Light Within The Abyss: Tarot, Life and The Journey of the Fool.
By Roman Delgado.
I have been reading Tarot for most of my life, card reading was a family craft. Several members of my family practice it still. In reading tarot in particular The Fool is one of my favorite characters in the deck, and I am about to tell you about my personal interpretation of this card. Other readers may agree or disagree with me, it doesn’t matter, I am here to share what I see in The Fool and its symbols, we all interpret symbols our own way. He is card number 0 in the tarot. The very beginning! Many of you know ( or may not ) that Tarot is divided into 2 big sections: The Major Arcana and The Minor Arcana.
For me personally The Major Arcana speaks to me of life in a certain amount of spiritual depth, that few other ways of divination do. In such fashion there are few cards more important and complex in Tarot than The Fool! You see each of us who takes up a spiritual practice begin as that archetypal image. We are all at one point or another The Fool of our life.
The Fool is number 0 for good reason. He is on a journey of self-discovery. He goes through each card in The Major Arcana - is changed and transformed with each lesson the cards represent, only to get to the end and loop back around to number 0 and become the fool yet again.
It may seem like I am speaking in riddles and metaphors here, but it is with good reason. Tarot is built from symbols, riddles and metaphors. The fool in most tarot decks is seen as young man dressed in medieval garb dancing at the edge of a cliff. A bundle on a stick over his shoulder carries all of his possessions and small dog nibbles at his feet warning him of the danger he is in.
Yet The Fool is too absorbed in the joy of the moment, the thrill of a new adventure to pay attention to the fact that he is about fall into the depths of the abyss. Sound familiar? It should. We have all been in that position at least once in life. So excited about a fresh start, that we overlook the warnings of danger among the path of our new beginning. Yet the magic of the fool is beyond being clueless, it is about being fearless! You see the fool is beyond the metaphor of a brand-new naive youth making foolish choices. You can have plenty of life experience and be the fool. You can be a different kind of fool, one that has gone through the entire Major Arcana and looped back to number 0. Being not the youthful carefree fool, but the Cosmic Fool, dancing at the edge of the abyss. Not out of cluelessness but because you have leapt into, learned its lessons and come back transformed.
This is the duality of The Fool as an archetype. A youthful carefree traveler, making his first set
of foolish choices and enjoying every step of the path. Or the wise elder who sees each new beginning with the wisdom of experience.
Either one cannot avoid the reality of the abyss, they must each experience it either as their first trip into the realm of spirit, or as another turn in a never-ending cycle of self-discovery.
As such there is light within the abyss, the conscious joy in the heart of The Fool. A strong traveler's spirit that cannot be broken. We are all in this life experiencing the journey of The Fool, we are all acquiring new wisdom in each step we take. We are all filled with the unconquerable spirit of the traveler in the world of spirit.
The real question is: How do you approach the lesson? Will you be the foolish traveler lost in the excitement of the path, making foolish choices? Or are you The Cosmic Fool, dancing at the edge of the Abyss because you know the path, know the darkness, and know quite well that there is light in the abyss to help you find your way. That light within your heart, that shall illuminate the experiences of your soul. Be aware, be mindful, choose carefully for this is no easy path, yet it must always be lived with the joy and abandon of a The Fool in its first journey.
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Join The Ever Green Hearth for our public online Imbolc Ritual in which we will explore the archetype of The Fool and prepare to begin our next journey 'round the wheel! Events Page Facebook - https://fb.me/e/4oxBQBOaW
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Roman Delgado is a Psychic Reader and Shamanic Healer at Teotl Tonalli Intuitive Arts. He is an active member of the Keepers of the Flame Coven, ATC (The Ever Green Hearth) Please check our Community Connections page to find ways to connect with Roman or other members and Affiliates of The Ever Green Hearth.