Reversed Card

A reversed card is one that appears upside down from the reader's point of view. In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition it does not simply mean the opposite of the upright card, but a modulation of its energy: blocked, delayed, internalized, excessive or in the process of being released. For example, The Sun reversed does not announce darkness, but a dimmed joy or a confidence not yet expressed. Many readers choose not to use reversals and rely instead on elemental dignities or context. Anyone who decides to read them should fix the criterion in advance rather than adjusting it mid-spread to suit the moment.