the joker

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 06 May 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

cartarum	06 May 2004
i have done extensive study on the joker since playing cards are my main deck. its funny, but actually in my experience the joker means some one who cracks a joke. the joker is a face card to me. he is an entertainer, a prankster, the class clown. reversed, he is a liar, still a prankster, loves to hog all the attention. his entire life revolves around his social life. what he does, he does for an audience. all for show. romantically, he is simply this; playah without an audience he is despondant, depressive, and probably always looking for spectators. the consumate entertainer. he is a combination of the page of swords and the page of cups and can inherit the positive or negative qualities of both. astrologically, i would assign him to leo, for sure. purest kind. minus the conceit. anything to add?

jmd	06 May 2004
In itself, the Joker is considered by many to not be related to any Tarot card, but rather an invention of some American card-maker (I do not recall the historical annotations I have read on the matter). Until more recently, it was believed to be a remnant of the Fool. Certainly, if one looks at the game-pack French version of Tarot, the 'Excuse'/Fool is very similar to the Joker. I have at times wondered if the current historical views are incorrect... and personally suspect that there is some relation to the modern Joker in 'standard' playing cards and the 'Excuse'/Fool of Tarot as it was depicted in some 19th century playing-card version of Tarot. As I do not use standard playing cards, I'll leave it here :)

cartarum	08 May 2004
when there is a complex issue that cannot be explained with one card, then there is room for a new card. even that has limits though. i have met some people who carry the basic traits of many cards, and some defy the stereotypes. these people are considered by the tarot to be the court card that most represents who they are. i think that my veiw of the joker agrees with the tarot, because it takes a whole spread to explain the mechanics of a joke. but if you just arbitrarily say the joker is a joke, then all thats left is to examine more closely the person who does this. its unfortunate that so many people miss the fun of reading with playing cards. every one who reads tarot for divination should try it, i think.

The the joker thread was originally posted on 06 May 2004 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.