A New Fool's Journey

What a tender week, dear readers! If you remember, we had the Two of Cups in the center of our spread last week. There, it was bridging the gap between the overthinking-induced paralysis of the Eight of Cups and the follow-through of the Nine of Wands. Thankfully, we’re out of that headspace this week and in a cozier realm animated by love, connection, and the holiness of a new beginning.

It’s big news to have The Fool in the picture. This card is the first in the entire tarot deck and, as the number zero, serves as an avatar, a main character through which we can understand the entire array of images, symbols, and stories in the following cards. When it appears in a reading, I always see a reset. Not just as a new beginning, but also as a new opportunity to recast ourselves as the hero of our own life: Intrepid, charming, brave, and foolish enough to risk falling.

Because we had the Two of Cups last week, it’ll be worthwhile to look back on the past few days to see clues of the new beginning unfurling in your life. While these cards are decidedly romantic, this feeling of love and entrancement doesn’t have to appear in relationships with other people. Consider the relationships you have to work, your values, creativity, and spirituality. Where do you reach out and where are you being met, either by another person or opportunity, warmth, and a feeling of satisfaction?

Mary Elizabeth Evans, the creator of the Apparition Tarot deck we’re using for this spread, has chosen to use two hands clasped together to illustrate the Two of Cups, and I’m taken in by these themes of entertaining, embrace, comfort, and meeting. Where have you been extending yourself out of true, heartfelt authenticity? And where have these gestures been met with reciprocity - received, appreciated, another hand reaching out to grasp your own?

There’s a spring-like rejuvenation at work here and the possibility that a small step (or steps) is leading you towards something pivotal and consequential. The Fool is not a small card. We have to do some editing to step into its space - this is a time to travel lightly, and maybe some of the mental angst of the past few weeks (looking at you, Eight of Swords) was in service of really understanding and relinquishing our excess baggage. This week, in contrast, is a time to move beyond the healing and analysis and into action. The Fool requires trust. Not naive trust that you can avoid suffering in life, but trust that you can handle what growth requires. Mustering bravery when it comes to expanding beyond your current capacities - believing in a world where things work out and are brilliant and bright - is our prerogative this week. It’s worth looking foolish when you’re reaching for something meaningful.

Be on alert for new opportunities, but above all practice trusting your instincts and the natural trajectory of your life. The Two of Cups has been following us for the past two weeks for a reason: we have allies in this journey, and our relationships will be helpful resources as we step into this new chapter. Solicit support and advice for friends, open up, and try to see yourself through the eyes of the ones who love you.

All of this, as you might be noticing, is heady stuff. We end the week in the wary and weary shoes of the Four of Cups. This card is making me laugh with its illustration of someone who is decidedly over it. I’m seeing this two ways. One, that we might get fatigued by newness and numbed out by the vastness of what’s opening up in us. Retreating from extra stimulation is okay so long as we don’t downplay or disparage the important work we’re doing. Retreat to rest, fine. Retreat to avoid, no so much.

Another possibility is that part of our opening up via The Fool is requiring us to sift through our emotional experience. What cups have been helping us? Which have been emptied and are no longer useful? I’m sensing the possibility that past disappointments could color our current perceptions of reality, in which case it’ll be wise to avoid taking our dissatisfaction, numbness, or ennui at face-value, especially if it’s push us towards inaction or self-isolation. There’s the possibility that grief may come up as we step into this new chapter, yet ultimately The Fool and this present moment is about moving forwards nonetheless. Keep a tender eye towards yourself, but don’t stop moving forward.