Thoth – Rider-Waite

The Thought: Truth/Justice, Abstraction, and Mental Force

The Ace of Swords. It is associated with the element of Air and the Sefirot of Kether. As the part of the Suit of Swords that corresponds to Kether, the Ace of Swords represents the pure idea, emanation, and creation of the suit of Swords. It represents everything that the Suit of Swords stands for, untarnished and untouched by the lower Sefirot and the effectss of the material world. It is the pure abstract thought and idea that corresponds to Air and the suit of Swords.

And what is this idea? The Suit of Swords represents Principle, Reason, and Ideology. The Swords are the harbringers of Justice and Truth. They are Intellect and Abstraction, and the realm of Thought and Philosophy. Swords forms the first part of the second dichotomy found within the Tarot: that between the abstract (Swords) and the material (Disks/Coins/Pentalces). The suit of Swords represents the power of the mind, and so its Ace is representative of Mental Force; the suit of Swords is the suit of idealists, philosophers, scientists, and scholars. The Ace is the best that the suit has to offer, and so represents the best ideals of mankind; Truth, Justice, and Reason, in addition to representing the mind of man and its power.

The Rider-Waite art shows a cloud with a hand extending out of it, bearing a sword which is topped by a golden crown and an ivy wreath/crown. The cloud, as with the other Aces, represents EinSof, giving the reader the power of the Suit of Swords through the Ace. The crown and ivy are both symbols of peace, power, strength, and idealism. The sword is an instrument of justice and a sign of culture; this combined with the crown and ivy symbolize the abstractedness of the suit of Swords. The Thoth art is similar, showing an upright sword with a crown near its tip, which sprays out light in many directions, symbolizing the clarity of mind. The sword is surrounded by clouds fleeing from the clarity of the mind, and so represents mental strength as well as ideology.

In a reading, the Ace of Swords encourages the reader or querent to embody the qualities of the suit of Swords, or to examine how the suit itself is present in your life; how have Justice and Truth shown themselves? How has abstract thought and principle? Does intellect play a role on your life? Do you spend a lot of time just thinking about things? Reversed, this suit’s energy is present in the situation, but it might be hidden; perhaps larger ideals do play a role in your life but do so behind walls, or perhaps you think more than… well, you think.