Ace of Staves

Fire in Kether ~ Potential of Will ~ Vision

Metaphysics. This is the first beginning, the primal event of spirit coming into being. Fire is the spirit, the will, the drive to do. Without it, there is no life, no purpose, no direction or meaning. Every moment in time, the spirit is sustained and revitalized by an influx of divine energy. The ace of staves is a force that springs from the eternal. It knows no time, and so is always present.

The ace of staves is also a reminder that the spirit that moves us is the spirit that moves the cosmos. In the form of primal mystery depicted here, it knows nothing of the individual will, or of one fragment of creation battling another. It is simply the driving force of consciousness, the spirit of life that pervades and sustains all that is.

Life is a gift, a precious mystery delivered from a source beyond our knowledge or comprehension. Why is there something, rather than nothing at all? The philosophers ask. The ace of staves is the answer, and also the enigma. It is the cusp between being, which is all that we know, and non-being, which is inconceivable. Contemplating the possibility of such a boundary is as far as the human imagination can reach toward the divine. We cannot explain being in terms of anything more basic, for it is the basic reality of which everything else is a part. We can only marvel.

Psychology. Although we cannot conceptualize or analyze the mystery that this card represents, we can nevertheless be open to its presence and come to welcome its inevitable outgrowths. Seize the day, for destiny is rewritten anew each morning, and each hour. The ace of wands calls our attention to this process, and alerts us to the new beginnings that are contained in each instant of time, as seeds about to sprout and grow. Our only choice is to either honor its simplicity, or bury it under the debris of thoughts and emotions. The appearance of the card suggests it is time to do the former.

Events. The potential of the spirit to open new directions is something we generally recognize only in retrospect. The ace of staves is not an event, but that which brings all events to life. It cannot be associated with this or that happening, or with a particular state of mind. It is always with us, so long as life exists.

Return to Tarot entry page

Return to Telperion Productions entry page

Copyright © 1998 Tom Tadfor Little