The Fool’s Journey – Symbolism Behind the Major Arcana

A story of transformation told through symbols and soul

The Fool stands on the edge of a cliff, a small satchel slung over his shoulder, a white rose in his hand, and trust in his heart. With his loyal companion by his side and the sun at his back, he takes a step into the unknown — and so the journey begins.

This path, known as The Fool’s Journey, is the heartbeat of the tarot. Each card of the Major Arcana marks a stage along this soul-led adventure — and within each stage lies a rich tapestry of symbols waiting to guide us, challenge us, and awaken us.

The Fool isn’t foolish — he’s open. The symbols in his card remind us of innocence, potential, and trust. His little pack suggests that he already has all he needs. The white rose he carries symbolises purity, and the dog at his heels speaks of instinct and protection. Together, they step into life’s great mystery.

Soon, he meets The Magician, who stands before a table adorned with a cup, a wand, a sword, and a pentacle — tools representing each element and suit. The Magician’s raised arm channels energy from above to below, a symbol of manifestation and focused intention. The lemniscate floats above his head, whispering of infinite potential.

Not long after, he encounters The High Priestess, seated between two great pillars — one black, one white. She holds ancient knowledge, hidden behind a veil patterned with pomegranates. Her crescent moon crown and scroll suggest that not all truths are revealed through logic — some must be felt.

Then comes The Empress, radiant in a field of wheat beneath a star-crowned sky. She embodies abundance, nurture, and divine creation. The Fool learns to feel deeply, to connect with beauty, to rest in the fertile embrace of the Earth.

But with creation must come structure. Enter The Emperor, stern and steady on his throne adorned with ram heads. Here the Fool learns about boundaries, stability, and leadership. The world begins to take form.

He is then guided by The Hierophant, a figure of tradition and spiritual teaching. The crossed keys at his feet symbolise the unlocking of sacred wisdom. The Fool absorbs lessons that have been passed down through generations — some to hold close, others to question.

His heart stirs as he stands before The Lovers, faced with a choice. In the garden of Eden, beneath the watchful eye of an angel, he begins to understand union — not just of romance, but of values, desires, and sacred decision-making.

With new clarity, he mounts The Chariot, pulled by two opposing sphinxes. Though there are no reins in his hands, he learns to steer through willpower, not force. The stars above remind him that his journey is both earthly and divine.

In a quiet glade, he meets Strength — not a warrior, but a maiden, gently taming a lion with love. Her symbol of infinity hovers above her head. The Fool realises that true strength lies not in control, but compassion.

Seeking solitude, he climbs a mountain and meets The Hermit, lantern in hand, offering light born from reflection. The Fool learns to pause, to listen within, to trust the silence.

As he descends, The Wheel of Fortune turns before him. Creatures of the four corners spin with the wheel. The Fool begins to understand the rhythm of change — that fortune rises and falls, and nothing stays the same.

Next comes Justice, seated with sword and scales. Here, the Fool is asked to examine cause and effect. What has been sown must be reaped. It is a moment of clarity and balance.

Then comes a choice: to let go. The Hanged One appears suspended, calm, turned upside down to gain a new view. The Fool learns surrender, sacrifice, and perspective.

Darkness follows. Death arrives not as an end, but as transformation. A white rose blooms once again. The sun rises behind the scene, reminding the Fool that every ending brings a beginning.

From the ashes, Temperance emerges — an angel blending fire and water, foot in water and on land. The Fool learns the art of balance, of integration, of healing.

But then the shadow calls. The Devil binds figures in illusion, but their chains are loose. The Fool begins to see how fear and desire can entrap — and how awareness can set him free.

Then the storm hits. The Tower crumbles under lightning’s strike. The Fool falls. Everything he clung to is shaken. But in that collapse is truth, and in truth — liberation.

When he wakes, he is beneath the stars. The Star shines above, and he feels hope again. He kneels, vulnerable and whole. The waters he pours nourish both earth and spirit.

Then comes The Moon, and with it, uncertainty. The path winds between towers. A crayfish crawls from the depths. The Fool must navigate dreams, illusions, and emotional tides.

Eventually, the sun rises. The Sun brings clarity, joy, and childlike freedom. The Fool rides forward, no longer questioning his worth. The sunflowers bloom behind him — symbols of life and vitality.

As he nears the end, Judgement calls. An angel’s trumpet sounds, and the Fool is asked to rise, to shed the old, to be reborn. He sees himself more clearly now.

And finally, he reaches The World. Wreathed in victory, surrounded by the four elemental beings, the dancer floats — whole, complete, and yet… ready to begin again.

Symbols as Soul Markers

The symbols in the Major Arcana aren’t just ancient — they’re alive. They’re woven into your dreams, your choices, your cycles of becoming. When we follow the Fool’s journey, we follow our own. And when we learn to recognise the symbols along the way, we gain tools not just for divination, but for transformation.

Which part of the journey are you on today?

If you’d like to know more about the Fool’s Journey, check out the upcoming masterclass here

Introduction to Symbology in Divination

A journey into the language of signs, shapes, and sacred meanings

Have you ever pulled a card, cast a rune, or noticed a shape in the clouds — and felt it speak to something deep inside you? Maybe it wasn’t the words on the card that struck you, but the glint in a fox’s eye, the spiral of a shell, or a colour that seemed to hum with knowing. That’s the magic of symbology — and it’s everywhere.

This month at Soul Studio, we’re diving into the beautiful, layered world of symbology in divination. Whether you’re new to the path or have walked it barefoot for years, you’ll find that symbols are the beating heart of all divinatory practices. They’re how the unseen makes itself known. They’re how Spirit whispers — through shape, image, gesture, and resonance.

Why Symbols Matter in Divination

Symbols are more than decoration. They’re doorways.

Every tarot card, pendulum swing, rune shape, or casting bone holds a story. These tools are full of symbols — some ancient, some deeply personal — and each one is a thread in the tapestry of meaning we weave in a reading.

And here’s the real secret: symbols don’t just have one meaning. They carry layers — cultural, archetypal, intuitive, and emotional. What the High Priestess means to you might be completely different from what she means to someone else — and both are valid.

That’s what makes symbology so powerful in divination. It connects us not just to collective wisdom, but to our own inner knowing.

What to Expect This Month

Every day in August, we’ll explore a different symbol, image, or motif — from animals and numbers to elements and sacred shapes — and unpack its presence across various divinatory tools. Some posts will dive into tarot and oracle decks, others into runes, pendulums, or even signs from the world around us.

Expect insights, journal prompts, and the occasional nudge to see what’s already speaking to you in your own life.

A Little Glimpse from My Path…

I still remember one of the first times I really saw a symbol in a reading — not just noticed it, but felt it. It was a path that meandered off into the distance towards a building. I’d seen it a hundred times before, but that day it shimmered. It echoed something ancient and true. And it opened up a whole new level of understanding that changed the way I read — and the way I lived.

Have you ever had a moment like that? A symbol that seemed to leap out, light up, or settle into your bones like it had always belonged there?

Come Explore With Us

Whether you’re a seasoned seer or just beginning to dabble, you’re invited to explore this rich symbolic tapestry with us all month long.

✨ Want to go deeper? Join us for Tarot & Tea Day at Soul Studio — a cosy workshop-style afternoon of connection, learning, and magic.
✨ Or treat yourself to one of our August divination readings — all 25% off this month!

Let’s unlock the language of symbols together — and see where they lead you.

Your Wild Soul Knows the Way

We’re sold a story of healing that’s soft and quiet—crystals on a windowsill, soft-spoken meditations, and a Pinterest perfect aesthetic of boho chic and love and light. Those things can absolutely be beautiful parts of a healing path, but they are far from the whole story.

Because real healing?
The kind that reaches your bones, your blood, your soul?
It’s not always calm, It’s rarely tidy and it’s certainly not tame.

Many of us (especially women) are taught to heal politely. Taught to be graceful in our grief, to be quiet in our rage and to carry our wounds discreetly, without making anyone uncomfortable.

We’re told that growth looks like peace. But a lot of the time, just like in nature, growth actually looks like chaos. It looks like screaming into a pillow or sobbing on the floor. Sometimes it feels like fire eating us up from the inside and sometimes it feels like we’ll drown in our tears.

And that’s not wrong. That’s real.

We need to remember that we’re not walking our healing journey for others, we’re doing it for ourselves. To feel whole, to uncover pieces of us that got buried under judgement and polite mannerisms that we were taught along the journey of our lives. 

To bring the wildness of nature into your healing is to stop performing it for others. It means you stop waiting for approval or permission and work on remembering that you didn’t come here to be palatable to everyone else.

Wild healing looks like dancing like no one is watching, shaking the rage out of your limbs, saying no with all the energy you can muster and tearing up the rules about who you were “allowed” to be.

Wild healing is unpredictable yet sacred, and above all else, it’s yours.

You see, there isn’t actually anything to figure out about healing because somewhere deep within the depths of your soul, you know what you need to feel whole. Your body knows, your dreams show you and your soul feels it. Within you is an untamed voice, it whispers to you when the world is quiet, and it’s been trying to communicate to you all your life what your body, dreams and soul have been telling you. So long as you make the choice to heal, then you can let it unfold simply by listening to that inner voice and following the messages from your body. 

Try this short rewilding ritual next time you are feeling overwhelmed or disconnected from that inner voice of yours……

Step outside if you can, barefoot if it’s possible too, and then take three deep, primal breaths. Make a noise doing it, whatever noise your body wants to make so if that’s a scream then scream, and if it’s a deep sigh then let it be that. Now ask yourself what do I truly feel right now? Not what you should feel, what’s actually real for you? Let your body move if it wants to, or settle in stillness if that’s what it needs. Follow what your body is calling for and don’t make it a performance because the only audience is you. 

That right there, is powerful healing. If you can learn to connect with your deep inner knowing and it’s voice then you have the tools to walk your own healing journey, mess and chaos included without a Pinterest picture perfect montage involved. 

A final whisper for you…..

You may feel broken, but really you’re becoming.
You might have been told you’re too much, but actually you’re just enough.
You are not lost, you’re on the path back to yourself. 

So let your healing journey be loud, and let it be messy.
Let it be untameable 🔥

With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x

Mindfulness and the Healing Journey: Walking the Path with Presence

I learned a long time ago that healing was not something to be achieved, rather it’s a journey to travel. It’s not a one time thing either, it’s a journey that you repeat many times throughout your life. Each time you take the path, it will look different, feel different and the tools you need to use for the journey will inevitably change. 

Each road you take allows you to unfold in layers, allowing you to heal from past wounds, emotional burdens, or energetic imbalances that have hidden or harmed parts of you during your life. Each road gives you experiences, tools and skills that will be useful during other journeys as we work to reveal our true inner selves. Some will be useful in every journey, and some will be useful once only and then need to be discarded. 

This month, I’m exploring the tool of Mindfulness here at Soul Studio. Through the work I have done, both through my own healing journey as well as with the journeys I have been privileged to support, mindfulness has proved its worth. I’ve found it serves as a guiding light, helping us to stay present with each step we take. It enables us to learn from the journey, to take it at a pace that is useful rather than rushed, and to remember it for future journeys. 

The Role of Mindfulness in Healing

Mindfulness invites us to meet ourselves exactly where we are, without judgment or resistance. This, I have learned, is vital if we are to take a healing journey. We simply cannot progress any further until we can accept where we’re currently at and that we need to do something to change it, even though more often than not we’re not aware of what it is we need to do or of the causes behind it. 

When we embrace mindfulness as part of our healing process, we open ourselves to developing our self-awareness which in turn gives us a deeper insight into what it is we’re working on healing. It allows us to find stability in this very moment right now which stops us living in past pain or worrying about what the future may bring and allows us to focus in what is happening for us right now. It also helps us to grow deeper levels of self-compassion which gifts us a safe space to heal without criticising ourselves for not doing better or blaming ourselves for things that aren’t our fault. 

Mindfulness Practices to Support Healing

One of the great things about mindfulness is that it doesn’t require grand gestures. Instead, it thrives in small, intentional practices woven into daily life. You can take your pick as to what suits you too, there’s no end to the possible ways you can use it and it can be fun to explore what will work for you. 

Here’s a few examples for you:

  • Breath Awareness: Pause and take a few conscious breaths, allowing each inhale and exhale to guide you back to the present moment. Please be careful with this is you have any lung conditions, it may be better to look at other options.
  • Body Scanning: Gently check in with your body, noticing areas of tension, discomfort, or openness. This practice fosters a deeper connection to your physical and energetic self. This one isn’t for anyone who doesn’t feel safe in their own body.
  • Journaling with Presence: Instead of analyzing or overthinking, allow thoughts and emotions to flow onto the page without judgment, creating space for inner clarity. Don’t be restricted to just writing, journaling can be written, video, art based etc.
  • Mindful Movement: Whether through yoga, walking, or stretching, move with intention, feeling each sensation as you reconnect with your body. Again, this one isn’t for anyone who doesn’t feel safe in their body and it is worth seeking out someone who can give you professional advice if you haven’t exercised for a while or have a chronic condition.
  • Mindful daily living: Practice focusing on all aspects of a thing. For example, washing the dishes you can observe the feel of the plates in your hands, watch the bubbles as they float in the water, admire the colours in the bubbles etc. This can apply to any task at all.

Embracing the Journey with Mindful Intention

Healing is a sacred and personal process, a difficult journey for anyone to undertake but ultimately worthwhile. Mindfulness offers us an amazing set of tools to support us while we’re walking the path so we can not only deepen our own inner healing but also create a ripple effect, bringing peace and balance to every outer aspect of our lives.

With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x

P.s. if you’d like more tips on the topic of healing, the healing journey and tools to help then sign up to my newsletter below ⬇️

Review of Heathenry and the Sea by Dan Coultas

Living right in the centre of England, I must confess that my relationship with the sea has not been a close one. I enjoy visiting it when I can but have never spent any length of time connecting with it. I have explored modern Heathenry over the last few years though and so I was intrigued when this book appeared as to whether could help me find that connection.

I have to say I was not disappointed. Dan has a connection with the sea that I will never have but still his exploration of water and how it fits into Heathen beliefs and practices of past and present was both in depth and one I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

He closely examines the deities and beings that have relevance and gives not only sources to back up his work but also further reading so that the reader can explore more should they wish to. Heathenry and the Sea is an incredibly insightful piece of work that I have no doubt I will return to again and again.