Seeing Tarot Episode 3: The Ace of Swords

In Episode 3 of Seeing Tarot, artist Anna Rose Stabler and tarot reader Gina Wisotzky continue their card-by-card exploration of the tarot, beginning in the Minor Arcana and moving slowly through the suits.Instead of defining cards through fixed meanings, this project explores what happens when you live with their energy over time: through art-making, daily life, the seasons, personal practice, and conversation.This month’s focus is the The Ace of SwordsIn this episode, Anna and Gina discuss:Why the sword suit contains some of the most dramatic imagery in tarotThe Ace as the brightness of the swords suit before its darker expressions appearThe relationship between thought, communication, and conceptual clarityThe iconic Rider–Waite imagery and symbolism: crown, mountains, and descending yodsThe theatrical, almost comic, some might say emo, intensity of sword imagery (including the famous Three of Swords heart)Anna’s artistic process designing a new Ace of Swords cardWavy swords vs. straight, the abundance and drama of sqash vines, crowns as hierarchy and violenceRhapsodizing about dendritesThe air element, the season of spring, and the mental landscape of the sword suitBarren mountains as symbolic terrain for clarity and dangerThroughout the episode, the Ace of Swords emerges as both tool and threshold - a moment where ideas become clear and insight begins to form, hopefully in a potent, spiritually-informed direction!Scents & Sensory CorrespondencesFragranceL'Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer PerfumesVol de Nuit by GuerlainEarthscence Incesnse by Fragile GlassNatural MaterialGalbanumPine, Fir, evergreensBracing citrusEucalyptusMentholMetalEnvironmentRocky mountainsEvergreen forestsThe desert at nightAbout the HostsGina WisotzkyThe founder of Incandescent Tarot, Gina has been reading and practicing tarot and the intuitve arts for over two decades. Her work weaves tarot, writing, seasonal practice, and somatic inquiry through readings, classes, and audio reflections.Incandescent Tarot/AlchemagAnna Rose StablerAnna Rose Stabler is an illustrator whose work centers symbolism, still life, and narrative imagery. Her practice explores how meaning forms through visual language, material, and seasonality.Website/Podcast/Tumblr This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Episode DescriptionMarch notes a welcome tonal shift in the spin of the Wheel of Fortune; after the lunar loopiness of January and the catalytic intensity of February’s Ten of Swords + Magician pairing, this month offers something priceless: no Major Arcana cards!March brings us back to daily life, precise and grounded authority, and brave emotional seeking. The King of Swords anchors the month in clarity and discernment, while the Eight of Cups quietly invites heart-centered risk. The Six of Wands challenges our definition of success, and the Ten of Cups opens the possibility of genuine connection and fulfillment.This is a subtle and potentially decisive month. March asks us to stand clearly in what we know, move toward what matters, and choose belonging over status and performance.Our CardsTheme: King of SwordsMarch is all about clarity, intellectual authority, and discernment. After February’s saturation and intensity, we now hold a single sword instead of ten! This is a moment of breakthrough and accomplishment: the period at the end of a long sentence. Trust your perception and stand confidently in your values.Environment: Eight of CupsThe Eight of Cups shows a quiet but mature turning point. Nothing is being lost - the cups in our array remain upright - but we’re in search for something deeper to add. This is a month of walking toward meaning, especially if we can’t articulate it yet.Take slow steps and emotional risks in the search of your ninth (and even tenth!) cup.Challenge: Six of WandsThe challenge lies in how we define success: external validation, big wins, and personal riches? Or something else entirely?The Six of Wands suggests recognition, applause, and visible accomplishment may be available, but staying there may create distance. Are we using achievement to protect ourselves from intimacy?Opportunity: Ten of CupsTrue opportunity lies in connection.The Ten of Cups offers emotional fulfillment, belonging, and equal-footed relationship. If we follow the quiet pull of the Eight of Cups, we may arrive somewhere deeply beautiful.Yet fulfillment itself can be confronting. What happens if striving softens? What happens if you are held and seen? This card asks whether you are willing to be comfortable in joy.Key Themes for March 2026* Emerging from intensity into clarity* Precision in speech and decision-making* Emotional courage without drama* Redefining success beyond recognition* Moving from solitary authority into shared belonging* Integrating intellect and intuition🎡 Wheel of Fortune ContextMarch represents a lull in archetypal intensity.With no Major Arcana cards present, this month offers spaciousness within the larger spin of the Wheel. It is a moment to stabilize, integrate the lessons of The Moon and The Magician, and act from hard-won clarity.Where January and February evoked disorientation and catalytic transformation, March invites grounded forward movement - hooray!Monthly Reflection PromptsKing of Swords* How have you been bravely working through difficulty?* What sentence in your life is ready for a period?* What feels undeniably clear to you right now?* How can you act with precision rather than reaction?* Where are you being asked to trust your perception?Eight of Cups* What are you ready to walk toward, even if you cannot fully explain it?* What emotional risk(s) feels mature rather than impulsive?* Where are you searching for your ninth cup? (It's okay if you don’t now yet, ninth cups often come into focus slowly.)* What growth feels optional but necessary?Six of Wands* How are you currently measuring success?* Are you resting on achievement and not moving projects forward?* Where might recognition be creating distance?* What would success look like if no one were watching?Ten of Cups* What would it feel like to have what you truly want?* Are you comfortable being held and seen? How can you ease into more comfort?* What happens when striving softens?* What does fulfillment mean beyond achievement?* Where are you invited into equal-footed connection? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

In Episode 2 of Seeing Tarot, artist Anna Rose Stabler and tarot reader Gina Wisotzky continue their card-by-card exploration of the tarot, beginning in the Minor Arcana and moving slowly through the suits.Rather than defining cards through fixed meanings, this podcast explores what happens when you live with their energy over time: through art-making, daily life, season, and conversation.This month’s focus: The Ace of WandsIn this episode, Anna and Gina discuss:The negative space of the Ace of Wands and the fear of open skyFire as both creative impulse and destructive forceThe pressure and impatience that can accompany new beginningsHow snow, illness, and disrupted schedules mirrored Wand energy in real lifeMoving from inspiration (Wands) to intention and structure (Swords)The sword as a forged tool: shaping energy, setting parameters, making decisionsGardening and seasonal planning as embodied Swords practiceSensory correspondences: cold green scents, ginger, roots, foliageThe relational nature of tarot and how one card evolves into the nextThe conversation lingers on initiation not as pure excitement, but as something expansive and at times overwhelming. The Ace of Wands brings spark and desire along with exposure and intensity. The Ace of Swords follows as response: discernment, clarity, and the deliberate shaping of energy into form.Over time, Seeing Tarot walks through the tarot by creating and exploring images together, allowing meaning to emerge through relationship and emerging correspondences rather than memorization.References & InfluencesSeventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel PollackTwin Peaks by David LynchScents & Sensory CorrespondencesAce of WandsFragranceAura by Thierry MuglerGreen and Amazingreen by Comme des GarçonsNatural MaterialFresh ginger rootGinger tea with honeyLush green foliageMineral and concrete accordsEnvironmentCold green airDandelion growing through concreteExpansive open skyAbout the HostsGina WisotzkyThe founder of Incandescent Tarot, Gina has been reading and practicing tarot and the intuitve arts for over two decades. Her work weaves tarot, writing, seasonal practice, and somatic inquiry through readings, classes, and audio reflections.Incandescent Tarot/AlchemagAnna Rose StablerAnna Rose Stabler is an illustrator whose work centers symbolism, still life, and narrative imagery. Her practice explores how meaning forms through visual language, material, and seasonality.Website/Podcast/Tumblr This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

Episode DescriptionFebruary 2026 continues the intense arc we entered in January, deepening our collective experience of the Wheel of Fortune. In this live tarot reading, we explore what happens when a period of exhaustion, over-analysis, and emotional saturation reaches its breaking point…and how genuine momentum becomes possible on the other side.Using a four-card spread, this forecast moves from the Ten of Swords as the month’s core theme into the activating presence of The Magician, with The Moon returning as a challenge and The Queen of Wands offering a path forward. Together, these cards describe a moment where rumination has run its course and learning shifts from internal processing to vibrant, embodied engagement.February asks us to stop studying our pain and begin responding to life again. Creativity, agency, humor, and decisive action become a path towards newness and growth.Cards DrawnTheme: Ten of SwordsOof. A moment of undeniable saturation. This card marks the end of a cycle of overthinking, rumination, and psychic overload. February begins by asking: what has become too much to carry? Where has analysis, information, or suffering reached its limit?Environment: The MagicianDespite the heaviness of the Ten of Swords, the surrounding environment is charged with possibility. The Magician signals available energy, agency, and catalytic change. Engagement with the world - people, projects, conversations - can quickly generate momentum.Challenge: The MoonThe challenge is lingering too long in January’s fog. While lunar disorientation was necessary last month, February asks us to stop performing confusion and start responding. Trust in motion can replace prolonged uncertainty.Opportunity: Queen of WandsCreative action, leadership, and visible engagement are supported now. This card invites confidence without rigidity, passion without over-attachment, and movement without needing full certainty. Fire warms the late winter landscape!Key Themes for February 2026* Endpoints, limits, and psychic saturation* Releasing over-analysis and repetitive suffering* Learning through action rather than theory* Creative engagement as restoration* Agency returning after collapse* Leadership, visibility, and warmth in community spacesClosing InvitationFebruary marks a shift from endurance to response. You’re invited to reflect on what you’re ready to put down, and where you’re willing to step back into the world with curiosity, creativity, and trust. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

In this opening episode of Seeing Tarot, artist Anna Rose Stabler and tarot reader Gina Wisotzky begin a collaborative project using art and intuition to explore tarot as a visual, symbolic, and intuitive practice… and build a tarot deck.In this episode we explore learning how to look, how images carry meaning, and how intuition develops through attention, conversation, and lived experience.Together, we discuss:* Tarot as a visual language rooted in illustration and storytelling* The difference between memorizing meanings and cultivating intuition* Tarot’s layered history, from Renaissance art to modern decks* How artists collect symbols and build personal mythologies* The Minor Arcana as the “everyday” tarot, and why it’s often overlooked* Elemental associations as an accessible way into the cards* Seasonality, place, and daily life as sources of meaningThis episode also sets the foundation for the project moving forward. Over time, Seeing Tarot will walk through the cards by creating and exploring images together, beginning in the Minor Arcana and focusing on the everyday, human-scale moments the tarot reflects.Welcome to this collaborative journey!About the HostsGina WisotzkyGina is the founder of Incandescent Tarot, where she has been sharing her tarot experience of over two decades. Her work weaves tarot, writing, culture, and seasonal ritual through readings, newsletters, and audio reflections.Anna Rose StablerAnna is an illustrator and artist whose work centers symbolism, still life, and quiet narrative worlds. Her practice draws from place, personal archetypes, and the everyday magic of objects and rituals. You can find her work at annarosestabler.com and her podcast Exploring Videogames. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

In this surprise audio edition of the January forecast, we return to a live, spoken tarot reading after a pause from the podcast. January opens the first full month under our new collective archetype for 2026: The Wheel of Fortune. This reading explores how disorientation, emotional processing, and shifts in communication shape the month ahead—and why clarity may not be the goal right now.Using a four-card spread (Theme, Environment, Challenge, Opportunity), this episode looks at how lunar energy, old mental patterns, and productivity culture interact with the Wheel’s turning.Cards DrawnTheme: The MoonJanuary opens in uncertainty, confusion, and psychic recalibration. The Moon reminds us that disorientation is not a failure—it’s part of the process. This is not a month for forcing clarity or demanding answers. Instead, we’re invited to notice what’s washing through us as the Wheel begins to turn.Environment: Three of SwordsThe surrounding emotional climate points to old wounds, familiar patterns of mental or relational pain, and moments that echo past hurts. Rather than signaling catastrophe, this card highlights the beginning of a cycle—where awareness of pain creates the possibility for change. Reactivity is unlikely to be helpful here.Challenge: Eight of PentaclesThe challenge this month is the temptation to hide inside productivity. Busyness, fixing, and “working harder” may feel culturally sanctioned—but they can also become a way to avoid deeper emotional or spiritual questions. January asks us to question whether effort is truly needed, or whether it’s functioning as a distraction.Opportunity: Ace of SwordsNew clarity is available—but it emerges slowly, through rest, reflection, and restraint. This Ace represents a shift in how we think and communicate, especially in charged situations. Unexpected breakthroughs may come from speaking differently, less defensively, or with greater simplicity.Key Themes & Takeaways* January is a liminal month, more about sensing than deciding* Confusion and emotional churn are part of the Wheel’s movement* Not every feeling requires action or communication* Rest and withdrawal (Four of Swords energy) support real insight* Productivity can obscure desire and lunar practice reveals it* Watch for subtle shifts in how you speak, especially under pressureMentioned ResourceFor a deeper exploration of the year’s governing archetype, including journaling prompts and practices, the Wheel of Fortune Guidebook for 2026 is available in the Incandescent Tarot shop for a limited time. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

This month’s reading situates us in the Two of Wands’ visionary talents. What do we want to dream and then enact this month? The visions, goals, and questions we bring to the following month are likely to yield potent answers, especially if we devote ourselves to creative optimism and peaceful practices of the Queen of Cups. Of course, as with any wands-y reading, burnout is a real danger, particularly the vision-obscuring busyness of the Ten of Wands. Yet if we manage to thread this challenging and worthwhile needle, a whole new chapter can open up via the final card of The Fool’s Journey and the final card of our reading: The World. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

This reading is brought to you by a technical difficulty resulting in a surprisingly cozy nighttime recording! It’s lovely as always to be back with a forecast, but first an important announcement: I’ll be pausing the regularly scheduled content here on the newsletter for a creative and spiritual reset; of course, paid subscriptions will also be paused during this time as well. If you have any ideas or input about the next phase of Incandescent Tarot, do reach out here or to [email protected]. I always love to hear from you - you’re the reason this space exists! Now, onto the cards… This month’s reading plunks us right into the darkness of the Nine of Swords where we’re asked to hang up our suffering, feel through it, and let ourselves feel and be held by the support available to us. In a beautiful gesture, the world reaches back when we reach out as our environment card, the Six of Cups, shows that tenderness and connection is on offer if we can step towards it. Our final cards illustrate a tricky process of discernment wherein we’re tasked with resisting the complacency of the King of Pentacles in service of the spontaneous, riskier magic of The Magician. Energy and growth is on the table, but if we choose The Magician’s path it will be both deeply meaningful and propulsive. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

July highlights the burgeoning excitement, experimentation, and direction of the Two of Wands - this is a month to pay attention to what inspiration is appearing naturally while protecting this tender new growth from harmful influences. The Knight of Swords indicates a critical environment and a choice for us to turn against ourselves or turn against what’s holding us back via the Eight of Swords. The Knight of Pentacles reveals a different approach, one we may already be taking behind the scenes: slow, diligent, and dedicated work that can grow to support a meaningful life. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com

A robust and fiery energy for the start of the summer! This spread features the powerful, authoritative Emperor as our theme card. We’re positioned to make big gains this month, using our strength and determination to shape projects, routines, relationships - anything that requires our focus and vision. In our environment position, the Six of Wands shows an abundance of support and collaboration. Success is possible if we engage with others, delegate, and practice mutuality. The challenge, however, is to avoid burnout and emotional withdrawal via the Four of Cups while accepting the fast-moving developments (and successes!) of the Eight of Wands. Listen in for the entire forecast and be sure to share your comments below! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit incandescenttarot.substack.com