“You are about to go on a journey…” said my psychospiritual therapist as she pulled ‘The Fool’ as the first card of my tarot reading*. If you have ever heard of tarot cards or readings you already understand the meaning of ‘The Fool’ but for those of you who don’t, it’s not the kind of fool we relate with stupidity or naivety, but The Fool who opens themselves to new experiences and beginnings so change can be invited in. Okay… maybe a little bit of naivety… because without some blind trust taking a leap of faith can feel like a plunging death! After all it is The Fool who takes a leap of faith but it is also The Fool who leaves themselves open to a world of possibilities.
When you have felt stuck or trapped for so long, hopelessness becomes your ally. We find ourselves repeating patterns because it’s what we know and the mind interprets it as safe and familiar. But often times we find ourselves in a dissonance between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours - we feel unhappy and unsatisfied because we are stuck in something that doesn’t align but we feel fear and hopelessness to make any change. We want to move forward in our life but we question what that is or where to start. And even if we make it over that hurdle, fear can intervene physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally.
Thoughts sound like ‘this is a bad idea’.
The body responds with symptoms of panic or complete shutdown.
Emotionally we feel lost, or hopeless and spiritually we question why.
And all this fear does is perpetuate the current state of your life. Confusing right?!
If you read the previous blog ‘inviting change’ you’ll understand that change is not a simple behaviour but it’s seen as a threat to our sense of self. We operate as survival mechanisms so taking actions and behaviours with an unknown result is seen as dangerous, not to mention incredibly scary. Before I made a drastic change in my life I found I was caught in a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts, emotions and behaviours. I questioned everything; who I was, where I was going in life and if could I live my life feeling this way anymore - a space many of us find ourselves in. The questioning, the analysing, the trying to figure out ‘why’ became so loud that one day I just lost it. I completely felt like I hit rock bottom. But it was in this moment that the noise became quiet. And it became clear that for a long time I was my own barrier. It took me a long time to understand that this wasn’t about blaming myself or feeling shame, but recognising how our wounds, traumas, and beliefs create blocks that prevent us from making change. But at some point we have to take responsibility and make a choice. And when I removed self-blame, acknowledged my traumas and barriers, that’s when I heard. We do everything we can to run away from discomfort - spending, indulging, over-analysing, rationalising, over-doing. But the key is to sit in discomfort long enough to hear what it has to say.
So, from a psychological lens, being The Fool invites a willingness to go beyond the familiar ego structures - the identities, narratives, and defences that we learned keep us ‘safe’. It invites cognitive flexibility, learning to expand our thoughts and exercise our capabilities. It’s a softening of the ego, that part of us that tells us ‘we need to have everything figured out’. Psychologically, we are creating openness in our thoughts, ideas and possibilities.
A yogic lens might suggest what we call aparigraha and ishvara pranidhana which is non-attachment and surrender. Being The Fool explores the idea of releasing control and surrendering to whatever happens next. It’s inviting an openness to learn to breathe and be in discomfort while learning to detach from what keeps you feeling stuck.
Spiritually, or if you feel more comfortable referring to it as just another point of view, The Fool brings an energy of openness, trust, and expansion. It’s the part of us that existed before we labelled ourselves.
Let me pose a thought for you…
When you reflect on your current state what is more difficult - taking a leap of faith with the possibility of many outcomes or staying in the same situation prolonging your current state of thoughts and emotions?
It’s a trick question because both are difficult. The question is, which one am I choosing? At some point, we have to take responsibility for our actions. Making a change is scary, but isn’t staying exactly where you are just as scary?
It’s about taking that leap forward without certainty. It’s about differentiating between the panic and that deeper inner voice or wisdom that will really tell you if what you are about to do next is really a threat or whether it’s just fear. And maybe I was a fool, but giving myself permission to be The Fool allowed me to change the course of my life. It opened me up to new paths and new possibilities. And don’t get me wrong these paths weren’t free from pain, heartache, loss or mistakes, but they were new challenges that allowed me to create new connections, grow in different areas of my life and and opened me to experiences I once thought weren’t possible. My leap of faith led me on a 12 month journey around the globe where I created enough space for myself to discover that what we are looking for is often found within. I know you want to hear more of this 12 month venture and don’t worry it’s coming! But it’s important to set the stage and understand that big life changes are difficult and often it takes a lot of breaking down the mould we once lived in to create space for a whole new mould to take shape.
Some of us experience a longing, or a calling, to something else. And I’m not saying its a global journey whereby you leave everything behind, but maybe it’s leaving a job that you’ve felt unsatisfied in, or a relationship that no longer feels right for you or perhaps it’s just a nudge to move in a different direction in your life. The thing is you just have to get quiet enough to hear it.
So I wonder:
What do you notice when fear arises in you?
What beliefs, identities or narratives do you hold that act as a barrier?
If you allowed yourself to be The Fool, what leap of faith would you take?
And if you took that leap of faith, what might be the worst thing to happen? What might be the best?
Love,
WYSEbymonique
*Tarot reading is an intuitive and reflective practice that use symbolic imagery and archetypes to mirror your subconscious thoughts, emotions, and patterns. Through intuitive guidance and reflection, tarot reading can support a new perspective, access your inner wisdom and bring unconscious material into conscious awareness to create space for healing, clarity and aligned action. Tarot also incorporates an energetic level, tuning into your individual energy. It’s not for everyone so if it’s not for you that’s okay! The message of The Fool is knowing when it’s time in your life to make a change and taking that leap of faith to start a new chapter.