Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Tarot For Kids; Ace of Swords

The Whimsical Tarot by Dorothy Morrison is a kid-friendly deck of tarot cards based on Nursery-Rhymes and Fairy Tales.  It is a great Tarot deck for young children, or for the young at heart!  Since our Elemental Studies are geared towards lessons and exercises we can do with our children, I thought that I would share some info from this card deck as we go along.  (On a side note, in this deck the suit of swords is said to represent Fire.  Different decks, depending on their authors and creators may sometimes alternate the association of Swords with Air or Fire, and Wands with Fire or Air.  Even though this deck's book describes this suit to be associated with the Fire Element, I find their meanings ring true for Air Element as well.  For the purpose of solidarity in our studies, we will study the suit of Swords in this deck, despite the differences in the author's view of elemental correspondence.)

Before you begin, you may want to go over The Ace of Swords with your child from my previous post.  Depending on your child's age and level of understanding, interpret as you see fit.

The Ace of Swords
The Whimsical Tarot, by Dorothy Morrison, Illustrated by Mary Hanson-Roberts.  
U.S Games Systems
I claim no ownership or copyright of this image, it is shared here as information between friends!  No copyright infringement intended*


From the guidebook;
Depiction: A Mighty Sword

Description: "The Ace of Swords is perhaps, the most aggressive card in the tarot.  That's because it speaks of strength, courage, and victory.  It drives home the importance of the ability to stand up for what we believe in, and the other things that we, as humankind, hope are in our power to accomplish.  For this reason, The Ace of Swords is always shown as a sharp. double edged blade - the standard weapon of choice in many ancient wars.  As symbolized by the dragon's head hilt, this particular blade is one of ferocity and experience.  It knows what it is to go to war, fight courageously, and return.  It knows the glory of winning, and power and freedom of victory.  But it also knows the pain of defeat and has experienced the darkness of poor planning. All of this makes for a very balanced blade."

Advice: "When the Ace of Swords appears in your life, you have achieved some sort of victory.  Get out the laurel wreath and prepare an acceptance speech for your rewards.  This is a turning point in your life, a day you will always remember.  It commemorates a time to take up a cause, fight courageously for it's principles, and win against all odds.  Remember what it takes to be a good winner.  Give some thought to your opponent or the crisis you face.  Remember too, that the Ace of Swords is not only razor sharp and bears a double edge, but it is much heavier than it's counterpart, the fencing blade.  Understand that a great deal of strength and responsibility is necessary to wield it with grace and honor.  With that in mind, make sure you are up to the task before you grab it's hilt.  If you are, it will always serve you well.  If not, you may just slip and cut your own throat."
~ Dorothy Morrison

Take a look at the words in bold print.  These are some of the key meanings of this card.  Keep in mind that this sword does not actually represent physical fighting or aggression and violence.  This is more of the fight of willpower, the fight of the mind, the intellect, and the power of words.

Have you ever heard these phrases?
"Sharp-witted"
"Sharp-tongue"
"Words are like a double edged blade."
"Cut to the truth of the matter."

Think about these phrases for a few minutes.  Write down what you think they mean before you continue reading.
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"Sharp-witted" is a way to refer to someone who is witty and smart, usually very quick to speak.  Someone who is referred to as "Sharp" in this way is usually very intelligent and good with words.

"Sharp-Tongue" - Words can hurt.  When someone is called sharp-tongued it means that their words are often hurtful, spiteful, or cruel.  They use the power of their words to cut people down.  When you read the above advice about the Ace of Swords, it said a great deal of strength and responsibility is necessary to wield your sword with grace and honor.  Your sword is your words, your voice.  Are you using it with honor and responsibility?  Are your words kind, or are you sharp-tongued?

"Words are like a double-edged blade". - just like above... words can hurt.  Your words can cut other people's feelings.  But a double-edged blade means that there are two sides of this sword that are sharp.  If one side is cutting someone else, the other side can cut you.  When you use negative words, it hurts others, but it also hurts YOU.  Like attracts like.  What you say about others can come back on you and hurt you.  Also, what you say about yourself can be just as hurtful.  Try not to speak poorly of yourself, criticize yourself, or put yourself down.  They may feel like "Just words", but they cut you very deeply.  And with the double-edged blade, when you speak badly of yourself, it also hurts the people who love you... because they just want you to be happy and know that you are loved.

"Cut to the truth of the matter."  Why do you think the imagery of "cutting" is used in reference to finding the truth or gaining knowledge?  You don't actually have to CUT anything when you are learning, studying, and seeking the truth.  But the phrases "Cut to the heart of the matter," "Cut to the truth of the matter," and "Cut to the chase" all deal with finding truth and getting to the point.  This just goes to show how human kind associates the Mind and Words with Swords!  It's like we see problems like Fog, restricting vines in a jungle, or ropes that bind us.... but we know that if we use the power of our Mind and our Words, we cat slice through the vines, cut through those ropes, and fight our way through the fog to find the truth!

Your words and thoughts are powerful.  You have just been given a very powerful sword.  If you use it wisely and responsibly, you may someday be Knighted or become a King or Queen!  Your journey through the suit of Swords and the Air Element has begun! 

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