Ace of Swords

The Ace of Swords is also known as the Root of the Powers of Air and is representative of the powers of thought, clarity and the world of ideas. As an Ace it holds tremendous power and potential, and has the ability to bring victory and success and also triumph over past difficulties.

The Sword is a metaphor for the double-edged power of the mind. Thoughts can build worlds, but they can also destroy them. It is not the Sword itself but the intent behind it. As Swords are ruled by Air, which is the most intangible of the Elements, the speed at which thoughts can change indicates that thoughts can be tricky and hard to grasp and therefore hard to control. So in order to control our thoughts, we need to be aware of our intent at all times - this is the key to managing your experience with the often troublesome Suit of Swords.

This card indicates that new ways of thinking and therefore new ways being are possible for you. There is a saying that goes "Change your thoughts, change your life" and this has the power to completely transform your experience. But there is a conflict inherent in this. In order for you to change your patterns of thinking, you will need to overthrow certain of your old beliefs, those that no longer serve you.

This is a difficult thing to do, because tied in with those old beliefs is your history, your relationships to others who hold the same beliefs, and your world-view in general.

However, the rewards for embarking on a new intellectual journey are great and will transform your life as you know it. It takes courage and fortitude and also faith in this new way of being, but the changes are initiated deep in your psyche and will play out, regardless of whatever resistance comes up.

A time when you will have unusual clarity of purpose - it is like a bolt from the blue that hits you right between the eyes, and it signifies your belief in the power that you have to put any setbacks or adversity behind you. It just takes a decision.

“I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones.” ― John Cage