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The Fool

Ramblings of a Fool

Basic Observations … the fool himself is dressed in a black tunic (dress? robe?), lined in red, which is covered in mandala’s (flowers?) of yellow and red with ivy trailing all around them. He wears a white undergarment beneath the tunic and his boots are yellow. On his head he wears a green wreath with a red feather protruding from it. In his left hand he holds a white rose with green leaves while his right hand holds a black staff (wand?). Attached to the staff is a satchel with an eagle etched upon it. At his feet is a dog that he appears to be unaware of.

The Fool is stood atop a mountain and perilously close to the edge - in the background we can see a mountain range which has nine peaks and the sun is shining brightly overhead.

Anyone looking at this card for the first time would suck in their breath and think ‘fool – you are about to step off the cliff’. Let’s face it, he does look like he is about to do something extremely foolish. 

Only a fool would be on a mountain top, dressed as he is and not looking where he is going. Can you imagine the apoplectic fit health and safety would have if this were today? There are no fences to stop him falling off the edge, he is totally inappropriately dressed and he has no ropes, no climbing gear or safety equipment – what on earth possessed him? Makes me shiver just to imagine wearing that dress on top of a mountain – and I’m female and used to wearing short dresses in the middle of winter. (Thankfully I’m a little older and wiser now).

Is he insane? Has he lost his mind? There is a saying about people who do things such as climb a mountain without safety gear - ‘Touched by God’. It’s meant to imply that only God could possibly know what possessed the person to do such a thing.

Aren’t we all a little ‘touched by God’ when despite having several failed relationships behind us we still happily start the next relationship full of hope and dreams for the future, when despite the last ‘big idea’ sending us into bankruptcy we still forge ahead with the new idea or company full of expectation of this being the thing that will make our name or fortune?

You can just see the friends and relatives shaking their heads and hear the mumblings of ‘fool’ under their breaths each time we do something such as starting out on a new relationship or project that to them seems inappropriate or foolish. But they can’t see inside our heads, they don’t know what fate has in store for us and who knows – this really could be the relationship that lasts a lifetime or the invention that sweeps the world by storm and makes our fortune.

Without the faith of the fool we would never try anything new. Think back over time to all those great explorers and inventors. Would Alexander Graham Bells’ family have ever dreamed that his invention of the telephone would have such an impact on the world? No – they probably called him every fool under the sun. And yet because he dared to dream not only do we have instant worldwide communication via the telephone but also the internet. Can you imagine not having the internet now?

What about the great explorer’s such as Captain James Cook or someone who could happily relate to our fool – Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay, the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest. 

But what opportunities do we have to be such a ‘great’ fool in today’s world? Practically the whole of the earth has been explored, hasn’t it? Can you imagine anyone inventing anything that would have such far reaching effects as the telephone? Are there any areas left in which we can become pioneers? Is there any opportunity to become such a visible fool in today’s world? 

Until fairly recently, ordinary people followed the norm – only the bravest of the brave become explorer’s and pioneers. In today’s world we tend towards individualization and the uniqueness of each individuals path. So although we may not have the opportunity to become a ‘great’ fool in the way of past explorers, we most certainly have much more opportunity to follow our own path – to listen to the beat of a different drummer. We have far greater freedom than our parents and grandparents to choose a different life and take the steps to make our dreams come true.

Just like the fools mountain which has no barriers to stop him falling, we have fewer barriers in life to stop us succeeding should we be brave enough to dare to be the fool.

Take a good look at the picture of the fool. Doesn’t he look like he’s twirling around rather than just walking or standing still? Rayne, who is one of my students, uses a beautiful saying – ‘Dancing with life’. Doesn’t the fool look like he is dancing with life? He looks so happy, so carefree. 

His body language implies that he is looking towards the heavens and in fact looks as if he could possibly take a step right out into the sky. If he took that step will he fall to his death? Or is there another crag just out of sight for him to step onto? Maybe he will indeed step right into heaven. He is certainly about to take a step into the unknown as far as we are concerned – who knows what he sees ahead of him. He certainly doesn’t seem to expect anything bad to happen indicating that he has faith in whatever is about to happen. Is it a blind faith indicating that what he is about to do is pure folly? Or does he know more than we do?

Is he even aware of the fact that he is on a cliff edge? If he did know, would he step back away from the cliff edge or would he step forward and accept all the consequences of that step?

If we were unaware of the dangers of taking such a step wouldn’t we all be more willing to venture into the unknown, to take our dreams to the next level in the belief that we can make them come true. Would knowing the dangers stop us in our tracks and think twice about starting a new relationship or entering into a new venture? I think not – I think when the fool appears on our horizon we simply have to work on faith and trust and go for whatever it is we see in our future. We should dare to dream.

Some say the satchel he carries on the end of his wand is full of wisdom – all that the fool has learnt and all that he needs to learn, implying that we have all the wisdom with us that we need to be able to make a success of our dreams. Others say that the satchel contains the four symbols of the minor arcana – wands, cups, swords and pentacles – implying that we have every tool we need for our journey into the unknown. 

When we start a new relationship or venture do we really believe we have the wisdom and tools to make a success of it? Or do we sit worrying unable to take the next step out of fear of what is to come or lack of belief in ourselves? Are we ready to be the fool and take a leap of faith?

Astrologically, the fool corresponds to Uranus who encourages free thinking and dreaming. Uranus is all about individuality – he encourages us to think for ourselves – to think outside the box. He is also about shocks and surprises - that eureka moment when an inspirational idea pops into our heads. When we get such a moment do we step back from the edge and see only the obstacles that could prevent us fulfilling our dreams or do we go for it with all guns blazing? Do we have the faith to take that step forward and put our ideas into action? Are we willing to listen to the beat of a different drummer?

His undershirt and the rose in his left hand are white implying a purity of spirit - an openness to life that will allow our fool to experience the full range and depth of human experiences on his or her journey.

The little white dog at his feet could either be jumping for joy along with the fool or be trying to bark a warning to him that he is too close to the edge.

The fool is numbered 0 (zero) the glyph for spirit – the source of pure consciousness. And yet our fool appears not to be conscious of his surroundings, rather he appears to be a part of them – completely at one with his world. Whether or not he is aware of the cliff edge his next step is going to take him into a whole new world.

Turning this card upside down makes me feel physically sick. Although his position looks precarious when upright, when it is reversed it is positively frightening. Does this indicate the fear some people feel when entering a new relationship or when they are presented with an opportunity to make something of themselves?

So, how do we interpret the fool in a reading? Whether reading for yourself or a client I would encourage the sitter to be brave and go for whatever their dream of the moment is. If the card is reversed, find out what they are afraid of – why they think they are not able to bring their dream into reality. Who knows what they can achieve if they take on the mantle of the fool.

Remember that the Major Arcana is called the ‘fool’s journey’. On his journey he gathers experiences much like our own journey through life. Just like the fool we can choose many paths in life – which will you choose?