The Fool’s Journey

On letting go, carelessness, and fear

When asked to choose a Tarot card we most relate to for a reading, most folks choose one of the court cards, the nurturing mother Queen of Cups (who I do relate to on a personal level), the successful leader King of Pentacles, or maybe the charismatic Knight of Wands. But the figure that most resonates with my life is The Fool.

Not to be confused with a bumbling court jester or a slapstick comedian, the Fool is more subtle, and the Fool’s Journey is a lesson in discovering ourselves and our place in the world. It’s a lesson in trust and being open to opportunities we didn’t know existed.

If you’ve studied the Tarot, you know that The Fool represents new beginnings, adventure, and freedom. The Fool also represents carelessness and lack of commitment. The lesson of the Fool is to let go of control, and in doing so, you will be open to creating your best life. Kind of counterintuitive, but true nonetheless.

So why do I relate to The Fool in my life? Let me tell you a story…

I didn’t start out thinking I would follow the Fool’s Journey and create an amazing life. It’s only in looking back that I see how my adult life took that direction.

I started out being quite careless and totally without commitment. I left home at 17, chose not to go to college, and by 18 I had walked out of a job (yup, got my first paycheck, left at lunch to cash it, and never went back), then drove to Las Vegas that night. I had no direction, only a need to leave where I was. Careless and reckless.

At one point, I did actually throw a dart at a map and Richmond, VA became my next destination (where, I might add, I eventually got married and had kids).

Much of my adult life has been these types of events. I sort of “fell into” a career in accounting and finance… that lasted about 7 years. Then I became a stay at home mom of twins, so I started a business in direct sales. That lasted (pretty successfully) for about 12 years. The business evolved into coaching, writing, course creation, and teaching. I just followed it wherever it led me, shifting from one focus to another based on where life led me. And here I am now.

Where I got stuck was trying to control it. Even now, if I think I know the direction I should be going, things stall out and don’t go as planned. But, when I let go of trying to control it, and just watch and listen to what shows up around me and follow those clues, things evolve to the next stage. (Ah, the magic of Human Design! Now I know better.)

What’s love got to do with it?

Nope, I’m not channeling Tina Turner, and it’s not so much about love, but the opposite of love: FEAR. We try to control things out of fear. But, if we relinquish control and follow the signs that are around us, we will find ourselves opened up to the opportunities meant for us. It’s like following a trail of breadcrumbs.

The universe is leaving these breadcrumbs for us to find and pick up. Unlike Hansel and Gretel who thought they could secure their path by leaving their own trail of breadcrumbs to follow back home (that didn’t work out so well, the birds came and ate all the breadcrumbs leaving them stranded, but that’s another topic for another day) the universe leads us to people, events, and opportunities for us to explore and see how they might integrate into our lives.

Getting back to fear…

There are different types of fear and they all stem from different insecurities and how we respond to them. Control is a mask for the fear of the unknown. We try to build a sense of comfort around us in order to force an outcome that we are comfortable with. We try to lay a path (of breadcrumbs) to get to where we think we need to be, rather than following any of the open paths and opportunities the universe is providing for us.

Here’s another story:

There was a man stranded in a flood who prayed to be saved. As the floodwaters rose, a boat came by but the man said, “I’m fine, God will save me”, and he kept praying. Then a helicopter came by to lift him out, but the man said, “no I’m fine, God will save me”. Eventually the man drowned. When he met God after death, he asked God why he wasn’t saved. God replied, “I sent you a boat and a helicopter.”

The man had a preconceived notion of what being saved would look like and ended up ignoring the very clear signs he was given. He had built a comfort zone of prayer and what he thought the outcome should look like.

We often ignore the signs and paths that open up to us because we aren’t willing to let go of our preconceived notions and comfort zones.

So how does this all tie together?

The Fool doesn’t cling to expectations. He knows he’s on a journey and brings only what he needs in a small pack. Rather than focusing down on a narrow path, he looks up and around as he walks. Might he step off a cliff? Possibly. Might he wander into a beautiful town and meet amazing people? Possibly.

With the eyes of a child, being open to the adventure that is out there, and trust in the skills you already possess, you open yourself to experiences you don’t even know exist. When we are too focused on what we think is around the corner and where we think we need to be, we miss out on the hints around us that will lead us to adventures we might never imagine.

It may seem careless or frivolous, but that’s our fear talking.

Next week, we’ll explore the archetypes of fear and what role they play in our lives.

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Speaking of fear… writing is a labor of love for me (cliché, I know, but until I’m getting paid enough to quit the day job…). I took one step recently and that was to drop one day a week from the job which reduces my income, but allows more time for writing.

Now, you don’t know any of this unless I tell you and ask for your support. So, facing my fears, I’m asking for your support:

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Any and all of these support the community and are small steps closer to helping me realize my dream of quitting the day job and seeing where life takes me next! Thank you for reading and your support 🙏🏻