Tarot by HH
The Fool Roberto De Angelis' Universal Tarot Copyright Lo Scarabeo, 1999 ISBN0-73870-007-X A scan of this card can be seen here: [url=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/InTheCards/files/Cards%20/Trumps/0/u0.jpg]DeAngelis' Fool[/url] As I have already mentioned The Fool's wallet, his bag of tricks, let me continue with that symbology
The bag that contains all the esoteric Fool needs to know, understand and take action on as he progresses on his journey is a feminine symbol; it encloses, shields and protects
The staff to which The Fool's bag of tricks is tied is a masculine symbol, representing power, weaponry and support
The two symbols together are a sexual symbol and can be said to be the precursor of the breech and the healing of the breech between male and female in card number 6, The Lovers
Not only does The Fools Bag of Tricks contain all he will need for his journey, it contains all that has transpired before: his memories
In his left hand The Fool holds a perfect red rose representing passion
As is the passion in The Lovers card, The Fool’s passion is all encompassing, adventure, learning, acquiring skill, developing talents, life
However, passion can push The Fool, pull The Fool, and cause him to act not only unpredictably, but also irrationally
It is when passion is controlled and focused that The Fool is transported to understand his base nature and to begin to know who he is
The Fool gazes into the unknown
The unknown, the unshaped future, where passion can be expanded and expended
The undaunted courage to journey into the unknown is what makes it possible for the unexpected, the extraordinary, the phenomenal, and the sensational to happen
Astrologically, the planet most often associated with The Fool is Uranus, an erratic and nonconforming planet that is allied with human spirit of adventure, a fitting correspondence
The Fool's clothing symbolizes personality
Is The Fool his personality? Or is personality the illusion of who The Fool is, of who we are? The Fool's outer garment is patterned with the entire cosmos, the symbols of the Tree of Life are found here, as well as the esoteric keys to knowledge
The lighter coloured undergarment symbolized consciousness and light, the red lining represents desire and passion, the dark background of the tunic represents the physical world
His brown leggings symbolize the protection offered by the Earth, his grey boots the benign indifference of the base nature of the human body
The feather in The Fool's headdress symbolizes folly
The brilliant Sun behind him is symbolic of the power of the intellect
The mountains to his right are said by Kabalist to represent the Great Work
Hermeticists say it depicts the Alchemical Transformation of Matter
Whatever we choose to call it, the purpose remains unchanged: to remind us that active participation in our spiritual evolution is where we will find our joy, our bliss
The canine companion to the esoteric Fool echoes this message
The dog is referred to as the spiritualized ego or the spiritualized intellect, a boon companion
And, oh yes, about that cliff? Nothing is going to happen to The Fool
He is, after all, going around in a circle
The message from this card is, "If you think you can you can: if you think you can't you're right
" Now, in explanation of using the pronoun he when speaking of The Fool
Both Pamela Colman Smith and Robert De Angelis have portrayed the fool as androgynous
Unfortunately there is not a satisfactory gender-neutral pronoun
'Their' has a great deal to recommend its use, but sounds stilted and awkward in this context
Thus, I have taken my cue from many tarot writers who refer to The Fool as 'he', but recognize The Fool is as likely to be her
It's in the cards! HH
other posts in this tarot thread
The Fool by HH
The Chinese Tarot Deck's Fool by HH
by WolfChild
by HH
by WolfChild
by HH
*Traditional* Fools by HH
Lösche's Cosmic Tarot by HH
by HH
Some random thoughts, Fool that I Am
by HH
The Fool - couragous? by startide
by HH
The Fool by Witchywoman
by HH
by Witchywoman
by HH
by bluemoon
by bea