the Fool

Have you ever wanted to do something crazy, or out of your realm but didn't because you were afraid of what the outcome would be?  Or maybe you were concerned with what others would think or *gasp*, "what if I embarrassed myself?"

What if you could do the above without consequences?  Or to put it more simply, what if you could do the one thing you always wanted to do without over planning, over thinking or overanalyzing?  Just go with the flow, step off the cliff and accept whatever comes your way.

I became interested in the tarot many years ago.  I can still remember getting my first deck, the Rider Waite, and being amazed at how all the colors and symbols seemed to come alive and pop off the cards.  I don't use the Tarot for fortune telling rather more as a way to see a situation more clearly much like someone might use praying or meditating to sort through things. And yes, I do read for other people.

                                The Fool from Rider-Waite by Waite and Smith, 1909

The Fool has always been one of my favorites (although I tend to say that about all 78 cards).  The Fool is 0 but you can also think of it as unnumbered.  I have always interpreted the number 0 as a clean slate, a new beginning, void of baggage (woohoo!).   In the Rider-Waite image (see above), you see a man about to step off a cliff.  He holds a white flower and a hobo pack sits on his shoulder.  Does the pack hold your past?  A white dog is at his feet perhaps warning him that he is about to take a big step which will result in falling or perfect spontaneity.  The Fool is a wanderer, a traveler, an explorer.

I have been acting the fool of late in my RL.  Nothing completely insane or worthy of a best seller but I am definitely stepping out my realm and the results are quite sweet. One mild example is I started running (again) and am thinking of doing several 10ks over the summer but I immediately have thoughts such as "What if I'm the last to finish?" or "What if I have to walk?"  Over thinking can often prevent you from doing things you really want to do.  So what if I don't finish?  I'm not doing it to be the first through the finish line.  I'm running because I love it and it's pure awesomeness!

Could you be more foolish in your life?  Can you do things on a whim or go on instinct alone?  In your relationships?  In your career?  Of course, you can be the Fool to an extreme and all those wonderful traits will backfire on you.  I have several people in my life who are complete flakes.  They drive me crazy!  They are literally being a fool and not caring about the consequences or the effect it has on others.  So go with your heart.  You don't always have to be foolish but we all need to take a risk once in awhile and be free and be nothing (remember that the number "0" is blank, empty, nothing). The hard part is deciding if the time is right for taking that risk.

Questions to ask:  Could you be more foolish about life (second life, first life or whatever life)?  Could you benefit from more spontaneity?  Should you take that step off the cliff without thinking what lies below or ahead?

Places
Crater Lake
Dark Moon

Fashions
dress: Yome Shojo, *ooo*sun
skin: Yome Shojo, *rave2*yellow