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THE ACE OF CUPS
"The Root of the Powers of Water
DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM
An Angelic hand emerges from a grey cloud and offers a golden
cup from which five living streams of water emerge and flow
downwards towards a patch of lotus blossoms resting on the
surface of a body of water. Tiny droplets separate themselves from
these streams and also descend like a nourishing rain upon the
blossoms floating on top of the water. These are the waters of
emotion, imagination and dream that dwell within the self. Above
the cup the Holy Feminine Spirit personified as a white dove is
seen descending from on high holding a white solar disk grasped
within her beak that is inscribed with an equal armed cross.
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MEDITATION
Cups express our relationship with the maternal, passionate and
spiritual aspects of the emotional life represented by the water
element and signify love, emotion, friendship, pleasure and
imagination - the depths of the inner self whose waters nourish
every human life. These waters are sanctified by the creative
imagination and flow out through the five senses nourishing the
lotus blossoms floating on the sea of eternal consciousness.
INTUITIVE CLOUDS
When The Ace of Cups is revealed Upright in your reading, its
meaning(s) may correspond to: a positive response to your inquiry;
a new potential for love; achieving romantic happiness; being in
touch with your own emotions; dwelling in the house of the true
heart; nurturing a new bond of friendship; a potential for deeper
intimacy or a serious emotional involvement; exploring a deeper
emotional connection with someone close to you; being more
aware of the depths of your own inner self; receiving a gift of
grace; nourishing your creative imagination.
When The Ace of Cups is revealed Reversed in your reading, its
meaning(s) may correspond to: a negative response to your
inquiry; falsehood in love; a lack of potential for true intimacy;
being motivated by selfish egotism; dwelling in the house of a
false heart; an avoidance of love; emotional stagnation; finding
disappointment in love; unhappiness; loneliness; dissatisfaction;
emotional instability in a relationship; deceit in love; sexual
betrayal; sham emotion; a distrust of your intuition; avoiding
intimacy and the potential it brings for real love.
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THE ACE OF SWORDS
"The Root of the Powers of Air"
DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM
A radiant Angelic hand emerges from a bulbous grey cloud
holding on tightly to an erect two edged sword, a symbol of the
mind and intellect. At its pointed end hovers a golden crown, a
symbol of mental clarity from which hangs suspended the olive
branch of peace signifying success and victory and the palm leaf of
suffering signifying hardship and defeat. Six golden droplets float
in mid air beside the sword; three beside each edge of the blade
underneath both the olive branch and palm leaf. The hand and the
sword appear to float alone in the midair amid a barren and lonely
mountainous landscape composed of both icy and stone terrain.
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MEDITATION
The suit of Swords is associated with the Air element and
expresses our relationship with thought, mental development and
strife. This suit teaches us the need to develop our personal mental
faculties and to utilize them in benevolent service to others and not
turn them to evil or destructive ends for the sword may be used
either to create or to destroy. It also teaches us that victory or
defeat not only applies to the challenges we may face on our path
but also as to how the journey of our life ultimately turns out.
Clarity, truth, honesty and justice should always guide the sword
cutting through illusion and finding the right way move forward.
INTUITIVE CLOUDS
When The Ace of Swords is revealed Upright in your reading, its
meaning(s) may correspond to: a potential victory in the matter of
your inquiry; the pursuit of a new creative vision; a powerful force
of love; a new beginning waiting before you; a time to move
forward with your plans; following an original creative vision; a
source of new inspiration entering your life; remaining open to
new creative possibilities and potentials; a need to think logically
and face the facts of the matter; cultivating greater clarity of mind
in order to effectively understand your situation.
When The Ace of Swords is revealed Reversed in your reading,
its meaning(s) may correspond to: a potential defeat in the matter
of your inquiry; romantic failure; attempting to win at too high of a
cost; being blind to the truth of your situation; business success
coming but disaster following closely behind; the use of power
and position for destructive or evil ends; triumph turning into
hardship and defeat; mental suffering caused your actions; a
powerful force of hate; indulging a taste for tyranny; foolishly
engaging in ruinous conflict; being blind to the truth; too many
obstacles preventing any hope of success; pursuing that which will
become a hollow victory; achieving a glorious conquest but with
disastrous results.
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THE ACE OF PENTACLES
"The Root of the Powers of the Earth"
DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM
Against a grey sky a golden pentacle is offered in the palm of a
radiant hand that emerges from a cloud and appears suspended in
mid air amidst the beauty of a sheltered garden setting. Lilies grow
in the lawn below and a golden road leads to a distant mountaintop
that is framed by an opening in a flowering hedge. The Ace of
Pentacles symbolizes the root force and creative potential of the
Earth element. It is the matrix from which the potential of the
Earth energy emerges and expands into the suit of Pentacles.
MEDITATION
The suit of Pentacles relates to the Powers of the Earth. Pentacles
express our relationship with money, business and the material
aspect of life. They give us insight into how to maintain our
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worldly status and security and how our spiritual purpose interacts
with our material life. How well we mesh our material success
with our spiritual development shapes the path of our destiny as
human individuals.
INTUITIVE CLOUDS
When The Ace of Pentacles is revealed Upright in your reading,
its meaning(s) may correspond to: a favorable atmosphere
surrounding your inquiry; a potential for material security and
prosperity;
improvement
in
your
financial
or
personal
circumstances; the right time to move forward with your plans;
economic succe
ss arriving soon; a time of increased prosperity;
substantial material or financial gain; increased success and a
greater sense of happiness; a potential for a successful personal
relationship; a need to focus on tangible results instead pursuing
shaky dreams.
When The Ace of Pentacles
is revealed Reversed in your
reading, its meaning(s) may correspond to: an unfavorable
atmosphere surrounding your inquiry; a lack of material security
and prosperity; a fear of financial failure; your well laid plans
coming undone; a lost business opportunity; entering a period of
economic instability; an unsuccessful business or personal
relationship; not
putting forth sufficient effort to succeed; your
plans coming undone; a time of want approaching; a loss of
financial balance and control; events not going your way; the fear
of making a false start; unhappiness and discontent; material or
financial loss; a need to put the brakes on your reckless spending;
confronting your runaway debt; greed beginning to take control of
your life.
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The Twos
TWOS
Twos represent polarization and an inherent movement towards a
reunion of the polarities. These polarities as revealed in a reading
may be complimentary but more often than not are in conflict or
under tension and striving for balanced expression. In the Two of
Wands we witness the polarities of ambition and controlled
growth; in the Two of Cups those of sexual desire and emotional
commitment; in the crossed Swords, exists the tension between the
logical and moral consciousness and finally the Juggler, who
balances both Providence and circumstance while sailing the
stormy seas of life.
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THE TWO OF WANDS
The Lord of Dominion
Mars in Aries
DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM
A handsome merchant dressed in a red hat and brown robes looks
out towards the sea from the roof of his manor house. The last ship
of his merchant fleet has set sail on a trading mission to distant
lands. In his right hand he holds a small globe of the world
symbolizing his great ambition to literally “hold the whole world
in his hands.”To his right a flowering Wand is affixed by a ring to
the parapet wall while in his left hand he holds an identical Wand,
the symbol of his lofty ambitions for the future. Below the top of a
cubic stone pedestal appears an image of two white lilies and two
red roses lying at the tips of an equal armed cross. In him is a fiery
certainty that he will realize his ambition and attain dominion as
his powerful will admits no thought of failure impeding the
realization of his ambition.
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MEDITATION
In the Two of Wands the power of the planet Mars informs the
Sign of Aries. In the ancient tradition Mars was considered to be
the ruler of Aries and was its natural home as the Aries energy
most closely corresponds to the aggressive nature of Mars. This
planet is often wrongly associated with war and violence due to its
namesake as Mars was the Roman god of war. From a modern
point of view Mars may be more correctly characterized as the
“vital natural energy”, the impelling life force; that aggressive
animal will manifesting itself in human consciousness as ambition
and the drive to succeed. The sign of Aries represents the principal
of activity and imparts an especially powerful energetic and
dynamic character to Mars and invokes an atmosphere of growth
fueled by ambition. It is through our partnership with this inner
Mars energy that we move forward and eventually succeed in the
realization of our ambitions.
INTUITIVE CLOUDS
When The Two of Wands is revealed Upright in your reading, its
meaning(s) may correspond to: an ambitious enterprise leading to
success; demonstrating strength of will; prosperity gained through
hard work; a potential for success in an intimate relationship;
seizing a profitable opportunity before it passes you by; an
opportunity to make more money; a chance for increased economic
prosperity; a opportunity for advancement in your career; personal
ambition realized through hard work; exercising courage and
strength of will; valuing and embracing your enterprising spirit;
boldly
seizing
an opportunity before you; having the courage
to go forward with your ambitious plans; working hard to attain
greater
personal
influence in your career or
business
relationships; being willing to go where no one has dared go
before.
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When The Two of Wands is revealed Reversed in your reading,
its meaning(s) may correspond to: failed ambition; succumbing to
weakness of purpose; a lack of success in an enterprise; no
potential for an intimate relationship; potential financial losses;
unforeseen setbacks occurring in your project; succumbing to pride
or excessive ambition; exhibiting weakness of will or a lack of
drive; an unnatural love of power; a failure to formulate clear and
attainable goals; a lack of determination; lost courage, a lack of
initiative; having no passion for the task at hand; passing by a great
opportunity; unseen
treachery at work in your business
environment; a good beginning eventually going bad; once
favorable circumstances turning against you; a need to veil your
ambitions for the present; an advisory to wait for the right time
before proceeding with your plans.
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THE TWO OF CUPS
The Lord of Love
Venus in Cancer
DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM
A young man and a maiden offer each other the cups of their
mutual emotional commitment. Between them hovers a staff
around which two serpents entwine. Above the staff hovers the
lion of sexual passion which has taken wing and fills them with the
desire to participate in Nature’
s procreative power. The lovely lady
is dressed in the colors of the High Priestess reflecting the deep
emotional nature of the Feminine while the man is robed in the
fashion of the Fool, reflecting the airy intellectual quality of the
Masculine. The young man wears a crown of pomegranates and
upon the head of the maiden rests a laurel crown – each now
compliments the other by acknowledging their partners nature
within them.
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MEDITATION
The passion and desire of Venus acts within the caring and
nurturing waters of Cancer and creates a bond of love that leads to
harmonious
human
interactions
in
our
intimate
personal
relationsh
ips. Our capacity for love and relationship as well as our
capacity for pleasure and enjoyment rest upon our ability to give
and receive love based on mutual sincerity, respect and trust. The
watery power of love reflects the highest manifestation of the Holy
Feminine from which we can draw strength and attain renewal in
our daily lives.
INTUITIVE CLOUDS
When The Two of Cups is revealed Upright in your reading, its
meaning(s) may correspond to: finding real love; dwelling in the
house of the true heart; harmony and cooperation in a relationship;
a harmonious love relationship; a powerful mutual attraction that
could evolve into true love; a successful business partnership; the
right choice of a career mentor; a profitable financial relationship;
having a sense of trust in your relationship; a need for emotional
balance between you and your new lover; the need to forge a
stronger emotional bond between you and your partner; striving for
emotional sincerity in a relationship; a favorable atmosphere in
which to begin moving closer to someone; making a commitment
to a stronger spiritual bond in your relationship.
When The Two of Cups is revealed Reversed in your reading, its
meaning(s) may correspond to: false love revealed; dwelling in the
house of the false heart; quarrels and conflict undermining your
relationship; a lack of sincere feeling; an ill fated romance;
unfaithfulness
or
infidelity;
self
deception
in
a
business
relationship; exploitation in a
mentoring
relationship; a
dishonest financial relationship; a lack of personal commitment to
your lover; a sense of mutual mistrust in your marriage; unwanted
passion; emotions gone sour; a possible need for a trial separation;
a neglect of personal growth in your
relationship; lust
masquerading as love.
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THE TWO OF SWORDS
The Lord of Peace Restored
Moon in Libra
DESCRIPTION AND SYMBOLISM
A young and blindfolded woman sits on a hard stone bench with