Thoth - The Fool

MeeWah

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
 

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?
 

Kaz

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

MeeWah said:
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.
 

MeeWah

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...
 

Richard1

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

Yellow Butterfly?

What does the yellow butterfly represents? And i think there is a sword above his waist which "goes" surrounded him.
 

Richard1

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

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

The Fool's gaze

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!