Your tarot aces notebook #2
The ace of wands collection
Happy full moon in Gemini,
It's early and quiet here, except for the hum of the heating. The Floorboards expand and click and the sun sits well below the horizon. For now at least, It’s just me, tea, the ace of wands and the sounds of silence.
This week is the second in a four part series on the aces in tarot. I love aces. There's a purity to them, a raw energy and possibility. When you look at a card, a way to deepen your connection with the meaning is to listen to how your body responds to the image. The aces often have a tonic effect and the most energising of them all perhaps is the ace of wands. Our card of the week.
The ace of wands
The ace of wands meaning
Do you remember the character played by Tom Hanks in the film Castaway? To survive on the desert island where he washes up after his plane crashes into the sea, he must light a fire. He crouches down on the ground, finds wood, flint, kindling, stone and coconut shells. He rubs wood together until sparks fly and pounds his chest with the excitement of what he has created.
The ace of wands is this initial rise in energy but as you can see it doesn't come without the ground work. Jessica Dore, author of Tarot for Change says, the work with the wands suit is material as well as spiritual. There’s no spark without effort and inspiration arises from the ground we stand on.
The wands unite the ethereal with the corporeal. This is symbolized by the fact that they are often seen resting with one end on the ground and one in the air. Its roots are both spiritual and material, one pole in earth and the other in the heavens
-Jessica Dore
In order to bring a creative or spiritual energy into our life, how much comes from our own effort? Does the initial spark of creativity start from the ground up or is the path more receptive and come from somewhere other than ourselves, something transcendental even?
The answer is both. Think of when you light a match. You strike the wooden stick against the box but then, what do you have to do for the flame to light? There is a moment where you must hold the match still so that the flame does not extinguish. There’s a necessary pause and after the effort so that the stick catches light.
The fire suit then is the dance of effort that moves between activity and rest, effort and stillness and it starts with you. Your life, right here and now is the stage where the lamp is lit and yet we need to remain open to the possibilities beyond ourselves.
I grew up in the Catholic tradition and one of my memories is of the flame in the tabernacle which represents the eternal nature of God. This wand reminds me of that. It makes me question the nature of spiritual or creative energy. On one level our creativity comes in ebbs and flows. On another level our energy is eternal and indestructible like the symbol of the flame in the church. The fire suit represents how we protect our energy rather than drain it and begins with the ace. The light in the tabernacle is not wild and out of control, it is still and strong. The ace of wands has not yet achieved this stillness and strength. It’s still unintegrated and open to fizzling out. The real stillness comes later in the suit.
Ace of wands keywords
Aces
New beginnings, fresh starts, new possibilities, complete openness, initiation, potential, seeds of intention, a doorway or a portal, raw energy, yang energy
Wands
Fire element, energy, passion, inspiration, transformation, fire, movement, direction, destruction, drive, pace, indestructible energy, confidence, spiritual energy, Virya ( a Sanskrit word for energy that is in pursuit of the good)
Journal Prompts
A space for you to connect with yourself
Here are some writing prompts inspired by the ace of wands. Take time out for yourself. Choose the question that interests you most and share your reflections with me below in the comments.
What's your writing space like? Does it spark creativity? What objects do you have around you to inspire you? What could you put there this week?
How does your own sense of creativity start from the ground?
What activities inspire you in your creative life?
Do you ever find inspiration or creativity in stillness and contentment or do you need friction or creative tension?
What drains your energy?
The ace of wands in Real life
A moment from my week
I've been listening to a podcast by Beth Kempton called The Way of the Fearless Writer
.In one episode she suggests a way to improve your writing is to take a notebook everywhere and simply write down your observations of people, nature and change. In this way you will never be short of inspiration when you come to write.A notebook like this is full of ace of wands moments. Quotes you enjoy, lines from films and songs, snippets of conversations. I feel excited at the prospect of filling my pages with sparks, just for the pure love of finding things that light me up. Thanks so much for this Beth Kempton for this prompt. If you listen to her podcast you will notice she always starts her writing exercises with something she calls a spark, which is so very ace of wands.
Don’t forget, if you missed the first part of this series on the ace of cups you can find it here.
Thanks so much to all of you who voted in the poll last week. Your ideas and comments are noted and in time I'll work out how to weave it all in. I always feel grateful to those of you who take the time to comment or share a quote you've enjoyed. In fact it gives me a little ace of wands energy boost each time you do.
This week, if you have enjoyed your read then please do share. Thanks so much
With sparkles
Claire/Amritavani
Claire, I also grew up in the Catholic faith, though would now class myself as an agnostic. I'm sure there is something, but if God is anything, I believe it's far more secular / spiritual so these musings on the cards really resonate with me. I do love ritual, folklore and traidtion, too. Kind of crave the peace of church even though I wouldn't really visit one now. Maybe there are rituals around the cards that we could employ?