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THE SHORT ANSWER
A reversal means a card appears upside down relative to the reading direction. It does not automatically mean bad news or the opposite of every upright meaning. Choose a convention before drawing. In Wenbu, beginners can turn off “Include reversed cards,” then introduce reversals later with a clearly named approach or source.
- Orientation belongs to the draw record; meaning belongs to interpretation. Keep the original orientation instead of changing it to suit a conclusion.
- With reversals on, each card has an independent 50% chance of reversal. Three reversed cards occur with probability 1/8; the system has not assigned your luck a low score.
- Historical authors offer specific reversal entries. Blockage, excess and inward focus are possible reflective approaches, not one universal historical rule.
The Sun · uprightThe Sun · reversedThe upright Sun appears beside the same illustration rotated 180 degrees; both name labels remain readable. Waite’s reversed Sun retains the upright theme in a diminished form, illustrating why reversal need not mean its opposite.
Original AI illustrations by Wenbu. Cards selected for teaching; no random draw occurs here.A reversal begins as an orientation
A reversed card appears upside down relative to the reading direction. With reversals enabled in Wenbu, each drawn card independently has a one-in-two chance of being reversed. With the setting off, all cards appear upright. This is a draw convention, not a measurement of your luck.
Several reversed cards in a spread are a possible result of that random process. They do not mean the system has rated your situation poorly or that you need another draw immediately.
Choose an approach and name it
Some sources give specific upright and reversed meanings for each card. Modern reflective approaches may consider a blockage, excess, an inward focus or something unfinished. These are interpretive choices. A reversal does not mechanically turn every upright meaning into its opposite.
You can turn reversals off while learning names, suits and spread positions. Or keep them on and use one clearly stated approach for the session. Neither setting needs to be presented as more accurate.
Name the approach before using it
| Approach | A question to ask | A leap to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Upright only | How do the card and position address the question? | Assuming all remaining meanings are positive |
| Blocked | What real condition could hinder this theme? | Inventing an obstructive person without evidence |
| Excess or lack | Is something overdone or underdeveloped? | Using one phrase to explain every possible outcome |
| Inward focus | Is this mainly an internal concern? | Claiming access to another person’s hidden feelings |
| Source-specific entry | What does this author say about this card reversed? | Mixing authors without identifying them |
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways.
Make an idea such as “blocked” specific
Suppose you are trying to start a project and a reversal suggests stalled action. Ask what might be getting in the way: an oversized task, limited time or a missing confirmation. Check each possibility against your situation rather than inferring it from the card’s orientation.
You could write: “I read this reversal as difficulty getting started. I am still waiting for essential information, so I will ask when it is available.” If you find no relevant obstacle, “This angle does not fit right now” is an equally useful note.
Set the rules before drawing
Choose one or three cards, decide whether to include reversals, and write your question. Wenbu’s three positions are Situation, Tension and Next Step. Keep those positions and orientations as drawn rather than rearranging them after seeing the result.
For your next practice, take one card and write a question its upright meaning might prompt, then one its reversed meaning might prompt. Keep the question most relevant to your circumstances. You are comparing ways to reflect, not deciding which orientation brings better luck.
Compare a diminished theme with a “bad outcome”
Use The Sun as a fixed study card. Ask: “How can I present my work clearly this weekend?” No new random result is being generated in this exercise.
State the rule: “I am comparing Waite’s Sun entries.” Check the upright and reversed descriptions in that text instead of assuming every online Sun description belongs to the same tradition.
For the upright card, an association with showing your work might prompt an inventory: the demo you have, the part that needs rehearsal and the one point the audience should remember.
For the reversal, explore a similar theme that is less fully expressed. Try the hypothesis: “The work is ready, but I have not found a clear way to explain it.” Treat this as a possibility, not an established fact.
Test it by asking a friend to watch a two-minute demonstration and repeat the main point. If they understand, note that the hypothesis did not fit. If they do not, revise the opening or add an example.
Keep the orientation, source, hypothesis and feedback together. One unclear explanation does not establish that the whole event will fail. A fresh draw is not needed to remove an uncomfortable feeling.
The useful difference is the check the reading suggests. Keeping the convention stable makes review possible; sorting orientations into a good column and a bad column does not.
Key terms
- Upright
- Shown in the agreed normal reading direction; not a guarantee of a positive interpretation.
- Reversed
- Shown upside down relative to that direction, interpreted according to a stated convention.
- Reading convention
- The spread, reversal choice and interpretive approach fixed before drawing, so the record remains comparable later.
Common questions
Does Wenbu currently default to upright-only readings?
No. “Include reversed cards” is currently enabled on the tool page, and the API defaults an omitted reversals field to true. Uncheck the setting before drawing, or explicitly send reversals: false through an Agent or API. Existing records keep their original orientations.
Are three reversals a bad result?
With reversals enabled, that combination has a 12.5% probability. Check the setting and read each card using the convention chosen beforehand. The reversal count does not measure emotional health, relationship quality or luck.
Can I view a reversed image upright to inspect its details?
A separate upright reference image can help, but retain the original reversed label in your record. Display orientation and recorded orientation are different things. Silently changing the record prevents another reader or Agent from checking the reading you actually made.
Sources and their scope
Primary text for Waite’s card entries and reversal conventions. The exercises here are original Wenbu prompts, not translations.
Supports independent 50% reversal sampling; the three-reversal probability follows from this rule.
Documents the default for an omitted reversals parameter and explicit false for upright-only draws.
Documents the current browser default and the user-facing reversal control.
Traditional interpretations are not established predictions. See the source notes for context.
Read this guide with your agent
Get the complete text, diagram descriptions and sources in an open format. These files contain public knowledge only.
ADDITIONAL PRACTICE · 2026-11-14
Does turning off reversals change a tarot draw you already have?
Unchecking Include reversed cards after a draw changes the setting for the next draw. Cards already on screen keep their original orientations, and a saved result keeps the orientation of each card. Save or export the result before starting a fresh draw if you want to keep it. The next draw made with reversals switched off will show upright cards.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Wenbu · agent protocol ↗
- Read the Upright or Reversed label below each card in the existing result.
- Unchecking Include reversed cards leaves those labels in place.
- Save or export the original result before choosing another draw if you want to compare them later.
Read, keep, then decide whether to draw
- 01Read the orientation
Find Upright or Reversed below each card.
- 02Keep this draw
Save the result or download its context JSON.
- 03Choose whether to draw again
Use the new setting only when you start a fresh draw.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Wenbu · agent protocol ↗
Read the cards and the checkbox separately
A result shows the card names, orientations and positions. Use this practice record to tell those fields apart: The Star is reversed in Situation, Two of Wands is upright in Tension, and King of Wands is upright in Next Step.
Return to the draw settings and uncheck Include reversed cards. The open result still shows its original orientations. In the sample, The Star stays reversed. The switch applies the next time you request a draw.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Current complete en canonical article ↗
Keep a copy of the result you already read
Choose Save in this browser or Save to journal, or use Export for an agent to download a context JSON file for your records. In that file, calculation.cards holds the original card entries. Read each reversed flag to see the orientation of that card.
In the same export, calculation.method.reversals records whether that draw allowed reversals. The reversed flag belongs to one card. Three upright cards can still come from a draw that allowed reversals. Check the method field if you need to recover that setting.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Wenbu · agent protocol ↗
| Action | What happens to the result | Where to check |
|---|---|---|
| Uncheck Include reversed cards | Original orientations stay visible | Labels below the existing cards |
| Save the current result | Stores its cards and orientations | This entry in the journal |
| Download the current context JSON | Keeps the original values | The reversed flags in calculation.cards |
| Start a new draw with reversals off | The new result appears | Card names and orientations in the new result |
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Wenbu · agent protocol ↗
Use a practice record to check the switch
These three cards are fixed teaching data. The names can differ when you open the tool and draw normally.
- Write down the practice cards: reversed Star, upright Two of Wands and upright King of Wands. With your own open result, record the cards you actually see.
- Uncheck Include reversed cards and read the labels on the existing cards. In the practice record the first still says Reversed.
- Choose Export for an agent, then Download context JSON. The sample has reversed flags of true, false and false. Its method still shows reversals set to true.
- For a second draw, keep the first result, leave reversals off and use Draw for me or finish selecting cards. Record the orientations on a separate line.
Use the saved record to read the first draw and the checkbox to set up the next one.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Wenbu · agent protocol ↗
Questions you may have
Can a draw that allows reversals still have three upright cards?
Yes. A draw that allows reversals can yield any combination of upright and reversed cards. Read the displayed orientation or the card’s reversed flag before recording it.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Wenbu · agent protocol ↗
Can I still discuss the old result after changing the checkbox?
Yes. Discuss this result brings the existing cards and orientations into the conversation. If you only need to check them, use the labels on the result page.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Wenbu · agent protocol ↗
Terms in this guide
- Draw setting
- A choice submitted when you request the next draw, including whether to allow reversals.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Current complete en canonical article ↗
- Card orientation
- The upright or reversed display in an actual result, stored in each card’s reversed field.
Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗Wenbu · agent protocol ↗
See the claim and source notes
When enabled, orientation is decided independently for each new card.
开启逆位时，每张牌独立有 50% 的概率呈逆位
Wenbu retains the returned cards for follow-up.
Keep the returned cards for follow-up
A follow-up preserves each original card ID and reversal flag.
original `{id,reversed}` cards
Sources and review scope
Wenbu drafted and checked this article in Codex. The source list records the scope of the review.
- Current complete zh canonical article ↗Current public original and earlier additions; add substantial coverage without repeating or replacing them. · 2026-11-14 · Fetched text
- Current complete en canonical article ↗Current public original and earlier additions; add substantial coverage without repeating or replacing them. · 2026-11-14 · Fetched text
- Wenbu · calculation conventions ↗First-party implementation; not evidence of predictive accuracy · 2026-11-14 · Fetched text
- Wenbu · versioned public capabilities ↗First-party current tool, convention and privacy contract; not external endorsement or predictive validation · 2026-11-14 · Fetched text
- Wenbu · agent protocol ↗Current first-party tool, citation recovery and completion protocol · 2026-11-14 · Fetched text
Compare the reversal setting and your cards in Tarot
Open a practice draw, then check its labels and export before deciding whether to draw again.
Compare the reversal setting and your cards in Tarot ↗