April 13, 2021: 4 of Wands and 0 The Fool

We are coming to the end of our exploration of the Decameron Tarot.  After this entry, we only have two cards left to address.  Let's get to it!

My Inner Focus card is the 4 of Wands.  The image on this card is of a strong looking castle sitting on a hill surrounded by green trees and bushes.  Around the hill are green meadows bisected by a curving stone wall.  One of the meadows is filled with red wildflowers.  Behind the castle is a beautiful blue sky with a few fluffy fair-weather clouds.  The key phrases for this card are: harmony, accord and peace, and purification.  

My Outer Focus card is 0 The Fool.  The image on this card shows a man on his back in what appears to be grass.  He is fully clothed and appears to be a bit shabby; both of his socks have huge holes in them, one at the toes and the other at the heel.  All of his clothes appear spotted with stains.  At his belt are a blade in its scabbard, a small pouch, and several large keys.  He is laying with one leg straight out and the other knee bent and drawn up, hinting at the traditional stance of The Emperor. He has one shoe off and in his hand, and is smiling as he tries to catch a pretty butterfly that is fluttering by, with his other hand cupped and ready to gently contain the butterfly.  His fly is open and his penis is visible.  Beside him is a young girl, laying on her belly and resting against the thigh of his bent knee.  She is pulling on the laces of his fly, opening his pants and looking at his penis.  The key phrase for this card is: lightheartedness, daydreams and freedom can carry heavy consequences.

So, the castle in the image of the 4 of Wands has appeared elsewhere in this deck, on the 7 of Swords (which shows a closeup of the doorway into the castle).  The 4 of Wands does not have any darkness to it, but the key phrases of the 7 of Swords, plans within the darkness of night, and hidden complicity, are a bit unsettling.  The 4 of Wands shows us that the overall picture is good, and it encourages us to pause and just enjoy the beauty of our surroundings.  This card is not saying that things are forever great and we do not ever need to protect ourselves; it just says that for the moment we can rest and recuperate, and thus be better prepared for whatever presents itself down the road.

The traditional meaning of The Fool is the possibility for new beginnings, and for leaving things behind that no longer serve us.  However, the Decameron Fool, like the Decameron Tower, presents a more subtle message through its seemingly simple and joyously silly image.  Our Fool seems to be enjoying a simple pleasure and having fun.  This is not a planned event, but rather a random opportunity to laugh and embrace our inner child.  We can see this because he does not have a butterfly net, but rather he is using one of his shoes to attempt to capture the butterfly.  On the surface this seems quite innocent.  However, this Fool obviously serves some valuable purpose.  He has a blade on his belt along with several large keys, which hints to us that he has important responsibilities.  Despite the interest of the girl by his side, his penis is limp because he is focusing on a different and more transient pleasure.  Finally, he could injure that delicate butterfly during his attempt to catch it, probably unintentionally.  We end up asking ourselves just what could he be ignoring as he is focused entirely on this butterfly and completely innocent intentions.