One day you feel adventurous. You drive to a new beach, take a swim, and return home, tired and happy. The next day you venture out again, but this time your car breaks down, and you cut your foot on a shell. You decide to forget adventure and stay home. You want security.
It's common for energies to swing back and forth between their opposites. Figure 7 shows the relationship between two opposite energy cycles. The top circle represents the single energy pattern we've been working with so far. Now, we're adding a second cycle linked to it.
Let's see how the beach trips fit into this pattern. Your first trip began in the energy of adventure (top cycle). You initiated a trip and then returned home—one successful turn around the circle. Because the trip was fun, you stayed in the energy of adventure and repeated the cycle the next day.
This time the trip was not fun, so you left the energy of adventure and moved to the energy of security (bottom cycle). Your unpleasant adventure led you to seek the opposite. If the appeal of security stays strong, you may remain in the security cycle for a while. Or you may forget your bad trip at some point and desire adventure again.
If an energy is strong, it's as far away as possible from its opposite. An energy shifts when it's at a low level and, more particularly, in its late phase. Instead of ending or repeating, it moves to the early phase of its opposite.
In the tarot, linked energies are represented by two cards with opposite meanings. Some cards are natural opposites such as the Fool (beginning) and Death (ending). Aces and court cards can also be opposites. The emotional Queen of Cups and practical Queen of Pentacles are poles apart in some circumstances.
Once you've identified an opposing pair in a reading, the orientation of the cards can help you understand their energy relationship in more detail.
The orientation of two opposing cards shows the strengths of the energies in relation to each other. The King of Wands and King of Pentacles could represent you and your partner in a reading. If the cards have the same orientation, you are both at about the same energy level. If one card is upright and one reversed, there's an energy imbalance—one of you is stronger or more dominant in some way for now.
The orientation of two opposing cards can also suggest whether or not there might be change in a situation and what direction it might take.
When two opposing cards are both upright, their energies are not changing at the moment. There is balance in the situation because both approaches are strong, but there also could be struggle and tension. It's difficult to keep two contrary tendencies in play at the same time. You may be absorbed in one, while someone is resisting you from the other. You may be trying to balance both tendencies in yourself simultaneously. The upright Ten of Wands paired with the upright Seven of Swords can show a struggle between wanting to meet responsibilities (Ten) and wanting to run away from them (Seven).
If both opposing cards are reversed, the situation is balanced, but flexible. Neither energy is dominant for the moment. Little may seem to be happening, but it's a time of opportunity. The two energies may stay in this uncommitted state for a time, or one may become more prominent. A reversed Two of Wands and a reversed Eight of Swords can indicate an unclear power issue. Feelings of power (Two) and powerlessness (Eight) are trading off with neither one more important than the other as yet.
Different orientations show a swing in progress. The upright energy may be strong at the moment, but the seed of its opposite energy is present. There may be a shift from one energy to the other.
The Sun and Moon are opposites in the area of clarity—the Moon is confusion, the Sun, enlightenment. An upright Moon/reversed Sun can show that even if uncertainty is dominant right now (Moon), a seed of certainty (Sun) exists in the situation.
If a reversed energy is growing (early phase), it's on its way to replacing the upright energy, which will likely fade. The upright Six of Wands (pride) and reversed Tower (downfall) are a perfect symbol for the saying, “Pride goeth before a fall!”
If the reversed energy is fading (late phase), it's possibly being replaced by its upright opposite. An upright Five of Wands paired with a reversed World can show that competition (Five) has replaced a diminishing spirit of cooperation (World).
OPPOSING ENERGIES IN LIFE
Become aware of the play of opposing energies in your life. As you go about your daily activities, notice how often energies come in pairs, one force balancing another. Can you sense how the lessening of one energy corresponds to the growth of another, though not always immediately? Look for examples both within and without. You will find them everywhere.
We humans have an endless capacity to fool ourselves. We misperceive motivations and actions. We read into a situation what we wish were true and fail to recognize tough realities we would like to deny. This is why the tarot is such a valuable tool. The cards act as a mirror reflecting truths about our experience. They let us know when our perceptions are not aligned with the energies of the moment and our own best interests.
When a card's orientation matches your sense of its strength, you can feel fairly confident you are seeing your situation realistically. But what if a card's orientation doesn't match? You think an energy is strong, but it shows up as reversed. Or, you think it's weak, but the card is upright. In these cases, you have an excellent opportunity to become more aware!
A general rule of thumb is: When a card's orientation doesn't match your expectation, you're misperceiving the strength of the card's energy.
If you feel a reversed card should be upright, you're experiencing the energy as stronger than it really is. You're giving it more weight than is justified for the moment. Sometimes an energy is rather humble, but you think it's grand. Sometimes the energy is not yet as developed as you think it is. It may be in the early phase, but you see it as further along in its cycle.
You've been preparing diligently for a major exam, but you draw the Nine of Wands reversed. This card shows your perseverance, but the reversal implies you're still not working hard enough. The energy is low. You need to step up the pace if you want to succeed.
Sometimes a reversed energy is no longer as strong as you think it is. It's in the late phase, but you still see it as active. In a reading about a game your team lost, you draw Judgement reversed. You sense this card refers to the fact that your coach was critical of your performance. You thought he was still judging you harshly, but the reversal suggests otherwise. His negative judgment has been much reduced.
If you feel an upright card should be reversed, you're underestimating the strength and presence of the energy. It's having a more immediate impact than you realize.
You and your partner have been trying to adopt a child. None of your attempts have worked, so you're about to give up. You're surprised and delighted when you draw the upright Six of Cups. This card can sometimes represent a baby. The upright orientation tells you something concrete is happening even though you don't know what it is.
Sometimes you think an energy is almost gone, but it's actually still in play. You may not be aware of the effects, but they're real nonetheless. You've drawn the Ace of Swords in a reading about your youngest child. This card sometimes shows a challenge testing you in some way. You recognize the challenge with your child, but you thought you'd resolved the problem. The upright orientation suggests it's still active!
A card's orientation offers a way to catch misperceptions and denials. The tarot reflects energy patterns without bias or judgment. The cards show you the energetic reality of a situation. It's up to you to accommodate that truth.
MISMATCHES IN YOUR READINGS
Watch for occasions in your readings when a card's orientation doesn't seem to match your expectation. Such a discrepancy is easy to miss, as it often comes in a flash when you first see a card. You may have a quick feeling of disappointment if you expect an energy to be strong. You may feel a rush of pleasure if an energy you don't like is weak.
If you perceive a mismatch, take the time to explore the card's energy and your expectations a little deeper than usual. These occasions have great potential for exposing areas of denial and resistance in your life.
Orientation is meaningful for groups of cards. In a reading, you can determine the energy status of a group by comparing the number of upright and reversed cards in it. Usually there is a mixture, showing balance in the group's energy. When there is balance, orientation is less important for the group as a whole.
It's rare for all or nearly all cards in a group to have the same orientation. This gives the group a definite energy character. When the cards are mostly upright, the group energy is very strong and well-developed. When mostly reversed, the group energy is weak and less developed. The larger the group, the more pronounced the effect.
If all the majors in a group are upright, their combined energies make a very powerful force indeed. If they are all reversed, their strong effect is reduced, but still important. Something is keeping this potent group from achieving its full potential.
You draw the Chariot, Moon, and Empress in a three-card reading. Getting three out of three major arcana cards is striking enough, but if they are all upright, they make quite a powerful group. The overall energy level is high. If the cards are all reversed, the group energy is suppressed in some way, but major effects are simmering just below the surface.
If all the court cards in a group are upright, there are a lot of powerful players in the situation. If they are all reversed, people are more hesitant and uncertain. The energy of the situation is low because people are not participating fully.
If all the cards of one suit in a group are upright, that suit's qualities are well-developed and pronounced. If they are all reversed, the suit's qualities are less developed, but still important in potential. If all the cups in a reading are reversed, the energy of love and emotion is at a low level, but there is still the possibility for those qualities to grow.
Orientation in spread groups tells you much about the energy of what that group represents. Some relationship spreads have two sets of cards that mirror each other—one for each person. If all the cards for one person are upright, you can guess that person has a very strong, dominant presence in the relationship.
Certain cards in a reading can strike you spontaneously as a group. The orientation of those cards describes the energy state of whatever feature brings the group together.
The distribution of upright and reversed cards in the entire reading often provides a clue to the energy of the overall situation.
If most cards are upright, the situation is well-developed. Abundant energy is available. The time is right for action, or actions are already being taken. There are few hidden agendas or unrecognized problems. The focus is on the present, not the past or future. The situation is straightforward, open, and obvious.
If most cards are reversed, the overall energy is low. There may be a lack of direction or a sense of restriction. There is little momentum toward goals. Actions, if any, are low-key and tentative. Much is unexpressed or unexposed. The focus is on the past or future, not the present, but the situation is flexible. New directions are possible because choices have not been fixed. Since energies are not well-developed, they are free to go in new directions.
Life is a constant energy flow—a marvelous dance guided by Spirit. When we understand that flow and move with it creatively, all things are possible. We can direct energy consciously or just let it take us where it will. In either case, reversed cards add an extra dimension to a reading that will help you appreciate the play of energy in your life.
INTUITIVE SCANNING
Shuffle and cut your deck, then lay out between four to ten cards. Now, scan the cards for orientation. Try to get an impression of the distribution of upright and reversed cards without slipping into detailed analysis. Imagine how you might interpret these cards as a group based simply on orientation. You can repeat this exercise with another set of cards, perhaps of a different size.
Imagine standing on a train track with a train approaching in the distance. This train is “your future.” From your perspective, all you can see is the engine bearing down. The only information you have is what is directly in front of you.
But now imagine rising up and looking in all directions. You can see where the train has come from and where it's going. You can pick out the path you took to the track and see other possible paths as well. You have much more knowledge about the whole situation.
A tarot reading is one way to rise above the track of your life so you can see forward and backward at the same time. As you deepen your communication with your Inner Guide through the cards, your present moment gradually becomes all-encompassing. You begin to see your life in a more expansive way.
With the information in this book, you now have a firm foundation of knowledge about the tarot that will sustain you in the days ahead. If you continue to practice, you'll find the techniques become more and more invisible as your intuition takes over. Eventually you will reach a point where you can rely on your tarot abilities consistently.
A tarot practice is based on the understanding that wisdom from some Source will come to you through the cards. At first, you may have to accept this on faith, but after a while you will receive the “proof’’ you need in the results you experience in your life. If you can approach the cards with trust, your tarot practice will take off!