The Fool in The Luna Sol Tarot
By Darren Shill
It’s strange how one of the most interesting Major Arcana cards (from a numerological perspective) arguably doesn’t have a number at all. Here is a Zero that could represent nothing but is the source of everything. It is the beginning and it is also the end.
Open your fresh, new tarot deck, unwrap the cellophane and what is the first card you see? The Fool. There is no better state of mind to start an adventure; open, free, uncluttered by pre-conceptions, absent of fears. The adventure itself has not exactly begun – remember this card is the Zero; the journey happens as you move into The Magician – rather, all is magnificent potential. The Magician might produce the rabbit from nothing, 1 from 0, but the Fool is the Zero from which it comes.
Or as the Tao Te Ching says:
All things under Heaven
are born of existence.
Yet existence is born of nonexistence.
The Fool from Tarot of the Silicon Dawn by Egypt Urnash
What The Fool represents is the perfect mind-set to make the leap of faith that is so central to this card. This card couldn’t tell this story any clearer. A person, with their worldly possessions bundled in a bag, happily striding over a cliff edge whilst a dog barks at their heels (usually seen as a warning, but I prefer encouragement). It takes courage to begin a major endeavour, or, failing that, naivety and the blind optimism that you will eventually reach The World you seek. It would be unfair to say that The Fool is without courage, but joyful naivety and optimism are certainly it’s stronger traits. From The Fool’s perspective, if you over-analysed all that could go wrong, there is a fair chance you would never begin anything (see the stalemate and indecision of the Two of Swords). Analysis paralysis is not what is going on here!
The Fool from Lisa Sterle’s Modern Witch Tarot, publishing in 2019 from Liminal 11
Another feature of the Fool card is the mountains shown in the distance (or a cityscape in Lisa Sterle’s wonderful Modern Witch Tarot, which we are excited to publish in 2019). I’ve heard these explained as a symbol of the cold, hard rules of mathematics that lie behind the workings of the Universe. It is beautiful imagery, but the mountains can also represent the high obstacles that will eventually lie in the path of The Fool. That The Fool is walking away shows their oblivious nature to such obstacles but, just like the circling Zero, they will eventually have to come back round over these mountains, ending where they began. In the tarot, this is called The Fool’s Journey, and it runs the length of the Major Arcana. At the end, The Fool is now a Holy Fool sitting beyond The World. But maybe that journey was never as vast as we first thought – remember, so little separates the ridiculous from the sublime!
Interpretation
Have faith to follow your own personal path. Impulsive action that is true to yourself is beneficial. In an inauspicious position, consider difficulties that you may be blind to.
Connections within The Luna Sol Tarot
I will keep this brief as it is best discovered by yourself, but some cards within the tarot seem to have a strong pull toward each other. That could be the result of a numerological connection or simply the story they tell. Deck creators sometimes like to emphasise this connection, which is certainly the case in Kay Medaglia’s Luna Sol Tarot. So whilst we are here, I would like to mention that, when looking at this deck, you should perhaps pay close attention to The Fool and The World, and also the Court cards within each suit.
Kay Medaglia’s Luna Sol Tarot is published September 27th
Pre-order now!
OR get your deck early directly from us at Thought Bubble (22-23 September in Leeds, UK)
Find us in the comiXology Marquee on table 194
Thought Bubble approaches
On the subject of Thought Bubble, I just wanted to highlight this incredible event. Thought Bubble is a week long celebration of comics held in Leeds from 17-23 September and is the UK’s largest comic art festival. It culminates with a convention over the weekend of 22-23 September held in several exhibition halls across the city centre and is frankly an absolute joy to attend!
This year it is going to be an extra special occasion for Liminal 11! Kay Medaglia and myself (the co-founders of Liminal 11) will have a table (#194) in the comiXology Marquee and this will be the first time that we will be physically selling all of our 2018 line up. This includes Kay’s Luna Sol Tarot, Tillie Walden’s Mini-Meditations on Creativity, Adam & Lisa Murphy’s Mini-Meditations on Joy and Sarina Mantle’s Women + Patterns + Plants. You will be able get all of these fabulous titles nearly a week before you can receive them anywhere else – including on our website! Plus, Kay will be on hand to sign Luna Sol decks! We hope to see you there!
