Mary Greer says Waite 'Fool' is a girl - Tarot Mirrors

Freddie

Grettings All,

It is well known Mary Greer is a Tarot expert. I recently bought my first book by her called 'Tarot Mirrors' and in the book she refers to 'The Fool' as 'she' .....I wouldn't call 'The Star' 'he'. Waite says he is a young man so who is correct?

Was Waite wrong about 'The Fool' card design?


Freddie

p.s: I am a fan of her website.
 

AJ

I haven't read the book, but she posts here quite often, perhaps she will drop in and answer your query.
It will be interesting to see if anyone else shares your impression.
 

Freddie

The book is quite good in case anyone is wondering.


Freddie
 

Chiska

Freddie,

It isn't uncommon for people to journey through the cards in a "Fool's Journey." And sometimes, they place themselves in the position of "Fool." For me, I would refer to the that Fool as a she, as I am a woman.

For example, as I do my Journey through the Thoth, I have placed myself in the Position of the Fool. As I meet each of the Majors, I meditate on the experiences in my own life and from my own perception.

I definitely cannot speak for Mary, and hopefully she will chime in, but I wonder if she is referring to the Fool as a reflection of herself?
 

Bernice

Freddie: I wouldn't call 'The Star' 'he'.....
Well, that's debatable :). In some early decks (not Rider-Waite) the Star is thought to be depicting a male, not a female.

In all the decks I've seen, ancient & modern - but I haven't seen them all! - the Fool is usually male. Aside from gender specific clones.

However given the esoteric overlay/development of the early 'tarot', I'm inclined to agree with Chiska. The 'journey' is undertaken by individals, of all and any gender.. It's either that, or a misprint.


Bee :)
 

Freddie

That sounds good to me.


Freddie
 

fyreflye

Look at the card again. If you had never read anything at all about this card and saw it for the first time, would you feel sure you knew what the Fool's gender was? Waite refers to the Fool as a "young man" but Pixie draws someone, like herself, more sexually ambiguous.
 

Sophie

fyreflye said:
Pixie draws someone, like herself, more sexually ambiguous.
Yes, I see that too. In fact, I see that throughout the deck - there are many figures that could be either male or female. I like that :)
 

Freddie

I, like many here have read the Waite Tarot for many years and for myself I feel that it is the same androgynous person depicted from The Fool to The World. I have no issue with this, but I wondered if this book was offering a revision of the Fool's journey as being primarily feminine.

I think after reading more of the book that it is written almost exclusively to a female audience. I must say as a guy that I am finding it to be a good book and very helpful to my readings.


Freddie
 

Abrac

Waite saw The Fool as a Mystic Fool and not as a wandering vagabond. In The Pictorial Key he says:

"He is a prince of the other world on his travels through this one, all amidst the morning glory in the keen air. The sun, which shines behind him, knows whence he came, whither he is going, and how he will return by another path after many days. He is the spirit in search of experience."

I can't speak for Mary but she may be following a tradition that views the soul as feminine such as Hermeticism or Gnosticism. They teach that the carnal human has become separated from the feminine and the quest is to reunite with her. So while Waite refers to to The Fool as "he," and to my way of seeing he looks more like a young man than a woman, he symbolically represents the feminine.