Tarot Tip #11 – Tips for Reading Inverted Court Cards

Many tarot readers only read the cards right side up, which is perfectly fine.  If that is your reading style of choice, skip this tip!

I have found that when you read the cards using both upright and inverted meanings, it often makes them easier to read.  The inverted meanings of the cards might be a bit more difficult to learn initially, but ultimately it makes your readings easier to do.

This tip is about how to read the court cards when they are inverted.  Using inverted meanings is especially powerful when applied to the court cards – that is, the people cards in the deck.

When looking at an inverted court card, you will have three different ways of reading the card.  One or even all of these options may apply.

Option 1 – The person depicted by the card using its normal upright meaning is ill.  If that is the way you choose to read this inverted card, you will also see several wands near it, and often the Temperance card that can be an indicator of health issues, and also probably another. card that specifically denotes the problem, i.e. – the Moon can indicate female or emotional health problems, or the 3 of swords can denote heart, blood or circulation issues.

Option 2 – The person depicted by the card is characterized by all of the negative qualities inherent in the card.  For example, an inverted Queen of Wands would likely be a physically abusive woman, and an inverted King of Cups would be a man given to addictive pastimes, possibly also lazy and compulsive.  An inverted Knight of Pentacles is slow and is a poor handler of both money and things, and an inverted Page of Swords is a liar, a drama queen, and a carrier of tales.

Option 3 – You simply haven’t met the person yet.  When a court card appears in a future position in a tarot spread you have laid out, it’s possible one of the other inverted options may also apply, or the person may be the ‘good’ upright version of the card.  You have no way of knowing in the present moment, as your client may not have met that person yet.  If the client thinks they already know that person, you can assume that one of the first two options will then apply to that person in the future time frame indicated by the spread you are using.

My next Tarot Tip will look at how you can read a single court card as multiple people.  You’re going to enjoy it I gradually de-mystify how to read the court cards in the deck!