Do you use Tarot reversals?

If you said yes, can you tell me why?

If you answered no, why don’t you?

Through my many years of reading Tarot I have gone back and forth with this.

Actually, when reading for others I have been consistent in not using them.

When reading for myself I am much more adventurous and I have given reversals a try many times, but I always gave up.

I wrote about reversals five years ago. You can check that posting here before we go any farther. Reversed cards. Do you use them or not? Why?

Since then I have read a lot of Tarot books and done many Tarot readings and I have learned a few things along the way.

1) How to randomize a deck when using reversals.

You can divide your deck in two equal piles, turn one up side down and shuffle a few times. Repeat the process 3 times.

Personally I divide the deck in 3 piles. Turn the one in the middle upside down , shuffle the deck for a while. I cut the deck again in 3 piles, turn the one in the middle upside down again and shuffle for a while. Finally I cut the deck again in 3 piles and proceed with the reading.

2) When looking at reversed cards I now think of instability and difficulty expressing the energy indicated by the card.

3) I notice how the reversal affect the dynamic with the surrounding cards.

Let me give you an example.

I have just pulled out five cards at random to illustrate my point.

Robin Wood deck

The Tower is the first card I dealt and it is in the central position.

We are dealing with a sudden disruption. A substantial loss is likely. Our client sense of security is shaken.

The 2 of sword is the second card.
He reacts to the shock by freezing. He doesn’t want to look at the big picture right now or listen to people’s opinions. He wants to absorb what happened first, before making any decision.

The ace of pentacles reversed is the third card.
The loss indicated by the tower was most likely financial.
Perhaps the ace reversed suggests the person lost his job or his main source of income.
Something might have happened to him physically that now prevents him from working and providing for himself.

The Knight of pentacles is our fourth card.
It suggests our client is a hard working, reasonable, practical individual.
He is now looking at the situation as calmly as possible. He is attempting to develop a strategy, to make plans to tackle the situation.

Death is our fifth card.
The knight is facing it. Indicating he is ready to make some difficult decisions. He will most likely let go of anything that is not strictly necessary. He will cut all superficial expenses. He will make some drastic, but necessary changes in order to find stability.

Now let’s say that all cards stay the same, with the exception of the Knight of pentacles.

Robin Wood Tarot deck.

The knight is now reversed.
The client has lost his usual confidence. He is the kind of person that looks at himself through his achievements. His strength is in his own ability of making money and taking care of business. He is a conservative person that likes his routines and does not like surprises. He is not the most flexible guy out there.
Being reversed the knight is now looking away from the death card and he is concentrating instead on the 2 of swords.

This could indicate that he is not coping too well with the sudden upheaval. He is stubbornly refusing to acknowledge his new reality. He is refusing to look ahead and start the downsizing that his new financial situation requires.

What is your view of reversals?
Please let me know.