Ace of Swords

A clear thought cuts through. The moment you finally see it.

The picture

A hand comes out of a cloud, gripping a sword upright by the hilt, with a faint glow around the fist. A gold crown sits on the tip of the blade. An olive branch hangs from one side of the crown and a palm branch from the other. Six small golden drops fall through the air around the sword, and far below lies a line of bare mountains.

Upright

Each Ace holds its whole suit in one first, clean stroke. In Swords, that first stroke is a thought. The idea that arrives whole. The sentence that finally says what you mean. The clarity that comes after weeks of going round in circles.

The sword points straight up and wears a crown. When the mind is clear, it rules well. Once you can see something plainly you can decide, and once you have decided you can act.

Swords are the suit of air, and air carries words as well as thoughts. So this Ace can also be the conversation you need to have, the fact said cleanly and kindly, the contract read line by line before you sign.

A sword has two edges. Clarity is a gift, and it asks you to handle it with some care.

Reversed

Reversed, the blade points down and the crown hangs at the bottom of the card. I read this mostly as blocked: the insight is close and you cannot quite get hold of it. The thoughts go round and nothing lands. It can also be too much, a mind so sharp it cuts everything it touches, including the people you love.

To tell which, notice how your head feels. Foggy and circling points to blocked, and the cure is time, sleep, a walk, a page of writing to get it out of your head and onto paper. Sharp and itching for an argument points to too much. Put the sword down for an hour before you speak.

When it turns up

What do you already know, if you let yourself say it plainly?

If you would like the cards read against your own chart, my readings are here.

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