"My dog is pregnant"

It's the first of April and it's time to lighten up and go on a new adventure.

Photo by Celine Sayuri Tagami on UnsplashHappy April Fools’ Day!

Happy April Fools’ Day!

It’s a favourite day of the year for me.

In my circle of friends, I’m famous for my April Fools’ pranks.

Once when working at Psychologies, I somehow managed to persuade colleagues and friends that my male cocker spaniel Oscar was pregnant.

I was so convincing that a colleague asked if she could have one of the puppies when he gave birth.  

When I was living on the canal boat, I told my friends that a dolphin had been spotted in our local canal basin in Kings Cross and we’d named him Harry.

And suddenly everyone wanted to visit.

This year,  I managed  to persuade my Danish friends that Richard Branson had agreed to headline Alnwick Story Fest in 2025 as he is about to buy Alnwick Castle and turn it into the new Alton Towers and he’s building the biggest rollercoaster in the world beside my apartment.

Mischief making in your own life

There’s something delightful about creating a little bit of mischief on the first of April

Maybe my friends are just humouring me and roll their eyes.

But it makes me laugh.

It feels like mood is lightening after the dark, cold days of Winter. 

But The Fool is actually a rather ancient archetype.

In books, they are often prophetic, seen as the truth teller who pokes fun at the establishment but nudging the hero of the story to look at life differently - with fun and mischief.

I read today that in Tarot The Fool card represents ‘the highest potential for your life; where each day is an adventure to be lived without fear and with trust in where the Universe is taking you.’

I love this interpretation.

I think maybe that The Fool could be patron saint of our Heart Leap tribe.

In Wild Card: Let the Tarot Tell Your Story authors Jen Cownie and Fiona Lensvelt write that whenever this card appears,  consider where your heart is leading you, and whether you are holding yourself back when you needn’t.

‘Is there a project,  connection,  an idea. That you want to explore but which you’ve told yourself is silly and unrealistic? Well, The Fool doesn’t believe in the word ‘silly’,’ they write.

‘Is there something that you want to do but are afraid to try – something that you fear could fail and leave you hurt and sad? The Fool reminds us that unfortunately, there is no way to avoid hurt and sadness in life – they go hand with joy, the shadow to its light.’

However, The Fool says the time is now.

The Fool invites you to take that risk, have faith and be brave.

My questions to you today on the 1^st April is this:

•   What decision could you make today that feels a little risky but makes your heart leap?

•    If you had faith, what would you do differently this month?

•    If you were brave, what ‘foolish’ leap might you make this April?

Have a great month.

Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash