The minor arcana of the tarot consists of pips (numbered cards) and court cards (pages, knights, queens and kings) belonging to four different suits. The suits- Pentacles/Disks, Cups/Chalices, Wands/Rods, and Swords/Blades each represent an element which is honored, invoked, and used in various systems of magic. Each card shows a picture representing the symbol for each element, which is often depicted as a ritual tool used in magical workings to direct the energy of the spell or ritual, and to represent it's corresponding element.
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Pentacles represent the element of Earth, the direction North, and the physical realm including the body, material wealth, and creature comforts.
Cups represent the element of Water, the direction West, and emotions including love, friendship, and contentment.
Wands represent the element of Fire, the direction South, and active movement, sometimes forceful, expressed through physical effort.
Swords represent the element of Air, the direction East, and the powers of the mind including logic, planning, and organization.
(These correspondences are those which I've used for the past forty-odd years; other practitioners and systems of magic may use different correspondences).
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The numbers on the cards indicate the presence and influence in your life of the thing being represented; even numbers indicate a period of stability, odd numbers indicate changes and movement. Aces, then, are completely new things showing up in your life.
The Ace of Pentacles can represent a gift, grant, or bequest of money or something of value. It can indicate a new and possibly unexpected abundance of wealth and all the good, life-enhancing things that it can make possible. The Ace of Pentacles reversed warns against the careless or malicious misuse of a windfall, or the squandering of what should be a blessing.
The Ace of Cups speaks of new relationships, of uplifting friendships and fulfilling love between partners who are right for each other. It can indicate an existing relationship blossoming into something much deeper and more meaningful. Reversed, the Ace of Cups is all about emotional chaos and drama; what may have seemed like a promising relationship may devolve into an unhappy and unhealthy attachment.
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The Ace of Swords can represent a brilliant new idea or the discovery of a solution to a dilemma which has been troubling you. The idea or means of solving the puzzle are things in which emotions have little to no influence; this would be a situation in which clear and logical reasoning will serve you best. In the reverse position this card warns us that we've almost arrived at the resolution we seek but aren't quite there yet; it's in our best interests to slow down and be certain that we've truly thought things through.
The Ace of Wands invites us to take action to achieve a goal or seize an opportunity. A stroke of luck or perhaps good karma makes it possible to grasp a cherished dream and make it our reality. There will be effort involved, possibly hard work such as we haven't done before. But the power to make things happen is ours. In some instances, this card can indicate a pregnancy or child being born. Reversed, the Ace of Wands indicates misgivings; the career opportunity may entail moving to a different city, or responsibilities we aren't sure we want to take on. The pregnancy may be a difficult one, or not be entirely welcome.
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Thank you for reading. This is an open thread, all topics are welcome.