“The Trickster laughs, the wise shake their heads, and the Fool walks the path no one else dares tread. The question is: whose Fool are you?”
The Trickster’s Wisdom
In our community, we often revere the Trickster—the sacred jester, the divine disruptor, the one who turns the world upside down to reveal hidden truths. Loki, Coyote, Hermes, Puck—these figures dance between wisdom and folly, reminding us that what appears foolish to the world is sometimes the only way to see beyond illusion.
Yet, like all great stories, the Fool’s path has more than one telling. The Trickster’s grin can be a sign of wisdom or folly, depending on who’s watching—and whether the lesson is understood or missed entirely. Their laughter can be liberating, but it can also be misleading. The road of the Fool is filled with both insight and illusion, and how we walk it makes all the difference.
If the Fool represents the beginning of the journey, the blank slate of infinite potential, then it matters who or what we allow to shape that path. We all serve something, consciously or not. The real question is: whose Fool are you?
The Many Faces of the Fool
Picture a lone traveler standing at the edge of a mist-covered ravine, hesitating for a breath as the rickety rope bridge sways in the wind. Will they turn back, unsure of what lies ahead, or step forward with purpose, embracing the unknown? To some, the crossing is reckless. To others, an adventure. To a few, perhaps, a test of faith—an initiation into the unknown. They stand in the liminal space, walking the thin line between madness and mastery.
Now, look deeper. Are their actions an act of conscious will, or are they playing a role dictated by something else? Do they walk this path because they must, because they choose, or because they know no other way?
In NeoPaganism, we embrace paradox—the Fool and the Sage, the Trickster and the Priest, the Wanderer and the Master. But the greatest danger is not in being seen as foolish—it is in surrendering our path to forces we do not recognize or question.
So, whose Fool are you?
- Are you the Fool of unchecked ego, chasing power with no wisdom?
- Are you the Fool of validation, molding your beliefs to fit others’ expectations?
- Are you the Fool of distraction, pouring energy into spiritual aesthetics while neglecting the deep work?
- Or are you the Fool of the Sacred Path, embracing the mystery, the risk, and the transformation that comes with true devotion?
The Trickster’s Challenge
The Trickster gods often challenge us with foolishness—sometimes our own, sometimes that of others. They ask:
🃏Do you know why you walk the path you do?
🔥Do you accept being called a Fool in pursuit of something greater?
🌑Can you laugh at your own illusions while still taking your work seriously?
There is wisdom in foolishness, but only if we claim it consciously. The traveler at the ravine’s edge may be a seeker of wisdom or merely a wanderer following the wind. The wandering Fool may become the Wise One—but only if they listen, learn, and walk with purpose, not as a puppet of chance but as one who has chosen devotion over distraction, wisdom over empty spectacle.
A Call to Reflection
So, dear seeker, ask yourself:
- What illusions still have power over me?
- Where do I play the Fool, and is it by choice or by conditioning?
- What am I willing to risk for my truth?
The path of wisdom often looks foolish to those who do not walk it—just as Socrates was condemned for his questions, Galileo for his discoveries, and the mystics of old for daring to seek beyond the veil. That has always been true. The only question is whether your foolishness serves something shallow or something sacred—whether you dance to the Trickster’s tune with awareness or stumble blindly to a melody not your own.
Laugh if you must, question always, and dare to step onto the swaying bridge, for only those willing to cross will find what lies beyond.
Papa Onyx
