Two cards in conversation
Ace of Wands + Ace of Cups
People often bring two cards with a question about what will happen. Olivia reads a pair as a conversation instead: what each card brings, and what appears between them.
What links them
- The same number
- Contrary elements
Five ways to read this pair
Try one lens at a time. Write a sentence for each before you read anyone else’s version.
Story
Read Ace of Wands first, then Ace of Cups, as two scenes of one story. What changes between them?
Contrast
Where do Ace of Wands and Ace of Cups pull in different directions, and what does each ask of you?
One colours the other
Let Ace of Cups describe the way of Ace of Wands, as an adjective describes a noun. Then swap them.
A shared symbol
No carved symbol is shared here. Look for a gesture, a direction or a colour the two images have in common.
Number, suit and element
Both cards carry the number 1: one idea met in two suits. What does each suit do with it?
One reader’s version
In Smith’s design both Aces offer a gift from a cloud; in Olivia’s deck the two hands reach in from opposite sides. The Ace of Cups brings a new feeling, this Ace a new drive; together they ask whether what excites you also moves your heart.