Quick Note: This is a repost of an old blog post that I wrote months ago, re-shared to be on my new platform. It may be updated in the coming months to show new card art, as I've changed direction with the

Tarot is something that I have long admired and appreciated as a practice. It’s what drove me to working on my own decks. I have tried (and failed) multiple times to make my own deck, but up until now I’ve always fizzled out and stopped working on the project. This time, I’m prepared for just how much of an undertaking it is. I was thinking about it as I was drawing these, and I thought it might be a good idea to write about the cards and their meanings as I create them!

This will do a few things:

• It will hold me accountable to keep working on the cards.

• It will allow me to share information on a topic that I’m passionate about.

• It’s a non-fiction deep dive that adds context and flavor to the fiction that I am writing

The Cursed and Healed Thorn decks are intertwined with The Night Garden, because they are all illustrations pertaining to Acanthus and Cypress. I’ll be talking about both the story and the meaning of the tarot cards as I go through. Today’s deep-dive is about the Aces.

So, with that being said, let’s dive right into the particulars of the Aces in the tarot!

The Aces are cards that are all about the core energy of the suit, sowing the seeds of opportunity in the energy of the suit that the card is representing. They symbolize beginnings, potential, and opportunity. Aces are the lowest rank of the minor arcana, and are typically the starting point of a journey.

The Ace of Blood

What do you feel?

Blood is all about emotional matters, the dreamscape, and intuition. This suit is commonly shown as Cups in standard decks. Cups are ruled by water in the tarot, and just like water is the life-giver for humans, blood is the life-giver for vampires. Blood the ruler of emotions, relationships, and intuition. It is a symbol of connection, romance, and the vibrance of life. Blood is the good and bad of emotion, the chaotic and calm. It tells you what your heart wants.

Emotion is also tied to hearts, which are tied to blood. Blood makes the heart beat, and vampires rely on it to survive. Your blood can be calm and still, or rage through your veins. Water, emotions, blood — all ebb and flow, all are influenced by their surroundings.

The Upright Meaning

If Blood as a suit are all about emotional matters, the dreamscape and intuition, then this Ace is all about abundant pleasure, fullness of spirit, and beautiful situations in life. It’s the positives of the emotional sector. You’re likely feeling inspired, creative, and intuitive. Emotional fulfillment is something that we all look for, and with a bit of nurturing, it’s possible. Follow your heart, listen to your intuition, and stay patient. If you stay curious and patient, things should be happening just as they should.

The Reversed Meaning

Are you feeling stagnant, or feeling emotionally off-kilter? Maybe some unfortunate situations have happened, or abrupt changes that have left you reeling. Now is not the time to bottle things up. If you are feeling like you’re feeling disconnected from your emotion, or that there’s not enough love surrounding you, then opening up about your thoughts can lead to relief. Alternately, if you’re lost in your emotion, then it’s time to rein it in; lean on your logic, and regain some self-control.

How is this relevant to The Night Garden series?

Vampires are by far the most emotional beings in The Night Garden. Acanthus talks often about how their emotions fly out of control and they lose sight of themself. Blood bags are also an allegory that Cypress often uses to talk about Acanthus needing to feed. In Tales From The Night Garden, blood bags are taken humanely from donors who know the cause, so that the vampires aren’t causing accidental harm.

The Healed Deck - Why does this fit the card?

In the Healed Thorn, the cards are largely centered around Cypress’ mindset and thoughts. Mallory is a character who has not been introduced yet. She’s Lykaia’s girlfriend. Lykaia is the first (and last) wolf Cypress has changed, so he has a very tender soft spot for her. Mallory is a Chaos Witch that is newly turned by Acanthus after a series of unfortunate events later in the series (it was turn her or death).

As a Chaos Witch, she can manipulate emotions, and as a vampire, her Witch powers are amplified. She is well aware of the power she wields, but she’s unsure of how to manage it in this new form of existence. She’s lucky to be alive, but she’s also at the very start of her journey. Her potential is only the beginning.

The Cursed Deck - Why does this fit the card?

Acanthus gets most of their sustenance from blood bags. If it’s not from blood bags, then it’s from willing donors who are able to live feed, or Cypress from Aloe and later. Since Vampires receive their powers from the blood that they consume, and Acanthus’ emotional state spirals out of control when they’re starved, the blood bag is something that symbolizes potential to Acanthus in so many ways.

The Ace of Coins

What can you build?

Coins and pentacles are interchangeable in many decks. They represent material aspects, finances, and the practical matters of life. Coins rule earth, and tend to focus on earthly needs and the physical world. Money, career, finances, possessions, and bodily concerns show up often here. It’s grounding and stable; what can we sense with our five senses? Not only are coins material wants and needs, but they also point towards healing, growth, and change.

The Upright Meaning

This Ace is all about prosperity and having the will to succeed. It is the material energy of the universe; a perfect balance between the material and spiritual realms. Money and health will be bountiful. It is a sign of great things coming your way. Take full advantage of the opportunities that are coming, because the time is right for success.

The Reversed Meaning

Perhaps your alarm bells are going off about an opportunity presented to you that sounds too good to be true. Take the time to examine it carefully. Remember that if something doesn’t feel right, then it’s okay to turn it down.

How is this relevant to The Night Garden series?

The inscription — Vincent omnia veritas, veritas lux mea — is Latin, and it means Truth will conquer all, truth is my light. Considering the Witches have their own currency, and the purpose of The Night Garden is to help free Witches from being bound to other Supernaturals with ill intent, it made sense for Pentacles to be coins. Since Witches are a big reason why The Night Garden exists in the first place, and Cypress associates them with “safe” businesses that the Pack can come to, Witches are the rule of coins.

The Healed Deck - Why does this fit the card?

This is technically meant to be the counter at the Magic Manor. The Manor is one of the first places that Cypress goes that’s not exactly what it seems; a diner on its front, but a

rescue operation behind the scenes. Eventually Cypress comes to know the importance of the Magic Manor and the gold coins that the Witches trade, and he sees the Witches as a valuable resource and kind force of good in the world.

The Cursed Deck - Why does this fit the card?

Acanthus’ point of view is very similar to Cypress’ in this regard. The Witches and their coins are a valuable resource that has gotten them out of many, many binds. Witches are usually a positive signal for them. The main difference, is that this counter is the one at The Spirits Three, which is a notable location along the Garden paths and a prominent place of interest for Acanthus.

The Ace of Thorns

What do you do?

In standard tarot decks, this suit would be Wands. Thorns are the creative self; representing the inner spirit, passion, and inspiration, and a stand-in for wands. This suit is associated with fire, and can also point towards activism and inspired ideas. Think of it as the muse. Wands are all about our intent. Ideas are beautiful, and thorns tend to adorn beautiful things; thistles, roses, acanthus mollis flowers... If we're not careful, our passion can burn us, and make us bleed.

The Upright Meaning

If the core of Thorns is the creative self, passion, and inspiration, then the Ace of Thorns is good things about to begin; creativity, passionate life, a renaissance of love and new projects and birthing something new. Maybe you have a burst of creativity, and are ready to nurture a new project and bring it to fruition. Move quickly, trust your gut, and don’t be afraid to take risks.

The Reversed Meaning

Maybe life’s gone off of the rails, or you feel creatively stuck where you are. Maybe you’ve lost your fire for a project. Backtrack a little, see where things went wrong; once you fix the error, it will be easier to start again.

How is this relevant to The Night Garden series?

Thorns are a repeating motif in The Night Garden, especially in terms of vampires and particularly Acanthus. When in control, fire, like the thorn, can be constructive and beautiful; otherwise, it can be destructive, and tear down everything in its path. Thorns are also used a lot to refer to The Night Garden and the Garden Paths, since Acanthus like to use plant imagery for the paths they created. So, Thorns are ruled by the Pack, and the Night Garden.

The Healed Deck - Why does this fit the card?

Cypress is a kind Wolf, and they do their best to find the positives in any situation. When they have to trim the rose bushes, they keep the cuttings alive as long as possible (with Acanthus’ help, of course.) Cypress’ story also truly began with Acanthus, and Acanthus is often symbolized by roses — particularly briar roses. Cypress sees so much potential in the blooming of a rose, and wants to share that with anyone who will listen.

The Cursed Deck - Why does this fit the card?

As I said for the Healed Thorn deck, Acanthus is often symbolized by roses — particularly briar roses. In this image, they’re pressing their finger into a thorn. They tend to be a fairly pessimistic individual, but they find a lot of potential in pain, penance, and blood. Blood also happens to be at the core of a lot of their creative pursuits, because their energy and powers both come from the blood.

The Ace of Silver

What do you think?

Typically depicted as swords or knives, the Silver suit is all about the werewolves. It is a weapon against them; many vampires and witches carry it for protection at the start of Lemon Balm.

Silver rules the mental and logic. It represents intellect, challenges, and conflicts, and are associated with air. Silver deals with decision making, analyzing, planning, and structure. Because Silver is something that can be used to both aid and harm, it’s about balancing these things. It's a good metaphor for weapons - powerful when yielded properly, but overthinking can cause issues.

The Upright Meaning

If Silver is intellect and fortitude as a suit, then the Ace of Silver is inner strength, power, victories, determination, and courage. It’s a time of mental breakthroughs; knowledge is vast and accessible, your ideas are vast and fresh, and it’s time for your ideas to reach new heights. Focus on yourself and your goals. Take the time to plan, consider past obstacles, and use your brain to get to where you want to go.

The Reversed Meaning

Feeling lost and aimless? Dazed? Confused? Think about what you truly want; there has to be a way to get it. Be realistic with your plans. Give yourself a goal; you may find the motivation that you’ve been lacking.

How is this relevant to The Night Garden series?

The Wolves are the leaders of the current power structure of the World of Shadows. Many of the packs use unfair and subversive tactics to keep the factions separated and beneath a strict authoritarian power structure. Cypress in particular wants to be the change; using logic as a way to collaborate rather than forcing a rule and submission with silver. So, Wolves are the ruler of the Silver suit.

The Healed Deck - Why does this fit the card?

When Cypress spends time with Nekane’s pack in Lemon Balm, he is forced to wear a silver necklace laden with charms. This is passed off as a way to “strengthen” their inner Wolves, but Cypress sees it as a way of torture. It’s during this time that he sees how broken the current system is, and later on gives them the courage to find ways to change how the Wolves train and behave.

The Cursed Deck - Why does this fit the card?

For Acanthus, they were waiting for death and ignoring all logic when Cypress shows up at their church, and awakens them to a whole new era of their life. Considering this is the beginning of a new era for them, Cypress signifies change, and is a perfect symbol for logically approaching a new opportunity or situation.

So, there we have it!

Have you ever attempted making a tarot deck? What about creating a long-term personal project? I’d love to hear about it! I don’t know when I’ll have the article about the twos finished, but I should have it out sometime in February. Until next time, stay magical!