“If the fool would persist in his folly, he would become wise.”

-William Blake

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Overview of The Fool

The fool is the joker, the trickster, Coyote from Native American mythology.  In different cultures and tarot decks he is The Sacred Clown, El Loco, Le Mat, Le Fou, Derr Narr, The Jester, The Idiot.
The Rider Waite (or Smith Waite) assigns him the number 0.  Zero is representative of an egg, and so the symbolism of all life being born from the egg.  Originally the number zero was indicated by a single dot, which some scholars say represent a single point of light that created the universe.  From zero, from nothing, anything and everything is possible. Zero is infinite potential. 

Common Meanings of the fool in tarot

In most cases The Fool invites us to begin, to take that leap of faith, to embrace the world with childlike enthusiasm, to be playful and gentle, to remain teachable.  He reminds us to be the fool in the most Zen-like manner, with a bright-eyed enthusiasm that sees every day with new and fresh eyes and refuses to let the world around him make him jaded.  Remember how wonderful life was when you were a child?  Every day was a new adventure of discovery.  Embracing the fool reminds us of that more innocent time before we learned otherwise.  Additionally, The Fool invites us to shed those masks and the burdens of adulthood that we embraced so eagerly as a rite of passage but now have become a cage keeping us from dancing in the rain and laughing with unbridled joy. 

The Many Faces of The Fool

Another aspect of the fool is that of the court jester, which bears similarities in modern society to comedians.  This is the wise fool, able say things that no one else can, to important figures like kings.   This fool can make biting commentary on social or political issues under the guise of humor, the underpinning intellect hiding in plain sight under the mask of jocularity.  The fool is wise and sees the world, even as he presents a face of innocence. 

In older tarot, the fool was often portrayed as something dark, a cautionary tale of excess, and often hearkened the beginnings of Lent, when people put away their “foolishness” and turned to prayer. 

the fools journey

The Protagonist of the story of the major arcana, it is the Fool taking the journey and learning the lessons.  When The Fool shows up in a reading, nothing that comes after is going to be understandable from your current frame of reference.  The Fool can also represent those seemingly innocuous and random experiences or interactions that end up being huge life lessons, or seemingly random encounters with strangers who end up being very important to you when viewed with the perspective that sometimes can only be understood when viewed through the lens of time.

Description of the fool card

In many decks the fool is at the edge of a precipice, seemingly unaware that he is about to walk off.  You might say that the fool has head in the clouds. Often it appears that The Fool is eagerly straining towards the cliff – even if not aware that it exists.  This is symbolic of “leaning into it,” and trusting the universe.   In many decks, the fool is accompanied by an animal – in varying decks, a white dog, a cat, a crocodile.  This is a metaphor for animal nature, and, like the animal who is trying to get his attention, is a reminder that to be in balance as humans, we must also honor and pay attention to our animal nature, our baser instincts, our darkness.  In many ways, our “animal nature” is our primordial gut instincts, the fight or flight that kicks in during crisis.   Only by acknowledging our inner animal, can we as humans find true balance in life 

Themes of The Fool

• Leap of faith
• Embrace the unknown
• New beginnings
• Innocence of a child
• Spontaneity
• Bright eyed enthusiasm
• Look before you leap
• The sacred fool – remain teachable, wise in innocence, do not build “walls of knowledge” that prevent you from fresh ideas and experiences.
• Shed the mask that holds you back from living fully.

The Number Zero

• The spark of light that creates the world
• An egg containing all possibilities of life

Elements of the fool Card and Associated Symbolism

• Animal Companion – instinct and self-preservation; animal or baser nature; gut
• White rose (some cards) purity and innocence, trust, new beginnings
• Butterfly (some cards) -dreams and spirit work
• Sacred Geometry (some cards) – the cycles of life, death/rebirth, the endless journey, the connection to creation.
• Bundle – travel lightly in life, thought to contain 4 talismans representing the minor arcana
• Sun – consciousness/crown chakra, life energy, clarity, confidence
• Red Feather – Freedom, life force, good fortune

Herbs for The Fool

• Basil – success
• Lavender – purity – the innocent state of the soul
• Rosemary – remembrance, steadfastness
• Pine – rebirth, wisdom
• Cinnamon – success, prosperity, clarity

Questions that the fool asks us

• The fool can represent the masks we wear to fit into society and often, those masks can become so part of us that we are afraid to function without it.  What would it look like if you were to drop the mask and show your real face to the world?
• What decisions or change have you been considering but afraid to make?  If you have checked it out thoroughly, what are you waiting for?

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That is The Fool! Simple, and yet, so complex. Please leave comments, or ask questions.

Next week: The Magician!

Wishing you a week with fresh starts, enthusiasm, and clarity.