My Tarot 0 -- The Innocent

0 “The Innocent”
Young Horus setting out upon the Path

Although the rainbow isn’t an Egyptian symbol (of which I’m aware), here Horus crosses over the rainbow bridge, the symbolic passage between Heaven and Earth in many other cultures, carrying with Him only a few meagre possessions in His pack. He is just setting out on the journey that will eventually end in His being crowned Pharaoh over both Upper and Lower Egypt… but the journey is a long and perilous one, and one that could well be described as a fool’s errand. After all, how can such a young man hope to overthrow His uncle, Set?

Behind Horus are Nut and two mounts that represent the God, Aker, the guardian of the Horizon (the Gates of the Duat, the Nether World.) In the sky, the Big Dipper—known to the Egyptians as the Plough—can be seen, as well as a Ba Bird (anyone who notices that that Ba Bird looks a little like Yud with wings can go have a cookie on me!)

Instead of a dog nipping at His heels, Horus has as his companion the diminutive god Bes, who at times is a ‘fool’ or jester figure Himself (and at other times, He is the Magician.) Don’t be deceived by His stature and appearance, though. Bes can be a fierce enemy or a protective friend.

The “0” card is placed upon the Eleventh Path of the Tree of Life, along with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the Alef, which is formed by two Yuds and a Vav. The Yuds represent the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, with the Vav connecting them, bridging Heaven with Earth, bridging the Divine Spark out there with the Divine Spark within each of us. The meaning of Alef is “ox”, an animal associated with the tilling or aeration of the soil (ergo, the Plough overhead.)

Alef is one of the three “Mother Letters”, and is attributed to Elemental Air, the first breath taken at birth, the breath of the Divine that gives the Soul life, the first rushing forth of energy after the Big Bang. Humans can live without food for a few weeks, without water for a few days, without air for only a few minutes.

Astrologically, this card is Uranus (Fire of Air) in Aquarius (Fixed Air).

The Norse Rune on this card is dagaz, a rune that speaks to us of breaking through barriers, of awakenings, transformation, new beginnings, and clarity. The literal meaning of the run is “day” which can imply a sort of divine light guiding the soul on its journey. (If you're interested in my sources, please see the sidebar to the right for websites and books on Kabbalah, Runes, Tarot and Astrology.)

The Innocent is the Spirit in search of experience. He represents the mystical cleverness bereft of reason within us, the childlike ability to tune into the inner workings of the world. In early decks, this card was often pictured with the image of a bearded mad man or wild man, a beggar or a bard. This caste of outcasts was usually excused form social norms and permitted to break the rules of society with impunity.

The Ba bird behind Him reminds us that He is not alone, He is being watched over by the Spirit of his Ancestors and His own Past Incarnations, in essence His own inner wisdom will guide Him, IF he listens to it.

He holds in His hand a purple lotus, a flower denoting mystical qualities.
In other decks, the Fool is frequently accompanied by a dog, sometimes seen as his animal desires, sometimes as the call of the “real world”, nipping at his heels and distracting Him; the dog or other animal companion can be seen as providing the Fool with a “reality check”, a link to the everyday world, a reminder not to get so caught up in the energy of Uranus in Aquarius that he becomes a “rebel without a clue.”

Although it cannot be seen in all modern cards, The Fool is often shown walking off a cliff. This raises the question “Is The Fool making a mistake, or is The Fool making a leap of faith?”

The Fool in all cases represents child-like innocence and the beginning of a journey. He has all of the tools he needs for that journey in his sack (these are the same tools the Magician has on his table), although he usually doesn't know that yet. When Horus set out to become King of Egypt, his rightful inheritance from his father, Osirus, He didn't know He already had all the tools He needed for the job. It took courage and conviction to claim what was His. We must all find that sort of courage and conviction every single day of our lives, because each new day is a new journey, the opportunity--the obligation--to set out on a new Path of fresh discovery. And like Horus, we are not alone upon the Path.