0 - THE FOOL
Symbolism
A youthful character is on the top of a cliff about to step off into the abyss below. He carries a swag of his memories and past lives which is all he needs.
The white sun is behind him and shines on him giving him faith in his journey. He holds one white rose of pure thought and intention as he steps into the unknown.
There are jagged mountains in the background showing that there will be a challenging journey ahead of him. A dog standing on his hind legs barks at the Fool as if to warn him of his imminent peril. He represents his animal instinct for survival.
The fool innocently cares less and steps, nevertheless into the unknown with faith in his heart.
Keywords
Upright:
Faith, innocence, the Soul, purity, fearlessness, hope, trust, dreamer, mystic, altruist, potential, spontaneity, new beginnings.
Reversed:
Foolish decisions, fear, resistance, doubt, indecision, self-sabotage, denial of the journey, ignoring opportunity, turning a blind eye.
Upright meaning
The Fool represents our soul. His figure is purposefully androgynous, so for the sake of it I will call him ‘her’ but she is characteristically sexless. She represents the essence of our individuality, the composite of our personality and ego, our past incarnations and the part of us connected to spirit. This is our consciousness, pre-birth, that chooses to jump into the physical plane once again to live out another cycle of material madness! She has to be the Fool to choose this!
The Fool holds the awareness that this is all a cosmic game we have come to play. She knows, deep down, the illusory nature of the journey, and she knows that she is about to forget where she came from. Everything is perfectly aligned, designed, and mapped out, and this adventure through consciousness is backed up by the sun/ spirit.
The Fool represents the faith we have that everything will work out just perfectly. Although innocent and unaware of the experiences we will encounter, we unconsciously know where we come from, and ultimately, where we are coming home to. The faith that everything will work out fine is the strongest message the Fool has to share. It is time to take a leap of faith and prepare ourselves for an open-minded journey into the unknown.
Reversed meaning
It isnt always easy to keep that faith that the Fool feels. Our life experiences pile all sorts of doubts and fears in our minds about the future and that childlike purity is hard to connect to. Our memory and traumas that havent been dealt with will haunt our ability to step courageously into the future.
The transformational opportunity is there for us but maybe the timing doesnt feel right and we have to heal the past to step forward with excitement and hope instead of fear and anxiety. We will surely be tested in the future so we can expect challenges to come up. We just need to cultivate the confidence that we can learn this time and grow form any life lessons that present themselves.
We dont need to push ourselves into moving forward or leaping into something new, we need to surrender to the support that is always there and practice releasing the fears that make us hesitate. If our pessimism is overpowering our thoughts and we project doubt in every choice we have, then we have failed before even taking the forest step.
It isnt a great time for reckless decisions and watch out for choices that could create problems for others. It can be a good time to plan out some future path or maybe just to feel the inevitability of this journey that faces us. We cannot ignore what is in front of our faces for too long and if we are honest we are not that in love with the life we have right now. So what do we have to lose? Is there really a choice or are we fooling ourselves that there is?