Tarot Card Meaning: The Fool

The Fool stands at the precipice of a cliff, looking up at the sky, his supplies on his back and his companion at his feet, a puppy as young and naïve as the Fool himself. The sun is at his back, and to that he lifts a white rose. The Fool, the rose, and the white puppy all signify the innocence and open-minded spirit of youth.

The Fool also represents inexperience. This card is not a counting number. Zero is empty. It’s nothing. The Fool has nothing really. No riches, no experience, and no wisdom. His cloak is ragged, but he stands tall and proud. He has nothing of material value, but he doesn’t feel loss. He’s as light as the feather in his hat, and he’s ready to fly.

That bag he carries? It may full of supplies for the journey, or it may be empty and waiting to be filled. The Fool is ready to fill up its mind, senses, and life with experiences. It’s newborn, facing the world and ready to take the plunge.

When The Fool card is drawn, it signifies a place where the client or querent is either experiencing something for the first time, or feeling a renewed sense of adventure or wonder. It can also signify a place where the querent is heading without looking or thinking. It’s also the spark of creativity and curiosity through which all else comes to be.

The main feature of The Fool card is that it’s where the querent isn’t afraid. Depending on the situation, it can show where they’re not afraid because they don’t have to be, or that they’re not afraid because they don’t know that they should be afraid.

When this card is thrown, the querent should take pause. This can be an exciting time in a person’s life where they either embark on new journeys or feel like a brand new person. If this card is drawn after a harrowing experience like loss, this may signify that the querent is ready for a change for the better where they shed the baggage of their sorrows. It can also, however, signify a refusal to be beaten down by the world.

When The Fool is Reversed:

The Fool reversed is the dark side of being The Fool. The dark side of being naïve is being exploited. The dark side of being adventurous is risking injury. The dark side of having nothing to lose is never holding onto anything. The sun is at the Fool’s back, which makes The Fool cast a long, dark shadow over everything ahead of it.

The Fool is standing at the edge of a craggy cliff. He’s on the cusp of walking off the cliff or tripping over. The reversed Fool Card shows a possibility of tripping over the edge and falling into the unknown below. After all, The Fool isn’t watching where it’s going. Therefore, when reversed, The Fool card tells the querent to open their eyes, look around, and stop fooling themselves.

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Yes / No Answers

Photos of the Fool