Reversed Tarot Cards: Five Ways to Read Them

By The Mystica Editorial Team · Checked against our editorial standards · Updated 20 September 2026 · 6 min read

A reversed card is one that appears upside down in a reading. Some readers use reversals, some do not. Both approaches are valid; what matters is deciding before you shuffle and being consistent.

On The Mystica, every card page includes a reversed meaning, and our free tools draw reversals with a probability of about one in three. Here are the five main ways readers interpret them.

1. Blocked energy

The card's energy is present but obstructed. The Eight of Wands reversed is movement delayed: messages slow, plans stuck.

2. Internalised energy

The energy is turned inward. The Hermit upright is purposeful solitude; reversed, it can be loneliness or a retreat that has gone too far.

3. The opposite meaning

The traditional approach. The Sun reversed becomes a temporary cloud; the Three of Swords reversed becomes healing after heartbreak.

4. Too much or too little

The energy is excessive or deficient. The Emperor reversed can be too much control or too little structure; the question tells you which.

5. Early or late

The energy is just arriving or just leaving. A reversed Ace of Cups may be love not yet ready to flow.

Should beginners use reversals?

Many teachers suggest learning upright meanings first and adding reversals once the deck feels familiar. Reading without reversals does not lose information: difficult meanings are already present in upright cards such as the Nine of Swords or The Tower.

Reversals that are often misread

• Death reversed is not "someone survives"; it is resistance to a necessary change.
• The Devil reversed is usually positive: breaking free.
• The Ten of Swords reversed often means recovery: the worst is over.
• The Moon reversed often means confusion lifting.