DESCRIPTION

A Tarot reader sits behind a round table covered with a purple cloth. A blonde woman wearing a pink turtleneck sweater, she looks contemplative. She rests her chin on her left hand; in her right hand she holds up a Tarot card. It is the Fool, in fact it is this Fool card! The chair has a very tall ornate back with an oval mirror set into it. Jesters are carved into either side of the top with a spiral between them. Dolls hang from the top of the chair. On the left is a cloth Fool with the knapsack hanging from a scarf around its neck, and a simple nude image, either an androgynous figure or post-mastectomy image. On the right is a doll with just a calm face showing, the rest hidden in a long purple cocoon, like the sheath for a sword.

On the table is a square cloth with the four queens upon it. Across this scarf are fanned the Tarot cards. A blue bag lies to the side.

CULTURAL

• The Sacred Clown of the Native American tradition.
• The medieval fool/jester.
• The oracle or shaman.

Neither the Sacred Clown nor the jester belongs to any of the established groups or classes in society. They stand outside of the usual social expectations, and as such can point out things that others cannot. They provide a perspective that others are unable to do. The oracle has historically performed a similar function at times.

The oracle and divination functions as a doorway to the sacred. They provide wisdom and advice that is not obtained in the usual rational, analytical method. "It is an invitation to explore the Tarot oracle as one of the paths leading to the wisdom of the ancestors."

NUMEROLOGY

0 (Zero)

Can represent nothing, as when it stands by itself or is multiplied by any other number. It can also represent everything. The circle represents the potentiality of the womb. When zero follows another number, that number is multiplied ten-fold.

Yet zero is outside all other numbers - there are no whole numbers which can add up to zero. And yet, if you add zero to any number, that number retains its own identity.

ASTROLOGY

Uranus

Being outspoken and unconventional. The urge for freedom and individuality. The intuitive link with the Universal Mind. Sudden change. Unexpected transformation.

CORRESPONDENCES WITHIN THE TAROT

Beginning, middle and end of the Tarot.

Heirophant. (This card depicts the Oracle of Delphi). The Fool can represent connecting to the divine by opening oneself to the unexpected, or by using oracles.

Wheel of Fortune. (The zodiacal wheel represents the astrological oracle). The Fool is the beginning, but whether the next step is false or true remains to be seen.

Hanged One. (The fetus suspended in the womb echoes the shape of the zero). The Fool is in a period of transition; the pause before moving into the future and a major transformation.

MEANINGS

Beginning. Anticipation on the brink of experience. Exploring the unknown. Taking a leap of faith. Consulting an oracle. Paying attention to oracles, using divination to clarify the path before.

Essay author: kkrowley@pacbell.net