To the inexperienced reader, drawing The Fool card can make you feel . . . well, foolish.
But there’s more to this lucky little card than meets the eye.
In fact, there’s good reasons to get excited about The Fool—without him, we’d never brave the uncertainty it takes to learn something new or explore the uncharted parts of your soul.
Stumble over an unknown cliff with this wily little character in the tarot.
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Understanding the misunderstood in the tarot.
I’ve written at length about some of the most misunderstood cards in the tarot.
From the Death card to the Devil card, some draws are so misinterpreted, people often avoid using the tarot all together just because of them.
As a reader, how many times have you offered to do someone’s cards, only to hear:
“I don’t mess with the tarot! What if I draw the Death card?”
Of course, experienced readers know that the Death card doesn’t equal literal physical death. But to those with little knowledge of the tarot, it can be understandably unsettling.
The Fool card rarely inspires the same kind of dread or apprehension, but it tends to make querents cringe. No one likes feeling foolish. The label seems quite harsh and one that readers tend to immediately soften.
But to really get the most out of this draw, you need to lean into this discomfort.
We all need to play The Fool sometimes.
Typically pictured obliviously stepping over a cliff, the character in this card tends to appear blind to his surroundings. Blissfully careening towards disaster, he remains the picture of serenity.
Take a moment to think about how many times you stood in his shoes.
The birth of your first child. A new job. Moving to an unfamiliar place. The start of your marriage or college career.
If you really think about it, the Fool symbolizes some of the most joyous and pivotal moments in our lives.
The thing to remember about all of it is that we have no idea what we’re doing at the beginning, and that’s a truly amazing thing.
What to tell a client (or yourself) when you draw The Fool.
Whenever I draw a more misconstrued card for a client, they tend to look at me to read my reaction.
Pay attention. You’ll notice the same thing.
So the first thing I do is make sure my reaction to that card is a positive one. I immediately light up when I see the Fool.
“Ah, the Fool! You’re about to start on a new and exciting adventure.”
Then I ask questions.
“What are you looking forward to right now? What would shock you to know about yourself? Are you trying to learn something new?”
I like to point out that in order to grow, we always need first to be willing to play the fool. If you haven’t recently looked around and found yourself the most incompetent person in the room with the least amount of knowledge, you probably aren’t stretching yourself.
So go ahead. Make a fool of yourself. It might be the very best thing you ever do for your personal growth.
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