Fools, poets and hanged men

An interesting discussion developed in the comments at Via Negativa recently about Tarot. Dave’s post Of fools and poets started things off, “It's not so much that poets are fools, I think, as that natural-born fools are drawn to the practice of poetry and other creative arts…” More on fools and poets perhaps some other time. But tarot: I hadn’t read up on any tarot in probably 20 years, but my friend CA happened to give me this beautiful set, done by an artist she knows, for my birthday. So last night I threw a couple of three-card spreads. As someone mentioned in the comments, whether you believe in tarot or not, even a random interruption in our repetitive thinking can jar our imaginations, which may be what we really need.

One of the things I like about this card set is that they include corresponding astrological symbols, which I found helpful for my interpretation. (Interestingly, one card I pulled matched up exactly to a major transit I’m getting right now, same planet same sign.) I also used the helpful booklet that comes with the cards, then looked closely at the cards for my instinctual response to the visuals.

I won’t go into detail about what my cards turned up, which I found consistent with things going on in my life and helpful in giving perspective. But one card describing my “Situation” was fascinating to me: The Hanged Man. The artist has on her website the visual of The Hanged Man along with her thoughts about it. But I’ll post here some of what the booklet says:

Waiting – Suspension – New point of view

Change of attitude – Enlightenment

  …The Hanged Man gives us the opportunity to adopt a different point of view and a new perception. Although quite uncomfortable, this is a position not of suffering but of enlightenment. This is the time to reprocess the events of our lives; although one is suspended, a lot of movement is taking place internally.

Got that right. (Actually, re-reading her thoughts here, it seems even more relevant.)

Oh, and for Dave and Siona and the other Fools out there, here is the Sakki-Sakki interpretation of The Fool:

Blank slate – No mind – New beginnings

Embracing the unknown – Inner trust

Naiveté – Leap of faith

   The Fool is the naïve soul at the beginning of the journey, who is willing to follow unconventional paths into the unknown. He may seem a fool in the eyes of others, but he is in fact enlightened. With a sense of adventure, the Fool embraces the saying that “Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans.” We can now embrace new beginnings with a mind open to where the less-trodden paths may take us.

Also, thanks to Tonio for bringing up the tarot Fool in the first place, in Dave's comments.

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