Up: [[Major Arcana]] Created: 2022-11-23 Updated: 2026-06-14 > [!leaf] In Brief > Beginning and beginner’s mind, potential, innocence, leap of faith, enthusiasm > [!leaf] What Matters When you pull the Fool card in a reading, the idea is to leap forward with an open heart, trusting yourself and the universe. Be prepared to laugh at yourself and to approach each day with a sense of playfulness. Leave your old baggage behind, embracing each day with awareness of limitless potential and a deep sense of awe. Be completely true to yourself and unconcerned about what other people think. Trust that the foolish experiences you engage in will end up proving essential to your journey through life. > [!Orbit] Jessica Dore in *Tarot for Change* > Change at any level requires two things: that we be courageous enough to dance weirdly in the frozen spaces, and that we be willing to feel whatever angst or uncertainty that brings. This isn’t easy, at least not for me. See [[Why is it so Difficult to be a Fool?]] and [[I’m a Fool for Not Being More of a Fool]]. > [!leaf] Shadow And let’s not get too enamoured with Fool energy. Shadow qualities include needing to be braver, take more risks and have more fun in life. But it is also in the Fool’s shadow to behave irrationally, thoughtlessly, impulsively. ![[Fool RWS.webp|300]] > [!Leaf] Symbols #### Number The Fool is card 0 in the Tarot, off to one side on the map of the [[Major Arcana]] because her role is to interact with and amplify each card as she makes her journey through life. Zero is essence, not attached to an identity. Zero is also symbolic of the infinite since any number divided by zero is infinity. Mathematicians signal infinity with the same Hebrew letter, Aleph, that represents the Fool. You can see the Aleph symbol at the top left of the final image in this note. Interestingly, there is no sound for the letter, Aleph, although there is sound for every other letter in the Roman alphabet. According to Tarot author Rachel Pollack, some people describe Aleph as the mouth opening to speak, or drawing in a breath before making a sound. Aleph is considered to symbolize the mystery of the spirit, the state of awareness that exists before ego. #### Sack The Fool is carrying an awfully small sack for what is going to be a long journey through life as represented by the archetypes of the [[Major Arcana]]. Suppositions of what might be in that bag include - not much of anything. Everything the Fool needs is available within —heart, brain, soul - experiences from earlier in life or from past lives that will assist with this new beginning - experiences from earlier in life or from past lives that are negative, so karmic baggage - the breath of life which the Fool will use to animate the world around him/her - the four elements for creating reality, as represented by a wand, cup, sword and pentacle #### Cliff The cliff is symbolic of the void, the abyss. It marks the difference between one world and another, making it a place of spiritual transformation. From here we can leap into the unknown, the unconscious. #### Dog Animals represent instinct. Here the dog is a companion to the Fool, urging instinct, and also a guide, providing a cautioning inner voice. The latter is most notable in images where the animal, not always a dog, appears to be nipping at the Fool as if to warn of danger. ![[Fool Morgan Greer.webp|160]] #### Gender The Fool is meant to be androgynous, combining masculine and feminine qualities, which means wholeness. #### Direction of Movement In most, although certainly not all, decks, the Fool is walking off the cliff at the left of the card. This is traditionally understood to mean the direction of the unconscious. > [!Orbit] Paul Quinn in *Tarot for Life* > To the rational mind, the Fool may seem to be heading off the deep end. #### Mandalas or Wheels The yellow images on the Fool’s coat are mandalas if you are coming from a Jungian orientation. [[Mandalas]] represent [[The Self]]. If from an occult tradition, the images are wheels with eight spokes, representing the whirling motion of the creative universe. Seven green leaves surround each mandala or wheel. This corresponds to the seven [[Chakras]] in the human body, as well as of the various symbolic meanings of the number 7. [[Seven is the Inner Evolution]]. #### Mountains Challenges will always be present. > [!Leaf] Actions 1. Shake up your normal way of doing things. Some ideas: do the opposite of the usual such as brushing your teeth with the opposite hand or taking a different route to work; detach from outcomes, and release ‘shoulds’ and worries of what others will think. 2. Practice mindful awareness of the present moment and acceptance of whatever comes. Be optimistic like the Fool, but not reckless. Use a combination of intuition and rational thought to guide you through. 3. Some of us feel more freedom when we reduce the “stuff” in our physical environments. The Fool takes it to an extreme with his small sack. You could experiment with cleaning a digital or actual desktop or bookshelf. 4. Journal or freewrite responses to any of the following questions or quotes: - What new beginning is available to me, and what leap of faith do I need to make to fully live it? - What is the biggest risk I’ve ever taken? What did I learn that I could apply to new experiences that might be feeling a bit too risky? - Where in my life am I trying too hard and would benefit from a more spontaneous and playful approach? > [!Orbit] Neil Gaiman > It is a fool’s prerogative to utter truths that no one else will speak. > [!orbit] [[William Blake]] > If a man would persist in his folly, he would become wise. > [!Orbit] [[C. G. Jung]] in *The Red Book* > The Soul demands your folly, not your wisdom. (p. 264) > [!Orbit] William Shakespeare > The fool doth think he is wise but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. > [!Orbit] Henry David Thoreau > We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success. > [!Orbit] Ray Bradbury. Confirmed with [Quote Investigator](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/06/17/cliff-wings/) > Jump off the cliff and learn how to make wings on the way down. > [!Leaf] Etymology of the Word 'Fool' - old French 'fol' - madman, idiot, rogue, jester; blacksmith's bellows - Medieval Latin 'follus' - foolish - Latin "follis" - bellows or leather bag - Proto-Indo-European root 'bhel' - blow or swell, as well as thrive or bloom > [!Leaf] Some Interesting Tidbits about Fools A court jester was welcome in all situations so he could be a spy for the king, gathering intel from gossip. Fools in the Royal court were often mentally retarded or physically deformed. The idea was that this gave them special access to the spiritual realm. A fool becomes a sage by letting himself be a fool; by accepting himself as he is. (Idea from the book *Contentment* by Robert Johnson and Jerry Ruhl) In some Native American cultures, a society of clowns deliberately engaged in bizarre rule-breaking behaviour such as dancing naked, or telling jokes during solemn ceremonies. This was done to remind people that rules and customs are like a suit of clothes we don and can remove. [[Fool Archetype in Literature and Film]] [[After Wendy Pulls the Fool for Me - Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer]] > [!leaf] Tarot Spread Ideas This first is from Annie Aboulian on Substack. She writes a publication called *Office Hours with the Tarot Professor*. This spread came from a post titled ‘“Confound the Establishment.” 4 cards 1. Why am I being called to take this leap? 2. Why am I afraid or nervous about taking this leap? 3. How will the universe support me if I take this leap? 4. Final advice from my higher self before I take this leap. A creative one from *Tarot for Creativity* to be used when feeling creatively dry, blocked, lost Shuffle then find the Fool card. The three cards behind the Fool are 1. Where do I need more creative joy in my life? 2. What risk do I need to take to access that joy? 3. How can I help myself be brave enough to take the risk? > [!leaf] My Images ![[Fool Mandala - My Art.webp|400]] ![[Fool rubber stamps.webp]] ![[Fool spread.webp|400]]