Interpretation of Ace of Wands

Ace of Wands

Elements: Fire

Number : 1

Astrological Signs: N/A

Rider Waite Tarot

Tarot de Marseille

The word ‘Phallic’ is always related to this card because the wand in the picture is always straightly pointed to the sky. So, Wands always related to masculine traits. The Ace of Wands in Tarot de Marseille and Rider Waite Tarot is very similar: a floating hand is grasping a wand. The difference between them is in Tarot de Marseille the wand is emanating the fire and light in a very energetic  way but in Rider Waite tarot the wand is a bit milder. There is a very interesting view by Alexandre Jodorowsky on the Ace of Wands in Tarot de Marseille. He said, the hole on the top of wand is similar to the female sex organ. He gives the wand a androgynous characteristic. Though, female or male or both, Ace of Wands is full of energy. As you can notice the leaves on the Ace of Wands in Rider Waite tarot, it is an energy for things to growth. Both cards have a green color tone suggests the growth can coexist to nature. I think in the Rider Waite tarot, the hand is transferring the fire energy to the wand as you can see the thumb is up and the white light is illuminating from the hand, but this is not the case in Tarot de Marseille, which the wand is more powerful than the hand. Man or nature, who is in charge? It depends on the reader.

Thoth Tarot

The Ace of Wands in Thoth Tarot is very powerful. Instead showing a stick, Aleister Crowley shows a torch, combined with lighting bolts in the background. The color tone also turns green to blazing red, even though the lighting is slightly green. Looking at the flame of the torch, it is the ten sephiroth of the Tree of Life. Fire is related to intuition, inspiration, energy, power, the fire within yourself and the passion. It is fast and positive. Sometimes, fire related to our ancient instinct, the will to live. I think here the Ace of Wands in Thoth tarot express these ideas perfectly.

Osho Zen Tarot

The Osho Zen Tarot and the Voyager Tarot is very different from the traditional deck. In Osho Zen tarot, the card entitled ‘The Source’, illustrated by a red circle, like a mandala, a very balance picture. As I have mentioned above, fire element sometimes related to our ancient instinct, the card here means that when you can be yourself truly, you are like a energy fire ball emanating positive energy to others. The emanating style is not quite the same as you noticed in the Tarot de Marseille, which in a scattered way. A prefect circle is shown in Osho Zen Tarot. If all the Ace of Wands card mentioned above are extrovert, the Osho Zen Tarot is introvert, a passion that within your body.

Voyager Tarot

The Voyager Tarot has a hand in the middle. The image of the hand is like the one scanned by a electronic detector. James Wanless entitled this card ‘Illumination’ you can notice there are lots of pictures of nature illuminate by the hand in the middle. Flowers, grasses. moons, suns, clouds, stars, rainbows. They are all connected to the nature. What makes this card different from others is that the Ace of Wands in Tarot de Marseille, Rider Waite Tarot and Thoth Tarot is man-made wands, related to the dawn of human civilization. But the Ace of Wands in Voyager Tarot is trying to connect ourselves to the nature. It teaches us why living is beautiful. This is a message you can’t find in Osho Zen Tarot because it concentrates in inner world, but Voyager is trying to connect the inner and outer world.

In tarot reading, Aces are always pure energy, means the querent want to do something, but not necessary have been done because it is only pure energy, action is not yet carried out. However, it promises good opportunity still. Fire is a element related to passion, inspiration, intuition, goal. So, maybe the querent want to do something suddenly and don’t know why. He is just full of passion and energy without obvious reason. Yeah, just a passion to live, without reason, a dawn to be a human.