April’s Favourite Fools
Art by Sadie Smiley, The Fool tarot card
April fools are some of my favourite pagans. The term a quaint shaming that dates back to the 16th century when annual inception was pushed from Spring back into midwinter by cardinals with other designs on power. Those who continued to defiantly celebrate the arrival of a fresh new cycle of growth were derided as April Fools.
In the old threads of story the fool is often the luminary in disguise, they who see in simpler clearer terms the true lie of the land. Challenging our notions of greatness that arrives wrapped in hubris, devoid of compassion or understanding. Encouraging the brave defiance of naysayers, fearmongers and critics.
The Fool is the zero card in the major arcana of tarot. A threshold and initiation tethered to Aries, the fool steps with faith over the precipice accompanied by the barest necessities of kinship and sustenance. Well aware of risk but trusting the leap of faith.
The fool whispers the truth of initiation. By refusing to let others weigh progress proving themselves the smarter. Stepping off the safe ledge following the soul's calling and the adventure that will qualify the fool to live it. The fool is untethered to crooked belief, bias or the weight of usurped power. Not frightened by initiation; fearlessly emboldened by it and welcoming its challenging terrain. The fool knows initiation cannot be rushed. It serves as entry point not culmination. Mastery is the false god of sprinters and graspers, those who have given their ego the reins. In claiming premature glory they refuse the crumbs of learning and the wealth of experience.
April wraps up March's sharp edges and conjures the quiet courage to step beyond the known. To forego the old safety dances that tangle feet and hearts in caution but rarely deliver certainty or security. More fool them.
Tune into your nouse and trust your own path even when the ground falls out. Play the fool and open your arms to fresh adventures. Let yourself be initiated into the next season of your life.
There is human time and there is wild time
~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Words c. Kerrie Basha 2025