Motherpeace Tarot - 00 The Fool

being_chrysalis

I thought I'd get this thread started because I do so want to talk about this deck :) it's my favorite and most often used.

So, attaching a picture of the card.

There's been an interesting development in the intuitive study group - I like the idea of sinking into the card and describing what happens to you when you do. Emotions, thoughts, what's going on with the character(s) in the cards.. so I am going to start with that in my reply. Don't peek ahead if you want to do this yourself! Just really feel the card and see where it takes you. :)
 

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being_chrysalis

Well, of course the first thing is that she's a child. And such an exuberant one at that. My eye is drawn to the seemingly impossible (and impractical) way she is holding the staff and bag. Just like a child to do something like that :). Kind of a "look at what I can do!"

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I went back and started reading the Way to the Goddess book and realized that I have a slightly negative view of this card because of a block in my own life around the idea of being spontaneous and of the unguarded connection this character has between body and soul. She trusts her body to do what it was made to do (ie: handspring/balancing bag on foot) even when it's for "fun". In some ways I have lost touch with all the unformed potential of this card. Also the fearlessness and trust in the "Universe" to take care of him/her.

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I love the choice of a cat as the companion animal for this deck. The cat looks so appealing to me because she is standing on a rock and is holding her paw out, looking at the girl as if to say, "Okay, I'm going with you, but I really don't like getting wet, are you sure you want to go this way?" She's game for the adventure and will do whatever she needs in order to be with the girl on this great adventure.. but it would be ever so nice to not have to get her paw wet!
 

crazy raven

Interesting card!
Yes, I like the idea of the cat too. They are extremely intuitive and good teachers - teaching us to meditate and be content with ourselves.
You say she holds a bag, but not with her hands, it is held with her..her left foot! Is that a peacock feather on it? Why is she walking on her hands. Is it the moment of birth has not yet arrived, yet she/he prepares their descent into this world.
There's an open eye on the bag, which I believe contains the knowledge of all her past lives, and perhaps the global consciousness? The sun is rising, a 'new' day, while a vulture and crocodile look on.
Vulture
Animal Magick
"The vulture has been associated with the Great Mother for thousands of years in her aspect as life-giver and destroyer. In the ancient matriarchal ruins of Catral Huyuk are wall paintings of priestesses dresssed in vulture costumes. The Egyptian glyph for mother was a vulture; for grandmother, a vulture carrying royal symbols. The Hebrews had the same word similarity between vulture and womb, as did the Siberian Yakuts."

On the otherside of the bank is 'magic' mushrooms, what if she eats one or two...
Oh! It is like a new reality, a new world, however she feels a strong sense of being truly alone in her progression through this upside down world, like she is leaving everything she had behind her, and if there was a door it would read 'Enter at your own risk.'
She now begins to feel very uneasy about this new door of perception that the mushrooms are forcing her to burst through the infinite nature of our universe.
 

ehetep

Motherpeace Fool

Okay sinking into the card...

With the whole background/landscape being a soft pink, it seems like the universe/world/life is supporting her choice to be on this new adventure where she will develop a new aspect to her character. I suppose that's why she's upside down, very much like birth (mentioned above). She is about to be reborn into a new set of circumstances that she's excited to be a part of, probably wondering who she's gonna be when this is all over. Probably just excited to get started and will figure it all out later!

As there are 8 stones surrounding her, this is reflecting a change in her physical world as new experiences often takes you to new places.

She's crossing a stream which to me represents her unconscious self, with all of its inherent dark areas(alligator) and beauty(lotus flower). The snow-capped mountains suggest to me the life wisdom and experience of the spirit. I suppose that many people would love to be 20 years old and fresh-faced again, with dreams and ideas for the future. But better yet to be 20 years old but have the sensibilities, maturity, and wisdom of their current age. Every time we start a new adventure we bring our current knowledge with us to assist our progress. Perhaps that's what is in her bag suspended on her foot. (Interesting thing about the foot. She is balancing her bag on her foot and in the Hanged One XII, a woman is suspended by her foot. Perhaps she is suspending her fear and trusting in the wisdom of her past lives to guide her).

I imagine she's had some difficult experiences that she's learned from. Don't lotus flowers grow in mud?

Mut (the Mother) watches over her with a benevolent expression. Vultures as natural scavengers eat what is dead and decaying. However, here, there is nothing but fresh newness of expression, no extra baggage brought along for this journey. What is not needed is left behind. Both the vulture and the alligator remind me of concepts in Kemetic/Egyptian philosophy. The alligator, or an alligator-like creature of the underworld would devour those who did not live according to truth and righteousness...the Laws of Maat. Perhaps that's why the mouth is closed, and the expression of both animals is so pleasant. She lives a life that is true to herself. She is "authentic" and her nudity emphasizes the purity of her intentions.

The cat could be her instinctual self, the self-protective part of us that wants to test the waters before jumping in to something new. She seems to be in communication with the cat somehow. It looks as if the cat is warning her about the mushrooms on the other side. I feel this way because there are 5 mushrooms, which always suggest to me some difficulty. As these mushrooms are likely "trance-inducing", it's likely that in large amounts they are dangerous. 5 energy experiences are always 'interesting' because the drama or difficulty they bring always lead you to find strength within your spirit. However, the sun is shining...a dawn of clarity. She knows when 'enough is enough, and 'having too much of a good thing'. Right now she just wants to have fun and is hopeful for the future.
 

Colby

I look at this card and feel playful, childish and what to have fun. There is so much to look at and take in.

I notice the lotus blossom, something that grows from mud into a beautiful flower... to me this means growth, spiritual growth. Everyone mentions the cat, but I took the cat as a tiger. I saw it as being curious and inquisitive... what's the child doing? why is she doing this? I also saw the vulcan more as someone watching over, observing the child's antics.

When looking at her bag with the third eye, I got that she knows that she's safe, she can play and be silly without judgment. I also felt that the sun rising represents new beginnings, a new day, new adventures and that there is new energy.

The colours of the card make me feel warmth, rejuvenation and fresh. My impression of the mushrooms are that they are "magic mushrooms" but not sure how it relates to the card and the child.

I couldn't work out what I thought was a twig but since reading the post someone said it was a peacock feather. Now that I look closer I can see that it is a peacock feather. Peacock's lose their feathers each year and grow new ones so to me this means renewal and change.
 

Arania

I don't see the fool as male or female, or a child or grown up, it just... is.

The most interesting thing in this card, to me, is that the fool holds all acessories with his/her FOOT and walks on the hands. That is so out of the ordinary, so totally against all habits. To me this card screams of getting rid of all the habits and rules you've followed, ignoring the demands of society. The animals surrounding the fool point to that, too - the cat is a relatively normal companion of humans, playful and always up to weird things. But the vulture and the croc - only a fool would associate with them.

I also like the stream in the picture, they way the fool touches the water, getting in touch with his/her true feelings. the card says "see, I touched the river, and now the sun goes up for me again.
 

Grizabella

I noticed that the lotus has an unusually long stem. Don't they usually grow on such a short stem that they sit right on the lily pad? Is there some significance to that?
 

Grizabella

OK here's what I found about the lotus:

http://www.flowersociety.org/lotus-plant-study.htm

It's the water lily whose bloom sits right on the lily pad in the water. I didn't know that water lilies and lotus were different.

The following segment seems to especially pertain to Tarot, although the article has nothing to do with Tarot:

The four elements as they appear in the Lotus

The Lotus embodies all four elements. The plant springs from the mud (Earth) and must be firmly rooted there. Water is necessary to sustain the plant and the stalks are hollow and filled with milky sap when growing. The leaves and flowers rise from the depths and are held above the water’s surface, representing Air. Also, the orientation of the leaves and flowers until they dry is upward, reaching into the air. The air spaces within the stems maintain buoyancy. The flowers and leaves unfurl, representing transformation or Fire. The pink Lotuses I observed held within the blossom’s center the bright yellow cupule or urn with yellow, fibrous sepals. Surrounded by bright pink petals, this gesture was reminiscent of a ring of fire. The Lotus flowers are sun-lovers and are generally intolerant of the colder weather. The petals of the Lotus flower close to control the plant’s inner circulation of water, so it is not less affected by weather. Lotuses do not bloom during the cold of winter.

Summer, or the season of Fire, is when the Lotus blossoms. In spring, and through the summer, the plant is vigorously growing, enjoying the warmth and humidity. The flowers open in response to sunlight, usually opening in the morning and closing in the afternoon. (This is not a direct observation; I did not see many flowers over the course of a full day). In fall, the Lotus leaves wither, the seeds within the pods ripen and eventually bend down to release the seeds. During winter, the plant sleeps beneath the water’s surface with dormant roots.


The whole article, though, gives information that could bring more depth to the Lotus being depicted on the Fool card in Tarot.
 

punchinella

Thanks for the link and excerpt, Grizabella. Reflecting on the growth process of the lotus strengthens my impression of this card as reflecting a world of childhood filled with imaginary friends, since growing is what children do in their imaginary worlds . . .

I don't really like the sensory overload aspect of this card; looking at it reminds me of being at work (in the preschool :p ). I am reminded of the chaos always on the brink of erupting, of so many impulsive beings gathered together in a confined space with so many differing ideas and plans of action. The cat/tiger strikes me as one type of child, the alligator as another, the upside-down person as yet another; even the mushrooms are intent on their business and seem to have minds of their own. But focusing on the lotus puts a measure of control on this--for one thing, the lotus is stable (not in motion) and for another if seen as paradigmatic of growth, then, by contextualizing the chaos, it justifies it to a certain extent.

When I was a child, I had the ceiling people: a family of friends who lived in the ceiling of any building I happened to be in and looked down at me, and talked to me, and gave me advice. The eye attached to the cane at the top of this card reminds me of the ceiling people. And it reminds me--that the world of childhood as experienced by children is a very different thing from the world of childhood perceived from the outside by parents and teachers who no longer live the magic. As a child, I didn't imagine the ceiling people; I saw the ceiling people. As an adult, I know that this couldn't possibly have been true . . .

There is a disconnect, and maybe it's significant that the vulture figure sits up on a pedestal, elevated above/separated from all the action.
 

Mellaenn

This fool strikes me as representing that moment just before an event occurs; the one that changes everything. It is the moment just before this carefree child somersaults from one side of the river to the other. The moment before the bride says "I do", the moment before the shuttle launches, the moment before the keys skitter down the sewer...

At any given moment we can go head-over-heels into the next moment, but all we really ever have is the now. This Fool captures that "Live in the Now' perfectly, I think.

I can relate to everything in this card but the vulture. I'm sure there is some esoteric meaning (my "Motherpeace - A Way to the Goddess" copy is on the way). I do love that the card is pink and how the sun peeks over the mountain as if to say "Hey! There you are! Wait for me!"

By the way, great link about the lotus, Grizabella, and punchinella, I love the ceiling people! When I was a kid I had The Turn-arounds; they did everything backwards (like work at night and sleep in the day time!) I see now they were actually Reversal People! But that is grist for an entirely different mill. :)