The Fool
For the first time in many years, I am not teaching a course this summer. Instead of standing in the role of teacher, I have chosen to return to the role of student. I’ve enrolled in a tarot certification course through the Jung Platform—marking the beginning of a formal education in applying Jungian concepts to tarot practice. To commemorate this journey, I’ve committed to writing about the tarot each day. It seems only fitting to begin with The Fool.
The Fool’s energy is one of openness, courage, faith, and optimism. Represented by the number “0,” The Fool symbolizes both nothingness and wholeness. Nothingness evokes boundlessness, while wholeness suggests completion—the two complement one another. The Fool moves beyond the limits of institutions and into the vast world of the inner mind, suggesting that there is virtue in stepping into the unknown without the constraints or guidance of the social world.
It’s not lost on me that The Fool is inviting me to do something I am typically uncomfortable with: to step outside the ordinary path society has laid out for me. I followed the traditional route through higher education—earning a bachelor’s, master’s, and eventually a doctorate in social work.
This path was likely shaped by a deeply embedded cultural belief: “There is one right way to do things, and once people are introduced to the right way, they will see the light and adopt it” (Jones & Okun, 2001). Such a belief has often fueled my fear of the unknown. As Rachel Pollack (2019) asks, “Why look into the deep world of the mind when you can stay safely in the ordinary landscape of job, home, and family?” To be clear, studying social work has greatly enhanced my understanding of self and others—especially during my doctoral work, which explored the world of the mind through psychoanalytic theory. That structured experience laid the foundation for me to begin stepping beyond the ordinary path.
Now, as I enter the second half of life, I’ve become increasingly aware of how the cultural forces of white supremacy, capitalism, misogyny, and Catholicism have contributed to my disconnection from my inner world. For years, I received the message that I am most valuable when in service to others. I’ve been praised for doing the “right” thing and following rules shaped by dominant power structures. While I am working to dismantle these beliefs within myself, I also recognize how I’ve benefited from participating in these systems. Yet paternalism and perfectionism have not served me well; I continue to struggle with fully experiencing my own sense of agency.
There is freedom in the months ahead. I am free from the responsibilities of teaching graduate social work students and everything that entails. I am free to embark on a quest—one that increasingly feels spiritual in nature—through the study of tarot.
I’ve affectionately named this time “The Summer of Bruce and Kara.” Bruce, my beloved 15-year-old dog, mirrors the energy of the dog depicted in The Fool. He embodies the forces of nature that are beyond my control, and I’ve learned to yield to his needs. Each day, he reminds me to slow down, to rest, and to honor the limits of the physical body—and the cycles of birth, death, and rebirth.
The Fool carries a small bag, representing all the wisdom accumulated through life experience, education, and relationships. The black wand in hand is a symbol of power and potential—the belief that anything is possible. It is a wand of fire: a readiness to act without overthinking. Yet The Fool also calls upon instinct and imagination, often associated with the suit of Cups and the element of water. Together, fire and water become transformative.
As I embark on a deeper journey of self-understanding through the study of tarot, I find myself wondering what this openness to life will yield. The Fool offers not only a symbolic starting point, but a framework for embracing uncertainty, resisting rigidity, and stepping beyond the boundaries of socially prescribed roles. This practice is not simply the acquisition of esoteric knowledge; it is an invitation to return to the inner authority of the self—to gather the disavowed aspects of the self and to reintegrate them with greater intentionality.
In choosing to turn inward, to listen more closely to intuition and imagination, I am reclaiming a dimension of agency that has long been muted by perfectionism, productivity, and external validation. The Fool reminds me that agency is not defined solely by achievement or control, but also by the capacity to trust, to respond creatively, and to remain open to transformation. In this way, tarot becomes both a method of inquiry and a means of liberation—guiding me toward a fuller, more integrated expression of self.
References
Jones, K., & Okun, T. (2001). White supremacy culture. In dismantling racism: A workbook for social change groups. ChangeWork.
Pollack, R. (2019). Seventy-eight degrees of wisdom: A tarot journey to self-awareness (40th anniversary ed.). Weiser Books.
