Seeing a reversal or reversed card in a reading is not always the most welcoming of sights. A lot of times, people are not overly sure what to do with it or totally disregard it and deal with it as if it is an upright card. This, in my opinion, disrupts the flow of information the cards are trying to tell you. When a reversed card shows up in your reading, it is meant to be there and it has a message that needs to be heard. So do not be too quick to turn that card back up the right way. Sometimes we are not at all prepared to work with the energy of card in its upright position and having it in its reversed state allows us an opportunity to go deeper and clean house a little more thoroughly. This is true for your spell work as well. This idea of using deliberately reversed cards for spell work may seem uncomfortable to you at first; however, I want you to not only become comfortable with reversed cards but I want you to start intentionally working with them, especially in your spell work. Using deliberately reversed cards for spell work can be advantageous for many reasons, but mainly it gives you the ability to slow things down, create some much-needed space between yourself and a situation or even release an energy and get it flowing again. In this article I am going to use the Four of Cups reversed as an example of how sometimes flipping a card upside down can be better for you than keeping it right side up. 

Let's look at an example: the Four of Cups Rx—when things come at you fast. If you have been manifesting your ass off, then there is a good chance that everything has landed on your doorstep at the same time. Surprise! This is first exciting as we see in the Three of Cups, but then reality comes knocking and overwhelm, paralysis, and fatigue set in. The muse has left you high and dry and now you have to figure out what the hell you are going to do with all of these gifts you have brilliantly manifested. Bring in the Four of Cups, reversed. By flipping the energy of the Four of Cups upside down you create a nice little buffer around yourself and everything that has come floating into your life. This what I call, in Tarot Reversals for Beginners, the 4 of Cups in the protection aspect. As this card is connected to the moon, you could think of the protection aspect of the Four of Cups as providing you with a nice new moon space. Dark, hidden, and quiet—the perfect place to reflect and review. This is where you can get more intimate with each of your Cups, take a good look at what each one is offering up, and see how you feel about what is now before you. It is in this protection aspect that you can make a better-informed decision about what to move forward with and what you will end up saying no to. And you will end up saying no to some of what is being offered to you because we see it in the Five of Cups. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The floating hand in the Four of Cups from Llewellyn's Classic Tarot is a repeat of the Ace of Cups, which lets us know that nothing is set in stone with this card. This, like the Ace, is a card of possibilities, nothing more, nothing less. Because cups are "feeling" cards, you already know that whatever you choose, you need to be able to connect with it on a heart level. You need to feel it deep in your bones. Perhaps your chanting ego is making it hard for you to hear your heart calling, as the heart does not yell and scream like the ego mind—it has a softer, more melodic sound to its call.

So how do you clean out the noise and offer a space for you to hear your heart's desire? Try this simple spell/ritual for using the Four of Cups in the protection position.  

Heart's Desire Spell/Ritual
There are two parts to this spell/ritual; you can think of part one as the ritual, pathwork, connecting to your heart spaces section, and the second part of the spell casting section. I suggest you give yourself five days to do part one and cast your spell on the sixth day. This is only a suggestion; if you feel you need a shorter or longer time, trust your inner knowing.

For part one, you will need a smallish piece of rose quartz, small enough to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand, and some lemon essential oil. Rose quartz is a loving, gentle stone that is connected to your heart chakra. Working with this stone is not only healing, but it helps open the heart center to make it more receptive to new experiences. Lemon oil is wonderful for focus, clarity, and decision-making. Lemon oil works wonderfully with rose quartz as it helps lessen your resistance to new experiences and opens you up to look at new possibilities that the ego mind may be trying to talk you out of.

Part one of this ritual is very simple; it is a sixty-second meditation that you can do as many times as you want throughout the day. All you do is place one drop of lemon essential oil on the palm of your hand: rub your palms together vigrously for about fifteen seconds to get energy flowing through your hands and open your palm chakra; then, open your palms and inhale the wonderful lemon scent for three breaths, and then place your rose quartz between your palms and close them as if in prayer. Place your thumbs up against your chest and spread your fingers, close your eyes, and just focus on your heart. Listen to it beat; feel the rise and fall of your chest under your thumbs and breathe deeply. Hold this focused energy for sixty seconds (you can use a timer if you wish). If you can hold it longer, do so, but just know it is not necessary—a period of sixty seconds of concentrated thought is more powerful than one of fifteen minutes of distracted thought. Repeat this process for five days.

One day six you will be casting your spell. Here is what you will need:

• Your infused rose quartz
• Lemon essential oil
• A glass jar big enough to fit your tarot card inside of
• A pink or white candle (I recommend you get a small candle, one that won't take longer than thirty-forty minutes to burn down.)

Start by anointing your candle with the lemon oil. If you have an anointing ritual already, by all means, use it; if not, I have provided a simple anointing script for you to use with this particular spell. You want to use one drop of oil and start in the middle of your candle moving upward first, then bring your strokes down and ground your candle.

Drawing Up
I send this energy into the sky, up to the moon and stars, out into the universe towards the planets and the great unknown. May this spell be heard by all vibrational and celestial beings.

Bring Down and Grounding
I ground this spell by drawing the energy back into the earth and planting at firmly into mother Gaia's warm, loving embrace.

If you feel the need to clear your workspace and cast a protection circle around where you are going to do your spell work, do so. If this is not your practice (or have no idea what I am talking about), don't worry—just move onto to casting your spell. I am a bit of a spontaneous spell-caster, so I often forget about circles of protection and all the other ritual that a lot of other people do. Spellwork, like all spiritual practices, is unique to the person doing it; do what feels right for you and aligns with your personal belief system. I have broken the spell up into three sections just in case you feel you want to add or rewrite parts of it to make it more personal or more specific. However, this spell is just fine and dandy the way it is, so using the script as written will bring you the result you require as long as you did the first five days of your ritual.

Spell
  Intro I call on the power of the Four of Cups in reverse. Grant me space and time to study my options and seek the truth of my Cups. I call on the energy of the rose quartz to connect my heart's desire to each of my cups and all they offer up. I call on the energy of the lemon tree and its essential oil to clear, detangle, and detach anything that causes me to feel stuck or restricted. As I cast this spell I release anything and everyone who causes delay and resistance to my heart's desire.

Middle
Four of Cups reversed, provide me with all the information I require to make good, empowered decisions. Show me which Cups align with my heart's desires and which ones just feed my ego. Grant me the time and space to fully immerse myself in what is on offer and give me a safe space to dialogue with my heart without the interference of my head. With the energy of this card, I shall take me time, choose wisely, and focus only on that which will enhance my life and benefit all who are involved in this process.

Closing
I cast this spell out into the universe, to the celestial energies, to the vibrational beings and to all physical entities who are required to fulfil my dreams, goals, and wishes.  For what is in my heart will come to me.

As it is said it shall be
For now, my spell is done. 

Congratulations! You have just done a tarot reversals spell/ritual. I do hope this has whet your appetite to do more upside down, topsy-turvy spell work in the future. You can find more spells to play with in my book Tarot Reversals for Beginners, available where all good books are sold.