Upside Down Tarot

A much-needed guide to working with and interpreting "reversals" (those cards that are upside down during a tarot reading) from the author of The Big Book of Tarot.

So much has been written on interpreting the meanings of tarot cards, but, according to Joan Bunning, there is one particular type of meaning that should get more attention—those of tarot reversals. Turned upside down, tarot cards can have an entirely different meaning from their upright interpretations. Sadly, tarot reversals are often misunderstood. Some people think a reversed tarot card means bad news. Some people think the reversed meaning must be the polar opposite of the upright meaning. And some people ignore them completely, just flipping upright any card that has shown up reversed in a spread.

Joan Bunning's approach to reversed cards is based on an appreciation of energies and their cycles. In our world, change is the one constant. A reading shows us forces that are not fixed, but fluid and dynamic. The cards need to reflect this animated spirit if they are to mirror experience faithfully. In Upside Down Tarot, Bunning describes how card orientation is the key to enhancing the energetic quality of a reading. You can enliven and deepen your tarot practice by adding this new dimension to it.

To truly reflect reality, a reading must capture life’s movement and change. In this book, Bunning describes how tarot reversals can enhance the dynamic quality of your readings by seeing your cards as energies. You’ll discover how to translate a stationary set of images into a moving picture of time’s flow. It’s hoped that Upside Down Tarot will give you a new way to view your life experience and a more powerful tool for understanding it through the tarot.

Note: The material in this book is drawn from Joan Bunning's Learning Tarot Reversals (Weiser Books, 2003).