Tarot of Ceremonial Magick Study Group: The Fool

foolMoon

I'm on my way out- just wanted to mention a few initial thoughts.
My book hasn't arrived yet.

The Fool here does not seem the usual Fool. He seems to lack the carefree innocence of the more usual Fool with all options available including falling off the precipice or into the unknown. This Fool is showing the leap across a possible chasm with the skill and deliberation of a dancer. This always reminds me of discipline, balance, strength and adeptness. Hmm, like starting off on a journey already prepared. The staff is used also for balancing the leap, suggests to me a possible magical weapon of some kind.

(I am also thinking of the Thoth adjustment (justice) with this theme of balance, maybe something to do with harnessing or balancing elements. I think I recall Aleph the letter of the Fool meaning Ox and Lamed of adjustment meaning Ox goad.

I agree with you. It seems Fool card here is viewed from totally different angle. Crowley mentions about the "balance" being critical concept in the card somewhere in Book of Thoth too.

I recall DuQuette listing a staff as one of the essential tools / weapons for The Magician in his book Enochian Vision Magick. To unite with the divine creator or AinSof, the Fool needs some sort of medium such as meditation, yoga and Ceremonial Magick?
 

Michael Sternbach

I'm on my way out- just wanted to mention a few initial thoughts.
My book hasn't arrived yet.

The Fool here does not seem the usual Fool. He seems to lack the carefree innocence of the more usual Fool with all options available including falling off the precipice or into the unknown. This Fool is showing the leap across a possible chasm with the skill and deliberation of a dancer. This always reminds me of discipline, balance, strength and adeptness. Hmm, like starting off on a journey already prepared. The staff is used also for balancing the leap, suggests to me a possible magical weapon of some kind.

(I am also thinking of the Thoth adjustment (justice) with this theme of balance, maybe something to do with harnessing or balancing elements. I think I recall Aleph the letter of the Fool meaning Ox and Lamed of adjustment meaning Ox goad.

Right on.

The Book of Thoth, p. 86 tells us about Adjustment:

In the greatest symbolism of all, however, the symbolism beyond all planetary and Zodiacal considerations, this card is the feminine complement of the Fool, for the letters Aleph Lamed constitute the secret key of the Book of the Law, and this is the basis of a complete qabalistic system of greater depth and sublimity than any other. The details of this system have not yet been revealed. It has been thought right, nevertheless, to hint at its existence by equating the designs of these two cards. Not only therefore, because Libra is a sign of Venus, but because she is the partner of the Fool, is the Goddess represented as dancing, with the suggestion of Harlequin.

Also, note the similarities in the body posture of the two characters in DuQuette's deck.
 

foolMoon

Well nailed by MS with the relevant quote from BOT regarding the concept of "balance" both from The Fool and Adjustment.

I now will pay attention on the interpretation, as Balance needed for the situation by the querent when the Fool cards turns up, and balance will be enforced by external establishment, situation or system when the Adjustment shows up in the readings depending on the questions.

Sent from my iPad
 

foolMoon

I have been looking for resources for the 2 sigils on the Fool card of TOCM, but so far was not successful. Most of the messages on internet about the topic seem asking information about them, but no substantial info.

There was an entry about them in "Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia", and it was also brief info. But it was mentioning about a book "Nightside of Eden" written by Kenneth Grant. It was a free download pdf book, and looks interesting. It supposed have more info about the sigils.
 

Zephyros

Liber Arcanorum contains brief explanations for all the sigils. It doesn't go into much details about their use, though, but I guess that it has something to do with their use in practical work. In essence, one would have to have a grounding in Ceremonial and Enochian ritual. But here they are in any case:

HB: Aleph :This is awiddershins swastika (nazi shaped) of thin lines with all line elements parallel tothe sides of the box. There is a small circle about the central intersection. There are four dot sin symmetric array, one in the center of each space dened by an arm of the swastika. Greek letters in capitals appear at the ends of the arms of theswastika,oriented toward the outside. Counterclockwise from lower right: Tau, Alpha,Rho, Omega.(The suggestion is that Aleph is swastika shaped and spins out TARO).

HB: Aleph: This is an open interior form shaped like an "E"made of string with an extension of the common loop to the left below. The thing has hair up the back and part way along the upper arm. There are needle teeth below on the upper arm and above on the middle arm. The general effect is like a grotesque head, virtually all mouth.

One is the "regular" Tree, the other is from the Qlippoth. At least in this case their meanings aren't to difficult to decypher. The Swastika is a standard Aleph symbol, while the mouth would suggest to me the "Death" aspect of the Fool, "killing" the pure nothing of the Ain Sof. At least that's my guess.
 

foolMoon

Thank you for your quotes and also on the interpretations on the sigils.
As you rightly indicated, they seem to be for practical purposes and ceremonial magick such as Enochian Scrying, rather than anything to do with tarot readings or their meanings.

It seems unique feature on this Deck, which have sigils of the magician. Sigils supposed to carry magic powers, hidden messages and meanings in graphic forms for invoking, evoking and working with the spirits from ancient times. They also seem to have been used for providing,

an aura of mystique and arcane knowledge to the practitioner.
pp.72 Patrick Dunn, Magick Power Language Symbol, 2008 Llewellyn Publications.

Apart from using them in the rituals such as the Enochian scrying sessions, if one is a believer in invoking, evoking and working with the spirits in tarot readings, and would like to meditate briefly on the sigils when they show up just before the reading, then they seem to be a good feature to have on the cards.

Sent from my iPad
 

smw

I agree with you. It seems Fool card here is viewed from totally different angle. Crowley mentions about the "balance" being critical concept in the card somewhere in Book of Thoth too.

I recall DuQuette listing a staff as one of the essential tools / weapons for The Magician in his book Enochian Vision Magick. To unite with the divine creator or AinSof, the Fool needs some sort of medium such as meditation, yoga and Ceremonial Magick?

I don't know... this isn't probably helpful for your question though in Magick in Theory & Practice, there is a reference to consecrating a weapon and the formula of Alhim (which I don't really understand). The elements are said to be represented as in the Tetragrammaton (YHVH) but apparently less orderly and untamed. They are described as "wild and stormy but elastically resistless energy.

CROWLEY said:
in consecrating a weapon "Aleph" is the whirling force of the thunderbolt, the lightning which flameth out of the East even unto the West. This is the gift of the wielding of the thunderbolt of Zeus or Indra, the god of the Air. "Lamed" is the Ox-goad, the driving force; and it is also the balance, representing the truth and love of the magician...

maybe the four dots on the mercurial sigil represent the successful balancing of the four elements and stormy energies.
 

smw

Right on.

The Book of Thoth, p. 86 tells us about Adjustment:



Also, note the similarities in the body posture of the two characters in DuQuette's deck.

oh, thanks. I was the looking for the justice card on the net and missed it. Yes, she seems to counter point the Fool with her ballet movement. It seems to echo the Thoth a little with her foot paralleling the point of the sword.
 

smw

Thank you for your quotes and also on the interpretations on the sigils.
As you rightly indicated, they seem to be for practical purposes and ceremonial magick such as Enochian Scrying, rather than anything to do with tarot readings or their meanings.

It seems unique feature on this Deck, which have sigils of the magician. Sigils supposed to carry magic powers, hidden messages and meanings in graphic forms for invoking, evoking and working with the spirits from ancient times. They also seem to have been used for providing,

pp.72 Patrick Dunn, Magick Power Language Symbol, 2008 Llewellyn Publications.

Apart from using them in the rituals such as the Enochian scrying sessions, if one is a believer in invoking, evoking and working with the spirits in tarot readings, and would like to meditate briefly on the sigils when they show up just before the reading, then they seem to be a good feature to have on the cards.

Sent from my iPad

I must admit I was wondering myself how the deck and sigils might be used (or not). I saw something in the forward of his book that mentions that the deck might be fascinating and informative, something like that.. for theorists and helpful for practising ceremonial magicians.

I wondered too about the Qliphotic sigils, how can they be used, would I even want to use or see them!!... apparently there is a suggestion that maybe similar to Jungian shadow work, acknowledging these unconscious, denied or 'imprisoned' energies can be useful for creating internal balance and integration. This could be the internal process reflected by any possible external ritual. Both dark and light on the cards as reminders.

Though I'm not entirely sure I would want to go down there with the zooming in hairy teethed devouring F sigil.
 

Zephyros

As was mentioned in the thread linked, they are the "spirits" of the paths, used as focus points for invoking the guides that lead you through them. It's probably a lot more involved than the smattering of information I could find but Liber Arcanorum is a Class A document and knowledge of its use is probably handed down through the A.A.

If anyone has Nightside of Eden that would be a great help.