Red feather in Fools' Cap/Hat

[TemperanceAngel]

I know i have read about this in another thread, but cannot find it??

Can someone either direct me to that thread or explain to me the symbolism?

Thanks in advance :D

XTAX

[Rusty Neon]

Here's one take (Echols, Mueller, Thompson):

- There is an eagle embroidered on the Fool's purse.

- The red feather is an eagle feather.

- "As a bird of day or night, the eagle itself represents self-renewal and messages made clear."

[TemperanceAngel]

Originally posted by Rusty Neon
- There is an eagle embroidered on the Fool's purse.

- The red feather is an eagle feather.

- "As a bird of day or night, the eagle itself represents self-renewal and messages made clear."

Doh!! Sometimes it's just staring you right in the face!

Thanks Rusty, it makes loads o sense.

XTAX

[anjocoxo]

Actually the same red feather is on Death... I wonder if it apllies (sp?) the same message?

Anjo

[TemperanceAngel]

I have never known for the Death card to appear without the Fool in a spread, and if not in the same spread you can be certain that he is just around the corner.....the Fool that is.

Great observation, anjocoxo!

XTAX

[Rusty Neon]

Is there any RWS commentary out there that discusses both the Fool's feather and the Death knight's feather?

[Mystic Zyl]

Red always signals new beginnings. To me red is the color of initiative.

[Dasani]

Red to me is energy, so a red feather in a cap would mean moving energy. The Fool & Death are on the move.

[anjocoxo]

Mu humble opinion...

This thread got me thinking about the similarities between the Fool and Death (I don't know if there's another thread about this, if so, sorry).

The thing is, to me, both symbolize beginings. However, as we look at the fool, we see that he's starting from the begining, he looks like he finished a circle (which was the world) and he's ready to start from the top, as if he was just born - the careless look and the way he seems to be greating nature, as if he had never seen it before, help my point of view. Also, he's "zero", which also reminds us of a circle - something old ended, and you're about to start a new journey.

In what comes to Death, it's also beginings, but many times related to pain and hurt. It's funny that many times I see this card as a good card, because we're finally gonna get rid of things that weren't good for us, and we knew it. I always relate this card to those relationships where we know for a few days (sometimes months and even years) that it's not going to work, and one day it all falls apart. In the begining we feel bad because what we had tumbled and fel (sp?), but a few months or years after that we take a deep breath and feel free, as we never felt before. And then we think "I shouldn't have let that situation drag for so long, and now I'm much better like this".

Life always move on, whether we like it or not; sometimes it moves with pain, other times with joy. Sometimes the grief makes us stronger, other times it throws us down. But we must always try to get up. Death may takes us down for a bit... but after a while, the Fool is ready to start from scratch.

These were my 2 cents, hope it made sense.

Anjo

[TemperanceAngel]

Thanks everyone!

I have noted that the red feather in the Deaths' helmet is looking slightly tattered (experience can do that), but with the cycle ending and the birth of a new cycle, the feather will appear fresh and new again aka the Fool.

Some more thoughts on the color red: it is the color of the base chakra and therefore grounding. It also represents action, energy, manifestation, passion and is also associated with the planet, Mars.

Tarot is about cycles, the cycles of life and the Fool and the Death card are symbolic of the 'deaths' and 'births' within these cycles.

XTAX

[gloria]

The Sun shows a child riding out of a walled garden on a horse. The child here wears a red feather.
I see the Sun as breaking loose, liberation and freedom, moving forward very much like The Fool.
There are some that say Waite may have seen The Fool as having been transformed through Death and then reappearing as an innocent child in The Sun.
Although I’m not so sure Death has the same red feather, unless he got caught out in the rain!

G.

[WalesWoman]

RED: The color of blood and the planet Mars, life, force, strength, vitality, courage, vitality, passion, action, energy heart, soul, willpower, vitality, love, passion, courage, passion, earthly desire, action and the need to use direction, optimism and cheerfulness.

FEATHERS: The Egyptian Goddess Maat, her emblem is the feather of Truth and Justice who stands in the halls of the under-world ready to place her feather of truth on the scales, if the heart balanced with the feather they would have eternal life. If she didn't then the waiting monster Amemait would eat their heart. (Found on the FOOL, DEATH, the SUN, 9 OF CUPS, PAGE & KNIGHT OF WANDS)
from http://www.geocities.com/tarot_r_us/Symbolism.html

Another short list of symbols can be found here http://home.earthlink.net/%7Eyvonr/tarot/further/symbdict.html

I've also seen that the red feather represents faith.

[TemperanceAngel]

Thanks WalesWoman!

I had forgotten about Ma'at. Great links, too!!!

XTAX

[Bonnie37]

This might be the page you were looking for:

http://www.tarotforum.net/archive/index.php/t-11296.html

If not, well, it's just some more info for you.