Tarot Reversals are the meaning of a particular card when it is drawn up-side down. When a tarot reader shuffles the deck, the gift cards are shuffled either right side up or upside down. Some readers prefer to only reference the upright positioned meaning, to only focus on the “positive.”
This can be helpful if someone is truly struggling and may not be able to handle any more negativity—or if all they truly need is to focus on the more pleasing qualities of the card. But only reading the upright meaning can leave out very important details of the energy that a card can provide.
Not all reversal meanings reflect negativity, and sometimes they can hint to better times coming. If you would like a more comprehensive, accurate, and informative reading, then reading reversals will help you achieve this.
Ten of Swords
There are times in life that we struggle and seem to hit rock bottom. This can be reflected through a tarot reading in a variety of ways. Tarot can help you understand how you made it to the place that you’re at now—and what tools you can use to pull yourself out of there.
A great tarot reading will always provide you with steps or the understanding on how to move forward. Therefore, reading reversals is important as they can help provide you with the understanding of why you may be in an unfavorable place and how you can begin to dig yourself out of that hole.
One example of this is the Ten of swords. This card depicts a man stabbed in the back with ten swords. The sky is also clouded with darkness, with a thin layer of light shining near the horizon. He is defeated, alone, and seemingly hopeless. This is the upright meaning for this card.
When this card is reversed, the meaning changes to a more positive tone. Reversed, the swords are seeming to fall out of the man’s back, showing that he is now beginning to recover from the pain that he has suffered.
In the reversed position the light on the horizon is now towards the top of the card and the clouds are falling away from the man, showing that the storm is now beginning to pass. The Rainbow Ring from Story Jewellery holds the message to “Be Stronger Than the Storm” which is the exact message of the Ten of Swords. This ring has an array of colors that can help light the way out of the darkness.
The Three of Swords
In our darkest times, tarot can help shine a light out of out of the pain. Throughout the tarot deck there are cards that reflect the different aspects of lows we may experience in different areas of our lives. One of the hardest lesson’s we must go through is heartache. This can be from a romantic relationship, a friendship, or a loss of any kind. Heartache sticks with you for as long as you need to let go of the pain you’ve accumulated from the experience.
This can cause you to feel lost, defeated, and hopeless. When we experience a loss, like love, life can seem to lose its color. The world becomes gray and the only sensation we feel is the pain deep within our hearts. While these feelings are natural it’s important to learn how to move through and overcome them.
In Tarot, the Three of Swords depicts a giant red heart with three swords stabbing right through it. The card symbolizes how heartbreak and loss can feel much greater than one single sword, it can feel as if you’ve been hurt all over.
In a reading, it’s very important to note whether the card appears upright or reversed. When the Three of Swords is reversed, the swords appear to be falling out of the heart. This shows that you are now beginning to overcome this heart ache or indicates that you will be soon.
When you learn how to release the swords from your heart, along with that comes learning how to love yourself more deeply. Reversed, the Three of Swords indicates self-love, forgiveness, and acceptance. The Semicolon Ring from Story Jewellery showcased a beautiful heart combined with a semicolon it its design. This ring’s message is like the reversed Three of Swords; “And so she goes on.”