The Fool and The Hero

E27 The Fool and The Hero

“Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it ends.”― Joseph Campbell

The Fool elements of the psyche spit from its heroic elements. Our hero starts the journey as the Innocent and is full of integrity, faith and courage. The Trickster shows up as a sidekick who provides street smarts that the hero needs to survive, but who may not be consistent with the heroic self-image.

The hero’s foolish elements need to split off just enough so they are not in control, yet not repressed. Keep these elements as the foolish sidekick.

Using the more “heroic” Ego and the Trickster or Fool sidekick allows a strategy to be found for saving the victim (Orphan) that is both clever and moral so they do not have to take on obstacles directly.

The Ego identifies with order. It wants an orderly world and is horrified by chaos in the culture or the psyche. The Fool, however, is allied with chaos and disorder. It is only when we have developed a long standing relationship to our internal Fool sidekick that we can “trust the process” even in challenging times. When that trust is well developed, we can enjoy the ride, like people do on a roller coaster.

People who have taken their journeys and developed an integrated Self can trust their instincts. When they live by their deepest, essential Selves, they can “follow their bliss” without fear of doing harm to themselves or others. They know how to trust the process of life, and when they do so, life can become a dance – an expression of pure joy.