, which is what this sort of divination is all about.