The Holidays – Enter The Fool

The image above is a very unique take on the Fool, the archetype that takes the journey that we call the Tarot. I felt that this energy personified the ability to go into the holiday season with what I see as an open mind, and an open heart. This is a season that can be filled with great joy, and many opportunities, but it can also be a time that is quite stressful, with both professional and personal obligations.

How does the Fool handle this? Wouldn’t the Magician handle all of this a bit better? I mean, can’t he call in all of the elemental energy at his command and manifest at will? My thought is this … if we choose to work with (or channel, if you will) the energy of the Magician we would be setting ourselves up for a very bumpy ride! we would feel that we had the wisdom and the power to manifest all kinds of things. We would be running amok, not taking the time to set priorities, and not really stopping to deal with the changes that ife throws at us at this time of year.

There is another reason that I feel the Fool is a better fellow traveler for the 2012 holiday season – we are experiencing the vibrational changes of the ascension, and we need to take the time to acclimate to them. We also need to be able to tell the difference between stress from the holidays,and stress from acclimating to the vibrational/spiritual changes we are undergoing. The Fool can take a time out when he feels the need. He can take a step back to assess things, or take a step forward if he feels that this is what he needs to do, without exactly knowing why.

Bring your open, Foolish nature to this holiday season!

Image from the “Rainbow Travellers Tarot”, by Carmen Waterman, Independently Published, 2012.

(c) December 2012 Bonnie Cehovet

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Thursday Night Tarot – Wheel of Fortune/Magician

This is the first in a series of conversations between the Birth Card pairs and Jason C. Lotterhand, through “The Thursday Night Tarot”, (edited by Arisa Victor). The host for this series is the Fool, representing the individual taking the journey. The first Birth Card pair up are the Wheel of Fortune and the Magician.

Fool: Welcome to this series of conversations. Information discussed here is based on Jason C. Lotterhand’s work, as presented in “The Thursday Night Tarot”. Something to keep in mind before we enter into the first conversation is the theme for the Wheel of Fortune/Magician duo: “Accepting what fortune brings you, versus creating your own destiny.” To my left is the Wheel of Fortune, to my right is the Magician, and to the Magician’s right we have Mr. Lotterhand. Thank you all for being here. Wheel of Fortune, you may begin.

Wheel of Fortune: I would like to thank Mr. Lotterhand and the Magician for being here, and the Fool for hosting this series. As we all know, Birth Cards work in pairs. However, we all carry our own identity. Through Mr. Lotterhand’s work, we hope to clarify who we are to those who carry our energy.

Mr. Lotterhand, you talk about my inner whirling, and the part of me that stays still. Can you explain to our audience a little about this.

Jason C. Lotterhand: Certainly. The principle of inner whirling, or rotation, supports every activity that you and I engage in. The stopping and starting of the great wheel (ROTA) represents the forces of involution and evolution. The part of us that is not whirling around all the time is our discriminating consciousness. Lucky fellow is able to be aware of all the whirling without losing his balance. This is symbolized by the Sphinx, and also by the very center of the Wheel.

Wheel of Fortune: Can you explain to our audience what the images in my four corners represent, please.

Jason C. Lotterhand: I would be happy to do that. The Lion represents the archetypal world. The Eagle represents the creative world. The Person represents the formative world. The Bull represents the world of result. These also represent the fixed signs of the zodiac. The Wheel is constructed in the manner of concentric circles, with the archetypal world at the center, followed by th creative world, the formative world, and the world of results.

Wheel of Fortune: Could you please explain to our audience which direction I turn in, and why.

Jason C. Lotterhand: The Wheel of Fortune turns counterclockwise, with the yellow serpent going down on the left representing involution. Anubis, the figure on the right hand side of the Wheel, is then evolving. The Sphinx at the top represents our Innermost Self.

Wheel of Fortune: Do you have any last words for our audience?

Jason C. Lotterhand: The Wheel is what started us off in the first place, and it is what will get us out of all of our difficulties.

Fool: Thank you, Wheel of Fortune, and you, Mr. Lotterhand. Magician, you have the podium.

Magician: Thank you, Fool. I would like to thank the Wheel of Fortune and Mr. Lotterhand for being here, and the Fool for acting as host. These conversations are very meaningful. I would like to start out by asking Mr. Lotterhand to explain to the audience my function on this journey.

Jason C. Lotterhand: Very apt request, Magician. You are the beginning of the Tarot, the individual that starts the Fool along his journey. He shows us how to contact what we consider to be Life Force, The Magician’s upraised wand, which represents our Self-Consciousness, tells us that he recognizes that all of the powers that he utilizes come from the basic Reality in the universe. In essence he is both saluting this super-power, and connecting to it. This gesture shows the technique of concentration and dedication, and keeps us from falling into the trap of the ego.

Magician: Why is my association with Mercury important?

Jason C. Lotterhand: Tarot liberates us primarily through mental methods. Mercury represents the intellect, and brings spark to the processes of the mind. This is very important, as the Magician’s main magic is that of what he can doing simply by wanting to do it! The red robe must be present for magic to happen. Man is a mediator between the inner and outer aspects of life. Man’s power is exercised primarily through his desire-nature. True magic is the magic of the Self.

Magician: What is the key to man’s transformation?

Jason C. Lotterhand: The key to man’s transformation is mastering his inner forces, and wanting change to be there.

Magician: Could you please tell our audience a little bit about the lemniscate (figure eight/infinity sign) above my head.

Jason C. Lotterhand: The center of the lemniscate represents a balance point that harmonizes the opposite sides of the Tree of Life, the Pillar of Mercy and the Pillar of Severity. Here we see that they are not at war, but that they are reciprocal actions of each other.

Magician: Do you have any last words for our audience?

Jason C. Lotterhand: Throught he Magician, we create/manifest through the process of desire.

Please note: These are, of course, imaginary conversations. The information has been taken from “The Thursday Night Tarot”, Jason C. Lotterhand, edited by Arisa Victor, Newcastle Publishing Co. Inc, 1989. Any errors in translation are mine, and mine alone.

Images are from the “Tarot Lovers Tarot”, by Karyn Easton (http://paranormality.com)

© March 2012 Bonnie Cehovet