The Fool 0
Keywords & phrases
- The beginning of a new journey
- Adventure
- Youth
- Raw potential
- Innocence
- Innovation
- Leap of faith
- Fool’s wisdom
- Travelling light
Keywords & phrases
- The beginning of a new journey
- Adventure
- Youth
- Raw potential
- Innocence
- Innovation
- Leap of faith
- Fool’s wisdom
- Travelling light
First impressions
A bright optimistic card, full of the promise of a new adventure.
And yet there is also an element of risk and danger.
What is happening in the card?
A youth steps out on a journey with his faithful four-legged friend at his heel.
The Fool is dressed in a flamboyant, brightly patterned tunic with wide sleeves over a white undergarment. His leggings and boots are yellow, matching the flowers on his tunic. He wears a red feather in his cap and holds a white rose in his hand.
It’s a bright sunny day. The mountain air is crisp and clear and he has everything he could need in his pack. The Fool lifts his face to the sky.
What could possibly go wrong?
Does he realise how perilously close he is to the cliff’s edge, or is he intentionally heading for the precipice?
How can we relate to this card?
We experience the energy of this card when we are about to embark on a new chapter in life. When we are feeling optimistic about the path we are about to take.
Ruled by Uranus, the Fool can also represent an urge to express our individuality and independence – like a young person leaving home or someone who wants to break free from conformity.
Is this card asking us to take a leap of faith? Or is it begging us to look where we are going?
Elements, numbers, symbols & imagery
- Element – Air
- 0 – Zero, all and nothing
- Mountains – close to God
- Sun – light and growth
- White rose – youthfulness, innocence, young love, and loyalty
- Red feather in cap – vitality, physical energy and courage
- Yellow – associated with the element of Air, the sun and masculine energy, higher consciousness
- Feather in cap – freedom, free thinking, past achievement
Emotions expressed
- Joy
- Contentment
- Excitement
- Optimism
Other associations
Tree of life:
Aleph א
Path 11 Keter – crown, origin, divine will, unity → Binah – Understanding, divine feminine, harmony
Golden Dawn title:
The Spirit of Ether
Astrology:
Ruled by Uranus (planet of change and disruption, individuality)
Minor Arcana:
Associated with the Pages
Message & affirmations
Today, I step out into the world and I engage with an open heart and a curious mind. I have confidence in myself and my abilities, and faith in my goodness and talents.
I also have faith in the goodness and talents of others and know that I am the best person that I can be when I am looking for the best in them.
” To live, to truely live, we must be willing to risk. To be nothing in order to find everything. To leap before we look.“
~
” What if I fall? Oh but my darling what if you fly?“
~
~
But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning roundWell on the way, head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices
Talking perfectly loud
But nobody ever hears him
Or the sound he appears to make
And he never seems to noticeBut the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round~
~The Fool on the Hill, The Beatles
“If one does not understand a person, one tends to regard them as a fool.“
~ Carl Jung
“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do...“
~ Apple’s ‘Think different’ campaign
My personal experiences of this card
One of my favourite Fool cards is from the Slow Tarot by Lacey Bryant. This young Fool has something of Peter Pan about them – chest out, the leap has been well and truly taken.
I see the Fool as the Spirit Guide of all the Pages – the young and the curious.
Speaking of the young and the curious… when I was a teenager I used to sit at my friend’s kitchen table and we’d ask the Tarot endless yes/no questions about boys and parties and other such important stuff. When The Fool came up we always took that to be a sign that we’d asked enough questions, it was time to stop.
The Fool and all the Pages from Lacey Bryant’s Slow Tarot
Events, situations & readings
In a relationship spread:
A signal of new adventures in love and taking a leap of faith with a relationship.
In a personal/spiritual development spread:
May indicate entering into a new phase of self-discovery and growth. Follow your conscience and worry less about what people think.
In a career spread:
Speaks of risk-taking and putting yourself out there.
People & interaction with other cards
With Aces, The Fool reinforces the idea of new beginnings and invites us to go for it.
With 10s or The World or at the end of a reading, The Fool may represent someone older and wiser. We can see that they already have a feather in their cap. For them, it’s not the first time at the rodeo. A seasoned adventurer, still open to new experiences, but with the benefit of some history and hindsight to guide them.
Questions, prompts & insights
How can you open yourself up to new possibilities and potentials?
Where might you be required to take a leap of faith? What is holding you back?
Are you too concerned with what people think? Worried about making a fool of yourself? Follow your conscience despite what they might think or say.
Is there someone in your life that you consider to be a fool, whose actions or choices you don’t understand? How do you treat this person and can you see your way to showing them a little more understanding?
Featured decks & credits:
Main image from The Rider Waite Tarot. Also featured images from The Slow Tarot by Lacey Bryant.
The animated image of The Fool is part of an ongoing AI art Tarot project by Still Small Voice Tarot.
Explore the Tarot deck with me
This is a work in progress, a project far from complete. I’m exploring traditional and personal meanings for the Tarot cards in a semi-orderly fashion. Please take a look by clicking on the cards below. Or you can pick a card to see what comes up for you today.
