I somehow missed the hype of the Lo Scarabeo new Tarot Of Oppositions tarot deck that was published in 2021. I had no idea that the deck even existed until last week when I saw a post about it on one of my tarot forums.
I gasped at the photograph of the cards – this was exactly what I had been looking for, without even realising it!
As a seasoned professional tarot reader, surprisingly, I do not read tarot reversals. On occasion they do come out during a reading, I do make a mental note that there is a message in that reversal and do feed it into my delivery however, I choose not to work with them as my readings tend to flow so well without them.
But – I have come to realise that without reversals, we are only seeing half of the story.
A 78-card deck of tarot cards will give you every aspect of life’s ups and downs on our mental, physical, emotional and spiritual journey in this lifetime. There are enough cards to show us negative and positive forces. But are these negative and positive forces coming from inside us or by outside influences? Are the court cards (people) we are seeing in our spread behaving in a good way or bad way? Having a reversal can give us a key indicator.
So, when I stumbled upon the Tarot Of Oppositions, I realised that I could now work with reversals in a symbolic and visual way that will really help with my learning process.
One thing is for certain, these cards pack a punch. Some cards are already very negative in nature, such like the 10 of Swords, which is showing us that there has been complete mental anguish and that a difficult ending has certainly happened. So, if we reverse this traditional meaning, how much further can we go with this negativity?
I thought long and hard about this and decided that I must allow my own interpretation of the opposite of this card to speak to me.
So, when the 10 of Swords is upright, I have decided it is telling me that a very mentally stressful time is happening now. If we flip it to the opposite, I feel it is telling me that the very mentally stressful time is now over, done and finished (as you can see in the photo, the man is now completely covered in a block of ice).
I feel there are some cards that cannot have a positive twist on them, however we look at them (even though we must remember that through pain comes hope, creation, and a possible rebirth). The 10 of Swords certainly falls into that category.
A card like the 8 of Swords, which upright means we are tied to our own internal fears and anxieties, can have a positive spin if we flip the card. If you see the photo, the person who was tied to the chair has now left the room, deciding to take control of the their mental fears and seek a brighter outlook.
The 4 of Swords, which upright meaning is to have a mental break away from stress and turmoil, shows us in the traditional sense that this break is welcomed, and even peaceful. But if we turn the card around, we can now see it’s a painful “rest” and is a difficult stage to go through.
I find the Hermit interesting as in the upright position it is full of self-reflection, wisdom and is comfortable with having “alone time” – it is clear this person does not feel lonely, they are seeking solitude because it is good for their soul.
However, the opposite is telling me that this Hermit is secretive, he/she has a darker energy, they don’t want enlightenment, they want to hide away, there is not hope here, just a feeling of being stuck and stagnation.
In my opinion, one of the most positive cards in the Tarot Deck is The Sun. I found it a challenge to flip the card and get anything negative from this, however, the imagery, as you can see, tells me a different story. The sun is shining yes, but is has a melancholy look on its face and the child has been starving and the sunflowers are drooping. This is telling me that a good outcome is here yes, however, it has been painstaking, it has not been easy to get to this sunshine and not all is what it seems.
The Tarot of Oppositions has real character and will take some time for me to get used to it, but I feel it will be worth the practice. If offers layers of depth, a mirror of exactly what is going on in someone’s life. It will show you the full picture, warts and all, if you are brave enough to investigate its magik.
Until next time,
Tanya
Thank you for reading my spiritual blog! I am an intuitive tarot reader and teacher based in the UK. I read for clients all over the world via Zoom or in person in my reading room in Essex. If you are interested in booking a reading with me, click here. I also teach tarot in person or via workshops. For more info, please click here.
