0. The Fool

[sweeneyish]

0. The Fool

 

 

 

With the Fool’s first tilted step into the canal water of the subconscious, we begin our journey into the world of the Deviant Moon.

 

This Fool is wearing his pyjamas, apparently stumbling madly from bed right into his spontaneous adventure. His grin and eyes have a decidedly maniacal cast. His one finger points loosely to his head. Perhaps this signifies the power of dreams, madness,

or the mind. 

 

A vicious looking fish bites his ankle, but the Fool doesn’t appear to care. Does the pain of the bite draw him back to reality and the earth, or is he so lost in spontaneous madness that he doesn’t notice? 

 

A boat floats in the background, perhaps to help bring the Fool to his next destination (although it is hard to imagine the Fool stopping long enough to sit still in a boat). 

 

The moon is in the first lunar phase, perhaps signalling that the Fool’s journey is just beginning. Interestingly, as wild and mad as the Fool is, the moon does not appear

to have a strong influence on his lunacy (not yet, anyways). That will come later. 

 

Keywords: Inspiration, fearlessness, madness, lunacy, beginnings, spontaneity, mania, joy, wildness 

 

I really like this Fool. He has a bit of an edge to him, like many of the characters in this world. While the traditional Fool has very a harmless, innocent feeling about them, this Fool’s wildness makes him seem a little scary and unpredictable. 

 

Some questions to ponder that I’ve been brainstorming:

 

Where did this Fool come from? What happened before this scene? And where is he headed next? 

 

Does the Major Arcana follow a Fool’s Journey like many interpret the Rider Waite Smith to, or are these individual characters that represent different aspects of the human condition? To me, I think it’s very much the second, but I’m curious to hear what everyone else thinks.

 

I feel inspired to make a spread based on this Fool - I’ll post it here once it’s complete!

 

Very interested to hear everyone’s thoughts on this maniacal fellow. 

Edited March 19, 2022 by sweeneyish
replaced image (my own card!)

[surreal]

The Deviant Moon Fool appeals to me. In most other decks I feel that the Fool has been sanitized. There is something uncontrolled and dangerous about the fool and this card captures it.

 

The fish biting him are perhaps his own out of control instincts and desires. later in the majors strength controls a crocodile which may represent the same forces.

[sweeneyish]

I love your views here, @surreal! I didn’t make that connection between the fish in the Fool and the crocodile in Strength - I really like that interpretation. And I agree about the danger of the fool. That off-kilter mania could be quite dangerous when turned in the wrong direction. 

[Flaxen]

22 hours ago, sweeneyish said:

Does the Major Arcana follow a Fool’s Journey like many interpret the Rider Waite Smith to, or are these individual characters that represent different aspects of the human condition? To me, I think it’s very much the second, but I’m curious to hear what everyone else thinks.

Yes, I think they are more like the latter too. 
 

I love that this Fool has that sense of underlying madness - the way he no longer is bound by social convention or perhaps he just isn’t aware of them in the same way? People who flout the ‘rules’ (like not going out in your pyjamas) are usually seen as a bit mad by others. 
 

 

[sweeneyish]

I totally agree with that, Flaxen. It makes me think of crazy wisdom and some of the mad yogis of Tibet. Because of their very well developed view of ultimate or absolute reality, they have 0 adherence to social norms and conventions, which makes them a little wild and scary (although full of love). I don't think this Fool has quite found his wisdom yet, although sometimes I do think he represents a kind of spontaneous wisdom in certain readings. 

[surreal]

Crowley ,in the Book of Thoth, connects the fool with Dionysus/bacchus . The dance of this fool may relate to the ecstatic dance performed by the followers of bacchus.

[sweeneyish]

I like that, @surreal. As a side note, Patrick did Bacchus as an alternate to the Hierophant in the Trionfi della Luna, so he's definitely kicking around in his head!

 

For fun, I put together this spread for the The Fool here, slightly inspired by Rachel Pollack's Majors spreads, and based on the phase of the moon in the card. The questions were adapted from Patrick's upright meanings for the card in his Deviant Moon Tarot bible. 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by sweeneyish

[AnomalyTempest]

I am doing this spread but I changed it up slightly. I used the Fool as the signifier and read each card in relationship to the Fool. In the first position, I drew the Knight of Cups. I read the card both on the right and left sides of the Knight. The book states the Fool has wandered into the canal because he was not paying attention to where he is going.

 

On the left, the Fool is about crash into the knight. Being unaware can cost him whatever is in the cup being offered by the knight. He can't help being distracted, though, that fish bite HURTS!

 

On the right, the Fool has barreled past the knight again missing his opportunity to sip from the cup, The Knight is practically begging him to sip from the cup. Either way this Fool is running headlong into his future. The knight tells the Fool he can contain the waters, he does not need to drown in them.

 

I am way deep into how this translates to me personally, and haven't even turned the second card yet but I wanted you to know how your spread was working for me.

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by AnomalyTempest
images

[sweeneyish]

22 minutes ago, AnomalyTempest said:

I am doing this spread but I changed it up slightly. I used the Fool as the signifier and read each card in relationship to the Fool. In the first position, I drew the Knight of Cups. I read the card both on the right and left sides of the Knight. The book states the Fool has wandered into the canal because he was not paying attention to where he is going.

 

On the left, the Fool is about crash into the knight. Being unaware can cost him whatever is in the cup being offered by the knight. He can't help being distracted, though, that fish bite HURTS!

 

On the right, the Fool has barreled past the knight again missing his opportunity to sip from the cup, The Knight is practically begging him to sip from the cup. Either way this Fool is running headlong into his future. The knight tells the Fool he can contain the waters, he does not need to drown in them.

 

I am way deep into how this translates to me personally, and haven't even turned the second card yet but I wanted you to know how your spread was working for me.

 

 

 

Thank you so much sharing this, you made my night! I love the tweak you made, and how fruitful it has been for you. Great reading!