Meet the Cards: Ace of Earth

Earth is all aspects of life: birth, life, death, and rebirth. In most decks this would be the Ace [1] of Pentacles or Coins. Typically depicted by a left hand (symbolizing receptivity) holding a coin.

What I See:

All right, all at once…awww!

A very earthy card with the greens and browns. As a mammal, the fawn is the only animal depicted on the aces that stays close to home after birth to be nurtured by its mother. On a human level, we probably also relate more with the fawn than the other animals we’ve seen thus far. Babies are born, nurse from their mothers, are encouraged to take those first steps out into the world, and are ‘picked up’ when they fall.

To me, I get a sense of innocence from this card, much more so than the others. Is it the huge eyes? There’s wonder too. I imagine those ears swinging back and forth to pick up all the sounds of the forest, perhaps trying to figure out what made the rustling in the leaves just out of the frame.

General Earth element/Pentacles suit:

• Keywords: Money, Material World, Property, Inheritance, Wealth, Business, Possessions, Savings, Talents, Training, Education, Study, Time, Giving and Receiving, Profit and Loss, Tangible Reality, Work, Values, Mother Nature, Emotional Security, Sensual Pleasure, and Rewards.
• Style: Drying, Cracking, Materializing, Stabilizing, Crystallizing, and Solidifying.
• Jungian Function: Sensing

Light (upright) Reading:

Good fortune or health may be coming your way.

• Keywords: Tangible Beginnings, Prosperity, Comfort, and Reward.

Shadow (upside down or reverse) Reading:

Beware of being out of touch with your body.

• Keywords: Greed, Miserliness, Possessiveness, and Materialism.

Plots:

The Ace of Earth represents a new beginning on a physical level. Perhaps your story focuses on someone entering the world of sports for the first time. Or training for that big event. What about someone getting a new lease on life? Recovering from an illness. Recovering from an addiction. Maybe they are taking on an active — physical — role in their own life story for the first time.

All Aces represent the potential for creation. Perhaps you story involves a pregnancy. Perhaps a new idea is conceived.

This is the Earth card, stories about conservation, habitat, and Earth deities come to mind. Perhaps your character has inherited land. Pentacles also represent money…a new career, a promotion, an investment.

Traditionally, the pentacle is shown with a five-pointed star design on it. Each point stands for a sense and the circle of the coin unites them. What about a magic coin? Or lucky penny? According to Tarot for Writers by Corrine Kenner, the Ace of Pentacles was considered the most favorable card in the deck, suggesting people “have the resources they need to pursue their dreams and manifest their spiritual, emotional, and intellectual ideals.” I see a story weaving all the elements together in that statement. How about you?

• Ace Themes: Beginning, Potential, Opportunity, Conception, Birth, or Elemental Energy.

Characters:

Of the four creatures on the aces, only the fawn stays close to home to be nursed by its mother. You are a nurturer or are receiving nurturing from others.

• Suit Archetype/Feudal Class: Merchants, Business, and Professional class.

Additionally, look up one of the Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) for personality traits.

For more information on the Aces in general, please refer back to the Ace of Air.

Image: Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert from Llewellyn Worldwide

Meet the Cards: Ace of Water

Water can heal and purify. In most decks this would be the Ace [1] of Cups or Chalices. Typically depicted by a left hand (symbolizing receptivity) holding an overflowing chalice balanced on the palm.

What I See:

Aw, this card makes me think of the Pacific NW. The salmon struggle upstream, returning to where it was born, just to give birth. It was an amazing thing to watch the fish swimming up the ladder at Bonneville Dam. This card is a calm one to me with its soothing blues and greens. We have a quiet pool of water making me think of mediation. We see the salmon eggs, some newly hatched fish, and a fingerling. Those speak to me of birth, infancy, and toddlers exploring their world. I get a sense of the circle of life when I think about the salmon. Salmon journey out to the ocean yet find their way back to the stream where they were born just to start the circle again.

General Water element/Cups suit:

• Keywords: Emotions, Moods, Affections, Artistic Abilities, Creativity, Nurturance, Love, Relationships, Empathy, Intuition, Sensitivity, Dreams, Fantasies, Comfort, Soothing, Flowing, Healing, Counseling, Psychic Abilities, Receptive, Yielding, Secretive, Merging, and Fantasy.
• Style: Flowing, Expanding, Diffusing, and Loving.
• Jungian Function: Feeling or Intuition

Light (upright) Reading:

Trust in your heart’s wisdom.

• Keywords: Birth, Abundance, Spiritual Love, and Joy.

Shadow (upside down or reverse) Reading:

Beware of mistrusting your intuition.

• Keywords: Unrequited Love, Melancholy, Abstinence, and Denial.

Plots:

The Ace of Water represents a new beginning on an emotional level. Perhaps your story is about a new love or friendship. How about a tale about a sea creature, real or mythical? Perhaps your story is one of reflection, getting back to nature, or coming full circle.

What about the Fountain of Youth? Or a Holy Grail type quest? How about voyage?

All Aces represent the potential for creation. Perhaps you story involves a pregnancy. Perhaps a new idea is conceived.

Perhaps more than the other aces, the Ace of Water can indicate pregnancy, think of the womb and how a baby is housed in amniotic fluid. In traditional Ace of Cups images there is often a dove symbolizing the spirit, the cup as a feminine symbol for the womb, thus the joining of a spirit with a physical body.

• Ace Themes: Beginning, Potential, Opportunity, Conception, Birth, or Elemental Energy.

Characters:

Follow the shaman’s journey of descent and return.

• Suit Archetype/Feudal Class: Clergy and Priestly class.

Additionally, look up one of the Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) for personality traits.

For more information on the Aces in general, please refer back to the Ace of Air.

Image: Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert from Llewellyn Worldwide

Meet the Cards: Ace of Fire

Fire can bring about new life or destroy the old. In most decks this would be the Ace [1] of Wands. Typically depicted by a right hand (symbolizing action) holding a wooden staff or wand aloft.

What I See:

Blah. Not real thrilled with a snake. However, there is a feeling of curiosity or of meeting the world for the first time. I’m reminded of the wonder at seeing the world through the eyes of a child. We see the fire element in the sparks shooting up into the blackness of night in the background. I imagine a crackling fire and am reminded of the creativity the element symbolizes.

General Fire element/Wands suit:

• Keywords: Career, Creativity, Faith, Growth, Ideas, Innovation, Projects, Innovation, Risk, Energy, Action, Enthusiasm, Optimism, Desire, Passion, Perception, Determination, Will, Defiant, Defensive, Daring, Ecstatic, Pride, Ego, and Restlessness.
• Style: Exploding, Activating, and Inspiring.
• Jungian Function: Intuition or Feeling

Light (upright) Reading:

You have discovered a new way of expression.

• Keywords: New Beginnings, Inspiration, Innovation, and Virility.

Shadow (upside down or reverse) Reading:

Preferring to stay where you are, you fear change.

• Keywords: Selfishness, Poor Planning, Deflation, and Anger.

Plots:

The Ace of Fire represents a new beginning on a spiritual level. Perhaps your story is about the seminary or a shaman. The wand can be a phallic symbol. Perhaps your story involves the need to procreate.

All Aces represent the potential for creation. Perhaps you story involves a pregnancy. Perhaps a new idea is conceived.

You could take a more sinister path. The wand could be a wooden club, a weapon. A poisonous snake. A fire raging out of control.

How about a magic wand? Or maybe, just maybe, that’s not a snake emerging from that egg but a dragon…

• Ace Themes: Beginning, Opportunity, Conception, Birth, Potential, or Elemental Energy.

Characters:

Shed the old and embrace the new, like a snake sheds its skin.

• Suit Archetype/Feudal Class: Peasant or Servant Class.

Additionally, look up one of the Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) for personality traits.

For more information on the Aces in general, please refer back to the Ace of Air.

Image: Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert from Llewellyn Worldwide

Meet the Cards: Ace of Air

Note: We’ll work through the pips by focusing on each number group rather than one suit at a time. Thus, to avoid redundancy, the first post of each number set will include the general information, that which is consistent across the number, in addition to suit specific information. The other three posts of each number set will focus on the suit specific information.

Generally, all Aces:

1. Share the purest, uncorrupted, attributes of their suit, or element.
2. Reflect the themes and wisdom of the Magician.
3. Symbolize potential.
4. Can represent Act One, the set-up, of your story; or the first stage of your character’s arc, their change and growth; thesis.
5. Begins the first of the three triads, or mini-dramas as mentioned in last week’s Numbers in Tarot post.
6. Tarot Notes is doing a series called Take a Number, for additional info on Aces check out her post on Ones.

Air is the breath of life, it blows away strife and carries positive thoughts. In most decks this would be the Ace [1] of Swords. Typically depicted by a right hand (symbolizing action) holding a sword aloft, think Excalibur.

What I See:

I choose to start with Air because of the butterfly, it reminds me of how we started this journey with the Fool or Seeker. I’ll bet you knew the Greek word for ‘soul’ is psyche. But did you know the Greek word for ‘butterfly’ is also psyche?! We have the butterfly emerging from the chrysalis. This image speaks to me of birth and transformation. We have the spring blossoms reminding us of the seasons and cycles of life. According to the book, that’s hawthorn which is considered the May-flower, so awesome that we’re starting the pips in May I come away from this image with a sense of trusting oneself to change.

General Air element/Sword suit:

• Keywords: Strife, Tension, Conflict, Struggle, Communication, Travel, Powerful, Intelligence, Foresight, Boldness, Reason, Logic, Sarcasm, Threats, Legal Actions, Surgery, Cutting, Accidents, Justice, Truth, Detachments, Separations, Moving On, and Mental Activity.
• Style: Storming, Freezing, Striving, Communicating, Cutting, and Confronting.
• Jungian Function: Thinking

Light (upright) Reading:

You are blooming with new thoughts or decisions.

• Keywords: Power, Courage, Fresh Ideas, and Authority.

Shadow (upside down or reverse) Reading:

You may be stuck in your comfort zone and avoiding change.

• Keywords: Threats, Sarcasm, Pessimism, and Cynicism.

Plots:

The Ace of Air represents a new beginning on an intellectual level. Perhaps your story is about a student, or a teacher. The sword represents justice. Perhaps your story is about a mediator or lawyer, or even a law enforcement officer. How about a knight, sworn to protect and defend the weak? Or someone with knight-like qualities?

How about a Sci-Fi twist, and the people emerge from giant chrysalises? Or has that been done already?

How about a Charlotte’s Web type story featuring a butterfly?

All Aces represent the potential for creation. Perhaps you story involves a pregnancy. Perhaps a new idea is conceived.

• Ace Themes: Beginning, Potential, Opportunity, Conception, Birth, or Elemental Energy.

Characters:

“Follow your heart,” says Hawthorn.

“You’re a brand-new being,” say Butterfly.

• Suit Archetype/Feudal Class: Nobility, Warrior, and Political class.

The personality enneagram, a nine-pointed array of personality types, might also be a useful reference for character building.

All Aces are E1: Perfectionist and/or Reformer

• Self Image — I am right
• Passion — Anger
• Virtue — Serenity
• Narcissistic Trap — Perfection
• Avoids — Vexation
• Speaking Style — Teaching or Moralizing

E1 people are instinctive, spontaneous, and intuitive. Their “gut” feeling is the center of their awareness. They are often direct or territorial. They are concerned with power, ruled by aggression, and may be troubled by self-doubt or self-blame.

Additionally, look up one of the Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) for personality traits.

Image: Gaian Tarot by Joanna Powell Colbert from Llewellyn Worldwide