What Does the Fool Tarot Card Have in Common With Being a New Parent?
When you are a brand new mom or parent, you are entering unfamiliar territory!
When you think of the Fool tarot card and being a brand new parent, that is a perfect representation!
So let’s talk about the Fool and go over a tarot lesson, then go on about what it is like to be a brand new mom, as I am ready to go down memory lane here (which at first was highly unpleasant).
The Fool Tarot Card
The Fool is the first tarot card of the Major Arcana deck. However, even though the Fool is the first tarot card in the deck, the number assigned to this card is 0. Uranus is the planet associated with this card.
That is because the Fool has unlimited potential, and he represents a young and innocent individual who is ready to learn what there is to learn and to experience new things.
The Fool can also be placed at the end of the Major Arcana, after The World card, because that is when a new journey begins.
However, Fool's journey represents someone's experience from start to finish.
The Fool is all about having an open mind that is curious and ready to take in the unexpected.
There is a desire to take in some brand-new experiences and enjoy the adventure.
Get ready to experience many surprises, as there is innocence associated with this card. The Fool is about being carefree, sharing new beginnings, curiosity, purity, and a free spirit.
The best way to describe the Fool is that you do not know where you are going or what you will experience, but it is all about taking a leap of faith.
So the message from the Fool is that you should have an open and curious mind and a sense of enthusiasm.
You cannot worry about what will or won't happen. You have to have a leap of faith and do what you need to do, whether you feel it is time to go after it or not.
You do not have to have everything figured out before going after what you want.
Additionally, it is a time to be carefree and live your life to the fullest. Now let’s go over the Fool reversed.
Fool Reversed
When the Fool shows up in reverse, that can represent a few things, such as having the fear that is holding you back from trying something new.
You do want to do things you have in mind, but you are terrified that no one will take you seriously if you go ahead.
So, there is a lot of fear and self-doubt regarding the Fool in reverse. But, on the flip side, it can also mean that you are reckless and taking unnecessary risks.
There is a time and place to act with an open mind and a carefree attitude, but if you are irresponsible, such as daring a friend to race you on a neighborhood road, that can represent the Fool in reverse.
Now that you know all about the Fool, let’s get personal and talk about what it is like being a brand-new mom, as this is not only relevant to my experience of being a new mom!
The Fool and Being a New Mom
Whenever seasoned parents tell expectant couples that no one can prepare them for what is to come, they are not exaggerating!
After my husband and I struggled with mild infertility for over a year (PCOS for me, and he had fertility issues, too), and I finally conceived my daughter in August 2001, I was over the moon.
I mean, what couple who has struggled with infertility wouldn’t be (or any couple desiring kids who successfully conceive in a short period)?
Right after learning I was pregnant, I struggled to sleep as I had to get up in the night to pee often. However, I was too excited.
I imagined how fun it would be to dress the baby and go on fun outings with the baby. It was all fantasy at that point, typical for new expectant parents.
I mean, you have an idea that your life will change, but you also have no idea that you are entering very unfamiliar territory that you know nothing about, hence the Fool!
I had a good pregnancy, which excited me even more about what would come.
Of course, I also did not think about the reality of not being able to pick up and go when I wanted and that life would not only revolve around me and my husband.
Toward the tail end of the pregnancy, I was ready to give birth as I was tired of being pregnant.
I was two and a half weeks early, as one night, I had back pain, was restless, and got hungry at 3 am. I grabbed a banana nut bar and went back to bed.
The next thing I knew, my water broke, and I was freaking out because I was early. The contractions were starting to happen within two-minute intervals.
Oh, it was torture, and I did have an epidural. So, the labor went on for six hours, and I delivered the perfect baby girl.
However, that same night, it hit me. I had officially entered unfamiliar territory. It struck me that life was not all about me.
It was about raising a daughter and ensuring that she had the best.
I started bawling because I had entered a terrority that I knew nothing about and that no one can ever fully prepare you for!
Babies do not come with instruction manuals. I knew nothing about parenthood, and what they teach you as Lamaze class does not fully prepare you for what is to come.
You wing this parenting thing while getting used to the harsh and cold fact that you don’t come first anymore, but you must also figure out how to ensure your needs are met!
It is a challenge you must navigate independently as you wing it, like the Fool! And you, being a new parent, are going on the Fool’s journey.
Of course, I experienced fear and ended up with postpartum depression, but with help and getting used to being a mom, I evolved, and my daughter is my best friend, as she is 21, finishing school, and is a professional writer, too.
Let’s discuss some related cards to the Fool!
What Tarot Cards Are Related to the Fool?
It can be argued that the Fool contains all the cards, as he has yet to realize his potential.
In the same way that the Chariot represents the water element and Temperance represents the fire element, he also represents the air element.
Due to his airy nature, he is closely related to the three air cards in the Major Arcana: Justice, which is Libra; the Star, which is Aquarius; and the Lovers, which is Gemini.
Even though he begins his journey with a blank slate, he will learn to weigh his options and make informed choices as he navigates toward his goals, and if you are a parent, you can see how there is a parallel here thinking back to what it was like being a first-time parent.
The Fool’s journey is from folly to wisdom and ignorance to knowledge.
The Fool’s Association With the Swords Suit
Let’s talk about the Fool and the airy and intellectual Swords suit, which reflects this dangerous voyage of free will.
The first time Fool grasps the Ace of Swords, he has that eureka moment and is determined to tread uncharted territory.
Since I am talking about the Fool and being a new parent, let’s say they see that their baby is stimulated and happy when exposed to other children and toddlers.
The eureka moment would be seeing the necessity for the baby’s growth to send them to toddler programs after the baby turns 18 months old ( if you are a seasoned parent, you may not see this as an Ace of Swords situation, but think back to you making this realization when your first child was a baby).
He is willful and wants to carry out his adventure. He will encounter his first crossroads (Two of Swords), his first upheaval leading to devastation (Three of Swords), and his first need to rest and make a compromise (Four of Swords).
Therefore, the parent sees several toddler programs and is unsure which fits the baby best when they reach toddlerhood.
After weighing many pros and cons, the parent decides to send the baby to one.
However, the little one is not doing well and is always throwing tantrums.
The Three of Swords moment is when the parent is informed that the child cannot stay in the program. That is devastating news.
The parent decides to keep the child at home and take a break from looking for new programs, which would be the Four of Swords situation.
That is, until it is time to begin looking again.
Going back to the Fool, in general, he will also set goals and not attain them successfully (Five of Swords), let go of those failed goals (Six of Swords), and figure out a strategic plan to try something else (Seven of Swords).
Therefore, the parent will try another program, and the same problem will happen (Five of Swords as they feel defeated).
The parent then resigns that these programs may not be a good fit and realizes they need to develop other programs that could be better (Six of Swords).
The parent then does some research and talks to pediatric psychologists about the situation, and they devise a strategic plan for finding a much better program (Seven of Swords).
Regarding the Fool, the message is that some new methods will be successful, some will not, but all will be challenging.
In most cases, he will feel trapped by his circumstances (Eight of Swords) and be kept up at night worrying about what comes next (Nine of Swords) and facing whatever outcome, which may be for better or worse (Ten of Swords).
Back to the parent, even if the new program is better, the child psychologist clarifies that the child’s behavior in those programs was not expected.
Therefore, they suggest that the child is assessed as a condition that may be suspected.
Therefore, the parent will feel trapped in their circumstance since they keep thinking that nothing is working out for their child so far (Eight of Swords).
This becomes a worry, leading to the parent being kept up at night because they don’t know what is happening with their child (Nine of Swords).
The assessment date is set, which can mean a much different outcome than the parent had ever imagined (Ten of Swords).
Therefore, if the assessment shows the child as neurodivergent or having a developmental issue, that will change the parent's plans for the child’s education in the future.
There you go! The Fool is airy, and there is an association with the Swords suit. Next Tuesday, I will go over the Magician with the association of writing a novel.