The Fool
This is what I wrote in my journal when I was considering the archetype of the Fool during the first week of Kohenet training.
The Fool
The first day, the day of the fool. Feeling like a fool; lost, bewildered, and confused. Not a fool — and idiot. A fool plays her role intentionally. She does not bump into walls because she doesn’t see them. A fool sees. A fool sees the wall, and the person watching. The idiot stumbles blindly without ever seeing.Play the fool. Be the fool. Speak truth to the king without losing your head.
Bring laughter.
Bring joy.
Bring egos back into place.
Bring perspective.
Bring change.
Bring humor.But see the wall and the people watching.
[update 9/7/06] I’m adding this picture because of the great question in the comments about Serach bat Asher. This is the mask I made of Serach for the “Pageant of Biblical Mothers” workshop with R’Lynn Gottleib. I hadn’t thought about Serach as the Fool before and it’s a really great association. Thanks Gavrielah!
[tags]archetypes, kohenet, training, judaism, earth based judaism, fool[/tags]
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Mini Manifesto:
Culture: I am fascinated by both culture on most levels. I mostly focus on American culture and what makes us who we are as a country, but I'm also intrigued by sub-cultures in the USA and the growing global cultural trends.
Technology: Technology is one of the strongest drivers of cultural and even spiritual changes in the last 100 years, and possibly the next 100.
Giving yourself freedom to fail is the best way to discover your new self.
This comment is way too late, but the archetype of the all-knowing fool can be seen in the Tarot card and all the commentaries about it.
Never too late to leave a comment, Jack!
Of course the archetype of the fool exists in the Tarot — but it's predominently a male archetype. What we're exploring in Kohenet is the Fool as an archetype of the Female Divine (Goddess) and specifically in a Jewish context. That's what you can't find in the tarot and its commentaries.
This might be off topic and doesn't fit exactly but when I read your post on the archtype of the fool my thoughts immediately jumped to Serach bat Asher and how she used song to gently let Jacob know that Joseph was still alive. It seems that accomplishing something through indirect means is the core of the fool – how important to this specific archtype is the use of 'silliness' to do this? I'm really enjoying your posts – thanks!
Gavrielah,
Wow — you've so hit it. I think silliness can be a tool, but not the only option. I love the Shakespearean definition of the fool — the one who can speak truth to the king. I think indirect means works perfectly.
And Serach bat Asher — interesting choice. One of the classes we took at Elat Chayyim was called "A Pageant of Matriarchs." We were lead on a journey by R'Lynn Gottleib and each woman met a matriarch. I met Serach, who I've been working with in Journeys for about six months now.
I'll have to take a picture of the mask I made of her in that class and post it.
Thanks for bringing this up!