To be a Fool

What is a Fool? Fool is derived from the Latin follis, meaning wind-bag, or empty bag (filled with nothing but air). By 12th century, it implied that a person was air-headed, or had an empty head. By the mid 13th century, added to the definition was insane, mad, silly, stupid person, a fol (French), jester, rogue, and the court idiot. By the mid 14th century, to be foolish, was to make a fool of oneself. In the 15th century, it was used in the context of fool-ify, to make a madman of oneself . William Shakespeare made use of the Fool archetype in his plays between the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His use implied that the lower-class often out-witted the higher-class, with clever but simple-minded gestures. By the late 19th century, to pass time idly was considered foolish and by the 20th added was the connotation of insane sexual endeavors, attributed to the era of free love and sexual adventures popularized in the early 70s. The most modern definition implies the lack of good judgement, intelligence, and a parody of oneself. Popularizing the Fool The earliest depictions of the Fool archetype, were a sort of vagabond wearing ragged clothing, to suggest an unruly class of person. It was added to the Tarot, as Le Mat, or Il Matto, archaic terms for begger, or madman. It is represented by the number 0, reminiscent of the lowest of social classes. At the turn of the 20th century, the most popular deck was published by the Rider Company by mystic A.E. Waite, complimented by illustrator Pamela Coleman Smith, known as the Rider Waite deck (Smith-Rider-Waite). The symbolism takes on a more favorable appeal to be The Fool. The 0 much like the Jokers Wild in a traditional deck of cards, indicates that the fool can become anything he desires. He is in search of the experience, cleverness in the context of the mystic, who is carefree with his reason. It is used in the spirit of the crazy wisdom teacher. In his company is typically a dog, to represent the reality of the world biting at his heels as he presses on to his destination. The fool stands at the edge of a cliff, to suggest he is about to walk off into oblivion. In his hand is a staff, to represent the line between the beginning and the end - the fool is both. Feathers are in his hair, to represent the wildman, he carries with him a bundle of possessions to represent the possibilities, the flower (typically a rose) to represent an appreciation of finer things.The overall symbolism indicates a lack of cohesion, fluidity, the zero, to mean a lack of substance. The number, in this instance is to indicate the opposite of a number.

The Fools Journey The mystic fool, and his journey through life: Some esoteric systems use the fool to represent the turning of the wheel (22 Major Arcana from the Fool to the World). Its intention is to breakdown the querrant to its core to determine if he or she is deluded, and pin-point the obstacle in their own course through the wheel of archetypes. It is the act of confronting oneself. It is in this instance that the fool is used as the protagonist.

Why would anyone follow a Fool?

The Major Arcanum I. Magician, II. The High Priestess, III. The Empress, IV. The Emperor, V. The Hierophant, VI. The Lovers, VII. The Chariot, VIII. Justice, IX. The Hermit, X. The Wheel, XI. Strength, XII. The Hanged Man, XIII. Death, XIV. Temperance, XV. The Devil, XVI. The Tower, XVII. The Star, XVIII. The Moon, XIX. The Sun, XX. Judgement, XXI. The World. 0 The Fool

The madness, the carefree attitude, and the possibilities have their allure; however carry a price, as the fool leads you to 0. It can appear at anytime, not a beginning or an end, but perhaps as a necessary disruption in your course. You can spin the roulette wheel as many times as necessary, but it just leads you around the wheel. A perpetual cycle as you move through the archetypes, but not necessarily to a destination. At what time, should you follow a Fool? It would seem foolish to do so, and yet, many people follow fools. Round and round they go, to merely have the experience. Shifting from one archetype to the next, the period may be short such as a few days, weeks, months or it may long...Years. Caught following the Fool In Kabbalah, the archetypes are placed on the pathways joining the Sephirot. The system of taking the Fools Journey on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, varies. It can be personalized, or one may use a pre-established system of correspondences. The journey is esoteric, as much as it is exoteric. For what is within, is surely without. The internal journey is reflected in the decisions made which compel action; in the external. If a Fool presents itself on your course to disrupt it, it is a time for introspect. Your journey has taken on a dark passenger. Will you allow yourself to be driven by it, or will you seize the opportunity to check your position on the wheel? Who are you? What are you driving towards? Are you type-cast on the Fools Journey? At what point, will you be your own architect? Travel your own path, and realize your own power?

Becoming the Fool

To be self-governing, may at times, be the path of the Fool. See the mirror, walk off the precipice into your own madness, but do not be foolish. Use your time wisely, allow yourself to be deconstructed, disrupted, but remember the Fools purpose. Just like the path around the wheel, or the paths on the Tree of Life, realize your own divinity. All of this, brings you one step closer to God. Whatever God is in the abstract, it is representative of YOU.

Power, is your will in motion. Autonomy, is self-governing. Self-deification, is godhood. You have big dreams? It takes big Work. If you find yourself spinning in circles, going no where, then you just might be following fools. That fool, can even be YOU. Look inside your bag, check for the dog biting at your heels, is your staff worn of wear? Stop and smell the roses, but dont linger too long by the rosebush, a rose on the brier will fade and leave you with thorns.

SIN JONES September 2011 www.the-poison-apple.com