Ace of Swords
Like all Aces, the Ace of Swords is a card of beginnings. This is the suit of thinking, so many times, the Ace of Swords represents new ideas. An Ace is a seed, an opportunity, one that must be acted on if you wish to capitalize on this opportunity.
This Ace can be telling you that you have hit on a great idea, one that you should put further development into and run with, or that a great idea is what is needed, it depends on how you have phrased your question. The Ace can be telling you that it is time to employ critical thinking, or that quick mental agility is necessary in the situation. Again, depending on the context of the question, it can be telling you that clear, sharp thinking is the order of the day, or that you are already employing this skill to your benefit.
If you are faced with a problem, this card is advising you that this one is to be solved with your mind. Use sharp, logical reasoning to cut through your obstacles. Mental focus and clarity of thought are what is needed to solve your dilemma. Many times this may lead to you thinking in a new way. Sometimes we need to leave a problem for a bit, and when we come back to it, we are able to attack it from a new point of view, or a fresh perspective. This can allow us to "cut away" any unnecessary beliefs, patterns of thought we may have been stuck in, or old ways of looking at things that are no longer serving us. This is an opportunity for a fresh start. The Ace of Swords can represent you finally having that "Aha!" moment that leads to a mental breakthrough, you are finally able to see your situation in a new light and find your solution!
Because the Ace of Swords is connected to the Suit of Air, I see it most closely associated with the Major Arcana card of Justice. There are several cards that are ruled by Air signs or planets, however the Justice card truly embodies similar principles as the Ace of Swords, specifically, this is the only Major Arcana Air card to feature a sword, and it is only one of two other cards in the deck (the other being the Queen of Swords) to feature a sword that stands straight and tall. The way that this card channels the message of Justice, is with the Swords association with truth, justice and power. The Sword shows the way of the truth, in the Ace, we are seeking the truth, and we are seeking what is right, or, Justice.
More importantly, this card is associated with Power, as is the entire suit of Swords. Whoever wields the Ace of Swords sits in the seat of power. It can cut through lies, and see to the heart of the matter. We seek the truth and justice with this sword, and demand that it be given. This is a card that I would associate with the law, and again, the connection to the Justice card. A lawyer is willing to go to battle for the truth, and you too, may be willing to gear up and go toe-to toe for a cause that you deeply believe in, or to defend an injustice for that matter. The difficulty in this card, is that, as the old saying goes, "with great power, comes great responsibility". The Ace of Swords is a very strong energy, and so too, is that of the person who uses it. It is extremely important that one takes great caution when this card shows up, not to get too caught up in a power struggle, or fighting for something, simply to win, because you can. If you are embodying the energy of the Ace of Swords, be certain that you are using it for the greatest good possible.
In personal matters, this card bodes well for work, and could imply you are beginning a new project that will show off your mental acuity, or have you progressing in a forward direction. In relationships, it's not really a card for love, but it could show that you are strongly attracted to the mind of another, that their level of intelligence, or how they think and speak are some things that you find attractive. There is nothing wrong with that! Look to other cards to see if this will progress into something also heartfelt, and with a deeper long term commitment, remember, an Ace is just the beginning.
Also, there is a bit of a timing element to this card, when it shows up, the time to act is now. This card calls for swiftness, a bit of urgency. If you wait too long to act on that idea, you will likely lose your opportunity. Make haste.
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Two of Swords>
Ace of Swords Reversed
In the Ace of Swords reversed, we see all kinds of difficulties among communications, ideas or the beginnings of all things mental. An Ace is the seed, the start of something, and when the Ace of Swords comes up reversed, it's usually telling you that now is NOT the time. If you insist on moving forward with your project, plans, ideas or thoughts, you will likely be met with resistance and difficulty at the least, flat out lies or opposition at the worst. At this time, it would be wise for you to back away from the situation.
If it is a solo project, you should put it on hold for now, until more information comes to light, or you have cleared some other things off of your plate to give it the mental attention it deserves. Sometimes we need to walk away from something for awhile in order to come back to it and see it with fresh eyes. If it involves another person, you would be very wise to disengage at this point. They could be trying to engage you in a power struggle, or there could be deception that has yet to become known. Whatever the case, the details are not clear, even if you think they are, and you would not be advised to move forward at this time.
Since Aces are about beginnings, this reversed Ace, first and foremost, can be showing difficulty with that in some way. It could be that you lack the focus and clarity to get your idea off the ground. It could be that you have not put sufficient time or energy into your idea to come up with a clear goal or plan to get you there.
It could be that there are other circumstances that you must address first, before you can begin to implement this particular idea or plan. It could be that you are confused about what it is that you really want, or what the best course of action is to get there. If you were traveling to a foreign location at night, you would have a very difficult time getting there without a lantern and a map. Ideas put into action are the same way. You must have a clearly identified goal, and a plan for achieving it, before you can get your idea off the ground. Be sure you know what it is you are really working for, before you try to implement plans and projects.
This card can also indicate mental exhaustion, lack of clarity, or outright deception. You could be in a situation where the truth is simply not clear. Either someone is outright lying, and deception is involved, or it could just be a misunderstanding. It could be that you simply don't have all of the information, and its just not a good time to try and make a decision. It could be that you have all of the information, but you are just on mental overload, and need to take a break to get a little mental space and clarity. Sometimes we need to let some information sink in and "percolate" in our subconscious for a little while, before a good solution just "comes to us". Seeing this card in relation to a question about the outcome of something can be a bit disheartening, as with the Justice reversed card, I don't feel that it indicates things will not go your way, but that it indicates that justice will not be served. Important facts may be missed, or important ideas not clearly communicated, or one way or another, you may feel that you were served an injustice.
This card, is also indicative of a time period in Astrology known as Mercury Retrograde. This is a time when our speedy little messenger planet of communications "appears" to be moving backwards from our vantage point on earth, and can wreak all kinds of havoc on our mental and communication faculties. You can read my article, The Magician, The Ace of Swords, and Mercury Retrograde here for Do's and Dont's, but if you see this card reversed, particularly in conjunction with the Magician reversed, you would be well advised to do a quick internet search to find out if we are currently under a Retrograde, as that happens approximately 3 times a year for about 3 weeks at a time, and you would be well advised to act under extreme caution in any Air related pursuit.
