The Clown, Vision Quest Study

Soaring Eagle

To me this card means that you are deciding to start a new path (just as the clown is starting a new path), change directions. New opportunities are close at hand (as they always are when you make a new beginning).
 

Maan

for me this clown is also brave He embrances his/her inner trickster. Accepting your inner child, being naive out of choice....if i make any sense.
Its almost as if he willing walks towards the end of the cliff.

(I usually discover that my english isn't as good as i think when i try to put this kind of things into words. But i blunder along just like this clown. Not affraid of making mistakes ;-)
 

Soaring Eagle

for me this clown is also brave He embrances his/her inner trickster. Accepting your inner child, being naive out of choice....if i make any sense.
Its almost as if he willing walks towards the end of the cliff.

(I usually discover that my english isn't as good as i think when i try to put this kind of things into words. But i blunder along just like this clown. Not affraid of making mistakes ;-)

I like the way you put "being naive out of choice". A lot of native nations have people who for ceremonies plays the "backward person" or in this case the clown. This person usually has their clothing on backwards, walks backwards, etc. This is their decision. In times long past, these people were considered sacred. Today, we would probably say that it was part of a mental disease.
 

divinegoddess

These are all great information, I'm overwhelmed. I couldn't have come up with such insightful details and symbolism on my own. Thank you!

What does he mean to me? My interpretation is
Happy times, times for a celebration, being the clown, having fun, enjoying life, behind that mask there is wisdom and knowledge to stop the fun and games when it is time to be serious.
 

Soaring Eagle

But does he truly have that wisdom yet? He's still pretty naive in his learning. He may think he knows, but does he truly know? Has he learned enough to know when to stop?
 

divinegoddess

Good point! I love his enthusiasm though...and he will learn in time ;)
 

Soaring Eagle

Description: The clown is dancing at the edge of a cliff with his travel bag in his left hand. In the sky above him there is a coyote and to his left is a coyote howling.

How I feel about this card: As we all sometimes find ourselves at the cliff’s edge, the clown also finds himself there, and with the help of his spirit guide, he will follow a new path. The spirit guide is gently supporting the clown, pushing him to a new path, but still allowing him to make the decision. The streaked sky symbolizes a great indecision. The coyote is trying to distract the clown, possibly from making the new start, or possibly to direct him to a new path.

Significant Details: Coyote is the trickster, and some nations believe he is the creator of man's world. Here he is the clown's spirit guide. The medicine bag contains the spiritual things that are important to the clown. The travel bag contains things needed for the clown's journey: medicine, food, etc. He is dancing at the cliff edge, but as I see him as contrary, I don't think he will step off the cliff, rather take a step backwards.

My Interpretation: New and startling opportunities arrive. You are contemplating a decision to break with the old and start a new path. A new cycle or unplanned change of directions is at hand.
 

divinegoddess

Keywords*: Freedom, humor, innocence, independent spirit, enthusiasm, love of life, ability to love, non-possessiveness, egolessness, in harmony with self and life

Inner message*: This is a sign of good fortune for all those who strive for true inner freedom. It symbolizes your childlike innocence and playfulness. The Clown has realized that any bondage, as comforting and profitable it may seem to the greedy ego, will only lead him astray. He is free to live his truth, free to express what he really is. He has dropped his masks forever. They are no longer needed, because the Clown is wise enough to know that he has nothing to lose. Moreover, he has mentally disengaged from social restrictions of any kind. The spiritual path he points out to you is one of BEING instead of having, possessing, attaching. His way is one of pure enjoyment, just fooling around and having fun, because he has developed the ability to simply not identify himself with anything seriously.

Outer manifestation*: Most Native American ceremonial rituals reserve a place of honor for the Clown – a dancer who mocks others behind their backs in a sweetly hilarious way. The tail of a coyote may be fastened to his hindside, so he can provocatively swish it in front of everyone’s nose. He fools around with his mask, hops around other dancers, pulls their hair and imitates their movements. A raucous sense of humor, a sparkling lightheartedness is considered an essential element in these holy invocations. With his irreverent, unselfconscious ways, the Clown makes everyone aware of the need to continuously find a balance between the two extremes every energy comes along with. If we maintain a seriousness that excludes all silliness, we tend to become fanatical. If we neglect to concentrate long or precisely enough, projects don’t get the attention they need for further development.

So simply enjoy everything that comes along, without hankering for a tomorrow that might bring you bigger and better. Re-discover the playfully creative element inside you. You don’t need to possess what makes your heart sing! Return to the childlike delight of experiencing without holding, the tasting that knows no clinging. Drop all your mental fixations stemming from insecurity. Let the exuberance of the Clown spill over into your daily life and wash away your self-created limitations. Moreover, learn to laugh at yourself sometimes! Start to mambo with the Clown within. Recognize that the Clown’s humorous take on life, born from wisdom, surpasses all learnedness.


*From the LWB
 

Elena Nikiforova

Because the first coyote in the background is like a halo around him, it seems as if it is his spiritual or inner self that is being called to.
- that's what impressed me most of all about this card, the way how the coyote is rising over him, like it was his spirit..

I know, both aspects of the card Fool - being naive, innocent and in the same time ironic, a little evil and wise - are present, but I think the card is focused on the second aspect. It is not a young guy with a white flower (like in Osho Zen Tarot), it's a professional clown from a show. Maybe it's better to say it is not (only) his profession/role, but his lifestyle.

The howling coyote (/dog/wolf?) on the backgroung is stil a riddle for me. The same animal we can find on the card of Moon. For my intuition a howling animal can mean worry.

In every card I will pay attention, where the main character/characters is/are looking. Here, I think, the clown is looking insight of himself.
 

Soaring Eagle

Coyotes, wolves, and even dogs howl to find each other. It's not always a worrying situation. In the wild it is how they call each other to gather. It's like a human ringing a bell or shouting when someone is lost.

The clown is lost, and the coyote is calling to him so that he can find his way. Atleast that is my opinion. Others may have different thoughts.