Tarot Before Reversals
The Origin of Tarot Reversals
Early occult writers who integrated Tarot into Western esoteric philosophy, particularly Éliphas Lévi in the mid-nineteenth century, did not emphasise the use of reversed cards. Lévi interpreted the Tarot primarily as a symbolic and philosophical system linked to the structure of Kabbalah and the principles of Hermeticism. Within this framework, the Tarot functioned as a symbolic map of cosmic order: the sequence of the trumps corresponded to metaphysical principles, the Hebrew alphabet, and the structure of the universe.
Because of this metaphysical orientation, Lévi treated the cards as archetypal symbols rather than as variable fortune-telling signs. In such a system the orientation of the card was not considered central to interpretation. Reversing a card would symbolically invert the order it represented, which some interpreters later described metaphorically as revealing a “world of death” or disorder rather than the living order of creation.
Other nineteenth-century occultists followed a similar symbolic approach. Oswald Wirth, whose writings on Tarot were strongly influenced by Lévi, emphasised the philosophical and initiatory nature of the cards. Wirth regarded Tarot primarily as a symbolic language that expressed universal principles. In his view, the meaning of the cards emerged through contemplation of their symbolism and their position within a spread rather than through mechanical interpretative rules such as reversals.
The Question of Tarot Reversals
A related perspective can be found in the work of Papus, an influential figure in late nineteenth-century French occultism. Papus approached Tarot as a system of correspondences linking Kabbalah, astrology, and numerology. Like Lévi, he emphasised the philosophical structure of the Tarot and its role as a symbolic key to metaphysical knowledge. In such approaches, interpretation required study and familiarity with the deeper symbolic framework rather than reliance on simplified oppositional meanings.
Later esoteric authors developed these ideas further. Arthur Edward Waite, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, created the well known Rider–Waite–Smith Tarot in 1909 together with Pamela Colman Smith. Waite did include reversed meanings in his accompanying text, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, although he never presented a systematic theoretical explanation for them. His treatment suggests that reversals were included partly because they had already become common within popular fortune-telling practices. At the same time, Waite repeatedly emphasised that the deeper symbolic meaning of the cards should not be reduced to simplistic interpretative formulas.
A similar view appears in the teachings of Paul Foster Case, founder of the Builders of the Adytum. Case regarded Tarot as a symbolic representation of spiritual principles connected with Kabbalah and the Tree of Life. In his teachings he generally discouraged reliance on reversed cards, arguing that every card already contains both constructive and challenging aspects within its symbolism. According to this approach, the interpretation of a card depends on its context within the spread rather than on whether it appears upright or reversed.
When Tarot Is Turned Upside Down
A related position can be found in the writings of Aleister Crowley, whose Thoth Tarot was developed in the twentieth century. Crowley generally discouraged rigid reliance on reversals. He maintained that each card contains a full spectrum of possible expressions depending on context, surrounding cards, and the nature of the question. From this perspective, the symbolic system itself already includes both harmonious and disruptive potentials, making mechanical reversal unnecessary.
Some researchers therefore suggest that the widespread use of reversed meanings emerged partly as a practical simplification. In the earlier esoteric framework associated with Lévi and later Hermetic traditions, interpreting Tarot required considerable study of symbolic correspondences, numerology, and philosophical principles. Such knowledge often required years of disciplined study.
Reversed cards provided a simpler interpretative device that allowed readers to expand the range of meanings without extensive training. Instead of deriving subtle distinctions from the symbolic system itself, a card turned upside down could simply indicate an opposite, weakened, or obstructed expression of the upright meaning.
This perspective is reflected in the statement attributed to Helena Starowieyska:
“Tarot cards must never be reversed, because they would show the world of death instead of the world of life and would not provide any meaningful answer to our question.”
From Hermeticism to Cartomancy
Some researchers note that the widespread use of reversed cards developed as a practical simplification of earlier esoteric methods. Within the symbolic framework associated with Éliphas Lévi and later Hermetic traditions, interpreting Tarot required knowledge of symbolic correspondences, numerology, and the philosophical structure underlying the cards. Meaning was derived from the relationships between symbols, archetypes, and metaphysical principles rather than from mechanical interpretative rules.
The systematic use of reversed cards emerged later within practical cartomancy traditions. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, French fortune-tellers such as Jean-Baptiste Alliette began adapting Tarot to techniques already used with ordinary playing cards. In playing-card divination, reversed orientations were sometimes used to indicate weakened, obstructed, or opposite meanings. When Tarot was incorporated into this method, reversals provided a simple way to expand the range of interpretations. Instead of deriving subtle variations from the symbolic system itself, a card turned upside down could be read as the opposite or diminished expression of the upright meaning.
As a result, two historical approaches to Tarot interpretation gradually emerged. In the earlier esoteric tradition, Tarot was understood primarily as a symbolic and philosophical system in which orientation was not central to interpretation. In the later cartomantic tradition, influenced by practical fortune-telling practices, reversed cards became an additional interpretative technique used to broaden the range of meanings available to the reader.