Musings on the Ace of Air

What do pirates and butterflies and friends we’ve never met have in common?

Today’s Gaian Tarot is the Ace of Air. It makes me smile just looking at it! A Monarch butterfly has left its cocoon and is nearly ready to fly. Did you know that the butterfly is not born ready to fly? The larva leaves the shelter of its silken tomb fat with shriveled wet things on its back. If you stop your busy day and watch, you will see the abdomen of the larva shrink as the wings begin to fill and unfurl. This is not a fast process. It takes time and the new butterfly is very vulnerable at this point.

Here is a lovely video of a Monarch butterfly hatching. There is music on this 5 minute long piece.

In Joanna’s Ace of Air, there is only the butterfly, the cocoon and the flowering tree from which the cocoon is suspended. In my non-arboreal expert mind, I see this tree as an apple tree. I am fairly sure it is some type of fruit tree and since this is the Pacific NorthWest region, I’m gambling on apples.

This card reminds me that new ideas need time. They can’t be thrust out into the world willhe/nillhe. Like the caterpillar, you must consume the right energy. Then you have to build a safe place to contemplate this seed of a thought. When the time is ready to move, you still have to remember that care must be taken.

I have found, much to my dismay, that your ideas can be stolen. People can take your workshops and then present your thoughts as their own elsewhere. It’s daunting to know this, but it’s far worse to see it in action. Then you have the plethora of pirates out there in the world. Those who see nothing wrong with taking one e-book or one song and making it available to not just a few friends, but everyone who might be searching for that title. They blithely give away what Cai and I sweated over. Our creation means nothing to them. Our hard work is rendered meaningless.

Still, like this butterfly, an idea has to be given its wings. You have to let it out or it may die on the vine anyway. And, somehow, that seems far worse to me than it being stolen. So I will take this Ace of Air energy in today. I will understand that the release of Sex And Trouble next Friday will come with joy and sorrow. NOTE: Search for Marilu Mann to find all our books. Joy to see one of my children set loose and sorrow knowing that there are those who will steal it within five minutes to give it away. It will mean that I will lose money as will my writing partner, my editor, my cover artist, my line editor and so on. It will mean that some will profit from my work without ever even acknowledging my efforts. But it will also mean those that obtain this book legally will perhaps enjoy it enough to want to read some of my backlist.

This butterfly is my ideas about a new Tarot offering. Not quite ready to let that one fly, but I’m pumping my creative juices into the wings of this thought.

And what does the book say? Affirmation:”I am blossoming with new ideas and decisions.”

Oh, by the way? That’s not an apple tree. It is the hawthorn aka the May flower tree. The hawthorn is very sacred in my religious path. They are often found growing next to sacred wells in the British Isles. And one of the cool things is that this tree seed is distributed through the droppings of birds such as waxwings. So this is another air connection for this card.

In other news, life is good in ATX. Friends arrived from Omaha last night to a joyous, raucous celebration at a local hamburger joint. It’s not upscale but it’s the perfect place to gather a boisterous group for fun times. This was an internet friend but when we saw one another, I had that frisson of instant recognition. She and her partner are going to hang with Romeo and me tonight. Looking forward to that.

As a reminder, I’ll be on BlogTalk Radio tomorrow with Dax Carlisle of the Tarot Guild. I do hope you will join me. I’ll be doing free readings in the latter part of the show.

So, let’s chat. What ideas have you ever let go too soon? Have you ever held on to one just a little too long? What’s your recipe for perfect incubation and release?

4 thoughts on “Musings on the Ace of Air”

  1. The cocoon and the butterfly do not at least to me just speak of transformation and release but also in a shift of direction, perceiving the world from a different view point if you like.

    It’s like as the cocoon you only saw it from the ground, now in the air you get to take in the bigger picture.

    Another little though about the cocoon and the butterfly, what if the cocoon was to represent our intellect and the butterfly our spirit/emotions, does that then hint that our intellect along does not bring us truth and true balance, but true awareness must come from a deeper understanding only achieved by combining the intellect with the spirit?

    Anyway enough of my ramblings, perhaps I should consider getting this deck 😀
    .-= Helen´s last blog ..An Interview with Tarot of White Cats =-.

  2. the one thing i’ve noticed about butterflies is the randomness of their flights and landings. One can never predict where they will flit or fly off to. Yet the butterfly is on their own journey, making their way via their own radar, their own pathways, making the way of their own timeline. What is predictable about them is they take time to smell the flowers, taking a bit of pollen with them to help the next plant they descend upon. Their precious life and ways of being in the moment, no matter how small, are a metaphor of how one’s creative process works. t

  3. I love your interpretation! The symbolism of the butterfly is always about a profound transformation. The butterfly is all about metamorphosis and can represent the life cycle. The symbol of the butterfly reminds me of faith and self-acceptance. Also let’s not forget the concept of resurrection. The souls is constantly be reborn in new and wonderful ways.

    -Carolyn
    Tarot Reader and Webmaster

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