The ace of eyes in the Tiger Tarot and the Ace of Pentacles in other Tarot decks are equivalents with regard to their suit. In decks of playing cards the Ace of Diamonds correlates with the Ace of Pentacles.

The Ace of Diamonds may have a value of one, as would all the other aces. Thus it symbolizes the potentiality of the suit. The Diamond suit, in cartomancy which is the art of reading cards, relates to wealth, property, material goods. However in different games, it can have different values. In some games it is considered the highest ranking card in a suit. It depends on the game you want to play what the value of the ace can be. In poker it can be the high card in a straight flush or the low card in a wheel straight. A straight flush would be Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten. A wheel straight would be Ace, Two, Three, Four, Five.

Thus the ace can be a bit of a chameleon, with its value and its meaning in a game shifting depending on the context. Not only is it a manifestation of the potentiality of the suit as the starting card, it can also be interpreted as the culmination of all things that are part of the suit when it is seen at the end of a play within a game.

The Ace of Pentacles also represents the winter solstice. Synchronistically, it was the first card I pulled from the Tiger Tarot deck when I began writing this series of articles just before the solstice.

The solstice has celebrations in many cultures. In the northern hemisphere, it’s the longest night and the shortest day. It’s the day by which it’s important to complete the storage of food for the winter, the season when the earth does not produce. Hence, there is feasting as cattle is slaughtered, so the cattle won’t need to be fed in the famine months of winter. Foods are dried, cured, canned and stored. Gift giving is universal. There is both preparation for the long, cold winter ahead and generosity toward those who are in need.

This is the time of year that I love making cookies and gifting them to neighbors. One of my faves is shortbread, which when baked in rounds represents coins, another name used in tarot decks for pentacles. These shortbread coins are one of many New Year’s good luck foods meant to manifest fortune in the coming year.

My Aunt Diana, when she was alive, and I shared a strong interest in the anthropology of traditions. Particularly Celtic traditions to which we could both trace our ancestry. One year she sent me a letter, a hand-written letter, about the shortbreads and the Scottish tradition of Hogmanay. I’ve added that cookie to the New Year’s Day dishes that are more U.S. based, that is the black eyed peas and collard greens. Collards are another good luck symbol for money, similar to the shortbread coins.

Another way that I’ve prepped for winter is to move a bit of my contained herb garden inside to the dining room. There is rosemary, sage and parsley. I harvested and dried some oregano with the intention of infusing it in olive oil. Finally, stored in the basement, there are tinctures of mint from the garden that I can use throughout the winter.

The Ace of Pentacles, ace of eyes, and Ace of Diamonds represent the new season that starts with the solstice and is carried over to New Years. The Ace, if you look at any deck of playing cards the Ace of each suit is typically centered on the card. In most tarot decks or representations of tarot it takes a central place as well.

Yet in Lori Field’s Tiger Tarot there is not a central focus on a symbol for the ace of eyes. There are 3 flowers diagonally across the center. In the lower left, a rose; more centered is a dahlia and at the top appears to be a lily.

Floriography is the meaning of flowers. It was popular in Victorian times, and is dear to poets from Shakespeare (think of Ophelia’s madwoman speech to Hamlet) to modern poets (simply google flower symbolism in modern poetry). Pink roses, which are depicted in the ace of eyes, symbolize femininity and a kind of innocence. They are also enmeshed with the idea of gratitude and admiration. Dahlias symbolize inner strength, devotion and loyalty. Pink lilies symbolize femininity, prosperity and abundance.

The Tiger Tarot is a pictorial ode to feminine power. The ace of eyes provides a gaze from an elfin girl in the lower left to a tiger girl in the upper right. It’s a dream and an aspiration. That is where the journey begins. Check back for more meanings and the next card to be pulled.

By Martha Rand on January 3, 2023.

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