Tap Into Mysterious Forces: Week 3 with Tarot's Fool

Welcome to week three of The Fool's Journey, from Tarot. When we first met him, we saw that The Fool is a lot like us when we start our magnificent quest to write a book (although it seems fair to call ourselves Sojourners, since we've thought about this journey a bit, or a lot). Filled with excitement and possibility, The Fool takes off on his journey, relying on the little dog at his heels to keep him from stepping off a cliff in his enthusiasm. The journey will be exciting, scary, arduous and fruitful. There will be 21 encounters with powerful forces along the way. From each encounter The Fool will learn more about his true path to achievement, and we're traveling with him, like a third-person pov camera sitting on his shoulder, to see what he sees, feel what he feels, and best of all, learn what he learns. (For those interested in the story from the beginning, links to previous posts are at the bottom of this entry.)

After a narrow escape from nearly stepping off a cliff into the void, followed by a fascinating encounter with The Magician, who reveals to The Fool that he carries all the tools he needs in the pack on his staff to do and be whatever he wants, The Fool gathers his tools back into his pack and sets off once again. Where, he's not sure, but he's on a path, and does know that it will take him where he needs to go. Day fades into evening, and as the warmth and brightness of the sun that shone on The Magician yield to mysterious dusk, he rounds a corner and comes upon a deeply serene and wise figure sitting upon a complex throne. She is The High Priestess.

The High Priestess sits between two pillars, one black and one white (negation and beginning), with a pomegranate (secret knowledge) curtain behind her. She holds an ancient scroll (arcane information), and there are two moons—one in the crown of Isis she wears and the other a crescent at her feet, that illuminate her. Talk about symbolism! And, she knows everything there is to know about The Fool. He is aware of this, absolutely, without her uttering a word.

The Fool lays out his tools at her feet. "The Magician showed me these," he says, "and I know I can use them to achieve success, but there are so many things I can do! I don't know which is the best choice." She gazes at him silently, but not coldly.

"You know so much about me," he goes on, "could you help me? Tell me which to choose?" He sits at her feet and opens himself to her teachings.

"Take these," she says, and hands him two ancient scrolls. "They will teach you how to decide."

The Fool reads them by the light of her crescent moon. Finally, he knows enough to decide what he wants, where to go and what to do. He is filled with energy and can't bear to wait a minute longer before he resumes his journey, although he's quite sure there are many more things The High Priestess could tell him. Those pomegranates, that curtain. He instinctually feels their power, and he's right, because they lead to the deepest, most esoteric and secret knowledge of all.

He's apparently not ready for that yet, because off he goes, impatient to reach the next bend in his path. But as he leaves, he notices that there's water bubbling up from beneath the High Priestess' throne and he hears her rich, smoky voice whisper, "We'll meet again, when you're ready to travel the most secret path."

Intrigued (but let's be honest, more than a little freaked out), he strides on, anxious to make his future real.

Okay, so now, thanks to hours of meditating in a darkened room with only flickering candles, images of the River Styx, and a deep voice from within to keep him company (er, I mean The High Priestess' secret knowledge about how life's mysteries unfold), he's got a plan for what to do with at least one of those ideas The Magician revealed to him. I'm thinking he's feeling pretty good, kind of cocky, knowing how to get from point A to point B, with a general sort of idea of what comes after Plot Point One (oops, I mean point B). But there's something nagging at my mind, something about that hidden knowledge that The High Priestess didn't reveal. Without that, can he know what awaits him on his journey? Should we worry?(He's obviously a panster, not an outliner! Hmmm.)

We'll get a glimpse of what's in store next week, when The Fool steps into the golden light of a new day and experiences an overwhelming sense of abundance just out of reach, which, he realizes, is emanating from the magnificent figure in front of him, The Empress.

~Linda

Links to earlier Fool's Journey posts:  0: The Fool, and 1: The Magician

My interpretation of The Fool's Journey as it applies to the writing life is my own, but the journey itself is long-established information from a variety of sources.  Those I've relied on most heavily are: TAROT BASICS by Burger & Fiebig, AECLECTIC TAROT by Thirteen, and EVERYDAY TAROT by Fairfield.