The Ace of Swords - Cutting Through with the Tarot

Hit play to listen to an audio lesson, or scroll down to read the lesson in text form.

The Ace of Swords is the first card in the Suit of Swords.

Here are a few key things to know about the card:

In the tarot, Aces are typically associated with new beginnings, and the Swords are the suit representing our minds, our intellects, our thought patterns. When the card comes up in a reading, it’s often an invitation to consider the ways you can cut through old ways of thinking and start fresh. It could symbolise an external change - like presenting a bold new idea at work, or an internal one, in which you shift your own mindset so you can cut through negative or limiting beliefs.

In the Rider Waite Smith Tarot, the Ace of Swords is illustrated like this: a disembodied hand emerges from the grey sky, looming large over a mountain range, and clutching a sword. On the tip of the sword is balanced a bejeweled crown, and surrounding the blade are little gold confetti-like elements. These confetti are known as yods, and they often appear in the tarot as symbols of divine intervention and gift. Each of these symbols is powerful on their own, but taken together, they glitter with a sense of victory and mastery. They cut through the grey sky and charge forward with confidence and power.

More than anything, the Ace of Swords is a powerful illustration of what it means to see your ambitions, desires, and thoughts in a new, empowering light. The Ace of Swords might trigger you to look afresh at old problems and find new solutions, or help you forge ahead on something you’ve always thought about but never taken action on.

In your tarot journal, you’re asked to reflect on what this card means to you, now, in this moment, and what actions and thoughts it inspires in you. As you journal, pay attention to what you’re personally picking up in the card, but also consider what the key symbols and themes in the card might be telling you. What grey skies do you want to cut through right now? In what ways are you already victoriously paving new paths?

This mini-tarot lesson was brought to you by me, Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, founder of Pip Cards Tarot. I hope you gained a little context to help you continue reflecting on the card in your own way, and I’ll see you tomorrow for another mini-lesson.