What does a reversed tarot card mean?
A reversed tarot card is a card that appears upside down relative to the reader. In tarot practice, reversals can describe an inward expression, a pause, an excess or a quality that needs more room. They add a way of asking how a card is being expressed. The best starting point is the upright meaning, followed by the question and the position in the spread.
Choose a consistent approach
Some readers use reversals; others keep every card upright and read the full range of meaning through context. Both are established approaches within the practice. Before shuffling, decide which you are using. If your deck has a guidebook, its approach can help you establish a vocabulary. Consistency makes a reading easier to follow than changing the rule to fit each card as it appears.
Look for the direction of the energy
Take the Magician as an example of method. Upright, it often speaks of using tools, attention and skill. Reversed, you might ask whether those tools are still being gathered, whether attention is scattered, or whether a skill is being practised privately. These are different possibilities. Choose the one that fits the spread and what you actually know, then explain the connection. An upside-down card does not automatically mean the opposite of its upright meaning.
Example reading
Example: the question is, "What would help me return to my sketchbook?" The reversed Eight of Pentacles appears in "my current approach" and the Page of Wands in "something to try". A reader might say: your practice seems organised around getting each study right; give curiosity a turn by making one quick sketch with a new subject. The reversal draws attention to how you approach repetition. The Page supplies an exploratory tone. This is an example interpretation for the stated question, rather than a claim about the person holding the cards.
Keep the reading precise
If several reversed cards appear, read them one at a time before looking for a shared theme. They may invite a quieter, more internal reading, depending on your chosen method. Ask, "Where is this quality already present?" and "How could I express it more deliberately?" Note the card, position and interpretation so you can revisit your reasoning. You can also turn the card upright after the reading to study its picture; the orientation records your method, while the image remains available for reflection.
Related questions
Starfelt answers your own question from inside the practice, with your card or placement as the starting point. Your first answer is free.