The Fool represents us and our own unique and individual journey throughout life. The fool reminds us that we don’t know anything. He starts out as an empty vessel making his way innocently and naively through life, gathering experiences and learning from them along the way. This is why you may often hear about “The Fool’s Journey” or the Fool being who the tarot is about. The number on the Fool card is 0 – this is no mistake. The 0 is the nothingness, the re-set, the moment before conception.
As the Fool makes his way through his life, he learns many things from everything he encounters. In the tarot – these things he encounters are represented by the lessons, information and guidance that is on offer from all the other cards. Sounds pretty much like life in general, don’t you think?
So what do we know about the Fool before he starts his journey?
The Fool speaks to things such as; playing the fool, feeling like a fool, acting the fool. Think about it for a minute… where have you felt or acted this way? What did you learn from those experiences?
The Fool carries the energies of being willing to explore, to play, to seek out adventure. He can be somewhat naïve and innocent. He asks us to be in the moment, to walk with faith and to trust that we are going to be OK, to embrace the lack of predictability and jump into the unknown. In this sense, he is very much about Becoming. The Fool is a bit like a toddler really. He has no idea about where the danger lays as he is oblivious to it. He has no fear because he has not experienced it as yet.
The fool asks us to remember that when we are born, we are born as empty vessels and we fill up on the experience of things. So, are we born good or bad or are we made to become something? Great question don’t you think?
When we are born, there is not very many of us that recall that precise moment now is there? We start our journey from that very moment though, don’t we? Which then brings to mind, our earliest memories. But are they actually our own memories or are they what we have been told?
This is the double-edged sword message of the Fool. On one hand, risky play is good – we learn, we evolve from what we have learned. We learn through the experience of things. Of course, we are not going to dive into something that is going to kill us right? And as babies and children one would hope that we had good care takers and yet for some people, this was not their experience and still it is the experience that leads to the learning. On the other hand, look before you leap is common sense, right? Scan your environment, do some research before carefreely walking off the end of the cliff. Both of these scenarios can limit us if we let them or they can expand us if we allow them.
The experiences we gather along our journey are added into the knapsack that the Fool carries over his shoulder. A reminder of our learning journey. These learnings then represent the societal norms we choose to carry or reject. The little dog represents the domesticated side of ourselves, a reminder to be loyal to ourselves, to enjoy the moment and yet to remember we might need to take a look around our environment before we jump.
What are some of the questions the Fool can ask the other cards he encounters along his journey?
Ace of Wands – “What energy do I need to work with right now?”
High Priestess – “What internal and external forces are guiding me right now?”
The Moon – “What can I reflect upon?” “Is all as it seems?”
The Hermit – “What do I know?”
VI Cups – “What memories are impacting on my choices?”
VI Swords – “What have I taken with me that is still hurting me?”
VII Pentacles – “What specific resources would help me with my journey right now?”
What is the Fools overall message here?
The Fool reminds us that we get to determine how deeply we want to jump into this world, we get to decide to jump or look down first. If we are not willing rot risk something – we may never get that new experience.
What questions might the Fool have us explore?
Ponder on these questions and tap into the Fools Energy. Pull a card as you ask each of these questions and journal about your findings. I love to hear about your answers too.
In what ways am I pretending to be foolish?
In what ways am I being foolish?
What can I discover here?
What do I need to make my journey a more mindful experience?
How can I make my journey more joyful?
Love Life Big
Big Love
Lu xo