THE FOOL (O)

TODAY'S CARD IS The Fool (O). This version is from The Minotarot, Artist: Eric Provoost, published 1982 Fontenay-sous-Bois France; the link is to The Mystic Eye where you can see more of the cards in this deck. (The little bits of colors other than brown, white or black in this image were introduced by the scanning process.)*



For comparison, here’s The Fool in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck:



THE FOOL (O): I wanted to use a card from the Minotarot as it’s another deck that challenges my tastes and preferences in Tarot (see mini-review below), and I also wanted a chance to use the below Rumi quote that is perfect for The Fool.

DIFFERENT OR LESS COMMON, EVEN QUIRKY MEANINGS FOR THE FOOL (O) (i.e. the below is not intended to be an exhaustive exploration of this card; a quick google will produce a wider variety of takes should you not be familiar with this card):

A tendency to gullibility.

Are you buying into what others project about themselves?

Are you trying to live out what others project on to you?

Impulsive risk, as opposed to a well considered risk as in The Justice card.

The risk you want to take is probably OK. Just be sure to listen to your intuition as you go along.

Don’t let anyone else’s negativity dampen your enthusiasm.

We never really know what our next step will bring, where it will take us. We are always, to a certain degree, about to step off into the unknown, guided by and trusting in our connection to Spirit.

QUOTE FROM RUMI:

Since intelligence only incites you to pride and vanity
Become a fool, so your heart stays pure.
Not a fool who wastes his life in playing the idiot
But a fool who is lost and astounded in [God/dess].

*MINI-REVIEW ALERT: I particularly value my Minotarot deck because it was given to me by a dear friend years ago. I can also appreciate, to a degree, it’s spare designs and coloration. That said, it’s not a deck I’ve ever read with and doubt I ever will, though I’m happy to have this signed deck, #1103 in a limited edition of 2,000, in my collection (:-D). However, it is one of those decks which attempts to correspond a different system to the Tarot’s without full explanation in accompanying literature. This is the second deck I have tried to work with recently that has not adequately explained its correspondence of The Tarot with another system. (The other is the Afro-Brazilian Tarot, which I will review at length here in the future.) To reiterate, if there is a deeper correspondence between Tarot and the Minotaur myth it needs to be made clear. Otherwise a reader – at least this reader – is left feeling frustrated on both fronts. It can neither be enjoyed as a doorway onto a new system, nor can it be fully appreciated as a Tarot since the minors and Court cards are rather divergent from basic Tarot images/meanings.

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Resource: The Discworld Tarot, based on the fantasy (and so much more ) book series by my favorite author in the world, Terry Pratchett.

Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

‘til next time, keep trusting in Spirit and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for some articles about Tarot.****

THE QUEEN OF PENTACLES

TODAY'S CARD is The Queen of Pentacles. This version is from the 1987 deck, The New York Tarot, by Giani Siri, Sirius Endeavors, P.O. Box 17, New York, NY 10040, USA.



For comparison, here's the Queen of Pentacles in the Rider/Waite/Smith deck:



THE QUEEN OF PENTACLES: I really love the Queen of Pentacles in the New York Tarot. It captures important aspects of this card, e.g. generosity and abundance, in a simple and direct way. (In case it's not clear from the scan that's a pizza in front of her.) The Queen of Pentacles is one of my family of cards (determined by astrology and numerology). Decades ago a friend of mine said if others knew me the way she did they'd see what a marshmallow I really am. Imagine my surprise and amusement, then, when I discovered years later that the herb for this card in The Herbal Tarot is marshmallow. :-) I wrote the poem I share below as a gift for a Queen of Pentacles-like woman friend.

DIFFERENT OR LESS COMMON, EVEN QUIRKY MEANINGS FOR THE QUEEN OF PENTACLES (i.e. the below is not intended to be an exhaustive exploration of this card; a quick google will produce a wider variety of takes should you not be familiar with this card):

Not comfortable needing or relying upon others. Self-sufficient, maybe to a fault.

Making do on less better than anyone else.

May indicate financial woes or deprivation of some sort.

Can work little miracles with diet and nutrition.

Compassion is needed here, for yourself, for others.

Are you trying to control what you cannot? To be caring is one thing. To feel responsible for everything is something else entirely.

Be careful not to take on other people's feelings and fears as you care for and nurture them.

PORTRAIT OF "M" AS GODDESS OF ABUNDANCE
(a Winter Solstice gift, 1990)

The Lady returns to Her forest home,
bearing nuts and seeds, flowers, roots
and berries in Her baskets of reed,
Her cape of leaves trailing lightly behind her.

Small creatures leap and scurry
around Her as She glides,
as if to celebrate
the abundance She shares.

A chipmunk rides the hem
of Her cape, falls off
and clambers back, chattering
at birds circling
and singing above.

Silence descends as The Lady settles
on a bed of leaves and pine needles
before an ancient oak.

A mother lion strides lazily
forward through the gathering
of forest creatures, stretches
and curls at Her feet.

The Lady bends to stroke
Her golden beast, a shaft
of light dancing
in Her dark, dark, hair.

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*MINI-REVIEW ALERT: I've lived in New York City since I was five, so I was delighted years ago when I heard of this deck. Not only am I familiar with many of the places in the black and white photos, I had met or knew of several of the people on these cards when I was still somewhat active in the Pagan community (before I realized I'm basically a solitary). For readers familiar with astrology, this deck has a card each for the signs of the zodiac, as well. It also has an extra court card -- The Dame -- that fits between the Knight and the King, with the Queen coming after the King (i.e, last in the order). The Dame of Wands is an all too familiar sight in big cities, I'm afraid, and gave me quite a wry laugh: she's standing behind a store counter holding a baseball bat. Unfortunately, all too appropriate. LOL! I'd definitely recommend this deck for collectors and New Yorkers, and newbies who don't faze easily. (There are connections to the traditional Tarot images in these photos, but they are in an urban, modern setting and not all the connections are immediately apparent.)

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Resource: The Buffy Tarot, yes, I'm a Buffy fan, still going through withdrawal since it's no longer in re-runs here on broadcast T.V.

Please see the top of the sidebar for my background with the Tarot and a recommendation to beginners.

‘til next time, keep nurturing where you can, having compassion for all, and enjoying The Tarot,

Roswila
[aka: Patricia Kelly]
****If you wish to copy or use any of my writing, please email me for permission (under “View my complete profile”)**** SEE ALSO: Roswila’s Dream & Poetry Realm for some articles about Tarot.****