The Tarot Aces are known as the ‘Root of the Power of’ their respective Element. They are said to hold the full potential of their respective suits. I thought it would be interesting to expand on the root analogy a bit.
One perspective is to take a closer look at the Aces landing in the Root Chakra (as per the Chakra Wisdom Tarot), where the Aces provide the means of building a new foundation for our lives.
Another perspective, which combines nicely with the Aces as Root Chakra cards, is to look at the Aces as the four original Elements that make up everything that exists, including you and me, as well as the pixels on the screen before you. Everything in this Cosmos is made from these four Elements which correspond with the four letters of the Name of G-d, according to Kabbalists.
Another correspondence many metaphysicians believe to be true is that of the four letters of the Name with our own DNA via the four building blocks guanine, cytosine, adenine and thymine (G, C, A, and T). This makes the four Elements the building blocks of our bodies (via our ancestors) and our entire earthly existence while our souls are still tied to their physical vehicle.
Looking first at the Aces landing in the Root Chakra, I like to draw a parallel to the Munay-Ki tradition which has Serpent in the Root Chakra. Serpent also corresponds with the South/Fire. The snake helps us shed the past, the way the snake sheds its skin. Finally, serpent helps us accept the offer of a new beginning and to welcome in the opportunity to lay a new foundation for ourselves.
Ace of Wands
With the Ace of Wands (Fire/South), we get a chance to bring in more vitality. The question to ask for this Ace in the Root Chakra is what we can begin doing on a consistent basis to increase our energy levels. With this Ace in the Root Chakra, we can burn away the any sense of not belonging or any fear of there not being enough. We can become brave enough to choose life with vigour and the more we act on our desire to be fully alive, the braver we become.
Ace of Cups
With the Ace of Cups (Water/West) in the Root Chakra, we can build a new emotional foundation for ourselves. We can feel deeply into our roots, deep down into the core of Mother Earth and allow her love to nourish us. We can look at our family of origin and our ancestors with deep heartfelt gratitude and decide that it is okay to feel safe even if our birth family was not able to provide us with that feeling of safety. Our true Mother is Pachamama, Mother Earth, and she nourishes us all unconditionally.
In Munay-Ki, Water and the cardinal direction of West correspond with Jaguar. Jaguar teaches us to move beyond fear of death (beyond the flight and fight response) and to live our lives impeccably, without blaming those who have gone before us.
Ace of Pentacles
With the Ace of Pentacles (Earth/North) in the Root Chakra, we can access the practical wisdom of those who have gone before us to lay a new foundation based on what is tried and tested. We must become gardeners of the wisdom seeded by generations past when this Ace shows up for Muladhara.
With the Ace of Pentacles heed our calling to become Earthkeepers. If we are not afraid to get our hands dirty and work on creating stability for ourselves day by day, for the Highest Good, we soon become great Master Builders and thus honour the legacy of those who have gone before us.
In Munay-Ki, Earth/North corresponds with Hummingbird who helps us drink deeply of the nectar of life and to enjoy our physical existence… and what a gift it is!
Ace of Swords
With the Ace of Swords (Air/East), we can soar like the Eagle, the Spirit Animal associated with the direction of East in Munay-Ki. Eagle is the bringer of Spirit Vision, helping us to soar above our issues to find spirit-guided solutions to all our problems.
In the Tarot, the only Ace that is crowned is the Ace of Swords. The key to success in any endeavour is our mindset. When this Ace is in the Root Chakra, we can begin afresh by choosing a growth mindset and positive self-talk. We can trust solutions to arise because we have a mindset that is built on a rock solid intellectual foundation of trust in life and all its processes.
Our Root Chakra keeps us connected to this beautiful Earth. From a shamanic point of view, the Ace of Wands (Snake) teaches us to shed and eliminate the past through this chakra, so that we can step forward on the path of our destiny without hesitation. The Ace of Cups (Jaguar) teaches us to establish a loving connection with Mother Earth herself, as well as to be open to receive the downward stream of grace and power to manifest from the higher chakras.
The Ace of Pentacles (Hummingbird) teaches us that we are always and forever connected to the wisdom of our ancestors and this wisdom can help us to better enjoy our earthly existence. Finally, the Ace of Swords (Eagle) teaches us that any new foundation has to be built on a a positive and life-affirming mindset. If we can achieve this, we will succeed with whatever we set our minds to do.
Creating Sacred Space with the Aces
Whether you work with the Medicine Wheel or a Magickal Circle, you can use the Tarot Aces to represent the four cardinal directions and invite either the four Power Animals from Munay-Ki or the four Archangelic Guardians of the Elements/Four directions to protect you. Of course, there is nothing to stop you from inviting both the Power Animals and the Archangels!
Alternatively, you can simply meditate with the four Aces laid out around you in roughly the right directions and see what insights come through as you focus your inward attention on one direction/Ace at the time. You can use the information above as inspiration for a Root Chakra Tarot Healing meditation if you wish. However, please bear in mind that all Tarot cards can, of course, land in any chakra, depending on what life lessons we are currently working on.
So, for instance, if you feel Jaguar calling to you about a lack of trust in personal relationships, you can invoke her guidance on how to use the energy of the Aces at this level, to build better foundations for your relationship.
While correspondences are useful, we must not forget that we are multidimensional beings and that what holds true in a lower dimension does not necessarily hold true in a higher dimension.