The Fool's Journey Begins...

Raven Shree
May 29, 2023
5 min read

Updated: Feb 27

The Fool is the Initiate on the Mystical, Mythical & Magical Journey of Evolution.

The Fool is you.

The Fool is me.

The Fool is the ever-present innocence that resides in us all.

This archetype represents our capacity to meet life as it is—to step forward into the immediacy of the present moment with openness, curiosity, and trust. The Fool does not wait for certainty or permission. They leap and trust that the path will reveal itself through movement.

This blog explores the archetype of The Fool, which is card 0 in a Tarot deck. Tarot offers a living, symbolic map of the human journey we all take as we grow, change, fall apart, and reassemble ourselves over time as we navigate our Hero's Journey

In this blog I also share art I’ve created over the years inspired by The Fool and its presence in my own life. May these images and reflections support your own journey of wonder as you walk the ever-unfolding path of your becoming.

The Fool & Now

The Fool appears at the very beginning of the Tarot deck. The Fool sets the Hero into motion for the adventure that lies ahead, and within. They are a happy wanderer, innocent and unguarded, curious and alive with wonder. Unburdened by experience, the Fool meets life directly, responding to what is rather than rehearsing what might or should be.

The Fool celebrates the constant newness of Now. They do not ruminate on the past or fret endlessly about the future. Each breath, each step, is a beginning again. Working with The Fool reminds us that this moment, right here, right now, is always fresh. Even when the world feels heavy, this truth remains available to offer hope, curiosity and trust.

The Fool "Double Dog Dares You" to:

Start Something New; Begin a New Adventure
Live in the Moment
Approach Life with Beginners Mind
Let Go of Expectations
Engage Life with Curiosity & Wonder
Celebrate Life for its Own Sake
Create Opportunities to Play & Laugh
Take a Leap of Faith
Release Rigid Expectations

Fool Symbolism

A common image found on a Fool card is a young person perched on the edge of a cliff. They are walking towards an imminent leap... or a deep plunge into the dark depths....and we won’t know which until the next step is taken. This is how we all live the journey of our lives. We never know where the next step will lead. The Way only forms by walking it.

Another common trait of the Fool card is that they are holding a stick with a bag on it. This represents that we have the tools needed for the journey. We may not know how to use them yet, but we have them. As we travel through life, we'll learn how to use our tools & refine our living model along the way.

Below is one of my favorite Fool cards from the Eclectic Tarot deck. I appreciate the crystal & crocodile perched at the edge of the cliff, indicating there will be both light & dark times ahead. There will be beauty & danger, clarity & confusion. The Fool does not deny this; they step forward anyway.

From Fool to Sage

The Fool is completely open to the world as it is. They plunge themself into the Now, offering themself completely to the moment, unattached to outcome. In this way, it's easy to question if the Fool is wise or naive?

The Fool’s task is not to avoid difficulty, but to experience & learn through living. As the Fool moves through the full range of archetypal forces represented in Tarot, they gather insight, humility, compassion & perspective. Over time, the journey circles back to the beginning, not as repetition, but as integration. In this spiral of becoming, the Fool returns to the beginning and become the Wise Sage.

The Sage is not the opposite of the Fool; the Sage is the Fool who has lived. Wisdom does not erase innocence, it remembers it. True wisdom carries curiosity, playfulness & openness, tempered by discernment & care. In this way, The Wise Sage & the Innocent Fool are wonderful forces to activate as forces to guide and inspire your spiral journey through life.

Trickster Energy

In many indigenous teachings, the Fool is associated with Trickster energy, often represented by Coyote or Raven medicine. Often times our beginnings are a result of things being shaken up, and usually in ways we would not prefer. Coyote & Raven are known to cause a raucous to stir things up & set us off onto new adventures. This is often how the Fool is activated in our lives: not through careful planning, but through circumstances that demand we step into the unknown.

In my own life, the pandemic activated a lot of Trickster energy for me. I was just getting my bearings in my MiddleWorld Apprenticeship & a new chapter of my career in New York City...then Covid forced me into solitude and I sanked deeply & rather comfortably into old isolation patterns.

When things started opening back up, I had a hard time emerging from my covid cave. Age had caught up with me & I no longer felt capable of living the dreams I had created in my youth. I wasn't even sure what my dreams were anymore? That realization made me see that it was time for me to work with the archetype of the Fool as a way to help guide & inspire me forward into the next stage of my life.

An Invitation for These Times

On a collective level, we are living through immense Trickster energy right now. Systems are cracking. Illusions are being exposed. Many of us are being pushed onto paths we did not consciously choose. This is often how the Fool is activated, not through careful planning, but through circumstances that demand we step into the unknown.

In moments of fear, division & exhaustion, the Fool reminds us that presence is still possible. Choice still matters. Imagination & courage are renewable resources. As we step into this new era, personally and collectively, the Fool & Wise Sage are not luxuries....they are necessities for our life path.

We are living in a time of profound transition; socially, politically, ecologically & spiritually. We are standing at the edge of something unknown, unable to return to what once felt familiar, and unsure of what comes next.

The Fool does not promise certainty or safety. The Wise Sage does not offer easy answers. What they offer instead is the capacity to stay present, remain open, and meet complexity without hardening.

Here are some ponderings for you to journal or make art around to explore how the Innocent Fool and Wise Sage are present in your life: