OSHO Zen Study Group: The Fool

Indigo Rose

"Moment to moment, and with every step, the Fool leaves the past behind. He carries nothing more than his purity, innocence and trust, symbolized by the white rose in his hand."Osho Zen Tarot by Osho.

Looking at this card it feels as if the Fool is actually flying. He is barely touching the earth and yet seems held in a graceful balance. I get the sense of pure freedom here; protected by Divine Love! The mist on the earth below him speaks to me of the mysteries waiting to be discovered. The rainbow colors in his clothing speak to me of the infinite possibilties he has....the entire spectrum of creation is his for the asking.
 

Mimers

Free to let go. It is as if surrendering were a part of a dance. All that matters at that moment is capturing the beauty of the rose. This fool will fall ever so gracefully.

Down below him is the road he must follow. He is unaware of his destiny. The pure rose was just bait.

I find it interesting the way the sky fades from a night time sky to a day time sky below. It reminds me that our souls live free in the universe out there with the vast stars and this soul is ready to ascend for a new incarnation.
 

brenmck

Thanks for starting this....

And he has no regard for his past -
his intense and ecstatic present is all he needs,
expects, or desires. Projections into past or future
don't even occur to him.

He has no ego "creatures" gnawing on his leg,
trying to warn him of the dangers, or, even worse,
trying to keep him from his journey to consciousness.

His expression - beatific vision?
Certainly a radical, absolute trust in the Universe he leaps toward.
Joy. No fear. No looking back. No parachute.

I need to look again at this deck.
I got it in a trade a few months ago and
became discouraged in what looked like
the necessity of learning an entirely different system.

If that's the case, I'll learn it. It's too compelling to leave on the shelf.

~B~
 

fyreflye

Good start!
To me the most interesting aspect of the card is that this is the only Fool I've ever seen who's actually stepped right off the cliff and that there's a real abyss pictured below him. Compare with the Trust card. The Fool embodies one of the key ideas in the worldview behind the whole deck.
 

fyreflye

Mimers said:
It is as if surrendering were a part of a dance.

Exactly! It's the first step in living his whole life as a dance.
 

siouxj73

Oh joy, an Osho Zen study group!

I also love the fact that the road he is going to journey down is beneath him fading into the distace (similar to the road on Travelling).

It's as though he's going to float down (eventually) and start walking.
 

Judith D

He is pure potential, isn't he - all possibilities combined. He has taken the leap of faith and the net will appear. I think straight away of the other card with the character just floating (can't remember which right now and I'm at work and the deck is at home but can't wait to join in!). Also makes me think of CS Lewis and Narnia - remember the children being blown off the mountain down down into Narnia, and just floating along on the breath. And doesn't that remind you of Zen meditation - be right here right now, in the moment, with the breath. All in balance, all possible, no judgment - he is the space between the inbreath and outbreath. When he lands, he can start his journey in any way at all, and by then he is no longer potential, but is specific direction.
 

fyreflye

Judith D said:
I think straight away of the other card with the character just floating (can't remember which right now and I'm at work and the deck is at home but can't wait to join in!).

"Trust" (The Knight of Water.)
 

brenmck

fyreflye said:
"Trust" (The Knight of Water.)

You're so right! This card could easily be the Fool card - what a message.
The leap is the thing....as the Commentary says.
Hard to take my eyes off of it....maybe I shouldn't!


~B~
 

Indigo Rose

brenmck said:
....
He has no ego "creatures" gnawing on his leg,
trying to warn him of the dangers, or, even worse,
trying to keep him from his journey to consciousness.
~B~

Well said. I think this is a welcome contrast to other Fool cards where we see a dog or animal warning of certain danger. Here it very much feels as if the Fool is free to explore. NO FEAR!!! "Perfect Love Casts out Fear"....