posted September 04, 2003 12:03 PM         

I realized just now that the core energy of the Fool, symbolized by the number 0---lives on through the entire Major Arcana. Each card that comes after is a form of this energy manifested. The Fool is the magick of the form before Image takes place. 0 has no language, no context, no completely clearly defined meaning---because its possibilities are inifite!

The rest of the cards relay to us, the story of infinity.

posted September 05, 2003 09:26 AM         

I think that sums up a good bit of what the Fool is all about.

Tarot, particularly the Higher Arcana, has been described by one of my Teachers as a representation of Man's "Fall From Grace" and the Path back.

Good work!

Peace and Light...
A

posted September 07, 2003 09:15 AM         

I so love reading all the Fools attributes.

posted September 07, 2003 05:21 PM         

Personally, I'd prefer that we come up with our own intuitive hits rather than taking something verbatim from another source.

If you wanted to post something brief about the mythology that would be appropriate, but I'm trying to foster a "look at the card and see what it says to YOU" approach to learning the cards. Additionally, The Mythological Tarot is but one of many decks available on the market, and reflects the particular bias of that decks authors, which may or may not correlate with the decks that we are using.

Thank you for the offer though. If you wanted to post Mythological Tarot information in another thread, as an additional source, I think that would be appropriate.

In the Light..
A

posted September 23, 2003 09:58 PM         

Yay! Here I come. Let me share with you guys what I feel when I see the Fool, and how I interpret it.

First of all, I'm basing my description on the Rider-Waite deck, since it's the one I currently have (my Sacred Circle deck should be here in like 15 days! YAY!!!!).

So... we see this young man, clearly starting on a journey. He's got his pack on his back and seems happy and glad to be able to be on this journey, but he's totally unaware of the cliff in front of him. The day's bright with the sun, but if we look on the background, there are snowy mountains.

Interesting enough, the snowy mountains were the first thing I've noticed on the card when studying it. Sunny, but snowy? I remember there was an exercise I had to do that made us guess the meaning of each card by looking at them (10 cards, I got all 10 right! LOL There must be a connection or so).

I see the fool as a start. But a rather naive start, that's how we are whenever we start something, in general! He's got everything he has in that pack, that would stand for, in my opinion, to all our knowledge about life and about ourselves. That's our pack. What we know about the world and about ourselves. But then, in every journey, there will be cliffs, and sometimes we don't realise it until we fall. That's what the cliff stands for to me, the problems we face in our lives, the problems we will probably face when starting something new.

Same for the snowy mountains/sunny day. The sunny day is the brightness of a new project, a new choice, whatever this choice is. But the snowy mountains are there to remind us that not everything is bright and shiny, and that more "snowy" days will probably come in this new journey.

I see the fool as a rather dual card, as it shows me the two sides of a new beginning. He's happy and sure of himself, but he can't see he's about to fall. It's a sunny day, but there are snowy mountains ahead.

I think the Fool is a great card! And I think that's what I have to say about it, I hope I've made myself clear!

Cheers!

posted October 07, 2003 08:24 PM         

I tend to read the cards thru instinct, even tho I did my time studying meanings, the Tree of Life, etc... I also tend to oversimplify because the people I read for are looking for lessons somewhat less arcane..
(and now that I have over-justified my stance)
Whenever I get the Fool, I realize that I must "take the leap" and start TRUSTING the Universe to provide. Especially when I have got major questions about what to do next.. the Fool forces me to get out of the logical mindset and put on thatfunny lopsided Uranus cap and start looking at the future

and jump off the cliff.

SO are we progressing on the Magician?
The Tarot is like a story of the hero (or heroine) quest, and the stages of life we go thru. Meeting the Magician is when you are given the tools you will need to proceed. it might be a burst of energy, a mentor, hey even a new thought or book that helps you manifest something in the physical world.

And I will stop the blather here now. Please dont feel you have to write out my whole name here, A.. just call me K.

posted October 09, 2003 01:42 AM         

Writing at work, so's I need to be quick, will devote more time later...

Annie... where did you get those BOTA tarot colorized GIFS?

Thanks so much!!!

You are a Goddess!

Blessed Be...
A

posted October 09, 2003 06:52 AM         

Hope it helps!

posted October 10, 2003 11:24 PM         

Aselzion, I first wanted to ask you if there is any connection with this image and the story of Tobias in the Apocrypha (if you think there is I'd like to discuss that somewhere). I also read somewhere a hypothesis that this ancient story comes down to us from a culture where dogs were thought to be soul guides - or something like that. I'll try to find my source. Do you know anything of this?

For the past ten years or so I've been in near constant transition (maybe that's just what lbeing an adult is all about!), so the symbolism of the Fool has come to be a beacon for me, a reminder not to cave in to worry and limiting thoughts. The theme of a journey in this image resonates with me, too.

And I have to admit, I always think of Indiana Jones walking off that precipice into certain death, but he finds that there really is a bridge where he steps and so his test of faith is passed. Yah, I grew up in the eighties :-)

I also use runes for personal divination, and the blank rune of Odin I assume would be the Nordic equivalent of the Fool. This rune signifies also the Void, and so unlimited potential - All that is. Odin is also the Hanged Man, and I thought I read somewhere that this is actually the same character as the Fool??? Maybe not.

I also think this Fool is smarter than he looks (or is that projection on my part!?!) - sort of the wise jester who acts "the fool", but in reality only chooses to play this part because of the freedom that comes with others having no expectations of you. What do they say, "the wise man admits he knows nothing"?

To me the bag is the physical traits we are born into, and also our collected karma, that we carry with us, sort through, utilize for the useful experiences... And I wonder about the significance of the staff as perhaps some sort of "rod of power" - a la Moses - kind of thing (cleverly disguised as a walking stick...). I have a picture of the Fool from the Marseilles deck, and there is no rose, no mountains, no sun - just the man and his dog - and the Fool's head is turned almost backwards at an awkward angle (as he approaches the edge). And he is not a youth like in the deck you're using (Rider-Waite?). It's almost appalling that the cards can change so much! But I guess divination should be above all that in the long run.

In Japanese Buddhism a similar concept is encapsualted in the character "yume" which can tranlate as dream/illusion/shadow - in effect sunyata, the essence of impermanence. In other words, this material world that is only a fleeting dream of the All. Perhaps the Fool symbolizes the world of Maya, and like in the movie the Matrix, if we try not just to bend the spoon, but realize that there is no spoon, then a threshold has been crossed. I think the Fool knows there is no spoon.

To me this is the ultimate image of the Creator living through its creation. The Fool is a vehicle for Spirit to know itself, and so the cliff is not a potential pitfall at all, rather the unfathomable potential that comes when we have faith enough to open ourselves completely to a higher presence. An apt card indeed for both beginning and end.

I also think it is the most difficult card to live.

posted November 07, 2003 02:24 AM         

Sorry... missed that post.

The Magician and the Aces are after the Fool!

Peace and blesings..
A

------------------
"Aum bhoor buvah svaha
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasaya dheemahi
Dhiyo yo naha prachodayat." ****Gayatri Mantra****