The fool who persists in his folly will become wise. William Blake
I'm awake at the witching hour, unable to sleep. I've done something foolish recently, and it's on my mind. I'm feeling... not shame, no. Just open, and vulnerable.
This is similar to what I felt following a period of psychosis – which in my experience is essentially a break in consensus reality. Consensus reality keeps us in check, following the same paths of behaviour and interaction. But when we step off the path and into the unknown, we invite a different dimension into our lives. Psychosis demands that we step off the path. It carries us into the wild woods, where wolves and bears lurk waiting to gobble us up.
It feels powerful, to be honest, and playful. Not powerful as in domination over others. No. Powerful as in hara power:
She places both hands below her navel, then opens her eyes and says: "Your hara is here, where your uterus is if you're a woman, where the tummy sticks out if you're a man, the centre of gravity of the human body. It is the synthesis of our intellect, body and spirit, and by developing our consciousness of it, we can become incredibly rooted."
She calls it "hara power", a power that is derived from accessing a primordial inner strength, the fusion of our masculine and feminine energies, and she claims that it holds the key to the kind of power the world desperately needs today. 1
There is a sort of sacred dignity here, a sort of sober seriousness. But I would suggest rather that hara power is like the Fool's power. When we step off the path of consensus reality, we invoke our innate foolishness: we surrender control over ourselves, and lay ourselves open. We can appear quite silly. Anything can happen. Anything.
So that's where I find myself poised. I feel both foolish and powerful - which leads me to the Fool Archetype.
The Fool is often seen in stories alongside the King or Ruler. In these stories, the Fool's job is to deflate the ego of the Ruler - and to say (in jest) what needs to be said, but no-one else is willing to say out loud. The Fool is protected - and has a special role - above the politicking and machinations of 'court'. The Fool is clever and wise, speaks the truth and challenges authority - but softens the blow with humour. Finally, the Fool is resilient - not caring what other people think, laughing at life's difficulties and challenges, and getting back up - again and again - after being knocked down. 2
This is the basic idea of the Fool archetype: a character who is unafraid to aim high, to try new things and to face the unknown. Jung describes the Fool as being a “potential future,” meaning that, through various attempts and failures, the Fool gains experience. 3
So where does one go, when one feels like the Fool? I'm not sure, because it's off the path. I can only feel my way into the unknown, one step at a time, with a healthy dose of good humour in my knapsack. I can only laugh – at myself – and laughter feels about right just now. Have you ever been overcome by the giggles, unable to stop? It feels delicious, and somewhat painful. Even better: a good honest belly laugh, filled with hara power.
The witching hour has passed, and now it's morning in earnest. The day beckons. I step forward, into this space, playing the fool.
Photo by Eduardo Dorantes on Unsplash
Love this, Julia, and it takes me into a place of mystery somehow. It's your experience, of course, but somehow I read it as an invitation. What would it be like to step our of consensus reality, or to be stepped out? For me? Scary, but feels relevant to right now. I knew the witching hour last night too...