View Full Version : Thoth - The Fool
MystiqueMoonlight
17-11-2002, 18:24
Know naught! All ways are lawful to innocense. Pure folly is the key to initiation. Silence breaks into rapture. Be neither man nor woman, but both in one. Be silent, babe in the egg of blue, that thoust mayest grow to bear the lance and grail! Wander alone and sing! In the King's palace his daughter awaits thee (Aleister Crowley)
Correspondence:-
Colour = Yellow
Herb = Ether
Astrology = Air
Rune = Elhaz (merkstave) Or Yr which is the 25th original rune of the older Futhark symbolising the axis on the cosmic plan of creation.
Hebrew = Aleph (meaning ox). The dual principle representing all that exists and all that does not, the positive and the negative, life and death. It represents humanity as a collective unity and so the ruler of Earth. Aleph is the glyph of power and stability.
Let us now analyse the card...
The green colour of the Fool is indicative of the creative power of spring. In the Thoth deck his image is that of Greek God Dionysus.
The crocodile is the Egyptian God of creativity and is of great power. Note the elongated umbilical cord which is in 4 spirals about the Fool given that of spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical. This indicates one's ability to change in all those areas...for self-development if you will.
The first spiral of the umbilical cord surrounds the heart. Emotional rebirth.
The second carries the symbols of the dove (love for oneself and for others, sensitivity, some may even understand it as inner peace) The butterfly indicates metamorphasis or improved change of self. The Caduceus indicates improvement of health or personal well being.
The third spiral has 2 naked people in an embrace. Indicating analysis of relationships, self loving, emotions or partnerships and the improvement thereof through self actualisation.
The fourth spiral hols the crocodile and tiger. The crocodile initiating creative career development and the unfolding of that ability by the rose he is wearing. The tiger indicates fear. Note the tiger is biting at the leg of the Fool but he seems somehow oblivious to it's presence. It has lost it's power over him because he pays it no mind remaining focused on his goal ahead as he stares out from the card.
He holds a cup in one hand and a torch in the other, indicating the meeting of opposite forces, a transformation is about to take place (alchemy). The grapes behind him show fertility and the white spots on the background indicate Fall (time for harvest). The coins in the bag have the astrological symbols on them indicating wealth on all levels of understanding. His horns are a reflection of his expanded perception. Note between his legs the flowers, he is in the process of transformation.
Unlike the RW card, this Fool is in the process of self actualisation clearly shown by the symbols around him and his position or stance on the card. This is not a person engaged in folly, but someone who really is in the process of development. Whilst the number of the card is "0" it may be placed at the end of the majors becoming card number 22. I suggest laying out all of your majors in numercial order and take a look at the process of development they indicate. Now take the Fool and place him any where amongst those cards. Do you see how his position within the majors can influence the lessons our Souls have to learn?
Mystique, could you explain the correspondances you posted?
the fool is, according to BoT, associated with many things, parsifal, greenman, wanderer, etc. other symbols you see in the card, like crocodile also have their own story.
just recently we had a discussion about this card in #tarot on irc, why the hebrew letter aleph is associated with this card.
Wander alone and sing! In the King's palace his daughter awaits thee (Aleister Crowley)
what's behind this?
if you go back in history to the time when succession was not through the first born son of the king, but through his daughter, the new king was always a stranger, a foreigner the foundation of the legend of the wandering prince, always being `the fool' of the family.
so, this fool is a wanderer.
in the book of changes, hexagram 56 is called the wanderer, here you find a similar story about a wanderer.
the wanderer in this story does not become king by marrying the kings daughter, but he does get a high position in government. the 5th line in the hexagram talks about the wanderer shooting a pheasant, shooting it down with the first arrow he shoots, which will bring him in the end praise and office.
this is a parallel to the story of parsifal. parsifal, according to BoT, can be considered a western form of the fool tradition, being the pure fool. his first act was shooting the sacred swan. also, parsifal acquires the sacred spear and the wanderer acquires an ax.
in line 6 of the hexagram the nest of the bird burns, making the wanderer laugh at first, later he needs to lament and weep. he looses his ox (cow) through carelessness, bringing him misfortune.
the hebrew letter aleph means ox, so here you find a reason to associate aleph with the fool i am sure there are many more reasons........
by loosing his ox, the fool/wanderer looses what the ox symbolises: modesty, adaptability, also docility, the ox being a castrated bull in order to make him gentle enough to work the fields.
so loosing his ox traits, letting himself go, forgetting he is a wanderer needing other peoples kindness, will cause him finding not so friendly receptions by other people, but maybe things like contempt and being insulted (line 1 in hexagram).
crowley said that the key to understand his tarot is in the relation between the fool and adjustment. associated with adjustment is the hebrew letter lamed, meaning ox-goad, a tool for controlling the behaviour of the ox, and adjustment is about law and just enforcement of it, controlling human and society.
kaz
Kaz: Your associations are intriguing as I have not come across those regarding The Fool, but this is a different deck than those I use. You beat me to it when ye mention Greenman. This version of The Fool strikes me as having qualities of the Greenman. That may be due to the green garments, the sense of Spring & the grapes; leading to an association with Bacchus or Dionysus. See this:
http://www.romaine.net/academia/clst200/figures/dionysus.html
There is an earthbound quality to this Fool instead of the airey quality attributed to other versions such as the RWS Fool. I am not sure that the correlations are appropriate.
Perhaps the association of The Fool with Adjustment (if Adjustment refers to the traditional card of Justice) relates to self-knowledge & self-control. Without focus or self-discipline, one cannot actualize a purpose or a goal.
meewah
"my" associations are not invented by me, i have read this stuff somewhere and took notes. i know i am far from complete in what i posted even. cant give credit to the right "owner" though.
but i do use the book of changes so thats why it grabbed me.
the fool is associated with air they say, if you look at the "astrological" correspondance on the card, right from the word fool, its a triangle with a thingy in it, its blurred on my card, so i cant see what exactly it is. you should be able to see if its the symbol for air.
i hope Mystique will post his correspondances, coz i dont know the why of most of them, and thats the most intruiging part.
dionysos is indeed one of the fools, gonna have a look in the BoT to see whats more on it.
i agree with you on a more earth feeling with this card.
kaz
MystiqueMoonlight
24-11-2002, 17:37
Meewah,
You've hit the nail on the head when you mention the Fool in relation to the Greenman or Dionysus.
The King and his daughter do not necessarily relate to the monastic kingdom of the mundane world.
As for the correspondences, and this is where the air association comes into play, Ether is that quality of air as is the astrological glyph on the card. However because the image of the Fool depicted on the card is that of Dionysus you have the Earth quality embued. Therefore one could associate Crowley's Fool with that of Air/Earth qualities. The green of his clothing is assocaited with Spring, the coming of renewal, rebirth, metamophasis and the clour is yellow that of air.
To help you understand this more take a look at the correlation with the Rune and Hebrew glyphs.
It is almost, at first analysis, that this card is a contradiction of itself. Or would we say that the Fool contradicts that which we have come to accept within our mundane (earthly) existance?
As I mentioned earlier, here we have a depiction of the Fool not in folly (about to step off a cliff, dressed nicely and a little white dog in toe), but a Fool who is focused and seems to have some level of awe about him. Hence the suggestion of placing him in various positions within your major card's sequence.
Kaz, I have not seen the BOTL deck so I cannot comment on it unfortunately.
The Thoth Fool stands (literally & figuratively) in marked contrast to the traditional, RWS-based Fool. There is tension in his stance that suggests a purposefulness & intensity not usually associated with The Fool. Thoth's knows its purpose, albeit his eyes appear crazed, obsessed or drunk (he "carries" grapes)--perhaps on too much wine &/or too much knowledge. Or perhaps he is gazing intently at what lies before him.
The RWS Fool has an air of carefree innocence, abandonment; even an apparent lack of destination. As if one lives for the moment or from moment to moment.
Is there a significance in four spirals as opposed to three or another number?
The caduceus with its snake seems symbolic of the spirit or life force which can be raised in either direction (up or down).
Is not the caduceus associated with Mercury, which is associated with the intellect, communications; relates to The Magician? & is not the snake associated with knowledge?
Edited--to correct typos I just noticed. I ought to know better than to type when sleepy!!
MystiqueMoonlight
24-11-2002, 23:54
Meewah,
I wouldn't quite say the look in his eyes is crazed. It is more of an intensified focus on what lies ahead. That is why he is oblivious to the tiger biting at his leg.
The Mercury association is a very good observation.
Did you read the description of the 4 spirals above?
Mystique: I read the description of the 4 spirals & referred to the Thoth Fool I have (the images on this green deck are blurry) but I do not think I understand the spiral progression in that order or why there are 4--unless the number is significant & refers to the 4 elements; a foundation or structure such as the human life & probably other things.
I can relate to the symbols within each spiral, & they make more sense to me if they ascended from the bottom spiral up. That is, the lowest spiral could represent the base or primitive nature. The next spiral the union of opposing forces, an assimilation that is necessary for procreation & progression. The next representative of the assimilation of knowledge & appropriate use of will (the snake & caduceus); which transforms one to a higher level (butterfly from caterpillar) & recognition of/contact with the divine (the dove). The last or top spiral refers to the heart chakra, where love is learned. Attaining unconditional love or divine love would be an ultimate goal, as that would free the soul of karma.
MystiqueMoonlight
26-11-2002, 02:10
Meewah,
what a great way of looking at it. I never thought of it in that light.
The 4 spirals do infact have a correlation with the 4 elements and yes the chakras are also interplayed in their theory.
Very good. Gee you're going to bring a lot to this study group.
Mystique: Thanks, but I actually do not know Thoth at all, which is why I am here: to learn from y'all! This gives the old brain a real work-out :D
I dabbled in runes briefly years ago so am not familiar with them. I fail to see a connection between the rune Elhaz & The Fool. Does it refer to divinity or divine intervention?
The Fool is 0 (zero). If Aleph has a numerical value of 1, why is it not associated with The Magus?
meewah,
read my earlier post to find just one reason for associating the fool with aleph.
i know there are others, i will see if i can find these, unless mystique posts them.
i do also wonder about the association of the rune as well, i know some about runes, but i just not see the connection.
and what about the other associations ???
kaz
MystiqueMoonlight
30-11-2002, 19:48
Originally posted by MeeWah
I dabbled in runes briefly years ago so am not familiar with them. I fail to see a connection between the rune Elhaz & The Fool. Does it refer to divinity or divine intervention?
The Fool is 0 (zero). If Aleph has a numerical value of 1, why is it not associated with The Magus?
Well firstly the Hebrew. In the days of old people conceived the elements of Air, Water and Fire as pure (as the in the Hindu Gunas of Sattvas, Raja and Tams - Calm, Activity, Slow Calmness for example). These elements are associated with the Hebrew alphabet Sin-Fire, Mem-Water and Aleph-Air. It is not based on a numerical factor of the card (that is 0 or 22). In Kabalistic terms these three letters are known as the Mother Letters. In this, these three elements are spiritual forms of energy, which can be experienced in mundane terms by that of the senses resulting in the fourth element of Earth associated with the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet Tau.
The Fool then, being the number 0, is the source of all things in Kabalistic terms. It is the Kabalistic 0, equation of the Universe, the complete balance of the opposites. The Air association in this case then would represent a vaccuum if you will. You may note also the "Fool" is derived from the word "follis" meaning "windbag". We sometimes represent the idea of foolishness by blowing a "razzberry".
The rune is that of Parsifal. Ah, but not in the same association of the Hanged Man who is in the motion of "self sacrifice" or "seeing the world in a new perspective". Parcival here has now received the runes and is enlightened by the experince. Hence my earlier comment about placing the Fool in various positions amongst your majors to understand his impact upon them.
Mystique: Thanks for the additional information & the last suggestion. I am still working on it. It helps to know that these cards are not based on the number associations I am familiar with...
One of the things I find so interesting about this card is that it's impossible to look him in eye...he always seems to be looking past you (although I agree that it makes him look rather crazed).
One thing I wonder about though...the Smith-Waite Fool shows all the suits in their elemental forms (Wands - the fire of the sun, Cups - the ice on the mountains, Swords - the wind in his face, Pentacles - the cliff he's standing on), but this card shows him holding a fiery wand, a cup, and a bag full of disks...where's the sword? Or is the fact that the Fool himself represents air enough?
coldsuns
02-03-2003, 04:45
What does the yellow butterfly represents? And i think there is a sword above his waist which "goes" surrounded him.
Thanks Coldsuns...you're right. At first it took me a moment, because I thought the blade of the sword was the butterfly's feelers or something.
And I think the butterfly itself got mentioned previously...it's a symbol of transformation.
coldsuns
16-03-2003, 07:10
Np! Ok..i see thats a symbol of transformation. My Thoth Tarot Deck is too big for me to use, i just bought a new deck.
emeraldheart
17-03-2003, 11:48
This is my first post here - although I've been reading a lot. Thanks everyone!
I was really interested in what Richard said about the Fool's eyes - and noticed that his eyes are different (for me anyway) - his left eye seems to look straight into mine - and his right eye looks out somewhere else...
The more I look at them the more mesemerised I get haha!
Hmmm...have we hit upon the esoteric Fool/David Bowie connection here (previously available only to Ninth Degree Adepts of the O.T.O.?)
coldsuns
18-03-2003, 00:52
I dont understand about the your post,Richard. Anyway i guess The Fool is looking at the dog?? And yet he didnt bother about it and look at "you".
Enh, it was a joke, and a lame one at that...
The Fool's looking at the dog? What dog?
Personally, I think he's just meant to be looking "past" the viewer, although I think it's interesting that, unlike, say, the Waite-Smith deck, very few of the figures in the Thoth deck face the viewer...most of them are turned away, or have their faces otherwise obscured. I wonder what it means that the Fool is looking at you, and yet NOT looking at you...
And it's been a few weeks...are we going to get to the Lovers?
coldsuns
18-03-2003, 02:09
I was just making a guess in my previous post. Dont bother about it.
I guess Moonlight is busy. Lets wait for her, be patience ^_^ In the meanwhile, lets continue to study so we cant contribute more when she return.
Originally posted by Richard
One of the things I find so interesting about this card is that it's impossible to look him in eye...he always seems to be looking past you (although I agree that it makes him look rather crazed).
When I look at the Fool's gaze, I'm reminded of eagerness and innocence. Almost like that wide-eyed gaze that your kids give you when they're still young enough to believe everything you say. ;) Sometimes I feel that when I'm looking at the card, I'm looking into a mirror, looking at myself and not seeing what everyone else sees, but all the possibilities that I have for myself in the future, all my plans, dreams and aspirations.
I had to look really closely at the deck to actually see the human figures entwined....couldn't quite make that out. There are some symbols still that I can't quite make out or understand what they are. And now as I'm thinking about it, with all the symbols and the cord being attached to the Fool, maybe the cord is like a road, a journey that will transform him, and yet, lead him back to the self he was all along? These are just thoughts off the top of my head.
In the Thoth deck his image is that of Greek God Dionysus.
I was really stretching to see that one, it doesn't seem like an image that I would attribute to Dionysus, He's always seemed much more...worldly, lustful, male, than the Fool.
Moongold
09-08-2003, 17:41
I am beginning to think of the Fool as the quintessential "Outsider". By this I mean that archetypal character who is very different from everyone else. These people have both an attitude and an intellectual predisposition which tends to alienate them from whatever society they live in.
They are often original thinkers, and major catalysts for change. The character in the Thoth image looks very much like this to me. I don't know when this deck was designed but the Fool in this image looks like the proverbial time traveller. The green suit could be a licra suit and everything else is modern too
The hoops that bind this Fool look like some cosmic springboard which propels him through time and through Tarot. The Fool makes metaphoric quantum leaps. No wonder his eyes are glazed - the things he must have seen!
I think he is the Tarot's "outsider" but the RWS depiction is a little inane and insipid. The Thoth and Sehiroth Fools are much stronger characters. People argue about twhere Fool belongs - at the beginning or the end? They argue about whether it is the Fool's journey or the Bateleur's journey. They attribute all sorts of vaccilation, clownery and, yes, frivolity to the RWS Fool, and in so doing undermine the strength of the archetype for us:).
Thoth's Fool is not uncertain but bright, focused and aware.
Little Baron
09-08-2003, 20:06
They attribute all sorts of vaccilation, clownery and, yes, frivolity to the RWS Fool, and in so doing undermine the strength of the archetype for us.
Thoth's Foll is not uncertain but bright, focused and aware.
I totally agree with you. as much as I like and started with the RWS Fool, I do see him as a little souless in comparison to this one. I really do like this one. I also see someone that is making a step but is aware of why he is doing it.
I apologise if I take a bit of a back seat with this study group. I know little to nothing about the Thoth deck and after reading some of these threads, feel like I have been moved up to the Top Set in Maths Class and am not bright enough to be here LOL. This seems to be a very in depth deck; I might have to go and do my hoework.
Thanks for your insights everyone (still a little bit confused)
Best wishes
Yaboot
Moongold
09-08-2003, 20:13
Originally posted by Yaboot001
I apologise if I take a bit of a back seat with this study group. I know little to nothing about the Thoth deck and after reading some of these threads, feel like I have been moved up to the Top Set in Maths Class and am not bright enough to be here LOL. This seems to be a very in depth deck; I might have to go and do my hoework.
Thanks for your insights everyone (still a little bit confused)
Hey, Yaboot :D. This deck is new to me as well and several others in this group as well.
Hang in there!
Little Baron
09-08-2003, 20:42
Thanks Moongold. I definitely will. It is all very confusing though. I want to know more because so many people value the deck and hope it will help with my other tarot studies. I couldn't resist the Thoth's call anymore!
Yaboot
Dom't worry Yaboot, I feel the same way...as of everyone else is twenty times smarter than me. :/
Moongold
09-08-2003, 21:33
Some people are undoubtedly smarter than us :D. But we are all on the same journey and smart doesn't mean the same thing here, on this journey.
I was too scared to get the Thoth because it seemed so complex. Someone gave it to me and it is only in the last month or so that I've started looking at it.
Nobody ever masters the Tarot, dear friends, but its important that you have fun learning. Your uncertainty might be a brilliant insight for someone else and vice versa.
Originally posted by Richard
Personally, I think he's just meant to be looking "past" the viewer, although I think it's interesting that, unlike, say, the Waite-Smith deck, very few of the figures in the Thoth deck face the viewer...most of them are turned away, or have their faces otherwise obscured. I wonder what it means that the Fool is looking at you, and yet NOT looking at you...
in relation to this particular point, i see this card as a mirror.
and i thought it might be interesting to look at an earlier, MUCH more traditional rendition of this card...
http://www.occultartgallery.com/occultartgallery/harris/S_FOOL_LATER.html
EDIT; it just occured to me that he looks like Harpo Marx!
isthmus nekoi
10-08-2003, 18:12
Originally posted by Richard
Enh, it was a joke, and a lame one at that...
Ah ha!! No, it wasn't! I just read it... *giggles*. I don't know about Bowie now, but Ziggy Stardust.... Outsider would be an understatement!
Yaboot - check out Crowley's Book of Thoth here: http://www.angelfire.com/celeb/Crowley/thoth/thoth.html He explains everything there :)
Wildchild
12-08-2003, 00:32
Originally posted by MystiqueMoonlight
Rune = Elhaz (merkstave) Or Yr which is the 25th original rune of the older Futhark symbolising the axis on the cosmic plan of creation.
I have to warn you I'm new with the Thoth deck. :D Ok, you did said to ask questions...
In the older Futhark there are only 24 runes and Elhaz is number 15th. Elhaz is more of a protection rune...how does it connect with the energies of the Fool? Also, I looked over my card & couldn't find the rune symbol on it...am I looking in the right place?
MystiqueMoonlight
12-08-2003, 01:44
Originally posted by Wildchild
I have to warn you I'm new with the Thoth deck. :D Ok, you did said to ask questions...
In the older Futhark there are only 24 runes and Elhaz is number 15th. Elhaz is more of a protection rune...how does it connect with the energies of the Fool? Also, I looked over my card & couldn't find the rune symbol on it...am I looking in the right place?
See my earlier post to a similar question on page 2 of this thread.
See that wasn't too hard to ask now was it :)
The flowers between the Fool's legs represent (among other things) this elusive Rune.
Wildchild
12-08-2003, 02:59
Originally posted by MystiqueMoonlight
...The flowers between the Fool's legs represent (among other things) this elusive Rune.
LOL! Ok, I see that now!
Sorry to sound dumb again...So, the runes are assigned to the cards, more based on what they represent, rather than their divination meanings? I'm not sure I'm making any sense here.
MystiqueMoonlight
12-08-2003, 18:32
Originally posted by Wildchild
LOL! Ok, I see that now!
Sorry to sound dumb again...So, the runes are assigned to the cards, more based on what they represent, rather than their divination meanings? I'm not sure I'm making any sense here.
Hhhmmmm, not quite sure what your question is? But Crowley certainly did assign the Runes according to "his" interpretation of them based upon his studies. (Crowley travelled many countries studying Runes, I Ching, Kaballah etc).
And stop saying "sorry to sound dumb" LOL :)
Wildchild
13-08-2003, 00:55
Thanks for explaining everthing so nicely. I can see I'm going to really enjoy working with this deck. :)
Originally posted by Wildchild
I can see I'm going to really enjoy working with this deck. :)
told ya so!
(~ Gman :cool: )
Wildchild
14-08-2003, 01:34
LOL! I knew you would say that eventually! :D
hey! how do you rate an avatar?
floracove
17-08-2003, 18:31
Originally posted by Alobar
hey! how do you rate an avatar?
go to your user CP up ^^^ there and click 'options' then look for the avatar link and follow the directions.
;)
Wildchild
20-08-2003, 03:00
Shhh!! Just tell him it's coz we're special! HAHAHAHAHA!!
thorhammer
06-10-2008, 00:52
Uneducated thoughts on The Fool
I think he's falling. His pose is what one would see in a willing fall from height - the limbs spreadeagled, eyes resolutely turned to the sky.
Crowley, in BoT, says that Air, in this case, takes the form of a vacuum, which dovetails nicely with my thoughts on the Fool as a general archetype across decks and Tarot traditions. One repercussion of this is that, in a vacuum, there is no substrate or stable thing against which to push or pul - no leverage. No equal and opposing forces. Chaos. Hence, the Fool here is not in control of himself; but then, he has surrendered control to the vacuum, the void. He trusts that, just as there is no ground upon which to push his feet, there is no ground upon which to fall catastrophically. The idea of the vacuum contains endless possibility and at the same time none at all. All potential is meaningless without a point of reference.
His limbs protrude from the boundary of the spirals so eloquently described by MeeWah in post #9. He is in the process of transcending his impotent potentiality. Outside the vacuum, outside the bounds of eternity, he will find limitation but also leverage. He will be able to act and manifest his will.
I find the tiger a reference to the older Marseille-style decks, where the animal following Le Mat actually bites him, rather than being his companion in a Jungian sense, as in the RWS tradition. What is the meaning of this? I like the association with pain and paying it no mind, but I think it goes further. I have read that it was a dig at someone . . . who? Why? What was the point?
And the crocodile thing - over in this thread (http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=25875), it seems that ppl are stating that Harpocrates is the crocodile - but the crocodile *is* Sebek (according to AC, anyway, whose Egyptian mythology, I believe, was a little . . . loose) who threatens Harpocrates. So what's with the croc? I get Harpo - another face of the Fool - but not the croc, unless it's another way of showing the tiger?
I know that AC seems to have been trying to synthesise many world legends and fables to teach about the pure Fool archetype, but I must say that I find he belabours the point somewhat. And the hodgepodge of symbolism is jarring, to me. I hope I get used to it; right now I find it rather a distraction instead of a unifying approach.
\m/ Kat
You are right Thorhammer- the Fool appears to be falling backwards! That's why I read these threads- always a new take on a card. I always kind of looked on it like the three rings were somewhat magnetic and holding him there. Something of an acrobat in side a sphere- rolling around the Universe. Falling back and maybe returning is much better.
I was poking Borax at the animal biting him- not serious. The Cats revenge!
The Crocodile symbolically (I think) is called the devourer- sort of reincarnation- you pass through Death to come back to life. As Egyptian- it means deceit, treachery and hypocrisy- when things fool you you can cry crocodile tears- but maybe in this card it guards the gate to Hell? Life?- no doubt there is something sexual there- but I do not look for it.
~Rosanne
thorhammer
06-10-2008, 01:41
I was poking Borax at the animal biting him- not serious. The Cats revenge!Um . . . yeah :bugeyed: is this one of those times when the Tasman gets in the way of translation :D?
The Crocodile symbolically (I think) is called the devourer- sort of reincarnation- you pass through Death to come back to life. As Egyptian- it means deceit, treachery and hypocrisy- when things fool you you can cry crocodile tears- but maybe in this card it guards the gate to Hell? Life?- no doubt there is something sexual there- but I do not look for it.
~RosanneThere's something about it that suggests putrefaction, corruption, then purification through decomposition. Maybe because of the association with riverbeds, mud and sludge and darkness, and lotuses (I'm still infected by the Wheel of Change - the Three of Cups, in this case :rolleyes:). Another example - to me, at least - of transformation.
Thanks for responding :)
\m/ Kat
rachelcat
05-04-2009, 16:39
Well, here goes nothing, err, my IDS!
This is a very busy card. (When nicky started her “Learn the Thoth” thread, I almost pmed her a message advising not to start with the Fool. It has a million symbols and two long essays in the BofT to deal with. But it looks like she’s doing ok anyway!!) I remember first opening up my used-but-new-to-me Banzaf book and immediately feeling overwhelmed! And even now, I’m kind of glad he has waited to come around until the second half of my IDS!
Ok, quick but comprehensive description! The fool is all in green with gold boots. His eyes stare wide open. He has horns and a cone of light on his head. His feet don’t touch the ground. He has a crystal (octahedron) in his right hand and flames in his left, shooting over to the right hand. He has a huge bunch of grapes and a transparent bag with coins with astro sign and planet symbols on them. The very large stem of the grapes and a grape leaf (or is it an ivy leaf?) are around his neck. He is being bitten on the thigh by a tiger and a crocodile is below him in the water. But he’s smiling. Not aware of them? In the water are lotus stems. Between his legs are a very small crescent, two “embracing infants,” strange looking 3 white flowers. The sun is at his crotch. Around in front of him in a swirl of air are a dove, a butterfly, a caduceus. The swirl makes a heart over his heart. The dove has small light rays shining from it. The background is yellow with white dots in the middle and light blue in the corners (sky and water). The yellow is reminiscent of the yellow sky with crystals on the Ace of Swords. Oh, I think it’s a big, going off the edges of the card, upward triangle with line through it for Air. (The line goes through the sun at the crotch, and the point touches the point of the white point on his head, the bottom of the triangle is on the level of his knees.) Oh, and there’s a rainbow circle behind his head.
Whew, I think that’s it. The thing I don’t have a handle on for this card is the tiger. I get that it replaces the dog or other animal in other Fool cards. And, in some, the Fool is being attacked by the animal, instead of accompanied by it. But why is that the case here? And why a tiger? Especially when there is also a crocodile (more in keeping with the pseudo-Egyptian theme). Maybe he is being attacked by heat and cold, fire and water, tiger and crocodile. Like a new baby is first accosted by the variations of the air when he is born from his mother. Did I say air?
I wonder what deck first had a crocodile on the Fool? Crowley says the croc is a symbol of fertility because the ancients didn’t know how they reproduce. And I guess because they lived in the life-giving Nile. I’m thinking more a symbol of life AND death—they may be fertile and all that, but if you’re wading, I think they’re more a symbol of death! Crowley goes on to talk about Noah and Jonah, who had a lot to do with watery creatures and Jesus, a redeemer symbolized by a fish. But not a crocodile, so ?
I’m not sure about the “twin infants embracing,” either. Unless they are the precursors of the Lovers/Brothers? The Fool represents the young man and woman equally? Well, not really, because the next thing to realize is the masculine nature of the card. The flowers and the sun. I think they symbolize that the Fool is the card of potential life, like a penis. Nothing has been conceived yet, but it the potential for it is right here in our faces!
The horns and grapes (and ivy leaf) show that the Fool is Bacchus/Dionysus. Innocence and pleasure meet drunkenness and madness. Both sides of the Fool.
The coins again show potential, this time of personality qualities. The fool has just been born. His personality is not set yet, his horoscope hasn’t even been cast yet. He can be anything; there is no distinction for him yet.
The circle behind his head and the cone of light shows the Fool comes directly from Kether. He is the first emanation from Kether in the creation of the universe. Potential indeed!
Dove, butterfly, and caduceus are all small and swirly, again showing potential—for redemption/sonship/mission, rebirth, and power of action, respectively.
Fire and ice in his hands equal tiger and croc at his feet? Octahedron symbol for air. But it would be cool if it were ice, huh? OH! <insert light bulb here> Fire and tiger on side of Chokmah/Force and Crystal and croc on side of Binah/Form (and mother, which would be watery). The tiger is fiery force and it’s actively biting and clawing. The croc is watery form, it passively waits.
Gleanings from BofT that I find interesting:
Fool is 0, so is important in 0 = 2.
He is the wandering prince who wins the daughter of the king and the kingdom. (Or the brute in the Golden Bough who has to kill last year’s king in order to become king.)
He is the Green Man or the April Fool, new life of Spring. (I’ll add court jester here, who keeps the king and the court honest in a different way than the killer prince!)
He is Parzifal, the perfect fool who ends up redeeming the whole world by winning the Grail and becoming the Grail King himself. So similar to winning the princess and the kingdom.
He is Hoor-Pa-Kraat, the “Crowned and Conquering Child” god of Crowley’s new Aeon. So we will see him again in the Aeon card, as both the baby with the finger to his lips and as Horus, the hawk-headed god on a throne.
Ha! I just saw something that DOES connect the croc to Binah! “The crocodile helps determine the spiritual meaning of the card as the return to the original Qabalistic zero; it is the “He final” process in the magical formula of the Tetragrammaton. By a flick of the wrist, she can be transmuted to appear as the original Yod, and repeat the whole process from the beginning.” Even though this says transmuted to Yod, I am thinking the princess Malkuth taking the place of her mother, the queen Binah, to “repeat the whole process from the beginning.” So I haven’t totally lost it! Maybe.
I’m having trouble seeing the Fool as Baphomet. Isn’t that the Devil? Except maybe that Baphomet is hermaphroditic, as are some versions of Dionysus. And as I thought with the babies in the card.
Crowley talks a bit about the nothingness or emptiness of matter that we think is so solid—the interstices between inter-atomic particles, etc., relating to 0.
I remember reading on this forum about the bottle BACBUC and the Word TRINC. (I don’t remember the whole story, but basically, the oracle says Drink! In a satire saying that drunkenness is holy.) In vino veritas. And then a bunch of visions from smoking weed. This just annoyed me because it’s a bunch of nudge nudge wink wink about intoxication and cute circumlocutions about the Psalms. If you can get more out of it, you’re better than me! (Actually reading the threads on the Book of Law have helped a lot. Once again, it’s a case of the more you read and learn other things, the more Crowley make sense! I just have a bad attitude toward intoxication. That’s my deal, not Crowley’s.)
In a reading: Something is just beginning and is full of potential! The innocence and wonder of a child will serve you well now. Just be open to everything that comes your way without planning on how to use it (yet). Beware of actual foolish behavior (which is often caused by having a closed mind instead of the Pure Fool’s open mind).