In tarot, a reversal is where a card is dealt upside down instead of upright in a standard deck. There are several schools of thought on reversals.
One way of reading them is that the card has a different, almost opposite meaning. If the explanatory book that you are using (whether it came with the deck or is a more general tarot guide) lists reversal meanings, that's usually what you see. If the Six of Wands (a card of achievement) is upside-down, then it becomes a card of failure.
Some people don't use reversals — they either shuffle the deck in a way that keeps all the cards upright or flip them before they start reading. One of my tarot teachers uses the Thoth deck, which has no reversals — each card contains the potential meanings both positive and negative.
Consider The Devil card, often associated with taboo. That sounds bad on the surface, but sometimes exploring beyond societal expectation can free you from a mindset that's trapping you. Sometimes, however, you can violate social norms in ways that harm yourself or others.
The important question is this: what is this Devil trying to tell you at this particular time?
In my thinking, it depends more on the querent, the question, and the surrounding cards than whether that one card is upright or not. I read tarot for information, not fortune-telling. I don’t believe any specific future is carved in stone. Like Ebeneezer Scrooge, I ponder why, in that case, would the tarot show me anything? If there is no way out, if I am on the Express Train to Destiny, then why give me any false hope that I can exert any free will on the situation?
And I am a BIG believer in free will. I read tarot for information, yes, but also empowerment — a chance to use that information.
So you don't have to read reversals at all — just know that each card contains all expressions of its energy and decide which feels appropriate to the current situations. For readers (like me) who use a narrative, intuitive approach, this philosophy opens up readings in astounding ways.
I do note the overall number of reversed cards (half is average) and if the ratio is more or less, I pay attention. Less reversals can mean a clearer overall path, more can mean blockages and obstruction along the way.
And I do note which cards are reversed. I don't read the card's meaning differently, but I do consider if that energy might be being blocked or not coming through as strongly as possible for some reason. Another consideration is that the card's shadow energy is being expressed. Consider the Four of Pentacles, which is about protecting resources, especially those that matter to us like time and attention and finances. But if the Four of Pentacles were reversed, I might consider if there's some selfishness, over-protectiveness, or greed being expressed. NOT the opposite meaning — just a different flavor.
Experiment and see what feels right to you. That’s the key to tarot — discovering what techniques best serve you whether reading for yourself or others. And you can only discover that by getting your cards out on a regular basis.
For more information on reversals, I recommend Joan Bunning’s Learning Tarot Reversals. And I liked the way intuitive reader David Harvey explains the concept in his piece “Tarot Reversals: 3 Ways To Read” at Tarot Avenue.
Happy reading!