The Fool's Journey - Traveling Through Tarot to Enlightenment (and the Therapist's Office)
When a person doesn't know where they're going, they end up exactly there... usually stubbing their toe along the way.
(Ps: This story is completely fictional, but that doesn't mean it COULDN'T be true…)
How I Became That Wacky Tarot Neighbor
It all started when I found my grandmother's old tarot deck in the attic. I didn't know much about tarot cards – except that they were "that witchy nonsense," as my father always used to say. The actual moment of discovery was less majestic, though: I spilled coffee on family photos dating back to the 1800s and was desperately trying to clean up the mess when the box clattered at my feet.
"Divine guidance," I thought. "Or just poor balance and too much caffeine."
The beautiful, ancient cards drew me in like a magnet, and soon I found myself sitting on the floor, cards spread around me as if I were preparing for the world's strangest game of solitaire.
The first card that caught my hand was, of course, The Fool. I looked at the card – a young man walking carelessly toward a cliff, gaze fixed on the sky, a dog barking at his heels. "Well, well, this is exactly me during mortgage negotiations!" I laughed to myself.
I didn't realize then that the tarot cards had just diagnosed me with an acute life crisis.
Tarot's Self-Mockery Course: Pay for One, Get Two Spiritual Awakenings
The next day, I decided to draw a guidance card "just for fun." The Magician. "Hmm, a magic hat and wand... does this mean I have supernatural powers?" I pondered aloud.
It did not. It meant I forgot to pay my electricity bill and had to work remotely from McDonald's because they had free wifi and power outlets. However, by the end of the day, I had mysteriously reorganized my workplace's entire filing system in a way that made 20 years of chaos suddenly make sense. There was indeed some magic in it – or maybe it was just that third double espresso.
The week rolled on, and I continued drawing cards. Each day brought a new card and a new tragicomedy performance:
The High Priestess – the day I thought I had received a cosmic insight into my ex-partner's behavior, but in reality, I had just forgotten to take my allergy medication and my "spiritual enlightenment" was due to a pollen reaction.
The Empress – I called my mother for the first time in months. "Have you gained weight?" was her first question. I found myself crying when she told me about old family photos. The Empress apparently symbolizes fertility – or in my case, that Ben & Jerry had been keeping me company during Netflix marathons.
The Emperor – the day I decided to take control of my life. I finally sorted out my tax return, paid that bill I'd been avoiding for three months, and in the evening ordered pizza because I was so exhausted from being responsible.
The Hierophant – I accidentally ran into an old university friend who pulled me into a philosophical discussion group. That evening, I contemplated the meaning of life more than I had since high school. The group met at a local beer pub, so the contemplation became more profound as the evening progressed. The next morning, the meaning of life boiled down to two words: "Never. Again. Jägermeister."
The "It's Just Coincidence" Paradox and Mark's Karma
"Wait, are you SERIOUS now? Do you believe that tarot cards guide your life?" asked my colleague Mark when I carelessly flashed my tarot deck during lunch break.
"I don't believe they guide anything," I explained. "But they give you a new perspective. Like getting someone else's glasses to wear each day."
"Complete nonsense," Mark snorted. "Next you'll be telling me that Venus in retrograde causes traffic jams on the ring road."
The next morning I drew The Chariot card. This is a card that depicts moving forward despite obstacles.
That same day:
- Me: I unexpectedly got a promotion, my project that had been stuck for weeks got the green light
- Mark: his car broke down on the highway, he got stuck in an elevator for two hours, missed an important meeting, and spilled coffee on his new shirt
"You don't really believe it was because of the cards, do you?" Mark asked the next day, with coffee-stained eyes.
"Of course not," I smiled innocently. "Maybe I should try those cards," Mark muttered.
I secretly left one card on his desk: The Tower – the card of complete destruction. Three hours later, the company's IT system crashed and Mark's presentation to the executive team was ruined.
Coincidence? Maybe. Incredibly funny? Absolutely.
When Tarot Reveals the Truth (and My Grandmother Reveals Even More)
My Fool's Journey continued through the major arcana like a comedy film where the protagonist constantly trips over their own feet:
Justice – the day I got a parking ticket. Twice. From the same parking lot. Within two hours. Justice is indeed blind – and apparently also deaf and mute, because my explanations had no effect.
The Hermit – I decided to cancel all my evening plans and stay home with deep thoughts. I planned to go to a bar but ended up watching 12 episodes of "Hamsters in the Wild" documentary series and fell asleep on the couch with chips on my stomach.
Wheel of Fortune – I bumped into an old friend on the street whom I hadn't seen in years. He told me he was starting a company and needed exactly my expertise. The same day, I accidentally met the high school basketball team captain, my crush from 15 years ago. He was now a balding insurance salesman with five children and a hobby of stamp collecting. Fate saved me from the terrible curse of teenage crushes and offered a new job opportunity on the same day!
I approached my grandmother by phone, who now lived in a nursing home on the other side of the country.
"Grandma, I found your old tarot cards. Have you always believed in them?"
"Believed?" she laughed. "My dear, they're not meant to be objects of belief. They're like a small mirror that lets you look at yourself and your life from different angles."
After a moment of silence, she continued: "...and on the other hand, they were your grandfather's, he was completely obsessed with them. I mainly used them to keep hot pots off the tablecloth."
Silence.
"...but did they work?" I asked hesitantly.
"Well, your grandfather predicted I would marry a handsome stranger. The next day I met a Norwegian fisherman who looked like a frog. We were married for 52 years. You decide if they work."
Fool 2.0: When the Cycle Begins Again (Now as an Even Bigger Fool)
From cliff to cliff I traveled through the remaining cards. The Fool's Journey is not linear – it's more like a bungee jump without the elastic cord.
The Hanged Man – the day I got stuck in the IKEA labyrinth for three hours and eventually found myself in the children's playhouse section eating crispbread I had brought along for emergencies.
Death – I found a year-old yogurt in my refrigerator and held a small funeral for it. At the same time, I updated my will.
Temperance – I decided to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Seven hours later, I ordered takeout and convinced myself that pizza is vegetarian food because tomato is a fruit.
The Devil – the day I ordered "just one thing" online and ended up buying three pairs of shoes, an air fryer, and a full-sized cardboard cutout of Ryan Gosling. Temptations... THEY. ARE. REAL.
The Tower – my computer hard drive crashed. The same day, a water pipe leaked and my phone fell into the toilet. To top it all off, there was a power outage, during which I ate all the melting ice cream from the fridge by candlelight.
But finally, as the great tarot story tells, the journey leads to the hope of The Star, the mysteries of The Moon, the clarity of The Sun, and ultimately the fulfillment of The World – before everything starts again from the beginning.
When I finally reached The World card – the last major arcana – I was certain my life was in perfect order.
Then the phone rang. Grandma had broken her hip trying to demonstrate "how we did the splits when I was young" at the nursing home. Her last words to me were:
"Your tarot deck... at the bottom... there's something important..."
I rushed home to examine the deck. At the bottom, I found one extra card.
It was a Lidl loyalty card from 1998.
And so began a new Fool's Journey – this time toward a therapist's office, where I explained with a straight face how tarot cards had both ruined and saved my life at the same time.
Toward a New Edge, Wearing the Fool's Cap
During my own Fool's Journey, I've learned that life is too unpredictable to take too seriously. Sometimes it's best to be like The Fool himself – looking at the sky, enjoying the journey, and trusting that even if there's a cliff ahead, flying is also possible.
And if you fall, at least on the way down you have time to think about which card you'll draw next.
In the words of my new therapist: "You've invested five sessions to talk about tarot cards when we could have been addressing your real problems." To which I responded by pulling The Fool card from my pocket and smiling: "But how do you know these aren't my real problems?"
PS. If you've ever wondered why life sometimes feels like you're walking blindfolded toward a cliff, try tarot cards. WARNING: side effects may include compulsive visits to card shops, friends disappearing after dinner parties (when you've predicted their upcoming divorce), and starting to call yourself "Mystic Master Mary-Ellen" to avoid parking tickets. But hey – at least you'll always have a good excuse when you're late for work: "Sorry, I drew the Death card this morning, had to sort out my will."