The Benevolent Presence of Swooping Hawk looks down upon us from above at
Rancho Cuyamaca State Park, in San Diego, Ca. 2005 Photo by CHC Designs
"And so it is. The Fool is born and the journey of life begins.
Infinite spirit embodies and craves the experience of every freaky beautiful thing life offers.
The Fool dances,
bounces, chases butterflies and tweaks the dragon's tail, all to please the infinite spirit inside her.
She roars laughter,
and breaks into song unexpectedly.
Unpracticed and a little out of tune, the Fool is the essence of expanded possibility, that far-out place
where the mind melds with the cosmos. Practicality bores her.
Economies of energy make no sense. Her cosmic energy can never dry up, be sold, or run away.
Far from worried about falling to her death, the Fool radiates a carefree attitude.
Although she is unaware of it, magic watches overs her. The Sky responds to her openness
with a circular pattern in the clouds above her. The pattern is a protecting presence, perhaps
responsible for lending the Fool butterfly wings so as to whisk her out of harm's way.
However, the open jaws of cynicism lay all about her, eager to taste her virgin flesh.
The cynical world lusts after her, hoping for her demise in order to prove that its own sterile dullness
is the true reality. But the Fool sails gaily above such insanity, not even pausing to acknowledge
the toothy presence. The innocent Fool has, however, chosen to be born into this maddening world.
She flies into the unknown,
leaving the rock of the familiar behind. Along the way, the Fool will encounter many crocodiles.
She is a risk-taker. Thus, she will learn many painful lessons but, within the mouth of each lesson, an
enlightened hand holds a fragrant flower. The Fool's reward for the chances she takes on her drive to
fully experience the world is the flower for the flower represents the intact innocence of the Fool. Although her experiences with the crocodiles are always transformative, the crocodiles can only mold her innocence - not destroy it.
The Fool is the first member of the Cosmic Tribe. Her number is 0 - the indestructible archetype of the egg, symbolizing the pre-existent wholeness within emptiness. The Fool is nothing that doesn't get in the way.
Play the fool, my friends!
Follow your heart's joy, and chase those butterflies!
Be optimistic about the outcome of a risky venture.
Invite frivolity and the boundless energy that comes with it into your life.
Now is the time to remember the limitless possibilities surrounding you.
Step out, take a chance on life!"
(from Stevee Postman's The Cosmic Tribe Tarot)
Swooping Hawk, Acrylic on Palmbark, 2005, Painting and Photo by CHC Designs
