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Above all things, Know thyself.

The Rider-Waite deck, which is represented here by the Radiant Tarot rendition, is the one most people are familiar with. The Holy Spirit is suggested in the wheels of celestial spirit on the Fool's robe. The concept of the Scintillating Intelligence, a phrase coined by Dr. Paul Foster Case of B.O.T.A., is implied in the radiant sun and the white rose in the Fool's hand; a white rose symbolizes freedom from lower forms of desire.

In the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck, the wand, the symbol of Will, is elongated to support the wallet that displays the eye of Horus, the All-Seeing Eye of Spirit. This wallet represents all the experiences of the Soul, which are kept in the Akashic records.

If you look closely, you can see a girdle of 9 ornaments symbolizing the houses of the Zodiac even though there are 12 houses of the Zodiac. The artist's field of view is limited to 9, so the viewer must imagine the other 3 around the back of the Rider-Waite-Smith's Fool's image. Therefore, this girdle of coins does symbolize the Zodiac.

The faithful dog is the symbol for the intellect of the body, Spirit's faithful companion.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Fool is seen as staring at the bright sky while walking off a cliff into the abyss, implying absolute faith in spirit and the fearlessness of the truly innocent. All of this combines to symbolize the unknowable beginning that is Spirit.

The Connolly Tarot-The Fool is another version of the Traditional Tarots like the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot. Eileen Connolly designed the Connolly Tarot deck in cooperation with her son, Peter Paul Connolly. Although a traditional tarot, the scenes in the Connolly Tarot are reminiscent of the medieval art in stained glass which is often associated with Cathedrals. This Tarot can be easily found on Amazon.com. This Tarot comes in a neat box with an instruction guidebook, making it easy to understand. However, I write this blog to not only expose the reader to Qabalistic Philosophy (Qabalah, Kabballah, Cabbalah--are many spellings of this philosophy) of "Receiving" the inherent knowledge that Created them but also to the various Tarot Decks that are out there in the wide world of publication. Finding the deck, you "like" is also part of this experience in the Occult of Self.

Eileen Connolly, Ph.D., is one of the World's leading authorities on tarot, numerology, and other esoteric sciences. Her works are extensively used as textbooks, by tarot, and educational institutions. She is president of the Connolly University of Parapsychology, established in 1969, and an adjunct professor at Atlantic University, Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dr. Connolly's first book was written to open the world of tarot to the aspirant and to introduce all to the Royal Road and is a simple textbook designed to enlighten anyone with the desire to learn. You will find out much more about Dr. Connolly in the introduction tarot pamphlet that comes with the cards.

1909, was when the Rider-Waite tarot deck was first published. by William Rider and Son and was designed by Arthur Edward Waite (1857-1942) who was an American Occultist who lived most of his life in England. Later it became known as the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, honoring the artist Pamela Colman Smith. The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot has been published in numerous editions and has inspired many variants. The Connolly Tarot being yet another of an estimated 100 million copies published in over 20 countries.

In the Major Arcana (Spirit worlds) one finds this Fool as the beginning of the Adventure of Life. Here, the Fool represents the original innocence of the Spirit and its devil-may-care attitude allowing the Soul to be ready to take the first steps into the unknown. The Spirit dances to its own drum beat as joy itself. As in the Rider-Waite- Smith -0-Fool, is seen as staring at the bright sky while walking off a cliff into the abyss, implying absolute faith in the Divine Creative, and the fearlessness of the truly innocent. The White rose in the fool's left hand symbolizes purity, youthfulness, and innocence. Young love, eternal loyalty, and new beginnings are also commonly tied to the meaning of white roses, making them a popular choice for weddings and romantic occasions. All of this combines to symbolize the unknowable beginning that is Spirit. The faithful dog is the symbol for the intellect of the body, and/or Organic Matter, Spirit's faithful companion. As with all Traditional Fool cards, this one has left the life of the city, without a clue what lies beyond the cliffs edge. Therefore, the Soul fully trusts that its instincts will carry it beyond the ordinary while carrying all it needs to journey in the leather bag on the end of a stick.

The Key word for the Fool is Choice. From the ocean of his spirituality, the fool has climbed the steep cliffs of his higher consciousness. Standing on the purple paths of his master that form a crossroads, he is about to make a choice and the pink and purple of his tunic denotes the strength to make that choice. The faithful dog-companion is the symbol for the intellect of the body, and/or Organic Matter, Spirit's faithful companion. As stated in the RWS Fool description, white roses symbolize purity, youthfulness, and innocence. Young love, eternal loyalty, and new beginnings are also commonly tied to the meaning of white roses, making them a popular choice for weddings and romantic occasions.

The Fool Card represents the totality of Self, often called the "God head" of Individual consciousness. When we converse with the Fool, we address the totality of our own capacities. Here we may ask tough questions such as: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where do I go? Also, when conversing with the Fool, this Greater Self, may change shape often, appearing in extraordinary ways---sometimes bringing a great sense of peace as if a Buddha sitting on a lotus or at other times, creating fear that is beyond description as the journey of self-discovery is not for the faint hearted and fears must be faced and conquered to "Above all things, Know thyself". We may converse with a youth, an old man, a dragon, a crocodile, or with some other animal "spirit guide". The Fool may appear as a ball of light or even a thunderstorm. This is because we are dealing with the creative act within ourselves. We are the inheritors of God's or Goddess's Image-making " ability as "All is Mind." All of us, at one time in our life journey, must make a choice of following the common path of mental and emotional slavery to an outside authority, or to take the "path least traveled" that is called the Hero's journey. This is the path where one seeks their " whole spirit", which is another way of saying, becoming a Whole Being whose Divine Authority is their original author. Here is the path of solitary determination and often, struggle, for there are no clear worn footprints of the common herd. We are a trinity---Spirit-Mind-Body and not a lone animal cowering under the blows of the herd alpha. To find our True Authority, is to be a completely manifested Spirit-Mind-Body whose only authority is the inner Buddha or Christ.

It is recommended that we meditate with this card. The deeper our meditation, the closer we come to the very ideological source of the unconscious where the more profound, and often more irrational, the answers we "receive". No matter how absurd the answers seem, we must remember that what is represented here if far beyond thought (especially worded thought) and the effects of addressing the Energy of I AM (fool) may be most disquieting to a mind which sees reality only in terms of the waking consciousness. Therefore, I recommend that meditation with The Fool be postponed until experience has been gained with the other cards. Advanced discrimination skills are required to make sense of the experiences which are likely to result from interaction with this archetypal figure. It also helps to remember, that all 78 cards of the Tarot Deck, Modern or Traditional, represent an aspect of the Fool who is the 0 and/or the Infinite Spirit.

The advice given by the Fool card's appearance is that you lighten up...stop being so serious. Allowing yourself to be spontaneous enough to go beyond the boundaries of logic. Here abides intuition. So, allow yourself to open and receive without question, instead of trying to manage what is happening right now. If discontented or lacking motivation, why not review things to date?

When THE FOOL card is thrown during a reading:

• The querent is in or experiencing a state of ecstasy and/or a state of Peak experience.
• Fearlessness. 
• Courage.  
•  Is completing all motion by Faith, absolutely trusting THE SPIRIT. 
• A feeling of being protected, and that everything will work out. 
• Being open to what the future brings!
• Rescuing the "Child within" from the lies of indoctrination and dogma.
• Don't be afraid to take a leap of faith.
• Now is the time to start your "Hero's journey". 
• Be spontaneous, and let your wild spirit run free.

If ill defined by accompanying cards - Reversed.,

• The Fool is then the harbinger of folly, mania, extravagance and even negligence.
• The querent is experiencing the shadow side of self, a part still in the shadows of emotional immaturity and/or ignorance.
• A psychological attitude is holding you back from responding authentically and naturally.

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