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BTP130: Exploring the Four Tarot Aces

tarot aces

I believe that the four Tarot Aces contain some of the most exciting energy in the deck.  To me, they each represent a seed of possibilities. Whether it’s wands, swords, cups, or rods the Aces have a whole journey within them. 

In this episode, I discuss what these important cards mean both individually and collectively. I’ll also go through some exercises on how you can use the Aces to manifest your true potential. 

In this episode, you’ll learn about:  

  • What the four Aces have in common and what the mean individually 
  • How each of the Tarot Aces can be interpreted and applied in your everyday life 
  • Exercises on how you can manifest their full potential 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 

INTRODUCTION 

You’re listening to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, and this is Episode 130: Exploring the Four Tarot Aces. 

Welcome to the Biddy Tarot Podcast, where you'll learn how to connect more deeply with your intuition and live an empowered and enlightened life with the Tarot cards as your guide. 

Listen as Brigit and her guests share their very best tips and strategies to help you read Tarot with confidence. Now, here is your host, Brigit Esselmont. 

WELCOME 

BRIGIT: Hello, and welcome back to the Biddy Tarot Podcast. As always, it’s my absolute pleasure to be talking with you all about Tarot. Now, today, we’re doing something a little bit different. We are diving into the actual Tarot cards, would you believe! 

I wanted to focus today on the Aces. 

The Aces really contain the most exciting energy, I find, and I wanted to really focus on these four Aces so that we can discover what they mean collectively, and what each Ace represents to us as well. 

Now, I also see the opportunity here with the Aces that we can actually do something with the Aces. We can use them to manifest their true potential. We’re going to play with a few activities as we go as well, so I hope you're going to enjoy today’s episode. 

EXPLORING THE FOUR ACES 

Let’s start with… 

WHAT DO THE ACES REALLY REPRESENT? 

Now, of course, in the simplest form, the Aces are the very beginning of the numbered cards. There’s Ace, Two, all the way through to the Ten. The Ace is kind of like a one, but I find it kind of interesting that they didn’t just call it card #1. It’s the Ace card. 

To me, this is actually a little bit more like a zero, just as the Fool is the zero card as well, because Aces, to me, represent the seed of potential. It’s the little seed that is sitting under the ground, and it has just started to sprout, but it hasn’t truly broken through the ground and come into its fullest being. It’s just that little seed of potential—the potential of what could happen next. It really hasn’t fully blossomed yet. It hasn’t come into being. It hasn’t fully manifested. It shows potential and possibility, but it’s up to you to take that potential and possibility and turn it into something. 

For me, it really is like a little seed or even like a baby. With babies, I’m just amazed! You think that there is just one egg and one little sperm—tiny, tiny things that we can’t even see with our eyes—and they come, they meet, and from that little moment of those two things meeting, there is a whole human being. 

There is a whole human story, experience, a body, cells… Everything is there that is needed for this human being to come into being. I find it amazing, and yet its size is so tiny and small. 

This little thing starts growing inside of the mummy’s uterus, and it grows into this tiny baby that is born, and then the baby turns into a real human, an adult! It’s just fascinating. 

To me, that is very much what the Aces are about: It’s that tiny, tiny, little seed that begins and has the potential of a full journey inside of it. 

But that full journey needs to really be able to unfold. 

Think about seeds. They start to sprout, and they might turn into a small seedling. But we’ve got to put water on it. We’ve got to give it sunlight. We’ve got to give it love and attention and energy. That way, it will grow. 

It’s not guaranteed that it will grow into something—that’s the important thing to know here. 

It’s not guaranteed, but it has everything it needs to be successful, and now it’s up to you to allow that success to happen. 

I also think with the Aces that they’re very much about the purest form of energy of each of the suits. It’s before they’re really coming into being. It’s before they’ve turned into something. But it’s this absolute purity of what each of the suits represent, and we’re going to go into a little bit more detail about what each of the Aces and their respective suits mean. 

Let’s get into each of the Aces. 

I want to do this in a special way. I’ve got the Lumina Tarot deck in front of me. To me, the Lumina just really represents the core essence of the more traditional Rider-Waite. I’m going to have the Rider-Waite in front along with the Lumina. The Lumina is a modern expression of the core essence of the Rider-Waite deck, and it’s a beautiful deck to contrast against, again, that more traditional Rider-Waite deck. 

So, with that in mind, then I want to go through each of these Aces and talk about their energy and then what you can do with that energy to bring more of it into your life, and to bring that potential into your life. 

Let’s start with the Ace of Cups. 

Do you know what’s funny? This is a little bit of a side note. I always go through the suits in alphabetical order because that’s the way that I think, for me, that’s very logical and rational. 

But then I started wondering, “Is there an actual order to the suits?” 

I started looking online and thinking, “OK, is there a rule here?” I’m not very good with rules, by the way. I realized that there’s probably not really any specific rules. It depends on who you want to follow. 

Some people like to look at it from the elements and what makes sense in the elemental order. 

Others might follow the [inaudible [00:06:27] kind of order of the suits. 

For me, I’m fairly practical, and I like to go by the alphabetical order of the suits. If you’ve ever been wondering, “Is there a right order to the suits?” I’m going to say no. I think it’s up to you how you connect with your Tarot deck, as with everything. I think there are no real rules in Tarot. 

So, if you’ve ever been wondering about the suit order, now you know! That’s my perspective anyway. 

All right, so let’s start with the Ace of Cups. 

ACE OF CUPS 

Now, in the Rider-Waite, we see a beautiful Cup. It’s overflowing with water, and that water is that representation of the water element that we see with the Cups. Also, in the Ace of Cups in the Lumina Tarot, we see another very ornate Cup, but instead of having water coming out, there’s this beautiful triangle with a third eye in the middle. I’m going to talk a little bit about how that’s a little bit different to the water. 

The water is really that expression of emotion, and the Ace of Cups is about the potential of emotion, the potential of feelings, the potential of emotional connection. 

Now, what’s interesting is it’s not the Two of Cups. The Two of Cups is where we have discovered our emotions, we’re seeing the emotions of another, and they’re coming together in a joining. The Ace of Cups is very much about what is happening from within you, because it’s almost like that one or zero, depending on how you want to look at it; it’s not the Two. 

Sometimes Ace of Cups traditionally can be related to a new relationship, but I see it more as this welling up of emotion within you, and that’s the important thing. 

Now, the element of water can also pertain to creativity, so it may be that you're feeling your creative potential is starting to well up inside of you, almost like it cannot be contained, because that water in the Cup on the Ace of Cups on the Rider-Waite is overflowing. It can’t be contained anymore. Your emotions can’t be contained anymore. Your love for something can’t be contained. Your creativity and so on… 

Just feel that bubbling up. 

Now, with the Lumina Tarot, instead of the water, we have the third eye. For me, this takes us more into an intuitive place. We’ve talked about emotion, and we’ve talked about creativity, and when you bring those two together, it can actually take us up a next level into the intuition. From the Lumina, the Ace of Cups can talk about that intuitive insight, that intuitive potential. 

Perhaps you're just starting to have that sensation that you are an intuitive being, that there is this possibility and potential that you have intuitive insight into the world. And, of course, we all have that, but this is it coming into conscious awareness. 

MANIFEST THE ACE OF CUPS ENERGY 

Now, the neat thing with the Ace of Cups, if you want to manifest this energy, I recommend that you pull out the Ace of Cups from your deck and just really sink into the imagery of the card. Just notice what you notice. Gaze at the card. See what really stands out to you. Just really drink in all of that imagery, the story, the symbolism into your subconscious mind. 

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Next, I want you to really connect with that pure potential of the Ace of Cups, and start to think about: 

  • How can you bring pure love and compassion into this new journey that is emerging? 
  • How can you open yourself up to give and receive love? 
  • How can you express your whole self fully and authentically? 

Really dive into that card. And particularly with the Lumina, how can you start to open your mind up to the intuitive insight that is now available to you? Use this card to connect in with that pure potential energy of the Ace of Cups. 

Let’s now move on to the Ace of Pentacles. 

ACE OF PENTACLES 

Now, the Ace of Pentacles in the Rider-Waite deck shows a beautiful little clouded hand holding a coin in the foreground, and in the background is a hedge and an archway, and then even behind that are some hills. 

The Ace of Pentacles, to me, really represents the potential of manifesting something, the potential of bringing something into being, that we can make something real. Often, because it’s the Pentacles, it’s associated with financial gain or opportunity. It might be a business opportunity. It’s basically to be able to make something real, tangible. You can see it. 

Now, in the background, we see that archway, and then we see the mountains, which shows you that, look, the potential here is huge. However, you will also have a journey to travel, and it’s important that you are ready and prepared and willing to go on that journey. 

This isn’t just going to be an easy journey. It’s just like when you start a business. It’s not like that business just suddenly pops out of nowhere and “Oh, yay! Now I have a business that’s just grown into a million-dollar business.” That doesn’t happen. It takes hard, hard work, so the invitation is for you: Are you ready to embrace this journey? 

Now, as I look at the Lumina Tarot, we’re going to see a hand, but this time, the hand is in more of an upright position. Behind it shines these rays of light. In fact, there’s even the different moon cycles showing on this card. And at the bottom of the card are some flowers and what look like grapes perhaps, and I see this as a card of, again, possibility, particularly for abundance and this connection into natural cycles. 

We’ve got to remember that the Pentacles are not just about money and finance and business and career and work and all those sorts of things, but it’s also our connection to the earth, so this shows us that we have a possibility of connecting in with more of the natural cycles to manifest our goals. I really like the extra layer that this card brings. 

I mean, I’ve just recently had a chat with Ezzie Spencer. I’ve got to remember exactly what the episode number is, but just recently, she was on the podcast talking about her concept of Lunar Abundance and how we can use the moon cycles to set intentions and manifest those intentions. 

The Lumina Tarot in particular really speaks to that and that opportunity to really bring things into manifestation by tapping into the natural cycles and connecting in with the earth energy—super powerful. 

Now let’s get into the manifesting energy of the Ace of Pentacles. 

MANIFEST THE ACE OF PENTACLES ENERGY 

Again, if you pull the card out of your deck (or if you’re out for a run, just bring it up in your mind what you remember of the Ace of Pentacles) and just connect in with the energy of this card. Look at the symbols and look at the imagery, and just see what sinks into your mind. 

As you look at this card, think about: 

  • How can I bring my connection to the earth, my connection to the natural cycles of life—maybe the moon cycles, maybe just simply being in nature—to manifest my goals? 
  • What new opportunities are emerging that will help me start new endeavours? 
  • What can I bring into being at this time? 
  • What is coming into fruition? 
  • Am I ready for the journey that follows? Am I ready to say yes to this, knowing that I’m also saying yes to being committed and saying yes to working hard and going along with the journey, even though it might be a tough ride? 

Let’s now focus on the Ace of Swords. 

ACE OF SWORDS 

Now, in the Rider-Waite, we see another clouded hand—this time, holding the sword high up into the air. There’s a crown and a wreath, and there’s this beautiful feeling of success and victory. Even though it’s only just begun (we’re at an Ace, not at the Ten), there’s this idea of “Yes, I can make something successful!” 

If you think about the Swords, they’re very much about the intellect, our thoughts, so the Ace of Swords is often about a breakthrough with a clarity of thought where we’re like, “I get it! Yes, let’s do it!” Swords are very active, too. 

It might even be that you wake up one morning with absolute clarity of insight about what you want to do for the rest of the year. Or “I’m going to change my career, and I know exactly what it is I need to do.” Or “I’ve got a whole new idea and a whole new concept in my mind about spirituality and how everything fits together.” It’s that amazing moment when all your thoughts come together and create something absolutely new, and the feelings of success, victory, optimism, and being ready to take action. 

Now, again, the success and the victory are not guaranteed—that’s the case with all of the Aces. It’s simply that the potential is there, and now it is up to you to take action, particularly with the Ace of Swords to manifest that potential. 

Now, with the Lumina Tarot, it’s interesting because the Sword is now pointing downwards instead of upwards. To me, this is almost grounding the energy. The Ace of Swords (or the suit of Swords in particular) is very action oriented, but we know that, say, with the Knight of Swords reversed in particular, if we take too much fast action without that necessary grounding, we can end up doing things that we don’t necessarily want to do, or that aren’t necessarily in our highest good. 

I see with the Lumina Tarot, with the Sword pointing down, is that grounding of our ideas, of bringing that in, embodying it in some way, before we take action. So, we might be super inspired about something, but it’s “OK, let’s just ground it down again before we move forward.” 

There’s also some beautiful sacred geometry on this card, which to me reflects this idea that everything is coming into alignment, and everything has its place. Some of the lines of this cards are thick, and others are dotted, so some of the things haven’t yet be put into motion. Some things are predetermined, but other things are now up to you as you take action. The Ace of Swords is a very interesting card. 

Let’s do a small exercise to connect in with this energy. 

MANIFEST THE ACE OF SWORDS ENERGY 

If you have the card in front of you, put it in front of you and, again, drink in the images and the symbols. See what stands out to you. What do you notice as you look at this card? What energy do you feel? 

Then I want you to think about: 

  • What can you do to gain mental clarity? 
  • What is this breakthrough moment that is coming to you? 
  • How can you get clarity with your new journey? 
  • How can you communicate this clarity to others? 
  • How can you ground it down so that it is a robust idea before you take action on it? 

Wonderful! Let’s now move into our last Ace, and this is the Ace of Wands. 

ACE OF WANDS 

Now, on the Rider-Waite deck, again, we have a clouded hand holding a Wand up toward the sky. It’s basically a stick with leaves on it, and the leaves are sprouting from the Wand, and they’re actually starting to fall down to the ground. In the background, we have a castle and a few more mountains—again, another symbol that these things take work. They take time, effort, and energy. We have this seed of potential, but we now need to do the work in order for that potential to really come through. 

In the Lumina, it’s very similar imagery. We’ve got the hand holding up the Wand, which has a slightly different shape, and in the background are some beautiful purples and pinks, and there’s a little bit of light radiating around the Wand. 

The Ace of Wands is very much about this seed of inspiration. The Ace of Swords… Sometimes people get it a little bit confused: What’s the difference between the Ace of Wands and the Ace of Swords? 

Well, the Ace of Swords is more about the clarity of thought, whereas Ace of Wands is more about the inspiration, this idea. It’s almost the energy and motivation that comes with that particular level of potential. 

Particularly with the Lumina having that little bit of light around the Wand, there’s the idea that this almost divinely inspired. This inspiration has come to you through a source that you can’t necessarily label. It’s like it’s just popped in your mind. It’s those times where you feel perhaps intuitively called to something, to do something, to make a difference in some way, to start a new project. But it’s come to you in a way that you can’t really explain. It’s more through the energy, the motivation, that feeling that “Yes, this is what I need to do!” I find the Ace of Wands a really beautiful energy that really taps into that idea of this seed of potential. 

MANIFEST THE ACE OF WANDS ENERGY 

Now, when you want to connect in with this energy, take the card out of your deck if you can, or picture it in your mind. Again, just look at the imagery and the symbols in this card. 

Connect in with that Wand and think about: 

  • What is this new source of inspiration that’s coming to you? 
  • How can you open your mind up to the new sources of inspiration that are available to you now? 
  • How can you connect into your innate wisdom, the universal wisdom so that you are ready to receive whatever messages are out there for you? 
  • How can you channel this beautiful, intuitive insight into something real and something meaningful, doing it from that place of energy and motivation? 

I hope that’s been helpful for you. I think these Aces are absolutely beautiful in terms of tapping into your potential. Particularly if you're at the start of a new project, I always recommend that you pull out all of the four Aces and ask yourself, “Which Ace is really going to support me in this new journey?” Have that Ace with you so that it is helping you to connect to that certain seed of potential that you are bringing into being in that particular project. I think you’ll find that it has a really strong and powerful and beautiful energy that will help you out. 

WRAP-UP 

That is it for today. Now, of course, if you want to really deep dive into the Tarot cards, then I highly recommend my online training program Master the Tarot Card Meanings. You will learn about each of the 78 Tarot cards. But better still, you’ll discover how to create a personal and intuitive connection with the Tarot cards. 

This is not just about me telling you what they mean. It’s about me giving you the skills so that you can discover what these cards mean for you. And in that way, you can use them in much more powerful ways, not just in your Tarot readings but also in your life. Manifesting with the energy of the Tarot cards is just an enlivening and beautiful experience. 

To find out more about that program, go to BiddyTarot.com/MTCM. 

I also want to invite you to check out the Biddy Tarot Community, which will be opening up its doors very soon, if not right now, depending on when you're listening to this. 

To check out the Biddy Tarot Community, go to BiddyTarot.com/Community. 

It’s a beautiful place with over 1,000 members who are all actively talking about Tarot. We are sharing notes. We are discovering new things with the cards. Every month, I am running a Masterclass, and we have some beautiful bundles that will help you along your Tarot journey. There are heaps of resources, tutorials, and videos, plus you get the opportunity to practice your skills inside of the Free Tarot Reading platform. 

Check it out at BiddyTarot.com/Community. 

Again, if it is on a waitlist, make sure you sign up for that waitlist. If it’s open—we do open the doors every now and then—make sure you make the most of that opportunity. 

That is it for now. I hope you have an awesome week ahead, and I look forward to connecting with you again very soon. Bye for now! 

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