Tarot Series - 0: The Fool
There are two divisions in the Tarot deck: the Major and the Minor Arcanas. The Minor Arcana is comprised of 4 suits - Pentacles (monetary or worldly matters), Cups (emotional matters), Swords (matters of the mind), and Wands (spiritual matters). Take a look at your playing card deck. What suits do you find therein? Diamonds (Pentacles), Hearts (Cups), Spades (Swords), and Clubs (Wands). Interesting, innit?
What, then, is the Major Arcana comprised of?
Rich, archetypal images.
Some say the Major Arcana is the Fool's path of enlightenment (more on him later). I've found that each card is rife with imagery and can stand on its own quite easily as well.
We've already discussed one of the Major Arcana, whether you realized it or not. DEATH is the 13th stop on the Fool's journey.
Who is this Fool-fellow, and what does he represent?
=^.^=
Take a moment to look at this card in detail, if you haven't already. Click the image to see it enlarged.
The Fool is the first card in the Major Arcana. This is the story of a young man (or woman) with high hopes and dreams, setting out on a journey. He mounts his trusty steed and, canine companion in towe, sets out into the wild unknown.
The Fool is generally characterized as being carefree, filled with wonder and wanderlust. I see a young-adult setting out on his own for the first time. He doesn't necessarily know what to expect, but that isn't stopping him, and certainly isn't quelling his enthusiasm.
Can't you simply feel the magnetism, the infectious excitement, the action of this card? How can you not? Look at the rushing water. Feel its cold spray. When met with this rather sizable obstacle in his path, the Fool doesn't think twice about leaping over it. The lush scenery, painted in shades of gold, represents the golden possibilities awaiting anyone who is willing to reach out and pluck them out of the Tree of Life. The world is this young man's oyster.
=^.^=
Did you know that, when doing a Tarot Reading, the orientation of the card is significant? If the card is upside-down, it holds an entirely different meaning.
I recently drew this card Reversed (or Upside-down), and it hit me with unusual clarity and significance.
While the fool in its upright position suggests a carefree and joyful nature, when the card is reversed, the Fool's path begins to wend its way through the darker parts of the forest.
Once upon a time, I was a naieve young lass. I had the world at my fingertips. Events, both in and out of my control, transpired in such a way that I was incapacitated for a time. When I came out of the tunnel and into the light, battered and bruised, I was not the same person. My moods were black. My mind was cynical and critical. But worst of all, I kept the same reckless abandon, and bent it into something unrecognizable.
The fool reversed is decidedly less merry in his disposition. Throwing care to the wind can have a wonderful effect on one's psyche, rejuvenating and enlivening the mind and spirit... but it is a fine line to walk, the space between "carefree" and "careless".
I was once the carefree fool. I've oft looked back on that time in my life and yearned for the innocence, the joi de vivre, to return. As it is, I've expended considerable time and effort in an attempt to "come to terms with" my past, to embrace the woman I have since become.
=^.^=
I can see myself in this card, my whole journey captured in a 360-degree turn of an age-old image. Upright, I was carefree. Reversed, I became cynical and pained. Turned upright once more, however, I feel the card is telling me to leave my past behind me and take a leap over troubled waters and into the unknown of the future, having faith that my feet will be guided along the way.
What, then, is the Major Arcana comprised of?
Rich, archetypal images.
Some say the Major Arcana is the Fool's path of enlightenment (more on him later). I've found that each card is rife with imagery and can stand on its own quite easily as well.
We've already discussed one of the Major Arcana, whether you realized it or not. DEATH is the 13th stop on the Fool's journey.
Who is this Fool-fellow, and what does he represent?
=^.^=
Take a moment to look at this card in detail, if you haven't already. Click the image to see it enlarged.
The Fool is the first card in the Major Arcana. This is the story of a young man (or woman) with high hopes and dreams, setting out on a journey. He mounts his trusty steed and, canine companion in towe, sets out into the wild unknown.
The Fool is generally characterized as being carefree, filled with wonder and wanderlust. I see a young-adult setting out on his own for the first time. He doesn't necessarily know what to expect, but that isn't stopping him, and certainly isn't quelling his enthusiasm.
Can't you simply feel the magnetism, the infectious excitement, the action of this card? How can you not? Look at the rushing water. Feel its cold spray. When met with this rather sizable obstacle in his path, the Fool doesn't think twice about leaping over it. The lush scenery, painted in shades of gold, represents the golden possibilities awaiting anyone who is willing to reach out and pluck them out of the Tree of Life. The world is this young man's oyster.
=^.^=
Did you know that, when doing a Tarot Reading, the orientation of the card is significant? If the card is upside-down, it holds an entirely different meaning.
I recently drew this card Reversed (or Upside-down), and it hit me with unusual clarity and significance.
While the fool in its upright position suggests a carefree and joyful nature, when the card is reversed, the Fool's path begins to wend its way through the darker parts of the forest.
Once upon a time, I was a naieve young lass. I had the world at my fingertips. Events, both in and out of my control, transpired in such a way that I was incapacitated for a time. When I came out of the tunnel and into the light, battered and bruised, I was not the same person. My moods were black. My mind was cynical and critical. But worst of all, I kept the same reckless abandon, and bent it into something unrecognizable.
The fool reversed is decidedly less merry in his disposition. Throwing care to the wind can have a wonderful effect on one's psyche, rejuvenating and enlivening the mind and spirit... but it is a fine line to walk, the space between "carefree" and "careless".
I was once the carefree fool. I've oft looked back on that time in my life and yearned for the innocence, the joi de vivre, to return. As it is, I've expended considerable time and effort in an attempt to "come to terms with" my past, to embrace the woman I have since become.
=^.^=
I can see myself in this card, my whole journey captured in a 360-degree turn of an age-old image. Upright, I was carefree. Reversed, I became cynical and pained. Turned upright once more, however, I feel the card is telling me to leave my past behind me and take a leap over troubled waters and into the unknown of the future, having faith that my feet will be guided along the way.