Sweet Twilight - The Fool

[Hemera]

This Fool is forgetting about herself and is letting herself be guided by a higher power. She plays an instrument but is an instrument herself,too, played by someone else. She is totally forgetting the "self" in the process. She looks like she is listening and there is a beautiful serene smile on her face.

The cat adds to the playfullness of the scene but I find the clown doll in the foreground a bit scary.

 

[Aerin]

I like the idea I see in this card of giving yourself up to some higher power, of trusting.

Yet it still has a warning side not to use fate as an excuse not to look after yourself.

I agree, scary clown doll...

 

[Briar Rose]

What do you think the clown doll respresents?

The book suggests that, "between the distractions and road bumps, he wonders how free is he, really" (4).

Is the look really serene, or that of one just going along for the ride?

 

[Altena]

Traditionally speaking I've always considered the Fool as someone who wants to dash off towards the horizon and the new adventures waiting there. Maybe this Fool wants to do the same thing, although there is something(could be his lack of experience) holding him back. There are cleary strings attached, so to say, and that leads me to think he's not entirely in control of himself or his own fate.

The clown doll seems very abandoned and the Fool doesn't appear to be paying much attention to it. Could it perhaps be that it represents a part of him that needs to be left behind in order to achieve a greater sense of the freedom that comes with maturity? On the other hand the doll could also be something important that he needs. It's within his reach, but he's not able to see it clearly just yet.

Does anyone have an opinion on the cat? Is it trying to hold him back in a way? Is it trying to chew over/break the strings pinning him down? Or is it simply playing along, a sort of companion?

I'm very new to this, but thought it could be fun to throw in my own two cents. This deck is fantastic in terms of the imagination running wild and it makes the process of interpreting it all the more fun

 

[SphinYote]

To me, the face looks carved, a mask.

If the figure were truly merely a puppet or marionette, this would make sense, but the figure is not.

So why does the Fool wear the classic comic theater mask? Certainly preferable to the one for tragedy, but still a mask.

 

[Empress Lilly]

The Fool

I really like the insight from Hemera that The Fool thinks he/she is beating to their own drum when in all actuality there are in fact string attached. And Altena mentions that these strings represent his lack of control. Aerin mentions that this could be giving yourself up to a high power and trusting. I certainly agree with that but the lack of control could be a number of things. It could be lack of self-control or even mental strength or stability. The strings could also represent things in your worldly life holding you back from the journey you’re trying to embark on.

I believe the cat is in lieu of the dog in the traditional deck. The cat (dog) is trying to get The Fool’s attention and alert him to the danger of the cliff ahead that he is oblivious to.

I’m also not sure about the clown doll, but it seems to correlate with The Fool being a marionette and in joker’s clothing. The doll seems sad which makes me think of Woody in Toy Story – He’s moving on and leaving him behind?
The sun and moon elements give the card balance as well as indicates that The Fool is neither a male nor female “condition”, it can be anyone who is embarking on a journey and is essentially clueless.

In general, I think The Fool is represented in pop culture by Dorothy, Alice, and Luke (Star Wars).

 

[MizGrace]

As soon as I saw this card I though of puppet on a string song. I feel they are controlled like Pinocchio wanting to leave home visiting the pool hall and realising all isn't perfect in the world. The Mask I believe is so its non gender specific so we chose male or female. The cat I feel is saying come home before you make s mistake but if you do go I will with you because yo are naive and need accompanying. I see the drum as marching on. I think the doll at th front id one who had given up cut all strings but didn't survive the journey its a warning of dangers ahead. Lovely cards I'm enjoying these lots