The best place I like to begin in studying Tarot is with The Fool card. So you might ask why The Fool is the best place to start. It's like staring at a blank piece of paper and wondering what to put on it. The Fool represents nothing! It is a lack of awareness. We all start with nothing - zero - nada - zilch. From a physical perspective, most babies come into the world with nothing - just their little ready-made bodies and, most of all, consciousness. Ahah! There's the rub. Consciousness is probably the key to the whole matter of aliveness. The baby has life! Assuming that the baby has come into the world normally, what a profound way to start - to begin - to be - to start becoming. What kind of life will it be as an animated physical being and, what about a spiritual life? What is spiritual consciousness? Let that thought sink in and permeate those spine-tinglers in wonderment.
What is consciousness? The eyes give it away. Those little bright eyes open upon the world and then what? That's why I like to see The Fool at the beginning of the Major Arcana. It's the jumping off place into an unknown future. Of course we will see it again at the end of the Major Arcana, but in a different context with The Universe card.
The painting of The Fool in Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness depicts a zero that is filled with anticipation. It represents the positive, hopeful aspect one has of starting on life's journey. The center is a swirl of silvery shimmers, pregnant with possibilities. The seven colors of the rainbow radiate outward around the edges. The Fool's spritual journey through the trump cards of the Major Arcana is akin to our own journey through various states and stages, the twists and turns of our life experiences and lessons learned. Some remain the fool for the rest of their lives, others grow in wisdom garnered from life's lessons, and others play the fool, the joker, trickster, the mock king, president or priest. When you get The Fool card in a reading, it's the beginning of awareness. Beware - to be aware!
