As the first Full Moon of the year rounds itself to us in all its glory, I feel a call to go all the way back to the beginning. Perhaps it's a call to start new beginnings as the new year begins, or perhaps it’s purely just the energy I keep feeling everywhere I go, lately it's been a lot of playful trickster energy. Either way I have decided to start the new years full moon blog with the first card in the deck, card #0 we have “The Fool”, my friends and foes.
Many people aren’t familiar with the history and story behind tarot, but the whole deck is actually a story following a man as he shifts and changes as a person, and also the many kinds of people, opportunities, struggles, and experiences in general we commonly face in our lives.
The Fool is thought to be the genuine spirit of Tarot, as he is capable of being both the wild lunatic and the wise elder. The Fool shows us openness and playfulness that is childlike and full of curiosity and wonder, with such openness you allow a lot of space to create or draw in manifestations. Now the negative, if left unchecked is The Fool is also a reminder of just that- baby you're being naïve and straight foolish! This card is really important to read with the other cards placed with it in the spread, as it is
such a fluid sword, easily slicing left or right. Whether it is upright or reversed can also help depict this card, but sometimes it still gets tricky so I love to pull a second card to clarify if I ever pull a Fool in a single card spread.
The Fool card- like any card, will shape shift throughout the different decks artist and deck styles, but the meaning stays the same, the symbols we look for- will stay more or less the same as well. In the rider-waite tarot deck we see The Fool as a happy-go-lucky gentleman (merely a placeholder of “mankind”, I assure you) who carries a red knapsack tied to a stick, walking along seeming relaxed and content. A small white dog follows him, barking and it appears he has one foot about to step forward, leading him towards a cliff's edge. The knapp sack in red is symbolic for all his material things, his physical presence having all his belongings with him- his “belongings” being the suites, his strengths and weaknesses, his character and “tools” for success being always with him to aid. The small white dog is symbolic of purity and intuition, its barking to let him know danger is ahead, danger being the cliff- but this dog is present for us as well. The Fool card can show up to let you know there's recklessness about to happen, or that you are taking excessive risks or risks that perhaps won't work out for the better!
When the Fool card is presented in a reading upright it can mean new beginnings, or a new adventure is waiting. It represents innocence, playfulness, and a free spirit energy, but its shadow side is recklessness, naivety, and ignorance to what may be right in front of you. When pulling a second card for clarification on The Fool card, I like to pull the first card off the top, or if there was a card that followed the card almost out- that one always calls my attention and feels like a gentle nudge from the ancestors. Once you pull really try to find the similarities between the two cards, and leave space for you to check in with your gut! I will physically put a hand on my gut and ask out loud what I feel about it and it's amazing what starts to surface!
To wrap it up like a cheesy burrito- The Fool is a call to Openness, and to start a new adventure with a fresh heart, but during your playful exploration do not forget about your entire knapsack of tools (mind, body, spirit) and your little white dog (intuition) when playing and exploring! Do not be that guy to climb the mountain in crocs when you’ve got boots in the bag! Also trust yourself! You are a creature of stardust and you are entirely more cosmic than this world wants you to know! If your gut says “uhh” or “woah wait”- listen to it, trouble may be right ahead!
For those of you with T
arot cards at home, I want you to try something tonight under the fool moon.
I want you to find a cozy, comfy spot with your cards and sit comfortably with them shuffling gently within your palms. Take 3 deep breaths (and Bitch I mean deeeeep), clear your mind and heart with what isn't deeply endowed there already. Then when you feel grounded and cleared, I want you to call to the moon for a message you need to receive (nice and loud for the moons in the back now ya hear?). After you do this I want you to keep saying it in your mind as you cut and shuffle the deck 3 times. Once you have done so, flip them over and find where The Fool in your deck is. The card touching the back of The Fool card is what is holding you back/hindering you from your path, and the card in front of the The Fool (touching the picture side) is what you need to take on, what will help you upon your path.
If you wanted to message me on Instagram, or comment on this post on there with what you found out with this exercise or your own findings in general with The Fool card- I would love to hear it, feel it and know it!
Stoked to hear from you guys,
Sincerely Suki Suxen