The Fool's Journey: Infinite Choices

[Jade]

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Here we have the archetype of the Fool, who, at its core, is about a journey - a journey into the unknown, where danger lurks in deep recesses which we cannot yet see.

I have posted both the Egyptian images of the card as well as the Rider-Waite version of the card. I think of the Rider-Waite deck as the anglo version of symbolic archetypes - I still prefer the Egyptian imagery, but I think the "leap of faith" symbology is very ingrained in our culture. We also have the negative version of the trope - if all of your friends jumped off a cliff, would you follow? This is usually used as a rhetorical question and the answer is often an unspoken yes.

In Egyptian culture, the leap of faith is represented by their much more harsh concept of harvest. Whereas Ra says that one "walks the steps of light" until they can no more upon death, the Egyptians' myth involves Maat, a winged goddess, and Ammit, a goddess with the head of a crocodile and the body of a hippopotamus. Upon crossing over, you are greeted by Maat, who weighs your heart against one of her feathers. If your heart tips the scales (i.e. is too heavy with 'evil') then your heart is fed to Ammit, and you are committed to incarnating again for new lessons and trials. The heart was the only organ left in the body of those who were mummified, for this purpose. The imagery of scales, and the winged goddess, is repeated in the Matrix of the Body.

Faith is this really important concept that is represented in this card. Faith is why we incarnate behind the veil. The power of Faith is what makes the Fool a unifying archetype. Making a Choice based on Faith, taking a leap, walking into the jaws of the crocodile to let our whole beings be weighed for the contents of our hearts - this is the journey into third density.

Every Fool, every incarnate third density entity, is at risk of the crocodile. Confusion is intentionally built into the system, so the risk of losing one's way is extremely real, even for a Wanderer from 6th density. As we see by the image of the moon eclipsing the sun, as we walk towards the crocodile, the eclipse increases its totality. We wander as Fools purely for the experience of darkness, disconnection - "that which is not".

So what do we risk entering third density? Be it from second or fourth and above, we risk, nay, go fully headfirst into the forgetting - the forgetting of our connection to the source, the unity and oneness of the dance of infinite creation. In third density, we become separate, vulnerable beings. We become fearful, terrified fools, because we have no idea that we are cooperative participants in this dance, instead of being tossed about like a ragdoll. Through our journey into third density and our experience of the archetypical energies of potentiation, catalyst, experience, and transformation, we can pierce this heavy, heavy veil and have moments where we are again profoundly connected to our source-beingness, our Higher selves, our true purposes within this incarnation - the Great Way.

There is a macrocosmic reason why the Fool is archetype 0 and 22, and a microcosmic reason. In the macrocosm, one is a Fool upon the dropping of the veil and the beginning of third density catalysts. As soon as you begin to make decisions without the knowledge of unity of the creator that is afforded to each other density, it requires a belief in the rightness and goodness of what you are doing, even when reality knocks you back down. Zero begins the initial journey into third density.

The majority of Wanderers are 4th and 6th density. They represent the 22, completion choice of the Fool. It is not necessary to become veiled again to progress towards unity with the Creator after one is harvested, however, there is great reward for the risk of becoming incarnated with the veil. This is the Foolishness at the end of the cycle that begins the cycle again - full knowledge and embrace of the leap into danger. And then upon the entering of the incarnation, the veil falls and everything is forgotten. This is the Fool in the microcosm. Each of us, at the beginning of our incarnation, is a Fool. Sure, some dual-activated entities who are incarnate now have greater access to their subconscious abilities, but Wanderers from 5th and 6th density take on the same limitations as those who have not yet achieved harvest from third density. As they begin to work in consciousness and pierce the veil, the Choice gradually becomes more conscious, and with each conscious leap will fulfill the end of the cycle returning to the beginning.

So what happens between 0 and 22? The Significators are used to delineate the extremes from which we can depart from the simple Fool. The two meager carry-on bags become the costume and stage of the Significator of the Mind, and then in the Body we experience the other extreme - asceticism, solitude, the removal of all external connections to the third density creation except a rope tying one's foot to the gallows. In the Significator of the Spirit, we have the unification of the left-facing Hierophant and the right-facing Hanged Man, the merging of the will and subconscious and the ability to work with integrated balance in the framework of the illusion. So, if we are meant to look at them in pairs and as reflections of each other, I see the Significators as the other end of the spectrum of the naive Fool in each of the cycles. They have harvested the power of the veil to do work within third density reality.

At position 0, the slung bags represent that which was harvested from the previous density - the things from second density that we carry to help us reach our spiritual growth. Our sense of community, competition, the desire for growth, love of family - a simple set of tools to help us achieve a greater spiritual awareness. Through experience it balloons into the grand set of accoutrements of the Hierophant, and through the Transformation of the Mind we release those principles which no longer serve our divinity and begin to refine what we carry in the bags. At position 22, the bags contain that which we have gained from piercing the veil - a sense of unity, awareness of love for all, true unconditional compassion - and maybe other personality traits that we hone through our incarnations, like love of healing, love of teaching, love of speaking, that we can use as tools as we wander, if we can find them in our bags!

Ra says there are many hints in the Tarot as to the bias of the Logos (STO), and in this card I think it is represented by the elevation of the path on the right hand side. As one heads left, they descend, and as one heads right, they ascend. The bag of "belongings", slung over the left shoulder and gripped with the left hand, carrying those items that we think we need, also echoes this elevation. When we think of the tipping scales (the feather vs. the heavy heart) this imagery echoes further.

There is also a face of life, light, and recognition within the sun as the positive path, and the jet black moon eclipses it and absorbs its light. However, the sun is on the left side of the moon, which leads me to believe it is an echo of the Hierophant in that sense - that in third density, the light serves the dark and the dark serves the light. They are intertwined and require each other to grow in experience.

The imagery of the staff in the right hand and the water at the left very much echoes the Catalyst of the Spirit - where creative faith is represented by the watering of the flower into a lifegiving being of its own. While I suspect at its heart that the staff is a symbol of astrological origin, I think it can be said to be a symbol of will and faith being divined through the right hand path - juxtaposed with the gifts of "personality" given to us through the baggage on the left shoulder.

The other part of the Fool's 'ensemble' is his cloaking of animal skins. To me this symbolizes the simplicity of the Fool (again, juxtaposed with the Hierophant's elaborate costuming) and also a reminder of the dust from which we came - first, then second density. This body of the Fool that we inherit is a creature of second density that has been bestowed the awareness of third density. The body cycle is all about understanding the creation of second density so that we are more in harmony with it, so that as conscious third density entities we can work to integrate the will of the creator (love and oneness) more thoroughly within the confines of physical creation. We are not just clothed in the ideas of animalhood, this is where we came from, and indeed what we are, and the thick hides of protection are something that was lost when the veil fell over the body and made us these weakened creatures who must seek shelter and clothing.

And what about for the Fool who travels the negative path? The veil, which makes us foolish, is the removal of our connection to the One Infinite Creator. Sometimes one takes a leap of faith that says that the Creator is glorified by murder, or the hoarding of capital in the face of the hungry. And while this may not be a true representation of the Creator, in an infinite Creation, "that which is not" must also be experienced, understood, accepted, and loved as a part of the Creation too. And the negative adept puts faith into "that which is not" - the separation of itself from the rest of creation. It intensifies this separation until it can no more (6th density.) As we make a choice, every choice, based either on what is or what is not, we are helping the Creator to become more. Because until experiences are created and watched by a Watcher, infinity has yet to achieve its potential. As travelers of the positive path, our purpose is to learn to love that which is separated, to help return it to the loved oneness of the Creator. In this way, we are very powerful agents of transformation.

I believe that the crocodiles at the feet of the Fool might be analogous to the barking dog at the heels of the Fool in the Rider-Waite deck. Crocodiles were the top of the food chain in Egypt, but the crocodile god, Sobek, was considered a protector of Egpyt because of the ferocity and protectiveness of crocodiles. The mirrored image makes me believe that both paths are supported and protected by the Creator. The image between the two crocodiles, to the best of my discernment, appears to be a mask, and of a monkey. The monkey/baboon was associated with Thoth. Simians have also given us the body that we now inhabit. Masks were associated with divinity and the afterlife. The crocodiles could also be there to devour whatever else the Fool carries with him that is unnecessary - representing the transformations, and the athanor of third density.

The Fool archetype also helps explain why, "one must recognize that it doesn't understand to be harvested". If you think you know everything, there is no leap of faith to be made. It is the act of the leap that matters in the totality of our being.

Which leads us to the column. If we look at the imagery of the column and where it is reflected in the other archetypes, those beings primarily of the mind cycle - the Priestess, the Hierophant, and the Chariot, as well as the Hanged Man. We also see a crumbling tower in the Potentiator of the Spirit, which symbolizes the disintegration of the limitations of the veiled mind complex. In the microcosm, this represents our belief systems we carry and release throughout our incarnation. In the macrocosm, this is allowing the infinite creation to expand to even greater reaches by disintegrating the walls of its current perceive 'limits'. This to me also implies that the 'danger' inherent in the card should be recognized more as a mental danger and not a physical danger.

The Big Choice is the Path, Service to Others, or Service to Self. But that path, while incarnate in a third density mind/body/spirit complex, involves so many smaller and more nuanced choices for one to explore what these two options really mean. Do I take this job or that? How do I teach my child? What do I have for breakfast? The little choices, especially if made with awareness, allow us to pierce the veil, to see through the matrix of society and learn that what we have been taught in total darkness is not that which is. The choice is the "axis upon which creation turns". All choices create more events and populate more possibility/probability vortices. And how these choices affect our service. Are my choices radiating love, or am I absorbing love? Are my choices allowing love to flourish, or decreasing its opportunity to grow? How can I do better next time - better refine the baggage that I carry with me? What can I offer to the crocodile that will sate him from eating my heart?

[Diana]

There is a lot of food for thought here. Thanks Jade.

[sillypumpkins]

Great post. Thank you jade. Especially love this little quote:

The Fool archetype also helps explain why, "one must recognize that it doesn't understand to be harvested". If you think you know everything, there is no leap of faith to be made. It is the act of the leap that matters in the totality of our being.

[Louisabell]

Great synopsis Jade, I had some points I wanted to add...

There is a macrocosmic reason why the Fool is archetype 0 and 22, and a microcosmic reason. In the macrocosm, one is a Fool upon the dropping of the veil and the beginning of third density catalysts. As soon as you begin to make decisions without the knowledge of unity of the creator that is afforded to each other density, it requires a belief in the rightness and goodness of what you are doing, even when reality knocks you back down. Zero begins the initial journey into third density.

Yes, I can see why the journey begins and ends with the fool archetype now. We begin a fool as we know nothing, then we end as the fool because we come to know that we know nothing. Only then can we make the conscious choice to humble ourselves to the "melting influence of love".

... and then in the Body we experience the other extreme - asceticism, solitude, the removal of all external connections to the third density creation except a rope tying one's foot to the gallows.

Oh, an impression came to mind when I read this. I always wondered why the Hanged Man was upside down. Indeed the body acts as an equal and opposite force against the constant gravitic pull towards the Creator. Within the body we are kept from falling headfirst back to the all-encompassing embrace of the Creator.

However, the sun is on the left side of the moon, which leads me to believe it is an echo of the Hierophant in that sense - that in third density, the light serves the dark and the dark serves the light. They are intertwined and require each other to grow in experience.

I really like this observation

I believe that the crocodiles at the feet of the Fool might be analogous to the barking dog at the heels of the Fool in the Rider-Waite deck. Crocodiles were the top of the food chain in Egypt, but the crocodile god, Sobek, was considered a protector of Egpyt because of the ferocity and protectiveness of crocodiles. The mirrored image makes me believe that both paths are supported and protected by the Creator. The image between the two crocodiles, to the best of my discernment, appears to be a mask, and of a monkey. The monkey/baboon was associated with Thoth. Simians have also given us the body that we now inhabit. Masks were associated with divinity and the afterlife. The crocodiles could also be there to devour whatever else the Fool carries with him that is unnecessary - representing the transformations, and the athanor of third density.

Thankyou for providing more context with the crocodile. The fool enters treacherous waters. Perhaps there is protection once a path is chosen and developed - but beware if you cannot decide from left to right and lose your footing along the way.

[Sacred Fool]

Personally, I've always had trouble with discussions of the archetypes which rely largely upon, and emphasize, iconographic description because, to my way of seeing the larger "picture," the study of the deep mind is not about images, it's about consciousness.  More specifically, its about the journey through the densities where individual consciousness becomes progressively more dense and refined and mysterious until it ultimately releases itself into the underlying supreme whole.

I view the Fool as representing both the initiate into 3D as well as the newly mature male seeking initiation from the state of immaturity and physical dependence into a state of mature physical and social interdependence.  (And I specify male here because female initiations are distinct from those designed for the male.)

So,  he begins his quest by enjoying the raptures of 2D such as flowers and food and so forth, but must use his faith and will to work his way into a conscious relationship with hardship, peril, disappointment, etc.  And, in these old systems, he then takes instructions on how to behave individually and socially, and is taught how to relate to the tribal deities.

Ra takes this story down a different path, saying that becoming conscious of the ways of social participation is not the end goal; rather, the path goes on from there to learning the ways of consciousness of the first level of transcendence: the heart.  And how does one move along that route?  One further developes the will and faith used to master 3D consciousness and offers them as dedicated instruments to advance closer towards what the heart desires.  The more he serves his heart's desires, the closer he moves towards his heart.  And what does his heart desire?  His heart desires love.

But love comes in two flavors and our hero--no longer called Fool, but now called Choice (by Ra)--must choose which of these his heart truly desires.  (Of course, he must make this choice because one flavor is largely negative and the other largely positive, so, in essence, if you combine them they cancel one another out.)

By and by, many adventure-laden chapters later, our friend follows his heart's desire to where he actually reaches his heart, courts her favor, and the previous pattern is recapitulated where he uses his faith and will to develope new relationships with hardship, pleasure and all that stuff, he learns his new social role, and he learns to lovingly embrace all that is.

Naturally, after that, they all live happily ever after.

Time for bed now.  Good night.
   

[sunnysideup]

Thank you for sharing your insights, Jade. Very enlightening thoughts.

[flofrog]

Great synopsis Jade, I had some points I wanted to add...

There is a macrocosmic reason why the Fool is archetype 0 and 22, and a microcosmic reason. In the macrocosm, one is a Fool upon the dropping of the veil and the beginning of third density catalysts. As soon as you begin to make decisions without the knowledge of unity of the creator that is afforded to each other density, it requires a belief in the rightness and goodness of what you are doing, even when reality knocks you back down. Zero begins the initial journey into third density.

Yes, I can see why the journey begins and ends with the fool archetype now. We begin a fool as we know nothing, then we end as the fool because we come to know that we know nothing. Only then can we make the conscious choice to humble ourselves to the "melting influence of love".

I love that Louisabell...


Thank you Jade

[Jade]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! This was something I had written some time ago and had lost to myself, so I figured I would share as I felt it held up.

Re: Interpretation through the iconography... in my opinion, the archetypes were transmitted as images because "a picture speaks a thousand words" - the deeper mind is much more able to speak to us through concept imagery than words. This being easily done with manifest reality: Clothes, animals, stars, etc can speak to us deeply if we only learn "the language". This is obviously meant to be an introduction to help others get a foothold into their own dive into the archetypical mind and not an exhaustive discourse. The images will always mean something personal to everyone, as they should, because this is a personal journey. Dissecting the images IMO can be helpful to just begin the process of of this journey. Considering what Ra says is the first step to learning the tarot:

"[89.23] Our first step, as we have said, was to present the descriptions in verbal form of three images: one, eight, fifteen; then the questions were asked: “What do you feel that a bird might represent?” “What do you feel that a wand might represent?” “What do you feel that the male represents?” and so forth until those studying were working upon a system whereby the images used became evocative of a system of concepts. This is slow work when done for the first time."

I find that mapping the images to the concepts allows a deep evocation, for myself, of the meaning of these concepts, and to have more realizations throughout my day as these images reappear to me through media, music, wayward thoughts, etc. It allows for "synchronicity" that goes beyond seeing certain numbers. Suddenly a cat may not just necessarily be a cat, it's a message from the deeper mind to pay attention in the present moment.

Anyway! I've already written an introduction to the body cycle as well and hope to work through the individual cards through the next week or two. And of course I have already written upon the mind cycle which you can find here on these forums. Happy archetyping!

[Sacred Fool]

Dissecting the images IMO can be helpful to just begin the process of of this journey.

Studying the images can, indeed, be helpful.  After all, that's what they were created for, right?  They were meant to be visual sutras containing key elements which would be the basis for discourses by teachers...uh, by teach/learners.
My grumpy comment was just to say that after taking the first step, you might like to take another...or, like, whatever.  It's your journey.
 
  

[ricdaw]

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I always love your posts, Jade.  A couple more observations about the image on the card.

When polarity is expressed by objects in a figure's right hand, they tend to be scepters or orbs, denoting STO or light.  But this figure's right hand object does not have that glowing orb on it yet.  Could this be a figure not only pre-choice, but pre-knowledge even of the existence of choice?  The left hand, often shown doing an activity or pointing, denotes STS.  But in this card, even the left hand is doing, well, nothing.  I've posted another variation of the card where that left hand is wide open to the "left hand" experience, even toward the danger of that croc.  No will is being expressed here.  No command.   

The eclipse, I think, is fading.  Doesn't the moon travel right to left in an eclipse?  So this figure is just coming (literally) down the mountain on that sloped trail, from the darkness into the emerging sunlight.  And in addition to that croc, there is the slippery water of emotion waiting to be walked into.  

There is no deviation on this sloped path.  No fork in the road.  Everyone choosing this experience has to walk the single path from Spirit to the Earth, one step at a time.

None of these figures are watching their steps.  My card has eyes blindfolded even.  Is the figure entranced by the new "physicality" of the Earth Life School?  New to Earth?  New to a Body?

There is so much promise in this card.  And innocence.

[Nau7ik]

Great exposition of the Fool Tarot Key! We are using different images but we are coming to the same understanding. Infinite possibility / choice is a key concept for the Fool. Being 0, he represents the Limitless Light, macrocosmically, the potential for manifestation. Microcosmically, the Fool represents our true and real Self. That which precedes manifestation / incarnation.
He is pictured as a youth because the Limitless Light is always at the height of its power. (The Eternal Youth and the Ancient of Days are the same Being, in different aspects.)

The wallet or nap sack, indeed, represents the harvest of previous experience, or, in other words, memory.