~ SYSSK’S THREE FOOLS ~So far these are the designs I’ve come up with for card 0 in the
~ SYSSK’S THREE FOOLS ~So far these are the designs I’ve come up with for card 0 in the Tarot deck. Originally I wrote this about the archetype: In the Rider-Waite tarot the Fool is a clown, setting out on a journey of enlightenment, guided by a symbolic flower and a butterfly (Psyche, the soul), with a dog snapping at their heels and an abyss in front of them. According to Barbara Walker, “[They] resemble the Asian images of the Unenlightened Man … standing for folly, ignorance, recklessness, childish frivolity, or a blessed madness having the potential for later insight.” Perhaps all this is true, but until the Fool takes their first step the journey cannot begin, which is itself a form of metamorphosis. Technically there is nothing wrong with the middle card (my first attempt) with Syssk setting out on the road with a cute maneki-neko at her feet urging her on. But it didn’t feel inspired. Last night I came up with the last image and wrote:… out of all the bizarre customs and habits humans demonstrate, for Syssk, who identifies as, “She/Her,” sex is the most baffling. That is her abyss, the chasm opening up before her. The giant skeleton behind her, which normally would be considered monstrous, like Syssk herself, actually functions as the more traditional Fool’s irritating yappy dog, trying to get her to see that she’s about to take a wrong step. This, while interesting for me, was met with a lot of confusion when I showed it to friends. As one said (kindly), “all those things might be true in your head but they are not clear in the card you made.” After a night’s rest I have to agree.This leads us to the first image, which I made this morning. I wrote: Everything is food for thought, since my goal isn’t to just make a random image and call it “Fool” but rather craft a card another person could theoretically use in a reading. When I first started this I thought, “I’m not going to simply copy the symbolism in the Rider-Waite deck, I’ll make something new.” However, as I am finding out, the reason the Rider-Waite is the most popular tarot deck of all time (sorry, Marseille) is that it works. The further I stray the less what I’m making is Tarot and more Oracle. There’s nothing wrong, per se, with that but it’s not what I want to do. So I’m trying again. Since this is a deck about Syssk I was thinking about watching other people start off on their own journey of enlightenment while you stand in the background and debate with friends whether the fall off Mt. Fuji will kill the Fool or not. Often it is the groundwork that other people lay that allows us the ability to even realize enlightenment is something that we can even strive for. Here the traditional Fool has taken their step into the Abyss. The choice, though, is actually up to Syssk whether she will follow. -- source link
#sysskeko tarota#my art#the fool