This card is called "The Green Man" and pictures a bright, shining green man who is naked but for oak leaves covering his chest and head. His face is obscured by greenery also - although it's hard to tell if it's leaves or a green beard! His body looks like a Greek statue - the sheen is metallic. He is standing in a wooded glade with ferns and trees surrounding him. The border of the card has blackberries/raspberries across the top, then oak leaves on either side, with pine cones nestled in the bottom corners.

The words that come to my mind when I look at this card are verdant, primal, strength, elemental, power, and basic life force. This card denotes a beginning, but a more basic one than other Fools I've seen. In fact, there isn't a thing "foolish" about this card. I get no sense of going off half-cocked. Instead this Fool knows exactly what he wants & where he's going. His gaze is level and challenging, as if he's saying, "Do you dare to follow where I lead?" I get a real sense of movement from this card - continuing on your course and to Hell with the consequences if you believe you're right.

The book says, " The Major Arcana is sometimes described as "the journey of the fool," charting the progress of the spirit toward initiation. The Green Man is the force that triggers the process, arising from discontent and soul searching, the primal force that the seeker encounters and recognizes at a subconscious level. He guides the neophyte through the initiation of the seasons and the Wheel of the Year, an unfolding spiral of knowledge and experience."

In the middle ages the fool had an important function in society: he lived with the king and mirrored societal life to the ones who were too close to have a true look on it. He was free in the way, that he was not within society and he was able to break the rules. However he wasn't free enough to leave, in fact his role was as narrow as the roles of the others He wasn't able to enter and they weren't able to leave. Where's the difference? Uranus the astrological analogy of the fool is breaking the rules, but is still part of the game.

This card really reflects the description above - the Green Man challenges and you follow. I also get a sense of "been there, done that, now it's your turn." I think that to go through the stages of the Fool in the Major Arcana takes a lot of courage - the soul-searching involved can be painful at times. But this Fool seems to promise that if you hold firm to your goal, all will be well.

When this card turns up in a reading it signifies to me (depending, of course, on surrounding cards!) that your old ways are changing - something new is on the horizon and old clutter must be cleared for you to accept and welcome the change. You're at the beginning of a great journey - how easy that journey will be depends on how you face it. Accept the forces at work and learn to assimilate them into your life - don't fight yourself!

Bron
Graymist35@aol.com

Bronwyn's Magickal Herbarium
http://www.angelfire.com/nm/magickalherbs/