A Burst of Energy

For the April 'poem a day' challenge this year, I'm writing haibun to explore and reflect on my new Tarot deck, Forests of Enchantment. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve run out of  Major Arcana cards but not of days in April. I’m doing the Aces of the four suits next. In a reading, an Ace can mean a birth: literally a new baby, or else a new beginning of some kind. I’m choosing them because Ace holds the pure essence of the suit.

Here is Ace of Spells. The Spells equate to the suit of Wands and the element of Fire. Fire has a dynamic quality. The suit of Wands was once understood as pertaining  to business enterprise. Now it’s more usual to relate it to the human spirit (the other suits representing water/emotions, air/intellect and earth/the physical).  

So the Ace of Wands would indicate the pure spiritual essence we’re born with. It has been seen – by the Golden Dawn magicians, Waite, Crowley, etc – as the essence of natural, spontaneous magic. They described this card as ‘Root of the Powers of Fire. Energy. Strength. Natural (as opposed to invoked) force.’

Here it features a wyvern (a dragon with two legs instead of four). Specifically it’s a forest wyvern or Firedrake. It has a gift for the person who draws this card: a wizard’s staff. But we’re told, ‘The power of the staff depends entirely on the person who wields it. … Intention is everything in magic, and the staff directs the wizard’s will toward the desired outcome.’

At the very least, drawing this card indicates that you’ll have a burst of energy. That could translate into new confidence, a new sense of purpose, or a new project. It’s a good card to get.

watch that spark

shoot up the chimney

and pierce the air!