Major Arcana

Court Cards

Pips

The journey begins!! When I first started my study of tarot I was instantly drawn to the fool. The card both terrified me and excited me. The idea of taking a chance, being spontaneous, acting on impulse without a well, thought out plan was an idea that was very foreign to me. I was afraid of being footloose and fancy free, afraid of what might happen and also of how people who knew me would react!!!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Wheel of Change, just a few words to introduce the deck. Alexandra Genetti spent ten years creating this incredible, beautiful deck. Alexandra's love of nature is very evident in these cards. One of the things that attracted me instantly about this deck are the different ethnic groups that are represented. It's definitely one of my favorite decks and IMO a good one for beginners.

The fool is bursting with life and energy. He (or she although I'm pretty sure it's a he) stands straight up with his hands raised to the sky and his feet planted firmly apart, one foot on each edge of the cliff, toes pointed out. He is wearing a green outfit which reminds me a little bit of Peter Pan who himself was a bit of a fool (the boy flew for gosh sakes!!! he was also rebellious and led a merry bunch of fools as well). Between his feet drops a ravine, a cleft that bursts forth with a spiraling of stars. Follow the stars and you will find your way. I don't know where the fool will land but I do know he has faith in those stars. The solar eclipse that sits right on his groin area represents the coming together of the moon and the sun. A

lexandra says *"just as the sun and moon can appear to be at the same place at the same time and cause the dramatic solar eclipse, so the fool begins his journey again every day at the right place where all things come together and all things exist". A fox stands a little in front of the fool looking away from him. This fox is clever and beautiful but can also be a trickster and devious. The guitar on the other side of the plane represents music, joy, dancing, laughing, partying, being carefree. There are many magical tools that the fool is foolishly wasting. The cup of wine spills, fire burns in his hand, roses fall around him-he needs the magician to teach him how to use these magical elements.

There is so much to say about this card. I could go on and on discussing the colors alone but I don't want to overwhelm the newcomers. To me, whenever I get the Fool in a reading I literally get a tingly sensation all over my body. Something is up yet I have no idea what. Today is a day that anything and everything could happen. Today I will take a step outside myself, do a little dance and be free of the restrictions that I put on myself, that society puts on all of us. The world is at my fingertips. I'm going to be impulsive and take that chance even if it doesn't end the way I want it to end. This is a new beginning, a new phase of life. Remember when you were a child and all the risks you took? Bring back some of that child like innocence and bravery and use it in your everyday life. One must also be careful not to be too much of a fool too much of the time. Inexperience, head in the clouds, playing with fire are things you should watch out for. Remember the fool is just beginning. He still does not know what to do with earth, water and fire-he is still learning. Yet without his curiosity and inexperience, our journey would not be as exciting and optimistic and pure. For the fool is ready and hungry to learn.

People, books, movies, songs that remind me of the fool: Indiana Jones, October Sky, Harry Potter, Beethoven's 7th, Yellow Submarine (the movie not the song), American Graffiti

*Genetti, Alexandra. 1997. The Wheel of Change Tarot. Vermont: Destiny Books.

Su Lin