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NMR ISSUE 49
Astrological
Forecast 49
Blessing the Self
Calafia
Chaos: A New
Approach to Magick
Common Elements of
Ceremonial Initiation
Cults! Confessions
of an Outsider
Editorial 49
Esoteric Symbology
of the Tarot
Etymological
Fundamental Wiccan
Rites
Getting More
Magick Out of Your Meditations
Hail to the Hunter
Heathens Idolize
School Prayer
Home Protection
Amulets
Imbolc Ritual
Legend
On the Path of
Destiny
Other Editorial
49
Prairie Dog,
Octopus & Praying Mantis
Sarava!
Afro-Brazilian Magic Carol l. Dow
Sistrum Sisters
Tarot Looking
Glass
The Magick of
Franz Bardon
The Sacred Home
The Truth about
Sex Magick,
Working with the
Sun and its Properties
Working with Your
Inner Child
Yule
Articles
Authors
Rituals
Book
Reviews
NMR Issues
NMR
Covers
| The Esoteric Symbolgy of the Tarot: The Fool By Gary Shook In the World card the Fool has reached the pinnacle of his journey through the Tarot's wheel. Not an ending, nor a new beginning, but the final stepping stone on his spiritual path in this mundane realm. This card is the reintegration of the two aspects of duality into the self. In a reflection of the Magician the mundane and the spiritual become one. The greatest difference between the World and the Magician is in the clarity of understanding the Fool has gained through his progress through the stations of the Tarot. While the Magician contained all the power and abilities of duality, he lacked the wisdom to use them. In the World the Fool has become the not-yet-ascended master, the Jesus, the Buddha, the divine mortal who stands as an icon for the true value of our existence. In this card we witness the final union of the masculine and the feminine, the physical and the spiritual in the mortal body. The Fool has transcended all that came before him to become the World yet he retains all his prior aspects as well. The World card has direct linkages to several of the other key cards. This can be clearly seen in its symbolism. Symbolism The Central Figure: Sometimes called an angel or the Anima Mundi, this is the hermaphrodite of the Magician card. It is a symbol of duality joined in the physical. The figure's crossed legs are a direct link to both the Emperor and the Hanged Man. As the Emperor was the ideal of the mortal plane and the mastery of it, and the Hanged Man was the changing point in those ideals to focus on the spiritual rather than the physical, the World card transcends both to show that neither was the correct path. Only in integration of these two divergent ideals can the Fool find his true calling. Purple Scarf: The purple of the scarf represents the integration of spiritual knowledge. This can also be seen in the four bends of the scarf each to represent the spiritual, the mental, the emotional and the physical aspects of the self. The scarf can also be seen as another symbol of the integration of duality, the spiritual of the scarf wrapped around the physical body of the Fool. The Two Wands: The recurring symbol of the division of duality, the pillars of so many other cards, are now transformed back into the Magician's double ended wand now doubled and perfectly balanced. The Wreath and Four Figures: The man in the upper left is Aquarius, Air and the mental plane. The bull in the lower left is Taurus, Earth and the physical plane. The lion in the lower right is Leo, Fire and the spiritual plane. The eagle in the upper right is Scorpio, Water and the emotional plane. Taken together these four aspects represent the square, or the material. The wreath is victory and attainment. It is also the 0 of the Fool, the symbol of the Divine. The red ribbons at the top and bottom of the wreath are the infinity sign of the Magician. The Divine 0 twisted into two halves, yet still together. More important than either alone, is the combination of the two: the square and the circle, the material and the physical. The circle has been squared and the Fool is now God. Thus ends this series on the Tarot, but I hope it is only the beginning of your journey through the wonderful complexities of its hidden meanings. Much of the work in this series is based on my own inner reflection on the cards but I have to give thanks and much credit to the following authors who have helped form my vision:
Stuart Kaplan, multiple texts
Bill Butler, Dictionary of the Tarot
Nancy Garen, Tarot Made Easy
Beatrex Quntanna,
Tarot: A Universal Language
Robert V. O'Neil, Tarot Symbolism
Anonymous, Meditations on the Tarot
Daphna Moore, The Rabbi's Tarot
Cynthia Giles,
The Tarot, History, Mystery, and Lore
Mary Greer, multiple texts
Marcia Masino, Easy Tarot Guide
Sallie Nichols, Jung and the Tarot |
