on the fool

Many years ago I presented a series of workshops on how understanding the history of tarot could be useful for modern tarot users. At the time people told me they were helpful and so my plan is to listen to the recordings and transcribe them here to share with others.


Historically, the Fool was a big part of the medieval dramas or morality plays that were performed to educate people at that time. The Fool had his own particular costume and would entertain between the acts of the plays. During the Renaissance, there was a sequence of engravings done called ‘The Children of the Planets’. Each planet, or the god or goddess of the planet, was depicted in the engraving which also showed the children of each planet, which were the professions or different activities associated with the planets. The fool was one of the children of the Moon. This may seem a surprising association but actually he was the lunatic and the word lunatic comes from moon, or lunar. The Fool represented mania, madness, mood swings and unpredictability. He was the crazy man walking aimlessly through the countryside with his stick and bag and all his possessions. And the symbolism in modern decks is not that different, we still have the stick and bag, although probably not so much the crazy wandering fool.

Ancient Italian Tarot

Historically the figure of the Fool would have been well known to people of that time as representing someone who operated outside the norm. He wandered aimlessly and would go to the different courts to visit. He was the court jester, the only person who could criticise or poke fun at the king and not get into trouble. This was well and good until they needed a scapegoat and then they would use the fool. Interestingly in the game of tarot the Fool was the card you would use to save yourself. You’d be happy to use the fool to save you higher cards so he was the scapegoat in both the game and in life.

Nigel Jackson Medieval Enchantment Tarot

In the modern decks the number zero was added to the card. The occult significance of that was the idea that from nothing comes everything.  One modern way of viewing the major arcana is as the Fool’s journey and the Fool is representative of us, or our soul. We become the Fool and we embark on a journey through life. The fool is seen as being at the beginning of the sequence, but really it can fit anywhere because it can be viewed as the one taking the journey. 

Robin Wood Tarot

It is interesting to contemplate the idea of madness, as this isn’t something we associate with this card in modern decks. More often it is associated with a new beginning, or being prepared to take a leap into the unknown. In most representations the Fool is about to walk off a cliff and he doesn’t care. It alludes to risk-taking and the sense of freedom to be our own self and not worry about what people think of us.  Here we see the link with madness because obviously the fool didn’t care what people thought of him, he was operating in his own reality and it didn’t matter what people thought. We still see people like this today, walking down the street mumbling, and we think ‘what world are they in?’, but in fact, this is our Fool.  It is interesting with this card to remember when it comes up just how close all of us are to flipping over into that world of madness, we can all lose it at any time, whether it is through a sudden event or something, at any time we can lose our grip on this reality and become the Fool.  The Chinese Tarot depiction of the fool below taps into these ideas of a wandering madman. 

Chinese Tarot

Even the things we associate positively with this card such as taking a leap into the unknown and the freedom that goes along with that, in some ways that is foolish behaviour. We have to not care what people think, we have to be prepared to operate outside the norm.  When we consider the historical development of this card and connect that with the modern interpretations we can begin to see how they come together to give a deeper understanding.

Druidcraft Tarot

The Mythic Tarot below uses Dionysus to illustrate the Fool and this association is common even in decks not explicitly linked to mythology. Dionysus is often linked with drinking, drunkenness and crazy behaviour and so here again we see the idea of abandon and not caring. Most representations of the fool depict an animal biting at the Fool’s heels which is sometimes considered a symbol of our animal or natural instinct. Again, this is the part of us that doesn’t think too much, doesn’t worry what others think of us, and acts in accordance to our inner or true self. 

Mythic Tarot

Ultimately the Fool is where we begin and end. At the beginning we are everything and yet nothing, unlimited potential un-lived. We are pure and untainted by life, simply our true and essential nature. At the end of the journey life has built us up and worn us down. We have donned many masks and then watched them fall away. Ideally we return to our essential nature but this time we hold within a wisdom gained from the experiences on our journey of life.

Thoth Tarot

on stepping into a wonderland

Well, it has certainly been awhile since I've posted here.  I've taken an extended break from tarot but am hoping to get back into things.  What I've found interesting in having time away is how good it is to return with fresh eyes.  I had been working with tarot for about 12 years and on reflection I think I'd burnt out.  I needed to have some time away to think of other things.  I've just finished working on a very practical project for the last six months, far different to the world of tarot.  Before I took a break I was very muddled in my thinking, rushing this way and that, working with one system after another and never really settling on anything.  Collecting decks seemed to have taken over from actually using them.

On my return the deck I have most enjoyed is the Nigel Jackon Medieval Enchantment.  I've always loved this deck but now it seems like it's the perfect match for my 'tarot worldview'.  I'm hoping to use this deck to explore some of my ideas and post my thoughts here as I go.

I drew the Eight of Cups this morning and I absolutely love the image.  It definitely has that sense of starting off on a journey, to somewhere new and different to what I'm used to.  This card reflects how I feel about the deck as a whole actually, it's like stepping into a magical wonderland and relishing the thought of getting lost in it.  Time to start exploring!

on art and tarot

Our ongoing renovation has got me thinking about how I'm going to decorate the interior once building has finished.  I've got lots of ideas for artwork but am thinking of using some tarot images to create a montage in one of my rooms.  I'm keen to do something a bit different.  Anyway, here are some of the images I'm considering using at this stage.

 Cards from the Etteilla deck

 Sun and Two of Wands from Tarot of the Thousand and One Nights

Visconti World and Hermit from Tarot de Paris

8 Wands and Hermit from Ancestral Path

 Princess Cups from Ancestral Path, 2 Spears from Arthurian

 Moon from Dotti, Hermit from the Haindl

 2 Disks and Moon from Hermetic

 Moon from Roots of Asia, Hermit from Ancient Lombardy

 Star from Magical Forest, Moon from Australian Animals

 Queen of Pumpkins (Disks) from halloween, Moon from Medieval Scapini

 

 Queen of Batons and The Star from Ancient Italian

Hermit from Cosmic, 10 Swords from Wheel of Change

 Hermit and Tower from Crystal

 Moon and Queen of Disks from Vacchetta

Hermit from Paulina, Queen Disks from Thoth

I think the process of putting together your favourite artwork across a large selection of tarot decks is very helpful.  It is particularly interesting to notice many of the same cards coming up and I see that I have lots of Hermits and quite a few Queen of Disks.  The Moon and Star seem to feature as well.  Now I just need to work out exactly what I'm going to do with all these gorgeous images.

on autumn

Autumn is my favourite time of the year.  Even though where I live we don't really have the 'typical' autumn, I still love the sense of winding down that this time of year brings.  Because most of our trees are evergreen it is always exciting to try and spot the trees that do begin to turn orange and lose their leaves.  It's still very hot with daytime temperatures still peaking around 30 degrees.  And yet, when I wake in the morning there is that slight chill in the air that lets me know that cooler days and nights are coming.


This card is from the Arthurian Tarot deck created by John and Caitlin Matthews and illustrated by Miranda Gray.  To me is captures the essence of autumn.

on full moons and sleepless nights

Tonight is a full moon and I find myself unable to sleep.  I am always in awe of the power the moon seems to have over us and it is on the full moon that I notice this most accutely.  Lying in bed seemed futile and so I thought a little parade of moon cards might help me nod off.

The card above is from the Ancestral Path deck and I absolutely love the imagery.  This is how the moon feels to me tonight, a reminder of how small and insignificant the twists and turns of our own lives are in comparison to the cycles of this glowing orb.
 

Above are cards from the Hermetic and Ukiyoe decks.

While not a full moon, the Roots of Asia Tarot is a beautiful image.

Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot shows the moon in a style that reminds me of stained glass.  The Morgan Greer card also seems to have the same luminous quality.

 In the Medieval Scapini deck we see Luigi Scapin's surreal vision depicted.

Both the Dotti and Druidcraft decks show the dogs howling at the Moon. 

 

Finally, the Moon from the Housewives tarot which I included in my post about counting sheep, provides a depiction of what I'm aiming for myself.....finally drifting off to sleep while the full moon smiles down from above.

on counting sheep

Back on January 16^th I posted about how I was losing some interest in tarot and considering ‘moving on’.  I have to say, I’m now feeling a little sheepish.  Since actually making public those thoughts I have had a complete turnaround.  I’m more enthused about tarot than I have been in the past twelve months, I’m posting more regularly, and I’m just generally more excited about all things tarot.  And yes, it is a little embarrassing.  
 

The Moon - Housewives Tarot

I often find this happens to me.  If I declare something publically without really thinking it through I’m bound to have those cringe worthy moments that I find myself in now.  Reading over past assertions and being confronted with my failings and shortcomings.  Oh well, surely there is some dignity in being able to also admit this publically too.

When re-reading the beginning of this post I wondered about my use of the word sheepish, not a word that I often use.  I decided to look it up in the dictionary to make sure that it really did fit in this context, and sure enough…..

“adj 1. abashed or embarrassed, esp through looking foolish or being in the wrong”  or  “If you look sheepish, you look slightly embarrassed because you feel foolish or you have done something silly.”  

Interestingly, it can also mean “resembling a sheep in timidity or lack of initiative”, which in some ways seems the opposite of the above in the sense that I WISH I’d been a bit more timid and kept my thoughts to myself.

Loving as I do to include images with all my posts I thought a sheep was in order, and considering this is predominantly a tarot blog I decided a tarot card with a sheep on it would do the job.  Hmm, not too many of them around are there?  Before I know it I’m hunting high and low, and seeking help on the Aeclectic forum (thanks everyone) to try and track down as many tarot sheep as I could find.

 This first card came to mind very quickly as it’s from one of my favourite decks, the Tarot of the Master, a reproduction of the Vacchetta deck from 1893.  Below you can see the Queen of Batons.  I’ve always found this a beautiful image and one that gives a sense of nurture and mutual compassion.

There is also the Gumppenberg Lombardy deck where once again the Queen of Batons also shows a sheep, well kind of, it’s on the arm of her chair.  I was intrigued that both these decks had the Queen of Batons/Staves with a sheep or sheep. 

Now in the Golden Dawn system, which doesn’t apply to either of these decks, the Queen of Wands (Batons/Staves) is linked to the astrological sign of Aries, and the sign of Aries is represented by the ram.  Not exactly the sheepish sheep I originally had in mind, but still somewhat interesting.  I thought of the Aries personality, that rush in without thinking, follow your passion whatever the consequences, put your foot in it style of doing things…..and then, perhaps afterwards the Ram becomes the sheep, sheepish, and a little less enthusiastic about things than they were earlier.  Maybe.

The Mythic and Celestial Tarots both attribute the King of Wands to the sign of Aries and include rams in the image.  The Mythic also shows a ram on its Page of Cups.  In this image we see Phrixus riding the golden fleeced ram sent by Zeus in order for him to escape from Ino.  In this myth his life is in danger and his sister falls into the sea as they try to escape.  Phrixus does manage to survive and sacrifices the ram to Zeus in thanks.  The Golden Fleece became the magical goal of the Hero Jason and the Argonauts who sought it.  The lesson here is perhaps that the difficulty or challenge that we currently face holds the promise of great adventure and opportunities for learning.  Also we can see that the journey is a long one and the small sheepish moments along the way fade into insignificance in the big scheme of things.

In Dame Fortune’s Wheel Tarot the Seven of Coins depicts a lady holding a lamb which Paul Huson explains is a sign of innocence.  Considering the idea of sheepishness, it seems it could often be as a result of that innocent wish to express oneself that we later feel regret.  In the moment we speak or write our thoughts there is nothing wrong with making declarations of whatever we are taken with.  It is in hindsight, with a little added wisdom, that the sheepishness creeps up on us.

In the Vandenborre Bacchus Tarot, as well as some other older decks of the same period, the card we now see almost universally as the Tower was often depicted as a shepherd with his sheep beneath a tree, often sheltering from a lightning bolt.  Traditionally it was suggested that the idea of God breaking open the doors of hell to liberate those trapped within was being depicted in this image.  In more modern times we look at the tower as that bolt from the blue, the rug being pulled from below us, so that we can re-build our lives more in line with our true self.  Either way it is a major change, and a liberation of sorts.  So, how does this connect to sheepishness…..well, seeing our world crumble before us, and sometimes also realising the mistakes we may have made to get ourselves into our current predicament, or the foolish things we may have done, can certainly lead to a degree of sheepishness.  Well, in my case anyway.

Finally, the Magical Forest Tarot has many sheep, and very cute ones at that.  Two in particular stand out to me on the Strength and Temperance cards.  I find this interesting because they are both virtues and perhaps virtues one should work towards to avoid future sheepishness (and by ‘one’ I really mean me).  Strength is obviously important because we need to firstly be confident and not worry if some of the things we say end up making us feel foolish.  We also need strength for those times when we have made a fool of ourselves and need to deal with the consequences.  Temperance is even more important as it highlights the necessity to be moderate, to think before we speak, to consider things before being certain.

So in this crazy little journey that started off as a vague sense of sheepishness, my cute little woolly friends have helped show me not only the problem, but also some ways to avoid it.

And at the end of all this the message for me is that despite what our intentions with tarot are, it seems that it will take us where it wants us to be, rather than the other way around.  The beauty of working with tarot as a system is that there are so many paths leading off the main road, so many nooks and crannies to explore.  Sometimes if we just go where it takes us, we end up with realisations that we couldn’t have imagined.  And for me personally, I know if I ever see a sheep on a card when I’m doing a reading I’ll have many layers of meaning which I’ll now be able to draw on.

I’d also like to include here some of the other sheep I discovered on Tarot cards along the way:

 Bruegal Tarot 8 of Cups and Page of Swords

 

Golden Tarot 9 of Coins, Egorov Tarot 10 of Coins

 Lisa Hunt Fantastical Creatures 4 of Swords, Lisa Hunt Fairytale Hermit

  Magical Forest Judgement, Star and Lovers

  Osho Zen, Thoth

 

Minchiate, Alice in Wonderland

At some stage, when I find myself with more time, I'd like to reflect on how these additional Sheep might add to my little journey.  Ultimately though, I have enjoyed the process of just going with the flow and seeing where the imagery can take me and how it can shed light on a situation.  I guess this type of exercise is just another style of 'reading' the cards.