Making Aces Interesting?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 01 May 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Macavity	01 May 2003
Whenever I begin to study a deck, I tend to rush quickly past the... Aces. I am aware of several "traditional" associations, but one has to observe that (maybe) even with illustrated minor decks, there is often "not a lot to go on" -- Apart from some sort of (large) elemental symbolism? Now, either they are "obvious" to most people or... OK, so what do you find particularly memorable with Aces or use as an aide-memoire? ;) Macavity P.S. Aces seem to be rather rarely discussed, so ANY ideas might be interesting here?

azuremariposa	01 May 2003
Well, for myself, i just see them as the beginning, the taking off point...envision, if you will, a giant pentacle...the giant pentacle is now a disc flying through the air...the giant disc is all about energy...movement...let's get things going it says...same for the other suits...i don't see them as static, but vibrant, alive, moving, zipping along...they are the life-force, the creation, the moment when sperm meets egg & they say, "hey, let's make something!" lol... which is why i've never gotten the general picture of a hand or something holding them...they are alive and moving, not stuck... though i would suppose the hand represents the querent, holding this energy within, meaning they have it at their command, but they have to decide whether they will use it or not...and how they will use it... hmmm...yep, i guess that's what that is... so, this is what i think of when i see Aces...and at that point, i just relate that w/whichever suit is being represented...of course, my favourite is the Ace of Cups...:D many blessings! ~azure

HudsonGray	01 May 2003
They're all about beginnings and fresh starts. Lots of energy contained, ready to go.

jema	01 May 2003
two decks comes to mind when i think of Aces that are not just the same old floating cup, sword etc. *Gendron, she uses children in her aces, the Ace of Pentacles is Mary with the infant Jesus for example. *Transformational tarot - Aces are illustrated just like every other minor. I especially like the Ace of Cups with the artist embracing and kissing the sculpture he just created. so i suggest you just look at a lot of decks to see how they did it and see if there are ideas you can use.

Macavity	01 May 2003
Ah, it ALL helps... Seeing them as a bit more of an "action card"... looking at some other decks. Finally even looked at Rachel P's 78 and my (NEW) Mary K Greer. I do (increasingly) like the latter's style... Her Tarot Reversals book - for non-reversals (sic) often cut's though (Ace of Swords?) a lot of other's meanderings? Even to point out the obvious (thumbs up/down!) for the Ace of Wands. Anyway your thoughts have concentrated my mind more on the task. Started wondering what is going on behind the various RWS "hedges" - Hmmm, now that's a "gate card" too etc. Anyway Thanks! Perhaps NOT so dull, after all? :D Macavity

Diana	01 May 2003
Without the energy of the Aces, nothing can take place. They contain all the energy of the other cards. They are never ambiguous. But they are not static either. They are the ones that reach for the stars. But if they are read with their reversed meanings, then they can become egoistical, stubborn. But even when they are not reversed, they always remain pretty individualistic. They don't enjoy going along with the crowd, they like to get things done their way. They can be counted on to get the job done. Ace of Cups is perhaps the "weakest". The water element is a little bit too fluid for it. Ace of Swords and Ace of Batons are really strong characters. Ace of Coins is dynamic but not necessarily the fastest moving.

Nao	01 May 2003
My ideas about Aces are pretty traditional and common...so I don't know if it'll be interesting or not. =P Aces are seeds. They're the birth of something. Aside from seeing them as beginnings or the start of something new- I also see them as potentials. Getting an Ace in a reading sometimes tells me that a chance or a potential is there and/or coming- but one needs to make something out of it as well. Aces are like the root of a plant or the foundation of a building. If not cared for or continued upon, that's all it'll ever be...a beginning. It can be squenched right from the start, or it can be pushed along to bloom. Like a seed to a flower, it needs sufficient care and water to finally grow in to something that looks like a flower. The hand is like saying "Here's your chance...I offer you the potential. Are you going to grab it? Are you going to make something out of it? Are you going to continue along this path and take this journey?" Most people seem to always associate Aces as something positive...is there anyone who feels that Aces aren't good cards? Or are there cases where you've come across an Ace...and go "uh oh..."? How about Ace of Swords? Do you ever associate it as something like a rocky beginning or coming of something unstable? Or is it still something good?

Riversea	01 May 2003
In the World Spirit deck, the ace symbols are floating in front of a yoni shape, reinforcing the idea of the "birth" of the energy of that suit. I had troubles with the Aces until not very long ago. And I really am still most comfortable with the Ace of Wands. I have the Victoria Regina deck to thank for that. The wands in the VR deck are represented by fountain pens, and the ace is a... well a picture is worth a thousand words as they say!...http://www.thefool.com/vr/index.asp?viewcard=1w For me, this image shows what could be the start of a novel (inspiration/creativity), or it could be the writing of laws (power/drive/energy/industry). It is an image that is thrilling and deeply moving. So many possibilities can burst forth when that pen meets paper! As much as I love my Universal Waite, the Aces did nothing for me until I started looking at the Aces in other decks. Then they started to open up for me. Now if I could just find the deck to open up those pesky court cards.... ;) Actually, the Victoria Regina has helped me some there, too!

Macavity	01 May 2003
Ah, Diana, (Not of great consequence but) If I had to chose ONE card of ALL the cards and the ALL decks (Casablanca?) that vibrates with TANGIBLE energy, it would have to be the Ace of Wands: A living and veritable chunk of TREE! Yeah, that Gumpenberg "Soprafino"! Ahem, NATURALLY the Marseille is at the root of this for all this.... And, lest we forget, the Crowley Harris too... and... Macavity (remembering "not static" and looking at ALL these other deck suggestions) Covering my... erm "covering all bases"? :)

Umbrae	01 May 2003
Whoa…check out the Aces in the Medieval Scapini…

Strange2	01 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by azuremariposa envision, if you will, a giant pentacle...the giant pentacle is now a disc flying through the air...the giant disc is all about energy...movement...let's get things going it says... Yep, I have always thought of the Ace of Disks as... the Primal Frisbee :TAP ! Spinning and sent soaring by the hand of man/woman, yet always returning to Earth (ok, so sometimes they get stuck on rooftops :eek: ) .

jmd	02 May 2003
Apart from what has already been said in many wonderful ways, it is the sheer rawness of the elemental energy which comes to mind when I reflect on the Aces. It is as if they contain, within their own being, the 54 subsequent representations of that suit (each suit has 55 representations on the pips).

Diana	02 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by jmd It is as if they contain, within their own being, the 54 subsequent representations of that suit (each suit has 55 representations on the pips). As firemaiden would say: "Plaît-il?". I am sure you'll elaborate if I ask you nicely? Well, I'm asking you very nicely. Would you care for a cup of tea while you explain?

jmd	02 May 2003
... please. On the weakish side, black, no Suger thanks. Now let's see. Let's take the suit of Swords. The Ace has one, the two has two, the three has three, [...] the nine has nine, the ten has ten! If we count them all, this adds to 55. (I think the water's about to boil - shall I continue?)

jmd	02 May 2003
(Darjeeling, is it?) mmmm.. now, if we add all of these four suits together we have... 10 lots of 22 'tools'! 220 is also, incidentally, quite close to the Golden Angle... but that is undoubtedly the subject for another thread... thanks for the tea!

jmd	02 May 2003
How does this relate to the Aces? If one considers the Aces as the raw energy of the suit, as the monad containing the decad within itself, then the above can easily be expanded. The decad being thus related to the monad is not new, and was certainly evident even in late middle ages (I'll have to dig up a reference later).

Macavity	02 May 2003
Yeah, I DO like the idea of "containment" (Sounds vaguely quantum mechanical! :)) In my recent reading, it seems to be one favoured by Lon Milo Duquette in his "Chicken Qabalah" book. (And presumably other Kabbalists?) He sees the outermost (ultimate) Tarot container as the Fool, which, when more closely scrutinised, contains various subsets of the other cards, depending on division (or in my own concept: "resolution") selected. E.G. the 22 Major Arcana, OR alternatively the FOUR aces, with their elemental assignments and various other minor (joking) association such as I H V H etc. Each ACE (Fire, Water, Air, Earth) then becomes an elemental container for the FOUR courts of that suite (which is where the notion of Air of Fire comes in) Oh, nothing new, but LaMeD (heheh) has some nice diagrams of this, which are more memorable than mere tables? The aces also "contain" the minors (2-10) etc. He then goes on to illustrate the Golden Dawn correspondances of minors with the astrological Decans with some other rather nifty diagrams. But we digress... I sense JMD was simply looking at the Fool with highest possible "resolution"? :D Macavity (with some borrowed plumes)

skytwig	02 May 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Diana Without the energy of the Aces, nothing can take place. They contain all the energy of the other cards. They are never ambiguous. But they are not static either. They are the ones that reach for the stars. Wuhooooo! :laugh: And, they are the tools the Magician discovers; he, afterall, is the BIG ACE! Potential, abundance in a 'nutshell' waiting to be unleashed. Aces, to me, are huge YESes, saying, go for it, grab it by its base or handle or 'chunk of tree' (thank you Macavity, I love twigs and trees!) grab it and USE it! Create, manifest, change, grow, do, make, draw, love, think, develop, form, write....... it is ALL asking to be MORE... It is Life saying we can do it, not just because it is available, but because we have the POWER to do so. WE, the Magician Mind, being sent on our Journey of manifesting ........

ihcoyc	02 May 2003
I've always seen the Aces as having a relationship to the Sun as well as to the Magician. As the first in line, there's sort of a "ta-da" quality about them; they not only appear, they appear with a fanfare. The hands that carry the Sword and the Club from the heavens are one manifestation of this bigness. The Ace of Swords and the Ace of Clubs each have their own Latin mottoes in my mind's eye. The Ace of Swords goes with the Bedford flag, a picture of which was in a book I had when I was wee. This was a flag that was flown briefly during the American Revolution, I've forgotten when, where, or why. But I remember the Latin motto, VINCE AUT MORIRE - "Conquer or die!" The Ace of Clubs goes with a device that was prominently featured in a church I was made to attend when I was not much older. The church had all over its buildings and publications a heraldic device consisting of the Burning Bush from Exodus, surrounded by a garter upon which was written the motto, NEC TAMEN CONSVMEBATVR, "nevertheless, it is not consumed." I always think of this symbol when thinking of the Ace of Clubs. These aces have immediate associations from when I was very young. The Ace of Cups impresses by its very volume, and the Ace of Coins, by its centrality and symmetry. Some of the Aces in non-Marseille traditional decks have the suit emblems blazoned on flags carried by heraldic animals. The Ace of Wands is carried by a gryphon, Coins by a lion, Swords by a unicorn, and Cups by an antelope, in the 17th century Tarot de Paris. This "turns up the volume" on the Aces as well, and makes them seem more royal, triumphant, and solar.

galadrial	06 May 2003
I like the Aces in the Arcus Arcanum deck because the "hands" holding the objects are composed of the elements themselves. The water and air hands are even transparent. To me, this is almost like Britain giving its king a personal gift in the form of a sword (via the Lady of the Lake), it is as though the vast, sometimes chaotic, impersonal element has reached out to me with a specific, useable chunk of itself for my personal use.

The Making Aces Interesting? thread was originally posted on 01 May 2003 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.