The Fool is both the beginning and the end of the archetypical journey of the soul through the major arcana. In this eWorkshop you will be working with your own inner Fool – the one who is open and trusting and ready for the adventure. You will be making a treasure map using the cards you pull in this Fool’s spread. There are journaling prompts about the spread and some art tips.
Supplies
• A tarot deck.
• A journal – I suggest using a sturdy multi-media sketchbook (I use Stathmore Visual Journal)
• A map – can be an old road map or one found in National Geographics or you can create one.
• Art supplies: glue, gesso, pens and pencils, pastels, paint, colored pencils, collage pictures, rubber stamps etc. You don’t need to purchase these, just use what you have.
• Tarot images. You can print photocopies of the cards you pull or use a tarot deck that you no longer use for readings. You can also create your own tarot cards using collage, drawing or painting.
Tarot Spread for the Fool’s journey
Before doing this spread make sure you will be undisturbed, light a candle or what ever might enhance the sacredness of this time.
Select all the major arcana cards in your tarot deck.
Take a few deep breaths and ground yourself.
Shuffle the twenty-two major arcana and then look through the deck to find The Fool. Select the FOOL and two cards on either side of the fool. These are the GUIDES.
While shuffling the remaining 19 major arcana cards, ask yourself what direction do you need to follow, pull a card to show you the WAY.
Shuffle the remaining major arcana cards and ask what the TREASURE is, pull a card to reveal this jewel.
Your five-card spread will have: the Fool, two Guides, the Way and the Treasure.
The Fool’s Journey through the major arcana
As the Fool travels through the major arcana she/he either encounters these archetypes or embodies their
lessons.
- The Magician – the masculine spark of life, the creator.
- The High Priestess – the initiator, the Divine mother.
- The Empress – the nurturing, earthly mother.
- The Emperor – the supportive father.
- Hierophant – the teacher.
- The Lovers – union with another.
- The Chariot – makes her way in the world.
- Strength – the courage to align with one’s mission.
- The Hermit – breaks free from external forces to look within.
- Wheel of Fortune – the ups and downs that life brings.
- Justice – recognising that every action has a re-action.
- Hanged Man – sees life from above, surrendering to a greater power.
- Death – comes to terms with endings, sees it as necessary for transformation.
- Temperance – the creative force is awakened.
- The Devil – looks at inner demons and what holds him down.
- The Tower – the shattering of old paradigms, release.
- The Star – hope, new possibilities, the cosmos aligns to support her.
- The Moon – at one with the rhythms of nature
- The Sun – radiates her gifts out to the world
- Judgement – self-realization, what he believes, he receives.
- The World – becomes one with all – enlightened.
Art Project
Glue the map into your journal or onto a sheet of paper. I used two facing pages as my journal is small. If you are creating a map you can do a general background of muted colors – ochre, brown, green, maybe even some blue.
I used a paper towel to apply gesso over the slick surface of the map and quickly wiped it off so that I could still see the map but it was partially obscured. You can also use thin white paint to get the same effect. This might cause your paper to unstick so you can do this step first.
Paste down the cards, photo copies or collaged images that represent the five major arcana cards from your spread.
Connect the cards by drawing a path, road or river. Have fun adding imagery such as bridges, tunnels, forests, deserts, lakes, compasses….
Use the art supplies you have to embellish your map.
I applied pastels around the edges, rubbing it in with a paper towel so it would not smudge.
Title the page and add the date.
Writing
Take a moment to tune into how your inner Fool feels. Find that playful, trusting self. Using your non dominant hand describe this part of yourself, maybe which has long been buried and has been waiting for this opportunity. Surrender to the awkwardness of forming the letters with the hand you don’t normally write with. Journaling with our non-dominant hand will access the Fool’s innocent state of mind and reveal to us the way to proceed to
uncover the treasure of self-realization.
Switching to your dominant hand write from the Guides point of view. They are the wise ones who are here to help you. Let their advice stream out without editing it. Trust their voices.
Alongside the card you selected for the Way, describe which path you are being directed towards. The card brings you clues.
Explain what the treasure is and what that means to you as the Fool. There are gifts in all the cards even if it is not immediately apparent, open yourself to the hidden jewels.
PDF
For a downloadable PDF click The Fool’s journey – a treasure map
Sharing
If you would like to share your pages or just your thoughts please join the Facebook Tarot Visual Journaling Group.
I hope this workshop will be a fun, playful experience of mapping your way through the Fool’s journey.
Lisa de St. Croix