by Karen Mann, SoulCollage® Facilitator
Seena Frost describes the Fool as an Interrupter or a Surpriser and who makes uninvited visits. “He sometimes enters life to bring a needed wake-up call. He turns things over and upside-down much to our dismay and bewilderment. He is never predictable, and he often has a sly sense of humour…” Frost says. The Fool comes in quickly and leaves again quickly. We may be left flat on our backs figuratively or literally, wondering what hit us.” (pg. 57)
Ellie Crystal explains that the Fool exists to question, to cause us to question and not to accept things blindly. He appears when our thinking becomes outmoded, needs to be torn down and built anew, as well as when we need to break out of old stereotypes. The Fool is the teacher who awakens us to who we are and allows us to explore the true purpose of our soul’s journey.
So from these descriptions, we can see that The Fool comes along to wake us up and bring something to our attention. The Fool wants to stop us in our tracks, wants us to change direction. The Fool also has a bit of a cheeky sense of humour.
One instance in my own life where the Fool came to visit me and shook me awake occurred about 5 years ago. When I had a car accident on the way to work at a job I hated. I was traveling on the freeway and it was raining. I was thinking about how unhappy I was and how much I really didn’t want to go to work that day when I had a near-miss with another car. As I swerved to avoid the car, my car hit oil patch on the wet road, spun around 360 degrees and came to a stop when I smashed into the concrete divider in the middle of the freeway. Amazingly I was not really hurt (some minor whiplash) and incredibly I did not hit any other cars on the freeway.
Why do I think this accident was the work of the Fool? Well there were a few of his key calling cards left at the “scene of the crime” which, in retrospect, I recognize as the handiwork of the Fool, working as a change agent.
- I was interrupted, spun around and left flat on my back- My car literally span around and I left the accident scene in an ambulance, lying flat on my back.
- A sense of humour was visible- Not only did the Fool spin me around literally, but also the metaphor of “hitting the wall” can not be ignored in this situation. The fool also mischievously granted my wish of not wanting to go to work today. (I can laugh now!)
- It caused me to question where I was going and my current thinking patterns and the true purpose of my soul’s journey! This “accident” was a catalyst for a lot of soul searching. As a direct result of my minor injuries I began seeing an energy healer/counselor who helped me overcome my resulting physical issues and then with whom I began addressing the larger questions in my life. Within 6 months I had left that job and began working in an area that was more supportive of my life’s purpose and soul’s journey.
- This was a major interruption, but no real harm touched me- It was also significant that in this instance, I was not really hurt, (just enough to slow me down and seek some assistance) and no-one else was affected. It definitely felt like a special message meant just for me.
Trust the Unfolding
I have made a SoulCollage® card that honours this incident and the transition that occurred as a result of this accident. I called this card “Trust the Unfolding” but also sometimes call it “Catalyst”. This card honours the work of the Fool, who instigated a huge shift in my life through this one incident. This accident was the catalyst for making some big changes in my life. I let go of old thought patterns about what sort of job I needed to be doing, and changed career direction. I am grateful for this interruption by the fool. I wouldn’t be where I am today without this wake up call.
Karen Mann is an artist, art teacher, Lifestyle Coach, yoga and meditation teacher, and SoulCollage® facilitator. Karen has been working with SoulCollage® cards for more than three years and facilitates a variety of SoulCollage® Groups. She also is a creativity coach and works one-on-one with people using SoulCollage® and a variety of other tools to encourage personal growth and creativity. Karen is based in Melbourne, Australia.