Ace of Wands Meaning: Upright and Reversed

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Itana has been reading Tarot for a number of years. They are dedicated to honing their craft and sharing that information with others on Tarot Technique. In addition to Tarot, Itana is an occultist and astrologer, truly a well-rounded spiritualist!

Upright and Reversed Keywords

Upright Keywords

Inspiration
Breakthrough
Thumbs Up
Rising to a challenge
Ideas empowered by desire
Initial fire
Creativity
Humour and quick thinking
Marriage and fertility
Self-reliance
Spiritual strength
Confidence

Reversed Keywords

Arrested development
Lack of enthusiasm
Oppression
Limits of conventional thinking
Apathy
Spiritual malnutrition
Lack of experience
Wasted effort
Futility
Thumbs Down
Exile, violence, tyranny
Chaos and destruction

The Ace of Wands

Ace of Wands is connected with Prometheus’ fire and it’s connected with Heraclitus’ idea that fire is the beginning of all things. Ace of Wands is the intro to the magic of Fire, this card is the essence of this element in its beginning. Ace of Wands urges the magician to learn about electrical volts, fire aspects in alchemy and the conjuring of Salamanders (spirits of Fire).

Fire spirits give amazing inspiration, stimulate passion and enhance the power of will; they claim that everything is possible, as long as we wish it so, through the doings of the Fire element. Ace of Wands is, after all, just the beginning of the Fire element, and as for the direction in which it will lead us, the rest of the cards surrounding it will tell.

Symbolism and Imagery of the Ace of Wands

The Ace of Wands is closely connected with the magic wand – the most important tool in ritual magic and at the mage’s disposal. The imagery of the Ace of Wands can represent Moses’ rod (staff) which he used to outdo Egyptian mages; it can also represent Circe’s wand that she used to turn Odyssey’s companions into animals, or Hermes’ staff that reconciles the two snakes.

On the Raider-Waite’s interpretation, we can see a brown wand held by a hand that comes out of a cloud. The wand itself is full of new branches with young, green leaves – this represents the birth of ideas, creative force and new beginnings. The hand holding it is supposed to be an angel’s hand that stirs the forces of creation in the human soul.

On the card we also see a castle in the distance behind the wand, this represents the distance that the reader needs to surpass in order to create actions from his ideas, aka without action there won’t be any change, ideas are not enough to sustain the change, movement from the reader’s end is also needed in order to realize the full potential of the Ace of Wands.

Predominant colours present on this card are “fresh” brown, almost dark orange, representing the passion and fire of new ideas and beginnings, and lime-green and green, representing the need for movement and fresh perspectives. We also have a little bit of light blue seen in the passing river and grey in the cloud and the background. These two colours are urging the mage to take action and move his ideas from the mental realm into the 3D.

Upright Ace of Wands Meaning

When Ace of Wands shows up upright in reading it foretells about the fast, sudden and spontaneous happenings caused by the reader’s wishes and manifestations. It is an omen of new beginnings and wild opportunities that can move things off the ground and get the ball rolling. It indicates that the reader has the strength to rise up to the challenge. If Ace of Wands was a song, it would be Gonna Fly Now by Bill Conti (Rocky 1 theme song).

This card is an omen of reason reigning over impulse and using primal instinct to your advantage, it also means that you will be able to rise up to the challenge before you and be victorious. It’s a strong indicator that you are on the right track and that your current actions and plans have the potential to reach great heights and give birth to success.

Ace of Wands upright also indicates that you have a good empathy to reason ratio and that you are able to be both objective and passionate towards a situation or a matter at hand you’re inquiring about. This card is reminding you to bring more humor to the situation, and to be more light-hearted if you feel stuck or under the weather.

Upright Ace of Wands Love Meaning

The clearest and most obvious sign of Ace of Wands showing up in a love reading is that a new relationship is about to begin. This can be either great news, or… well, not so great if you’re not single. Either way, it foreshadows a fated event that was bound to happen sooner or later. It’s an omen of a very passion-ridden, exciting and adventurous relationship in the making.

This card showing up in a love reading indicates that you have become brilliant and very attractive in someone’s eyes, someone has their eye on you. If you’ve met someone recently, especially via work or a job you were doing, then it’s most probable that that “someone” has a very big interest in you.

If you did a love spell or love summoning work, and Ace of Wands appears upright, then it’s a sign that your spell has worked and that someone matching your desired description is going to show up and spice your love life up. It’s an omen of a wish answered and positive feedback from the universe. Go forth, bravely!

Upright Ace of Wands Career Meaning

This is a majestic card for a career reading as it foretells new (successful) business ventures, money, wealth and inheritance. If you were wondering about investing money into your passions – then this is a positive “yes!” If you were wondering about a new business partnership or a promotion to a higher position – the answer is “yes”, your passion, efforts and enthusiasm have been noticed and will be regarded in the near future.

Conversely, this card is urging you to act, and very soon, for the chance for you to shine is coming! Your 5 minutes are going to be up soon and you should have both your eyes and mind open in order not to miss and seize your chance for greatness. Ace of Wands is a very positive and urging card when it shows up in a career reading.

This card also indicates that you should listen to your intuition, and follow your passion without fear of failure. If you were wishing for a promotion or a new business start and manifesting and praying, well, this is your cosmic answer – go for it baby, and go for it with all your might, you’ve got this.

Upright Ace of Wands Spiritual Meaning

When the Ace of Wands appears upright in spiritual reading, you are nudged to work with the Fire element and Fire spirits. If you were resistant towards a certain form of magic, or a certain deity call, or if you were having doubts about a certain spell or a spiritual path the showing up of the Ace of Wands is a clear and resounding sign that you are on a right track and that success awaits you, you just need to show courage and take the day.

The appearance of this card in a spiritual reading is a clear sign that you are on a right track, and you don’t lack passion, conviction or inspiration. This card is urging you to begin down the new and exciting path that has or will be very soon laid before you. This card can also mean that you are surrounded by firey spirit guides and guardians. This would be a clear sign that Archangel Michael is communicating with you.

Since Ace of Wands is the card of bravery, creative thinking and new ventures, it could also mean that the time for you to exit your spiritual rut has come. If you were struggling on your spiritual path and didn’t quite “feel it” lately, that is about to change for the better and you will feel both connected and inspired to resume your spiritual workings in a fresh and brave manner.

Reversed Ace of Wands Meaning

When Ace of Wands shows up reversed it’s a good indication of a lack of enthusiasm from the reader’s end. It indicates arrested development of the situation, or it depicts the current state of matters for the reader, something is blocking you from moving forward. It can also point to the limits of conventional thinking and the inability to ‘think outside the box’.

This card reversed is a good indicator of oppression, tyranny, violence and exile. When the element of Fire is reversed, things tend to get “heated” and “messy”, it’s not a favorable omen that predicts great outcomes; it rather points to some dangerous actions and unfavorable outcomes that can even be potentially dangerous for the reader.

It can also mean that the new perspective won’t be to the liking of the reader, and that things will turn sour. It predicts feelings of apathy, indifference and stagnation. Conversely, this card can indicate that you’re investing your time and energy into a futile project and that the time has come for you to move your attention to other things, of a more pressing nature.

Reversed Ace of Wands Love Meaning

When this card shows up reversed in love meaning it can mean that you have hit a wall in your relationship, that your sex life has become dull and that you’re emotionally down in the slump. Luckily, the Ace of Wands is a fast-working card, so it just depicts the current state of things, not something that will last or be prolonged.

If you’re single and this card shows up, it means that you will remain single for the time being. The problem might be that you’re too indifferent towards possible suitors and that you lack passion for the whole dating thing at the moment, you’re just not “feeling it”. And that’s okay, no biggie, Ace of Wands reversed is implying that you should focus your energy on something that actually sparks your passion and holds your attention.

Ace of Wands reversed can also mean that you’ve went and found yourself in a bit of an abusive relationship and that the treatment your partner is giving you, which could be oppressive, chaotic and straight out violent, should not and cannot stand any longer! The time has come for you to end an abusive relationship and save yourself from this predicament. Ace of Wands reversed is urging you to get out of a situation that is not good for you in any way.

Reversed Ace of Wands Career Meaning

When the Ace of Wands shows up reversed in a career reading it implies that right now is not the right time for moving ahead with your plans. More patience and perseverance is required from you. It doesn’t mean that your idea is not good, or that your plans are lacking in some way (although it could imply that, too), it’s more likely that it is implying that right now is not the right time for the execution of your plans/ideas.

This card showing up reversed can also mean that you are getting bored on your current job and you lack enthusiasm for your daily work. It can imply that you need to put more of yourself into the work you do in order to become more successful and noticed by the higher-ups. If you’re a business owner yourself, then it implies that you need to put extra passion and creativity into your own business at the moment.

Ace of Wand reversed can also indicate a sudden loss of money or an investment going sour. It certainly is not a good omen to see when career and finances are concerned, but since it’s a fast-working card, whatever loss might come, it’s not here to stay or affect you in the long run, so there’s at least that silver lining in a reading.

Reversed Ace of Wands Spiritual Meaning

When the Ace of Wands shows up reversed in a spiritual reading it certainly implies that you’ve strayed from your initial spark and you’ve fallen into a spiritual rut. It can also imply that Fire spirits and offensive magic are not the right courses to be taking at the moment. If you were casting some dominating spells and they haven’t been working, the reversed Ace of Wands is a clear sign that you should lay off and give the universe time to conduct your will in a timely manner.

This reversed card can also imply that you’ve fallen out of your own initial spark and that you haven’t been honest to yourself about your spiritual state and matters as of late. It’s urging you to be brave within yourself and to reexamine your relationship with the divine. Something is not working out, and you have to be brave and see what it is.

FAQs

The Ace of Wands is the first card in a suit of Wands, and this article has the info meant to help you with deciphering the deeper meaning of it as both a stand-alone card and within a more complex reading.

If you still have some questions, check out this FAQ section and complete your research.

Question: Is the Ace of Wands a Yes or No Card?

Answer: if it’s in an upright position – it’s a definite ‘yes’ card. If it’s in a reversed position then it’s a ‘no’ card. Either way, this is a fast-working card, and its effects won’t be long lasting, so you need to act quickly if you want to seize the opportunity that is being presented to you.

Question: What Does the Ace of Wands Signify in a Future Position?

Answer: if upright, it signifies that an opportunity that you’ve been manifesting or praying for is coming your way and that you’ll need to act quickly. If it’s reversed, then it signifies that the opportunity you will want won’t work out in your favor, or that you’ll miss it.

Question: What Does the Ace of Wands Mean in a Past Position?

Answer: if it’s reversed, it means that there was an opportunity that you either took it missed based on the other cards present in a reading. If it’s upright it means that you did something right and that you can expect good results in the present moment (if the other cards in a reading support the present situation).

Continue reading related meaning guides to cards from the suit of wands.