Cosmic Tribe Tarot

O - Fool

Like a fool the earth skipped in
unprepared yet totally charming
radiating innocent bluegreen wisdoms

And so it is . . . the Fool is born and the journey of life begins. Infinite spirit embodies and craves the experience of every freaky beautiful thing that life offers. The Fool dances, bounces, chases butterflies and tweaks the dragon's tail all to please the infinite spirit inside him. He roars laughter and breaks into song unexpectedly. Impracticed and a little out of tune, the Fool is the essence of expanded possibility, that far out place where the mind melds with the cosmos. Practicality bores him. Economies of energy make no sense to him. His cosmic source can never dry up, be sold, or run away, and it can only be lived by people like us.

In the card, a beautifully naked lad with woodnymph wings chases a life-green butterfly as it floats over the edge of a rocky cliff. He is the Fool. Behind him flies his little dog struggling to keep up. Far from worried about falling disastrously to his death, the Fool radiates a carefree attitude. Although he is unaware of it, magic watches over him. The pattern in the clouds above him is a protecting presence responsible perhaps for lending the Fool butterfly wings that whisk him out of harm's way at the crucial moment. Similarly his little dog is his animal guide and protector who barks and growls in the presence of cynicism. Cynicism is represented by the open jaws of the crocodile eager to taste his virgin flesh. The cynical world lusts after him all the while hoping for his demise in order to prove that its own sterile dullness is the real reality. But the Fool sails gaily above such insanity not even pausing to acknowledge the toothy presence.

The innocent Fool has, however, been born into this challenging world. He flies into the unknown leaving the rock of the familiar behind him. On the rock, a Hopi labyrinth maps out the journey of adventurous mayhem he will undertake. Along the way the Fool and his little dog will encounter many crocodiles. As he is a risktaker, he may learn some painful lessons, but within the mouth of each lesson an enlightened hand holds a beautiful fragrant flower. The flower rewards the Fool for the chances he takes on his drive to fully experience the world. It also represents the intact innocence of the Fool after the transformative encounter with the crocodile. The fearsome crocodile only molds his innocence, it is not destroyed. The Fool is the first card in the deck. His number is zero, the indestructible egg. The Fool is the pre-existent wholeness within emptiness. He is the nothing that doesn't get in the way.

Divinatory Meaning

Congratulations, the Fool has appeared to you in a reading. Now is the time to remember the limitless possibilities that surround you. Step out, take a chance on life. Do you hear nagging voices of naysaying doubters trying to stop you from chasing butterflies? Are some of these voices in your own head? Reexamine your options. Follow your heart's joy and chase those butterflies! Be optimistic about the outcome of a risky venture. Invite frivolity and the boundless energy that comes with it into your life. Wear something weird to work, sing as you walk down the street, laugh too loudly at a party. Remember from the children around you how to be innocent and playful. Be also aware that the Fool is pure limitless energy. He will exhaust you and your finances if you don't wisely combine his desire for newness with your own hard-earned lessons. Without the foolishness of risk taking, however, nothing is ever begun.