The Fool's Journey Begins...

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.

The archetype of the Fool represents center-present being and our ability to step forward into the fullness of this now, in all its newness & mystery. The Fool does not wait for certainty or permission. The Fool meets life directly, trusting the path will reveal itself through movement.

We are living in a time of profound transition; socially, politically, ecologically & spiritually. Old structures are falling apart. Long-held assumptions are dissolving. Many of us can feel it in our bodies: the sense that we are standing at the edge of something unknown, unable to return to what once felt familiar, and unsure of what comes next.

This blog highlights aspects of The Fool, which is card 0 in a Tarot deck. Tarot offers a living map for the archetypal journey all humans take as we grow, change, and evolve. It's a wonderful roadmap to use for navigation & inspiration along your Hero's Journey & it's a tool I use often to help me find my way in uncertain times.

The Fool appears at the very beginning of a Tarot deck because beginnings are rarely neat or well-planned. They are often messy, disorienting, and charged with both hope &, fear. And yet, without the Fool’s willingness to step forward, no journey, personal or collective, can begin.

This blog also features art I’ve created over the years around The Fool & its presence in my own life. May this transmission of foolish inspiration support your own journey of Wonderment as you walk the ever-unfolding pathway of your becoming.

The Fool & Now

The Fool sets the Hero into place for the adventure that lay ahead, and within. The Fool is a happy wanderer on the journey of life; innocent & pure, unblemished & unspoiled by experience. The Fool is curious & alight with wonder, living spontaneously & gratefully alive with innocent fullness.

The Fool celebrates the constant newness of Now. The Fool does not ruminate on the past, nor fret about the future. The Fool lives in the fullness of this moment, in complete trust & faith.

Working with The Fool is a reminder that we are always experiencing. Each breath & each step starts us over again & again. This Now is always fresh & new. The Fool encourages us to remember this, even when the world feels heavy.

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 Imagery

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 depths....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 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 it. 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 great forces to activate in your inner being as you continue on the spiral journey of your life.

Trickster Energy

In many indigenous teachings, the Fool is associated with Trickster energy, which is often represented by Coyote or Raven medicine. Sometimes our beginnings are a result of things being shaken up, often times 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: 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 (and for so many others as well). I was just getting my bearings in my MiddleWorld Apprenticeship & with my new job in New York City...then Covid forced me into solitude and I sank deeply & rather comfortably into old isolation patterns.

When things started to open back up, I had a hard time emerging from my covid cave. Age had caught up with me and 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 realize it was time for me to work with the archetype of the Fool 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. That choice still matters. That imagination and courage are renewable resources. As we step into this new era, personally and collectively, the Fool & Wise Sage are not luxuries....they are necessities.,

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

• How is the Fool present in your life?

• What is beginning in your life now?

• What attitude or spirit do you need to go forth?

• What fears might you have of being the Fool?

• Where have you shrunk from life?

• What leap of faith is beaconing you forward?

• How has Coyote medicine stirred things up in your life lately?

• How is the Wise Sage present in your life?

Below is a page from my art journal about the Fool. Click here to read the poem I wrote and featured on this page.

If you would like to explore The Fool in a more embodied way, I encourage you to attend my upcoming playshop. Let’s stay connected as we walk this path.

Leap into your Hero's Journey

March 28, 2026 (on-line via zoom)

Click here for details and registration

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