Creating Focal Points – A Role for Reversals

Reading with reversals is a matter of personal choice, and those who utilize them will interpret their presence in a variety of ways. Today I’d like to share a method for using reversals that I find useful and enjoyable. Let’s jump right in.

In this method, a reversed card indicates that the aspect of the reading it represents is of utmost importance. When a reading is designed to provide an overview of a situation, designating reversals as “flag” cards comes in handy.

Let’s say the reading is a general analysis of the querent’s job. Position 1 is their coworkers, position 2 is upper management, 3 is customers, and 4 is the task load. There are a few key things to note about this spread. First, it is very general, and second, there isn’t any type of probable future or outcome card – and that’s by design. The purpose of this initial spread is to ascertain where the querent’s trouble spots are. After that, a detailed reading can be created to address those specific concerns, as well as the probable outcome for the intervention. Crafting an initial spread that includes a detailed analysis of every aspect of one’s job life (or love life or home life, etc) can be time consuming and has the potential for an overwhelming number of cards. Pinpointing the problems with a basic initial spread can help you get to the root of the querent’s issues more efficiently. If the querent doesn’t have an issue with their coworkers, getting into the nitty gritty details about relationship dynamics is unnecessary.

Let’s say that reversals show up for positions 2 and 3. Upper management and customers are where the most troubles are manifesting. With that information, the reading can focus on these areas. Shuffle the remainder of the deck and designate some useful positions to clarify and suggest methods to ameliorate the difficulties. Keep in mind that the cards in positions 1 and 4 from the initial spread are still relevant and useful. The querent’s task load and coworkers aren’t major issues, but they are still components of the work environment – potentially beneficial ones.

What if there are no reversals in the initial spread? If the querent feels alright about their job and is just checking in, no reversals would indicate that there aren’t areas in need of dire attention, therefore analyzing the cards in the initial spread would suffice for gleaning a few insights. If there are no reversals and the querent says their job life is horrible, that would indicate that there are some equally serious troubles in all areas outlined in the spread. Similarly, if all of the cards turn up reversed, the troubles are equally serious, though perhaps more pressing than if the cards were all upright. Now that’s certainly nothing to alarm someone about – it just means that the reading will need to delve into multiple areas of concern. Essentially, the aforementioned spread that includes a detailed analysis of every area of the querent’s job life is necessary in a scenario where every card is upright or reversed.

This method a great way to make use of reversals and get more perspective on a situation. It can help to corroborate the querent’s experience and/or illuminate aspects of their circumstance that they may have overlooked. I hope you decide to give it a try!

Happy Shuffling!