Divination Week Six Lecture: Cartomancy & Reversed Tarot

## Divination Week Six: Cartomancy & Reversed Cards

"Now that ve have spoken about Divination itself, it is time to tread back into the vaters of Cartomancy! This veek, ve shall introduce the concept of **Reversed Cards.**

"To preface, I vould like to stress that not all those vhat vork vithin this field *use* reversed cards, und it is entirely up to the diviner as to vhether or not they count them vithin their spread. In the future it vill be your choice vhether you use them or not, but they vill be \*mandatory\* for this veek’s assignments." As he spoke, Friedrich plucked a card from the table that sat near his elbow, tapping it with his wand to cause it to grow in size, before another flick prompted it to float just in front of the class.

"Reversed cards are vhen you draw a card und it reveals itself *upside down* vithin the spread. Vhen a card is reversed, the meaning changes, und oft it is, on the surface, far more negative than the upright iterations of ze card.

"For instance this card, Death, as ve discussed before is a *very* positive card vhen upright. Endings of previous parts of your life, the beginning of new ones! Change, transformation und *transition*, all necessary things vhat ve need to fully enjoy the vunders of life! However, vonce the card is reversed..."

"It is now a meaning of *stagnation*, zat vone is resistant to change, or unable to move on. Vhile the upright card might signify that change is coming, reversed  tells us that the necessary change vhat should come has been *stalled*, und that vone is *mired* vithin that stagnation. Perhaps they cannot let go of the past, or they do not know how to make the change they need, but for vhatever reason, the march of Death has been stopped, und vith it change has stopped as vell." The card slowly began to slip around the outside boundary of the circle of tables, and Friedrich drew two more.

"But as negative as many of the meanings may be, it is not a call to doom. Rather, it is a varning! A vay for vone to know that there may be troubles coming, und perhaps they vill find vays to *avoid* such tribulations, or to rise above them! Above all, reversed cards reflect the obstakles ve may face, und knowing that they might soon have effects on us helps us to *prepare* to circumvent them! Let's take two more examples..." The cards that Friedrich drew also grew larger and joined the first card, slowly beginning to circle the tables.

"Ze King of Vands upright is a leader, an entrepreneur! A card of energy und motivation, of creating vays to improve the vorld for not only himself, but those vhat are under his care. However, if you reverse it, it becomes a card of *impulsiveness*, haste, and high expektations. It is a king vhat makes hasty decisions, who dominants vithout helping, und brings malice vithin his vake. It is, as you may notice, a mirror of the positive king before, but it still has its purposes.

"If you vere to receive this card in reverse, it may varn you that perhaps you too, or somevone close to you, are like this mirrored king: vhat you took as leadership is merely domination, und vhat you took as creativity has been steeped in dangerous rashness. It is a card vhat encourages personal reflektion; are the preconceptions you had correkt? Or perhaps there is another perspektive you haf not considered?" Friedrich smiled softly at the class, pausing a beat before he continued, gesturing towards the second card he had drawn.

"Reversed cards are not *alvays* negative either, as take for instance ze Five of Cups.

"Upright it is a card of regret, loss and *despair*. It is a lack of the fulfillment you desired, und failure in the situations you held close to your heart... yet in its reversed position? It is a card of acceptance, of forgiveness! Of \*recovery!\* It means you are able to step forvard, to move on from the shackles of despair. There are other such cards like this, vhere positivity is the dominant expression of the reversed meaning.

"Even then, not all things vhat are negative are bad. Vhile they may *hurt* und tear at your insides, they vill pass, und the presence of such \*painful\* times makes the joy ve find that much sveeter. Vithout the pain, ve vould not haf any contrast for the pleasant times vhat follows. So to is this true in Tarot; a reading vith ill omens is not a sentence to despair, but rather an opportunity to *best* it, und experience personal growth as a result! This is vhere psychology comes into play: Do not focus on the *bad* vhen you are reading for another, but rather focus vhat can be done to overcome it, und help lead your questioner to alternative and safer paths!

"You catch more flies vith honey than vinegar, so do not prey on those vhat come to you for assistance. Guide them und show them that not all is lost. That is the *core* of Ethical Divination; it is a tool of *empowerment* und not a tool of fear vhat you might exploit the vulnerable vith!"

**Week 6: Divination** **Assignment**:

**Assignment Form**

**Due: Tuesday, November 28th**

Do a reading with Reversed Tarot cards. If you only have the time to do one reading for the week, you may reshuffle the deck until you receive reversed cards.

Once you finish the reading, fill out the form and submit it by November 28th. It will count as both Attendance and Grading, so be sure to do it!