Journal Entries-For Beginners- The Fool

Welcome to THE FOOL

Please try to include the following in your entries...

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CARD NAME / DECK:
FIRST IMPRESSION: (the first thing that comes to your mind when you see your card - positive/negative, like it or don't...)
CARD IMAGERY / INSIGHTS: (describe what's on your card and what you think it means TO YOU in relation to other things shown on the card. Why is this particular thing / colour / flower / image there and what does it speak to you?=
KEYWORDS: (short phrases / adjectives / verbs / nouns deduced from your insights)
NOTES/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. (anything else that bothers you - how you would use it in a spread, what could be the message for yourself / querent for love / past / present / future...

The IMPORTANT thing is to USE YOUR OWN INSIGHTS. Don't use the LWB or anything you have read from the books. Let your thoughts flow, tell us a story, share your meditations.

Thank you for participating and sharing. I really do hope we'll benefit from this and help each other understand the sybolism of Tarot better.
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copied from Spunch's original thread.

The Fool

Ok, i've started my journal few days ago too. Im posting here the meaning that the fool has for me.
The way i made the entry its a bit different from what you have suggested. It works better for me this way. But guess it doesnt matter... Here I go!!

1-. CARD NAME/DECK - The Fool. (Rider-Waite & Marseille).
Im using both decks while studying the cards, so what i write its based on one or on the other.

2-. IMPRESSIONS/INSIGHTS
The Fool is someone who is moving on. He is taking action withouth knowing what the future will bring. He is distracted, looks at the sky because its more interested in his own dreams and objectives than in what surrounds him. Is a dreamer and has no fear about what he can find in his way.

He will go wherever its needed until he finds what he is looking for, what he desires. He dont easy surrender. Is full of dreams and hopes, he thinks nothing more is needed to go on. The dog goes with him, its his conscience, the link he has with the reality.

He is walking toward a cliff. He will pass through difficulties he will find on the way. He is in contact with nature, conected with the true essence of the world, but people doesnt understand him, thats why he is called the fool. But he doesnt care about it.

He makes new paths where before was nothing. He is the original force that initiates everything. He opens the gates of the future, is a visionary and takes risks.

In his bag has all he needs. Its a small bag because he doesnt need a lot of material things. He needs almost nothing to survive, only the decision wich is inside himself. He will use at each moment what he finds near him. Its searching new knowledge and is going to learn experimenting by himself, living.

In the R-W, the sun stands at his back. It means that he leaves what he know, but those things are collected inside him. The sun iluminates him from the back, so he walks over his own shadow.
He is poor outside, but when he finish his journey, he will be rich inside, losing the inocence, he will turn the experience in knowledge, becoming like the Hermit.

3-. KEYWORDS
- Enterprising. Experimenting. Looking for new experiences. Taking action. Taking risks. Idealism. Self-reliance. Searching the inner path.
- Initiating new ways. Following inner instincts. Not knowing where one is going. Starting something new.
- Freedom. Independence. Movement. Activity. Travel. Long journeys.
- Leave the past. Leave the home. Leaving someone. Unexpected visit.
- Non-materialistic. Love for nature. Mountains.
- Ignoring whats surrounding oneself. Building an irreal world. Not listening to advices. Closing mind to practical stuff.
- Inmaturity. Inexperience. Inestability. Uncertainess. Irresponsibility. Autism.
- Genius. Bohemian. Dreamer. Foreigner. Emigrant. Artist. Teenager. Veterinary. Hippie. Scientist. Autodidactique. Biologist. Homeless.

4-. RELATED THINGS
This poem portraits very well the essence of the fool.

Antonio Machado (1875-1939) - “Caminante”

“Caminante, son tus huellas
el camino, y nada más;
caminante, no hay camino,
se hace camino al andar,
Al andar se hace el camino,
y al volver la vista atrás
se ve la senda que nunca
se ha de volver a pisar.
Caminante, no hay camino,
sino estelas en el mar”.

Rough Translation to English:
“Traveler, there is no way but the one your footsteps make, traveler, there is no way, the way is made as you walk. As you go, you make the way and when you look behind, you see the path that your feet will never travel again. Traveler, there is no way, only foam trails in the sea.”

5-. WHAT THE CHARACTER ON THE CARD SAYS
- Follow your instincts and dreams.
- No matter what you will find, go for it.
- Dont be afraid of the future.
- Enjoy life.
- I dont care about what people says.
- Experiment everything by yourself.
- ¡Move on!


Hope nobody has fallen asleep while reading this. Well... this are my studying notes on the Fool.
Newbies unite and post here your journal entries!!

Repost - The Fool

RW Deck
Here are my thoughts:
First Impression: bright, cheery, care-free, a little oblivious

Insights: I noticed that the fool has all 4 qualities present on this journey, however, he is not aware of them as of yet. His pack (wands), the circles or coins on his jacket (petacles), the feather at the top of his head/hat (swords)- he is facing toward the left - yin - emotions - (cups). The sun still seems high in the sky which seems to say his journey is only beginning. I feel that the bag on his shoulders may represent some old 'stuff' from his past that he has yet to confront or let go of... Looking up and away he seems to be unaware of his emotions, surroundings and potentially harmful situations. If he changes his position a little and learns to listen to his conscious, rational side (the dog) and opens his eyes to listen to his emotional side, the yin direction , he has hope (the sun) to bring balance into his life and grow intellectually, spirtually, materially and emotionally.

The Fool - Reborn

First of all, hello Inana and a very warm welcome to one of your places on this forum, a place where you will share your thoughts about the Tarot with us.

Afraid not! I did not fall asleep while reading your journal entry. Quite the opposite - I read it twice. I like the 'related things' and 'what the character(s) say' in your journal. Really, really practical. Thanks so much for sharing!

So, last night I decided I'd use the Morgan-Greer deck for my study. So I'm reposting The Fool since there are some differences from RW Fool (If anybody is interested, you can find Morgan-Greer deck at the following link. http://www.tarot.com/about-tarot/decks/browsedecks.php?newdeck=18)

FIRST IMPRESSION
- POSITIVE
- dominant colour - yellow (the first one I see looking at this card)
- pastoral
- I would like to be him, he can do whatever he wants, he is off to a great adventure!
- Doesn't carry /need much
- I think the dog belongs to him
- He has everything he needs

CARD IMAGERY / INSIGHTS
- gold background - vitality, strength, success, action, courage, confidence
-the Fool's robe - a combitaniot of red (passion for life, willpower, courage, energy, strength, desire) + white (the soul, innocence, purity, naive, faith, cleansing, peace, protection, healing, truth, tranquility)
-young man - CARE FREE!
-nature - blue mountains, serenity, peaceful scene
-carries a pack on his back, the pack is so small (what does he have in it?) - long journey but doesn't carry much. Everything he needs will find on his way
-the dog - he will keep him company - ONE IS NEVER ALONE!

Maybe he is going away from his cold home to wherever the grass is greener?
-Carrying white rose. Again, the soul, innocence, purity, naive, faith, cleansing, peace, protection, healing, truth, tranquility (this doubles because of the white robe, I guess)
-Has a wreath around his head made of green leaves - victory, like Caesar. Green - abundance, prosperity, growth, springtime, healing, fertility, luck (lucky guy!)

- Has red feather in his hair (?????)
-Unlike the RW, this one is not walking off the cliff. I guess there's no real danger in being The Fool (if the adventure itself is not a bit dangerous - it could be dangerous). But you never know if you don't try!

KEYWORDS
CARE-FREE, NAIVE, LEAVING THE PAST BEHIND, SEARCHING FOR A BETTER FUTURE, SEEKING EXPERIENCE, ADVENTURE, BRAVE, TRAVEL, NEW BEGINNING, FRESH START, DARING, DOING SOMETHING NEW, MAKING A MOVE, RESOLVED OF RESPONSIBILITY, WATCH YOUR STEP, NEEDING SOME FRESH AIR, PROBLEMS AT HOME, RUNNING AWAY

Added later
-Negative (?) - Is it always OK to be care-free, resolved of responsibility?
-He won't probably stay in one place for too long. Will he make friends? (Lonelines?) Will he miss the people he meets, people he left back home (does he have anybody at all?) Will they miss him once he was gone (because he will DEFINITELY leave each place he visits)
-breathing
-forgetting
-looking into the future
-breaking conventions
-wanting to do something different
-seeking an adventure

Re: The Fool - Reborn

Thanks for the welcome and the comments, spunch!
Im sure sharing the journal entries will be very usefull, and more if we are using various different decks.

spunch said:

-He won't probably stay in one place for too long. Will he make friends? (Lonelines?) Will he miss the people he meets, people he left back home (does he have anybody at all?) Will they miss him once he was gone (because he will DEFINITELY leave each place he visits)

Click to expand...

I also have tought on this. Im sure too he will leave all the places he visits. He is always moving. He is alone because he doesnt seem to need people surrounding him, but he doesnt feel alone.
I mean, its not he doesnt like peope, he does it, but he never stays long enough to know them deeply. This way he can miss someone but not strongly.

witchywomyn said:

Insights: I noticed that the fool has all 4 qualities present on this journey, however, he is not aware of them as of yet. His pack (wands), the circles or coins on his jacket (petacles), the feather at the top of his head/hat (swords)- he is facing toward the left - yin - emotions - (cups).

Click to expand...

This is interesting. I 've never thought about the fool having the four elements with him.

About where he is facing: In the Marseilles deck, the Fool is looking to the right, wich i always read meaning looking to the future. So its interesting how you see left like yin & emotions, because in the RW i was interpreting it like looking at the past, with doesnt make sense for the Fool.

Hi all

I wanted you all to know I am participating here, I just never haven't had time to sit down with this yet. I think I might approach it slightly differently. I am going to use my deck (and the new deck I hope to get this weekend) as guides, and also images of other decks on the internet because I want to generalize my study of tarot, rather than apply it to a specific deck. So I may do some comparative descriptions in my posts of more than one deck.

I just have a thing about the overarching themes in tarot so want a generalized grasp in my study before branching out into the nuances of each deck.

This is a great thread and study group. I just started my journal last week!

Looking forward to reading more...
Kelar

The Fool - Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg

moved from original thread

My thoughts on 0-The Fool

==First Impression
Bright colors, The young man certainly seems to be enjoying himself on his early adventures on the road of life. Positive or negative? depends on if he is RUNNING away to begin life or running AWAY.
==Imagery/Insights
A young man playing with his toys for self amusement.. a colorful ribbon waves around a morahca like rattle..he is living life to the tune of his own rythems. The hand puppet derssed as he is.. a little friend a way to connect with his innerself a secerct friend of imagination. The bells on his shoes and belt jingle merrily with each step...he wants to be noticed wants to be the center of attention. The dog playfully nipping at him nearly tripping him...trying to get his attention..he is so caught up in his toys..it takes much to distract the boy... missing a good thing... a friend...by being so self absorbed. The road he travels is not real revealing other than where he steps now. What lies to either side? A meadow, a forrest, maybe a cliff. He surely needs to be more aware of his surroundings...It could be unsafe to stray far from the path at this point or It could be just as likely hes missing new oppertunities. The hills well they look more like "bumps in the road" hes had a fairly easy go of it so far. In looking again the bumps kind of resemble faces... elders type folks concerned, stern looking...not exactly approving of his childish ways..Time to grow up they seem to say. The little hobo like bundle tha hangs from his shoulder. I wonder whats in it? The basics he needs he travels light, a few prized possessions from childhood, a bit of food for today, a few coins hes earned here and there. This is very much a journey of the here and now. Not well planned or prepared for.......or was that the plan? Hmm we will see where the road leads him.
==Keywords
Happy go lucky attitude, learning as you go, self absorbed needing to be center of attention, little forethought, living for the moment, missing opportunities and warnings, need for focus,
==Possible meanings/Advice
Interaction with others- less focus on self
Missing important things- need to pay attention
cheerful, lifes lessons comming your way, changes with learning

Am I the only one?...

Does anyone else see a relationship between "us" as a collective and The Fool? It seems that each of us in our own way are for the most part beginning our journey, as The Fool is near the beginning of his?

CARD NAME / DECK: The Fool, Tarot Of The Cat People
FIRST IMPRESSION: I like the Fool's smile, and the way he glances carelessly over his shoulder at me.
CARD IMAGERY / INSIGHTS: The Fool is young and androgynous, probably male, but the lack of strong gender signals either way speaks to me about the lack of gender roles in this particular card. In other words, it does not take masculinity or femininity to fulfill this archetypal role. He is dressed far more simplistically than other cards in the deck, speaking perhaps to his lack of need for material and prestige or, perhaps, as he is beginning a journey, his plain clothing speaks to all of the success he has yet to win in the world. A cat clings to his boot possessively, causing me to try to find some symbolic value for the cat in this particular code. I wonder if the cat is the logical world in which there are rules and duties, and the fool is trying to leave that behind in search of enlightenment.
KEYWORDS: Zen, Idealism, Naivete, Energy, Simple-mindedness (but not the negative kind) Hope, Kindness, Spontaneity, Journey, Contentment
NOTES/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. I did my first self reading within hours of getting my cards and, after shuffling, I asked mentally for cards representing my options in life right now and I drew The Fool and the 10 of Cups, but the 10 of Cups was inverted. I instinctively interpreted that as a need to choose what is known and familiar but stifling (the 10 of cups being the cat in my fool card) and a journey. Also, I immediately recognized in the face of the fool the same relaxed, almost vacant smile of my boy back at home and--though I know that this is not a typical aspect of the card--I saw in the fool a guide and knew that the boy back at home would be an aspect of the 10 of cups card that I could retain as a guide and confidante without shackling myself to the rest of my static existence there.

Versejunkie -
I don't have the deck you are using but I pulled up a picture of the Fool - I feel as if the cat represents the Fool's feminine side - the emotional side - the yin side -

It looks as if the cat is trying to get the Fool's attention - almost begging for balance - in your deck - the fool is walking towards the right - the rational, conscious world - although he isn't looking where he's going - and again, the cat seems to be trying to get his attention.