In contrast to the Fool as depicted in the Rider Waite deck, the Connolly deck, or even the Handl deck, the Vertigo Fool represents the shadow side, the darker side of the Fool, where freedom is valued above all else.

The card itself is a computer-enhanced photo-montage rendered in browns, reds, oranges, and yellows. The Fool, going by the name of John Constantine (a graphic-novel anti-hero), stands sideways, facing his left. He wears a loose trenchcoat, hand in pocket. The skeleton of a dog, its teeth bared, penetrates his chest at his heart. Despite his inert stance, the Fool's facial features are rendered as a blur, as though he is moving inside his clothes. In the foreground are three wilted flower blossoms, and in the rear is the depiction of what could be a nuclear holocaust, a volcano erupting, or a fantastic sunrise. Given any of these scenarios, a lone figure stands upon the mountain, arms outstretched, accepting of the event, whatever it is.

Rachel Pollack, in her commentary on this card, emphasizes the Fool's role as the cipher, the zero, the one who has no hierarchical position as to the rest of the tarot deck. The Fool can move outside the structure and the sequence of the cards, thumbing his nose at order and living just for the adventure. It is the Fool who can experience the universe with a sense of wonder, open to the whole of it. It is the Fool who can experience something greater than him/herself through a child-like sense of freedom. It is this sense of freedom and attraction to adventure that puts the Fool in the ranks of the tricksters.

When I encounter the Vertigo Fool, I am encountering a Fool who is more introspective than most. S/he is aware of the weight of the "bundle" on her/his back--experience is not forgotten. The eyes of this innocent see though to the bone, and jumping off the cliff is done not blissfully, but with full awareness of the commitment needed to complete the Fool's Journey. This Fool looks as though s/he was sentenced to life, sentenced to experience all of it, all of the foolishness and weaknesses that accompany our greatest wisdoms and strengths.

Bonne'

LaSenyera@aol.com