i –The Fool
(Click to enlarge)
1. Discussion
We’ll begin analysis of this first card in the major arcana,with a few words about our admittedly unorthodox numbering system:
In the early days of number theory,the concept of zero was poorly understood,and erroneously considered a ‘non-number’,rather than a point on the abstract number line,no different from any other. The trump card known as The Fool was therefore assigned the value zero,to emphasize its correspondingly mysterious,nebulous status,and indeed,the transcendence of the numbering system itself.
Modern mathematical theory includes the concept of so-called ‘imaginary numbers’,which are predicated upon the baffling value that corresponds to the square root of (-1).
For those unfamiliar with them,imaginary numbers (also known as complex numbers) are those which have the form:
a + bi,
where i is 
.
Recall from introductory algebra how the square root of 1,written √1 ,is
equal to ± 1;that is,multiplying (-1) times (-1) or (+1) times (+1) both equal 1. Thus,there is no natural number that,when multiplied by itself,equals –1. Consequently,mathematicians needed another way to designate this concept,and simply refer to it as i. It’s important to understand that imaginary numbers,for which there are many real-world applications in the physical sciences and engineering disciplines,represent entities outside of our familiar 4-dimensional space-time continuum. (It also figures prominently in quantum theory,where it represents the mysterious essence of reality.) Hence,in light of modern knowledge,this mathematical entity is far more consistent with what early mystics wished to convey about The Fool.
Returning from our brief,but essential,explanation,historically,different decks have focused their interpretation of The Fool on either ignorance or innocence. Indeed,there is some inevitable overlap,since the innocent will necessarily be ignorant about much of life’s unpleasantness. Conversely,the ignorant often display a kind of innocence in their steadfast faith in absurdities. Nonetheless,to the extent that this deck elects to emphasize one interpretation in favor of the other,there is clearly a distinction. For The Rootwerx Deck,I have chosen to start the path of the major arcana with a focus on the positive;that is,innocence,for such is the state in which we each begin our journey through life.
The innocent is one who is intrinsically unaffected by societal norms,and who could be more representative of that attitude than the rock star,as depicted here? In terms of his/her musical sophistication,this artist is inevitably a novice,at the start of a long path to mastery. There is much passion here,but little in the way of discipline,which is always a result of maturity. Traditionally,The Fool is interpreted as a somewhat androgynous character,and here again,we often see such ‘gender-bending’ antics in rock stars,with males adorning themselves with typically female facial makeup,and women donning masculine garb. Nonetheless,there is a powerful intrinsic generative power in The Fool,and the raw,unbridled sexuality of the iconic rock star requires no elaboration.
As in the vast majority of traditional decks,the image presented here shows an
individual blissfully unaware of the fact that he’s about to step off the edge of a precipice. As in much of life,there is greater subtlety,nuance,and meaning in this icon than initially meets the eye.
Let’s start by considering which way The Fool is facing. Some classic decks,
including The Tarot of Marseilles,Arcus Arcanium, and Tarot of the Witches,have the fool walking from left to right (from the perspective of the viewer). Conversely,the ubiquitous Rider Waite,Hanson-Roberts,Morgan-Grear, and the current deck have him sojourning from right to left. This is far more than a mere artistic happenstance!
The right side traditionally corresponds to the yang or masculine,and is associated with all things rational,analytical,and active. The left represents the yin/feminine,side,and implies an approach that is more intuitive,introspective,and passive. At the start of the renaissance,when the modern tarot was in its formative stage,great emphasis was placed on analysis,ratiocination,and logic,so it’s hardly surprising that the decks originating in that period,and later ones based upon them,would have the fool facing toward the right as he begins his journey to mastery.
Now,at the dawn of the twenty-first century,it’s easy enough in retrospect to see how this mechanistic fixation and obsession with profit and efficiency,with their attendant lack of balance,have resulted in some of our most vexing problems. Only now are we learning,perhaps too late,that not every problem will yield to logic and a defined workflow methodology! Indeed,even the field of physics has been forced to admit that mind actually underlies space-time. Hence,our fool clearly understands that his true path must lie toward the left.
In terms of this card’s overall theme,one can state with some certainty that rock music is nothing if not intuitive. The vast majority of rock legends don’t read music,eschew theory,and instead,allow the raw,unbridled passion of their music to flow,unimpeded,directly from their souls. Refinement and maturity will come later in their careers,at the proper time.
In the traditional symbolism,The Fool carries a hobo stick,to which is attached the sack containing his meager worldly belongings. Our rock singer,in its place,has his microphone,for that embodies his primary linkage to the world around
him. His performance is what he is. In his left hand,he carries a white rose,symbolizing purity,but in his hair is a red feather,representing virility and sexual prowess,but there is no dichotomy between these seemingly incompatible icons,for The Fool approaches all of life with equal measures of passion and purity.
In many representations,The Fool is shown as unaware of,or indifferent to,his impending peril as he approaches the edge of a cliff. But our fool is not indifferent;he is confident,for his sea of adoring fans will not only arrest his fall,but convey him to glory as they bear him above their heads,singing all the while.
Most decks depict The Fool as being accompanied,pursued,or vexed by some
kind of animal,usually a dog,sometimes a cat or some amalgam of the two. In The Rootwerx Tarot,this animal is depicted as a pig,adorned by the cap and badge of a policeman.
While it may be socially risky to denigrate these brave,selfless,servants of society,I have deep issues with anyone who takes an oath to uphold any law made by his or her masters,right or wrong,just or immoral. “I don’t make the laws,” the policeman is fond of saying,“I only enforce them.” To me,this sounds uncomfortably similar to:“I was only following orders.” If ‘the law’ says those Jews must be herded into cattle cars,then “I’m only following orders.” If ‘the law’ says to march them into gas chambers,who am I to argue? Take your basic schoolyard bully. Give him a gun,a nightstick,a stun gun,and license to apply them at his whim,and you have the kind of petty uniformed thugs caught on video beating helpless motorists. Killing already subjugated suspects. Sodomizing prisoners in the precinct restrooms. You have,in short,those we called ‘pigs’ back in the turbulent sixties,and I here resurrect that image and do so without apology.
So,in our seminal trump card,we see our determined,self-righteous pig pursuing the rock star,right onto the stage. Why? Who knows? Perhaps his lyrics poked fun at some well-connected political bigwig. Maybe he objects to the long hair,or the fact that he is surrounded by attractive women that the pig can only dream about,alone in his shabby sty. Maybe he even (gasp!) smelled the faint aroma of marijuana smoke through the dressing room door. This,let us remember,is the same pig who doggedly sought to deport John Lennon,because his words were deemed a threat to the always righteous Richard M. Nixon! Parenthetically,let us also recall that ‘police methods’ are renowned for their dogged logic,deductive reasoning,and rigid,moralistic self-justification. Hence,it is only appropriate that our porcine constabulary charges in from the right side of the card.
Unlike some depictions of The Fool as being indifferent,or unaware of his surroundings,our figure glances playfully,teasingly over his shoulder at his pursuer,confident that his fans,and ultimately,his own pure karma,will keep him from harm.
Recall from introductory algebra how the square root of 1,written √1 ,is
equal to ± 1;that is,multiplying (-1) times (-1) or (+1) times (+1) both equal 1. Thus,there is no natural number that,when multiplied by itself,equals –1. Consequently,mathematicians needed another way to designate this concept,and simply refer to it as i. It’s important to understand that imaginary numbers,for which there are many real-world applications in the physical sciences and engineering disciplines,represent entities outside of our familiar 4-dimensional space-time continuum. (It also figures prominently in quantum theory,where it represents the mysterious essence of reality.) Hence,in light of modern knowledge,this mathematical entity is far more consistent with what early mystics wished to convey about The Fool.
Returning from our brief,but essential,explanation,historically,different decks have focused their interpretation of The Fool on either ignorance or innocence. Indeed,there is some inevitable overlap,since the innocent will necessarily be ignorant about much of life’s unpleasantness. Conversely,the ignorant often display a kind of innocence in their steadfast faith in absurdities. Nonetheless,to the extent that this deck elects to emphasize one interpretation in favor of the other,there is clearly a distinction. For The Rootwerx Deck,I have chosen to start the path of the major arcana with a focus on the positive;that is,innocence,for such is the state in which we each begin our journey through life.
The innocent is one who is intrinsically unaffected by societal norms,and who could be more representative of that attitude than the rock star,as depicted here? In terms of his/her musical sophistication,this artist is inevitably a novice,at the start of a long path to mastery. There is much passion here,but little in the way of discipline,which is always a result of maturity. Traditionally,The Fool is interpreted as a somewhat androgynous character,and here again,we often see such ‘gender-bending’ antics in rock stars,with males adorning themselves with typically female facial makeup,and women donning masculine garb. Nonetheless,there is a powerful intrinsic generative power in The Fool,and the raw,unbridled sexuality of the iconic rock star requires no elaboration.
As in the vast majority of traditional decks,the image presented here shows an
individual blissfully unaware of the fact that he’s about to step off the edge of a precipice. As in much of life,there is greater subtlety,nuance,and meaning in this icon than initially meets the eye.
Let’s start by considering which way The Fool is facing. Some classic decks,
including The Tarot of Marseilles,Arcus Arcanium, and Tarot of the Witches,have the fool walking from left to right (from the perspective of the viewer). Conversely,the ubiquitous Rider Waite,Hanson-Roberts,Morgan-Grear, and the current deck have him sojourning from right to left. This is far more than a mere artistic happenstance!
The right side traditionally corresponds to the yang or masculine,and is associated with all things rational,analytical,and active. The left represents the yin/feminine,side,and implies an approach that is more intuitive,introspective,and passive. At the start of the renaissance,when the modern tarot was in its formative stage,great emphasis was placed on analysis,ratiocination,and logic,so it’s hardly surprising that the decks originating in that period,and later ones based upon them,would have the fool facing toward the right as he begins his journey to mastery.
Now,at the dawn of the twenty-first century,it’s easy enough in retrospect to see how this mechanistic fixation and obsession with profit and efficiency,with their attendant lack of balance,have resulted in some of our most vexing problems. Only now are we learning,perhaps too late,that not every problem will yield to logic and a defined workflow methodology! Indeed,even the field of physics has been forced to admit that mind actually underlies space-time. Hence,our fool clearly understands that his true path must lie toward the left.
In terms of this card’s overall theme,one can state with some certainty that rock music is nothing if not intuitive. The vast majority of rock legends don’t read music,eschew theory,and instead,allow the raw,unbridled passion of their music to flow,unimpeded,directly from their souls. Refinement and maturity will come later in their careers,at the proper time.
In the traditional symbolism,The Fool carries a hobo stick,to which is attached the sack containing his meager worldly belongings. Our rock singer,in its place,has his microphone,for that embodies his primary linkage to the world around
him. His performance is what he is. In his left hand,he carries a white rose,symbolizing purity,but in his hair is a red feather,representing virility and sexual prowess,but there is no dichotomy between these seemingly incompatible icons,for The Fool approaches all of life with equal measures of passion and purity.
In many representations,The Fool is shown as unaware of,or indifferent to,his impending peril as he approaches the edge of a cliff. But our fool is not indifferent;he is confident,for his sea of adoring fans will not only arrest his fall,but convey him to glory as they bear him above their heads,singing all the while.
Most decks depict The Fool as being accompanied,pursued,or vexed by some
kind of animal,usually a dog,sometimes a cat or some amalgam of the two. In The Rootwerx Tarot,this animal is depicted as a pig,adorned by the cap and badge of a policeman.
While it may be socially risky to denigrate these brave,selfless,servants of society,I have deep issues with anyone who takes an oath to uphold any law made by his or her masters,right or wrong,just or immoral. “I don’t make the laws,” the policeman is fond of saying,“I only enforce them.” To me,this sounds uncomfortably similar to:“I was only following orders.” If ‘the law’ says those Jews must be herded into cattle cars,then “I’m only following orders.” If ‘the law’ says to march them into gas chambers,who am I to argue? Take your basic schoolyard bully. Give him a gun,a nightstick,a stun gun,and license to apply them at his whim,and you have the kind of petty uniformed thugs caught on video beating helpless motorists. Killing already subjugated suspects. Sodomizing prisoners in the precinct restrooms. You have,in short,those we called ‘pigs’ back in the turbulent sixties,and I here resurrect that image and do so without apology.
So,in our seminal trump card,we see our determined,self-righteous pig pursuing the rock star,right onto the stage. Why? Who knows? Perhaps his lyrics poked fun at some well-connected political bigwig. Maybe he objects to the long hair,or the fact that he is surrounded by attractive women that the pig can only dream about,alone in his shabby sty. Maybe he even (gasp!) smelled the faint aroma of marijuana smoke through the dressing room door. This,let us remember,is the same pig who doggedly sought to deport John Lennon,because his words were deemed a threat to the always righteous Richard M. Nixon! Parenthetically,let us also recall that ‘police methods’ are renowned for their dogged logic,deductive reasoning,and rigid,moralistic self-justification. Hence,it is only appropriate that our porcine constabulary charges in from the right side of the card.
Unlike some depictions of The Fool as being indifferent,or unaware of his surroundings,our figure glances playfully,teasingly over his shoulder at his pursuer,confident that his fans,and ultimately,his own pure karma,will keep him from harm.
his card corresponds to the Hebrew letter aleph 
which adorns the curtain behind the stage. Unlike most other letters,the aleph is silent,and serves as a placeholder for other vowel sounds. Hence,like the mathematical i that ‘numbers’ this card,it exists apart from,and orthogonal to the rest of the alphabet,much as The Fool stands apart from the bustling intensity of everyday life.
2. Divinatory Implications
A vitally important choice must be made,and the appearance of his card suggests that it is a situation in which planning,analysis,and caution are probably inappropriate. Instead,trust in your imagination,fantasies,impulses and instinct. All paths are open to you,so listen carefully to your inner voice,and be willing to take a leap of faith.
Pay careful attention to omens and portents,for the speak to a part of you whose wisdom is too often discounted or ignored. Divinatory techniques may be appropriate for untangling a particularly perplexing problem. Hold fast to your innocence,and open yourself to the joys to be found in simplicity. Be like a lotus flower in muddy waters;touched but not sullied. Expend the effort required to live completely in the present,examining carefully the baggage you carry–both material and emotional. A time has come to move beyond regret and nostalgia.
Be open enough to notice the manifestation of emerging possibilities. Experience everything as would a child. Nurture you innocence. Dare to dream,and then make those dreams into reality. Don’t fret over paradoxical situations,for life is itself a paradox.
3. Keywords
Innocence. Beginnings. Spontaneity. A new phase,full of life. Trust instincts. Leap of Faith. Quivering anticipation. Trust in providence.
4. Reversals
Beware of paralysis through hesitation. Shun excessive ratiocination. You may be avoiding a critical choice,and there may be a tendency to overcomplicate things. Do no succumb to soul-annihilating dogmatism.
Laziness,shiftlessness,indecision,frivolity,and faulty choices may also be indicated by this reversal. There can be a suggestion that you’re about to be blindsided by a perilous situation with serious consequences,so risks should be avoided. An immediate course change may be in order. Madness,mania,or intoxication may be exacerbate the current situation. Rash actions may adversely affect yourself or others around you.
5. Artistic Interpretations
When The Fool shows up in my spread,I try to be on the lookout for artistic constipation in my current projects. Am I stifling myself because of concern about violating societal conventions? Am I being overly intellectual or analytical in my approaches? Am I relying too much on ‘left brain’thinking? Loosen up,I must remind myself–go with the flow! Art is intrinsically different than engineering.