Swedish Witch/Jolanda - Ace of Wands

rylla

This is a really interesting card much more complex than it seems at the first sight!

The 2 of wands, 3 of wands and 4 of wands correspond to Aries - a ram is pictured on the top of the wand.
The 5, 6, 7 of wands are in Leo - a head of a lion appears in the middle of wand-below the Ram.
The 8,9,10 of wands are in Sagittarius - an arrow is placed below the lion.

Also: all 4 elements are present in this card: beside the wand a heart and a spade from playing cards; and I'd say that the landscape (explicit and emphasised in this card) represent the earth element.
This brings a resemblance with the Magician.

There are 3 stars in the sky.

All the necessary elements are here in order that the flame/drive/conception of the Ace of wands to be realised. The 3 stars show that hope exists. As this is an Ace there is no certainty and nothing is tangible yet, but the possibility (3 stars ) is there and it's promising.

ETA Candles means light - could mean in idea is born or that something is coming to light.

Any thoughts? do you like the concept of this card?
 

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Michellehihi

I don't have this deck but looking at the image you posted, I think I would be mixed up if this card appeared in a reading. I see 5 candles. I would immediately think this is a 5 of wands.

As a reader, I prefer Marseilles style pips for this reason: I like to visually see the number of elements on a card. What I don't like for example, are minors with just an image and no elements.
 

rylla

I don't have this deck but looking at the image you posted, I think I would be mixed up if this card appeared in a reading. I see 5 candles. I would immediately think this is a 5 of wands.

At first glance it may seem like the 5 of wands. However if someone look at the image it's very easy to distinguish the wand from the candles. I believe the candles aren't there only by chance -it's an allusion to number 5 which (among others) means (or is related to) spirit and struggle (the spark or driving force of Ace of wands isn't a tangible and fully developed thing (yet) and one has to put some effort (or do something) to bring it to the light. The faint light of candles IMHO goes well with the spirit of Ace of Wands.

I started studying this deck because although this deck seemed like a puzzle to me I had a feeling that all those - sometimes unusual - symbols weren't used at random and it has to make sense. Take for example the 7 of Cups:
-it shows 2 pyramids and a blue sky with stars in the background, a sphinx with wings holding a book in the foreground and 7 cups below. My first reaction was what is a sphinx and a book has to do with the meaning of this card? My way of solving this 'puzzle' is:

it is well know about sphinx that those who cannot answer a riddle suffer a bad fate (I believe the presence of the book attests this interpretation). One of the traditional meaning of the 7 of cups is that there are many option to choose from and how things will actually work out depends on the choice you make. So if you answer the riddle of sphinx (=make the right choice) things will turn into better (the card's advice: be careful what you choose is implied in the card as well). I think this is a really interesting (how this card's meaning is outlined).

ETA (the Moon painted on the book makes sense too - the more I look at these cards the more I realise that nothing is placed at random - everything painted on the cards have significance)
 

Michellehihi

Yes I can see what you mean. Still, for some reason this deck does not appeal to me...those huge borders of weird color...
 

Padma

Any thoughts? do you like the concept of this card?

I will say that I don't have the deck. But my comment on the image you posted is that there is an interesting thing in that image, with the spade below the arrow that pierces the heart: it is as though it is saying or showing that intelligent discourse is the best aphrodisiac. :) (Spades being Swords, and Swords being intellect, and Wands (physical love) being the delivery system between the mind and the heart.)
 

Luna's Crone

it a bow and arrow on top of the heart. you can see the feathers on the arrow. What would the meaning of that be? Probably the same arrows fly thru the air, maybe its cupid's bow and arrow.

also the four candles have faces, 2 facing west and 2 facing east.

could it be possible the bow and arrow ties this card to the priestess card?
 

rylla

it a bow and arrow on top of the heart. you can see the feathers on the arrow. What would the meaning of that be? Probably the same arrows fly thru the air, maybe its cupid's bow and arrow.

also the four candles have faces, 2 facing west and 2 facing east.

could it be possible the bow and arrow ties this card to the priestess card?

I think it's just for Sagittarius (please see first post). Personally I don't think that there is an allusion to the priestess - but who really knows? :)

interesting what you noticed about the faces on the candles - I did not notice it
 

Luna's Crone

I think it's just for Sagittarius (please see first post). Personally I don't think that there is an allusion to the priestess - but who really knows? :)

interesting what you noticed about the faces on the candles - I did not notice it

i didn't either until i was ready to quit looking at the card, my trimmed swedish witch that i noticed them
 

Luna's Crone

I think it's just for Sagittarius (please see first post). Personally I don't think that there is an allusion to the priestess - but who really knows? :)

interesting what you noticed about the faces on the candles - I did not notice it

I reread the post, not sure what that explanation didn't stick in my mind.

Trying to interpret the cards for me is different than actually reading them. No intuition is involved in trying to understand what does everything mean.