Musing on the Fool’s Journey: The Fool Meets the Heirophant

Fool Rider-Waite-Smith

(In today’s episode, the Fool runs afoul of the Heirophant. He is so busy that he is only able to visit the one Major Arcana. I think you will see why.)

The Fool burst out into the courtyard to find the Heirophant. As he passed the guards, his little dog woke up from its nap to join him.

“Where can I find the Heirophant?” He queried the guard to his left.

“Go straight through the town. Obey all the stop signs though.” The guard offered no other insight so the Fool gamboled out into the sunlit day. He bought a pastry from a cart before ambling down the thoroughfare. Sharing it with his faithful companion, he headed to the other side of town.

Because he wasn’t paying attention, the Fool walked right past a stop sign. He paused on the other side of the street in case someone saw him. When no one yelled, he grinned at his pup. “I guess we got away with that! C’mon! I see a big house. That must be the Heirophant’s place.”

An imposing gate greeted the pair. The Fool tried to open it but it was locked. “I’m sure I will find Will here, little dog. But how do I get in?”

He looked at the gate with his head tilted left. He stared at the gate with his head tilted right. He tried to gaze at the gate while standing on his head, but the white dog nipped at his nose making him laugh and fall over. The dog leapt at the wall holding the gate.

“What is that? It looks like a bell! Let’s push it and see what happens.” So the Fool leaned on the button.

“You may not enter until you have completed your task.” A sonorous voice rang out from no where making the Fool and his dog yip in surprise.

“Task? What task? I have no…” As the Fool spoke he whirled about seeking the source of the booming words. A parchment flew out of his bag. He grabbed it just before the dog snatched it up in his teeth. “OH! The Empress wanted me to give this to the Emperor.”

The Fool ran with his dog at his heels all the way to the other side of town. This time he obeyed all the signs. He gave the parchment and the message to a page who promised to deliver both to the Emperor. Then the Fool ran all the way back.

Ringing the bell again, he was rewarded by the gates silently swinging open. “Enter if you dare.”

The Fool chuckled as he patted his leg calling his dog to him.”Let us go and meet the man who will give us Will.”

The room the Fool entered was bare of any furniture save the chair a large stern faced man sat upon. Two people knelt in front of him. “Fool! You broke the law. How shall you pay for that?”

Scratching his head, the Fool replied, “I suppose you mean that time I didn’t stop. Can I just apologize and we can forget about it?”

“No,” rang the voice of the Heirophant. “You can’t just break a rule and pretend it didn’t happen. Rules are the very bones of our society. Without rules and restrictions, everything and everyone would fall apart. I am here to make sure the rules are obeyed.”

“But just this once?” The Fool wheedled a bit, but the Heirophant wouldn’t budge. He made the Fool write “I will obey the road rules” one hundred times before he would let him answer a question. Finally the Fool shook out his weary hand.

“All I want to know is,” he looked at the Heirophant and drew in a deep breath. “Can you help me find Will? The Magician said I had to have it.”

The Heirophant actually smiled as he answered, “I know you think I’m terrible and mean for making you write that phrase, but really I just want you to be safe, my little Fool. Without paying attention to these things, you might walk out in front of a chariot!”

Nodding the Fool saw his point and thanked him.

“But I do not have what you seek. I think you need to talk to the Eternal Couple next. They live in the next town over.”

Thanking the Heirophant again, the Fool set off for the next town.

Author: TarotByArwen

Arwen is the professional Joy Seeker. Her true calling is as a Professional Joy Seeker. She co-creates solutions with her clients to help them find their joy again. "Seek joy, y'all" is her motto. Her decks include The Fairy Tale Lenormand, Secrets of the Mystic Grove, Bianca Niero Tarot, the Elle Qui Oracle, and the Field Guide to Garden Dragons (all published by U.S. Games INC.). She is the author of 33 Days to Finish Your Book.

3 thoughts on “Musing on the Fool’s Journey: The Fool Meets the Heirophant”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *