Aces

My  local Tarot Meet Up group convenes tonight. In the spirit of the season, we are going to talk about the abundance cards in tarot. Our faithful organizer, Corrine Kenner, gave us a few suggestions to think about ahead of time. Some abundance-themed cards are: all of the aces, 3 and 9 of Cups, and 6 and 10 of Pentacles.

I always thought of the aces as the promise or possibility of abundance but not as abundance itself and as spring rather than fall, as I wrote in this article, Seasons of Tarot: Spring. So how do aces fit with the idea of abundance and/or giving thanks? I can think of at least two ways. First, aces are usually viewed as gifts from the universe (or god or goddess or the earth) and Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to giving thanks for the abundance of the earth and to enjoying the final bits of harvest before winter sets in.

It is also a time to think about the seeds planted earlier in the year and to see how they’ve grown and what fruit they’ve born. For me, I like to look back at the vows and plans I made around Yule/New Year’s Day and see how I did in nurturing the seeds I planted. So I would add the 7 of Pentacles to the list. How did I value and honor the seeds, gifts, and opportunities that I was given over the past year?

In the article link above, there are some spreads designed for exploring the energy of the aces. Just a few tweaks altered this one to make it more appropriate for the reflective quality of autumn.

Select a Major Arcana card that represents the theme, gift, or opportunity that came into you life over the past year and that you wish to explore now. Select and place that card and and the four aces as directed. Shuffle the rest of the deck and lay out cards 6 – 9. The phrase “this card” refers to the Major Arcana card you selected.

1. Select and place here the Major Arcana card that represents the theme, gift, or opportunity that came into your life this past year

2. Place the he Ace of Wands here

3. Place the Ace of Cups here

4. Place the Ace of Swords here

5. Place the Ace of Pentacles here

6. How did this card  find expression in your life spiritually?

7. How did this card  find expression in your life emotionally?

8. How did this card find expression in your life intellectually?

9. How did this card find expression in your life physically?

Bonus Spread

There is another spread that involves aces that I really like. It is the Four Aces Spread designed by Mark K. Greer. Although it is not necessarily about gratitude or abundance, I am sure you’ll enjoy it. I know I did!