Taking as an example of the Fool from Tarot Apokalypsis by Erik C Dunne and Kim Huggens we read... At the beginning it is the end; at the end it is the beginning. The highest point is the lowest! Ambiguity reigns! But from the lowest, the highest might be attained. This is the path of the Holy Fool! The madman filled with the ecstasy of union with the Beloved. What wisdom is concealed in the moment? What love is hidden in the yearning? What progress is achieved in the dance? Truly God comes to us like madness, but the connection is prepared, the steps are learnt over generations, the rhythm guarded, and supervision required for structure to achieve the union with the deity. For you are not you, and I am not I. Your head will grow dizzy from the spinning and weaving of love, drink deeply of the wine that is communion with the Godhead and inhale the opiate of joy. You will know ecstasy that will liberate you from chains of density. Only when you cannot think of yourself without thinking of God, will you realise that when you turn your head in any direction, God will be there, as God is within yourself and within the Beloved. You no longer exist, only God exists. The One, the All - and the Nothing! All your moments will be eternity!
The Fool is an instigation and a conclusion! It exists at the beginning and end of the Major Arcana, as each of the Major cards provides a learning experience, and we are the greater Fool, the Sacred Fool, as we end each of the 21 destinations of our karma. There are no boundaries between ourselves and the Beloved, ourselves and the deity.
The Sama ceremony of the Mevlevi mystics creates surrender to the transformation from self centredness to God-centredness as the self is transmuted. They wear the cloak of black to represent death and concerns for the world, and this is thrown off. The tall hat represents a tombstone to remind us that we can die at any time. The dance of the sama is a remembrance of God which brings an altered state, as the soul ascends to unity with the divine, an annihilation of the self takes place. There is only desire for God, a state called Khamra - a spiritual drunkenness. There are 4 stages to the dance. The first affirms unity with God, the second, is to 'be', the third, remembers the divine breath that gave life to the world, and the fourth, to return to be a servant of God. During this time there can be Gnostic revelations and insights. The annihilation of selfish desires is required as the self will separate us from the divine.
The death of the ego, of the removal of boundaries between our self and the love of the divine, is achieved through deep meditation, sacrifice and personal growth work.
Throughout all time, the methods of gaining union with the Godhead have majored in religious mysticism, for instance Bhakti yoga, Sufism, Zen, and Christian mysticism. The process can begin at the beginning of the Major Arcanum, as self interest, and with a struggle to feel love for another person. Through meditation, compassion, forgiveness, caring, humility, tranquility, equality and other spiritual values, we can move from personal love, to the love that is experienced in every moment of life. But the ‘work’ is that of perfecting the self, to learn about our weaknesses, and mature through self knowledge and self development. This is the greater wisdom of the Fool as it presents itself at the end of the Major Arcanum.
“Make sure your reality is not an illusion”.
In the ancient days of the royal courts of chivalry, fools and jesters entertained the aristocracy with acts of buffoonery and satire, but often the king, when in need of sincere and wise advice would ask the fool, who was able to say what others could not say, including to criticise the king if required. The Chansons de Geste were sagas of courtly love, and polite and dignified behaviour woven into stories of adventure and life experience. The path of innocence to maturity features within these tales, as does the quest and the achievement of mystical union. The Chansons were probably the origin of the Fool tarot card which bears the number 0, as it can appear at the start or end of the Major Arcana life cycle. Zero was a concept introduced from the Middle East in mediaeval times, and it is likely that this concept, along with other valuable mathematical and alchemical knowledge was brought to Europe during the Crusades.
Nativity and innocence! This person lives in the moment, with little responsibility to self or others. They are a teenager, a person without a care in the world, or a corporation that is short sighted and single minded. The card says: Relax and enjoy. Trust your instincts. Be at one with nature, and have joy in your heart. Use your opportunities to be creative, but beware of overconfidence as pride comes before a fall.
Article Wendy Stokes https://wendystokes.co.uk
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