The Fool's journey

Zephyros

For starters, why are there all of those fifth element (quintessence) symbols all over his/her garment. His staff is pointing toward the sun (an unusual white rather than yellow) from which he is walking away.

I suppose you're asking in order to establish a common lexicon for the other posters.

Anyway:

There are ten circles on his garment, symbolizing the ten Sephiroth for which he holds the potential (although one can quibble and say it's nine Sephiroth, since one is already behind him, but that's a discussion for another time). Compare these ten circles to the almost identical ten circles ringing the Holy Grail of the Thoth Lust. The Sun is not an actual sun, it is the spiritual sun, the sum potential of everything that can be (or can't be). It is white to symbolize it's unlimited potential, and is "brilliance" according to the Golden Dawn color scales. In being Nothing, the Fool is actually Everything (and more).
 

ravenest

Could you tell me the history of that particular symbol. Does it originate in the west as a signifier of Air, Aether, or Spirit. Is it something borrowed from the Buddhists by the 19th Century syncretists?

That symbol prob originated with the invention of the non-solid wheel.

Too large a field to discuss here and too off/wide topic ... so lets narrow it down to the usage here; via GD and their usage of western hermetic kabbalah.

Pre attribution of outer planets to the sephiroth, the symbols showed Saturn sign on Binah ... and that was it, the next symbol was the zodiac -Chokmah and the Primum Mobile - Kether, the 'heavens' beyond the zodiac (both wheels, as they 'revolve' or turn); in a way they both represent 'beyond the planetary sphere' (and hence, 'beyond' the elements) so spirit or quintessence.

For air to be a type of quintessence one needs to be out of the system of using the 4 elements ... but that 4 elemental system is everywhere in tarot ... in some places we see the system of three - in the attribution of the three 'elements' to the three cards and the three mother letters , here 'air' is a totally different concept and is primal (or pnuema) and 'creates' fire and water ... a bit like Tao contains yin and yang - as yet undifferentiated .

The 'quintessential' decorations on the fool may be helping us to understand this distinction.
 

Richard

The Fool is the Spirit of ΑΙΘΗΡ (Aethyr), but Aethyr needs a yellow sun in order to utilize the full gamut of her Kryptonian powers.
 

ravenest

The Sun is a her ????

Next you will be proving that to me , the way that old Hindu mystic 'proved' it to me;

Old Hindu Mystic said:
"The Sun MUST be woman ... otherwise she would not be afraid to come out at night."

I still haven't quiet been able to wrap my head around that one ;)

Edit:

re checks link -

Ohhhh ! I see 'she' is the girl in Superman !

aside; LRichard isn't being obscure ... well, he IS :laugh: but its just that his modern 'scientific brain' is refuting the concept of aether , as an old outmoded concept and that the concept wasn't around when such ideas where first formulated about 'air' .... I just ignored that part and focused on the other two aspects mentioned in the question .... actually I am surprised LRichard didn't post on the analogy between the Fool and ether (CH3-CH2-O-CH2-CH3) - How is THAT for a demonstration of the permutation of the three alchemical principles with Fool / 0 / Tao in the centre ? ;)

Also H is the 10 sephiroths C (being carbon, the basis of life and matter on earth) the four elements and in the middle O oxygen and 0 Fool - that 'air' that invigorates the fool, yet too much and .... ;)

Put it all together and ....

sniiiiiiffffff ... ahhhhh ..... now it all makes sense ; http://www.psychedelicbubblemachine.com/images/20091228195843_0.jpg
 

Zephyros

But it is a blue sun that gives him extra abilities! Everyone knows that! :D

But I don't know if we're talking about actual material here. The idea is light, and mixing all the colors of the spectrum gives us white. It is the absence of light that gives us black, all colors are absorbed and none reflected. The Fool himself is yellow, but the sun he came out of can't be.

Of course, we also perceive our sun to be yellow, but it is actually white.
 

Toxicmage

I tend to be an optimistic, can-do person who believes that the universe will provide, and this probably colors my view of the Fool.

For me the Fool represents someone who is starting out on a venture believing he or she can do it because NO ONE EVER TOLD HIM OR HER THEY COULDN'T -- so yes, that kind of innocence. And, indeed, although the Fool's journey is challenging, the Fool comes out alright in the end. Maybe not the first time out, but by perservering and going back again, because the Fool doesn't know how to give up, the Fool makes it through.
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My thoughts exactly!