Fool

The Spirit of Ether

Rules: Uranus

Exaltation: Scorpio

Astrology: Aquarius

Element: Air

Hebrew Letter: Aleph

Color: Pale Yellow

Musical Note: E-Natural

Fool Description and Symbolism

The white sun is shining on him, but he turns his back on its radiance. Instead, he embraces the yellow sky. We can only see a third of the glowing white light. It shines from the right-hand corner of the card, which means that all has not been revealed to him. Never-the-less, he has the energy and childlike exuberance of discovering the wonders of being alive. The placement of the sun is important in esoteric teaching as it represents the spiritual sun, which never sets. In this way it cannot reach its high point. It will never set. It is eternal. The angle is 45-degrees, which equals the number nine. The number nine represents the height of spirituality that one can reach in a lifetime. The Hermit, Key 9, also stands on a tall summit. Perhaps this summit is the one in the background. It’s definitely something to meditate on.

He holds a white rose, which symbolizes purity and innocence. He is indeed innocent and a little naïve, but only because of his youth and inexperience. He is ready to learn everything life has to offer him. The rose is a cultivated flower. There is a species of roses that grow in the wild and these have 5 petals. The roses we see in the florist shops today have been bred to contain multiple petals.  So here we have a natural element combined within human constraints. The same is said about the dog, which is also white. Left to nature, the dog is really a wolf, but with the help of human intervention, we have a dog. The white dog is also a representation of the intellect being a human condition, which is lower than the spiritual cosmic egg that we spring from. The color white represents the purity of the fool’s consciousness (dog) and the cultivated desire yet to be directed (white rose). When we get to the Magician, we have truly cultivated our desires with the red roses. Red represents our passions and desires. At this stage in the Fool’s journey, he is just happy to be alive and has not yet directed his desire. It is still unlimited and expansive.

He holds a red nap sack and has red brimming around his sleeves. All his desires are still covered in his purse and by most of his clothing. In general, red is associated with action and power; it is a primary color. The red nap sack is tied to a wand, the essence of actions. The pouch is full of his past memories, which represent subconscious. It is full of his past lives that have not been utilized consciously, but he is ready to learn how to use them. Last, red is the color with the shortest wavelength. If we think about the shortest wavelength, red, we can’t really see into it. The waves are too short.

The Fool has a yellow background. Yellow can symbolize many things, but Paul Foster Case attributes this pale yellow to the fiery breath of life called rauch, prana or chi. Uranus is the planet that the Fool governs, whose color is also pale yellow. Uranus is the planet of the occult and extremes. Aquarius is associated with the color yellow, which rules Uranus. Yellow rules over the element air.

Whenever I personally see the color yellow I think of intellect. Everything seems very clear and precise when I think of yellow. There is a warmth and peace that radiates from yellow and golden colors. For me, yellow and gold are the go-to meditation colors I use.

The red feather is symbolic of desire, passion and truth. The red comes from the green wreath, symbolizing growth and manifestation into the physical. It is a connection to reincarnation and evolution, for we start at the vegetable kingdom and rise up to the animal kingdom.

The mountain peaks in the background are cold and snow covered, but they are a reminder of the accomplishments awaiting each of us on our journey through life. The Magician, the next card, is when we figure out how to use our tools to achieve these goals. The mountains in the distance are contrasted against the precipice the Fool stands upon. This reminds us of the mathematical concept of fractals. Up close it looks like a pile of rocks, but from a distance the mountains rise up into beautiful, mathematical perfection.

His white dog jumps up and down at his feet. Both are standing so close to the edge of a cliff. Is he even looking where he is going? His foot looks like it’s moving forward. Does he even know that he could fall over the cliff? He’s so full of excitement and renewal that he doesn’t observe the edge, but the dog does. Is the dog his friend, his companion, his intuition? Since the Fool is represented by superconsciousness, then the dog is the fool’s conscious mind reminding the Fool to come back to the constraints of the physical reality. All his subconscious memories are tied into the knapsack. In order to understand superconsciousness, it needs to be examined into parts: subconsciousness and consciousness.

Fool Interpretation and Divination

The Fool loves new ideas and can be considered a genius. He’s like the idiot savant who makes the best things happen to him without planning or thinking things through. He is also an adventurous spirit. He loves the outdoors and activities that give him a rush of adrenaline. He is not afraid to “let go” and take the plunge into new and exciting ventures.

The Fool tells us to be content with who we are, just the way we are. The Fool doesn’t worry about what other people think of him. The Fool can be very productive in this regard. He just does. He doesn’t have time to think about all the “what ifs”. In this way, the Fool is riding on instinct. No one has told him about all the societal constraints that bind the average person to work, relationships, and experiences. He doesn’t have to think things through, he just takes that leap of faith.

The Fool reminds me of our tarot journey. How many times have we been told that tarot is foolish? How many times have people looked at you funny because you are a student of the occult or a wiccan or something else that involves a fringe lifestyle. This is the Fool and since it represents superconsicousness, you and the other person are equal fools, yet on different polarities. You laughing with the yellow sky on your face because the truth is that you do not care to pass judgement on those who pass it on you. The other laughing at you because they think you are crazy, but many people throughout history have been called crazy at some point in their lifetime, only to be revered after their death. So, let us all laugh together.

In the exoteric world, the Fool represents children and teenagers or anyone starting a new journey. The Fool asks us, “What do you want to be?” The answer is that you can be anyone and you can do anything. All it takes is faith and a belief that you are part of something bigger. Let nothing hold you back of your dreams and visions.

Most of the time this card represents the querent.

The Fool as a Person or Signifier

As a person the Fool is unpredictable, outgoing and loves nature. You can expect this type of person to suddenly take off for a weekend retreat of snowboarding or mountain climbing. He might learn a new language in a new country or be a dive instructor.

The Fool is an intelligent person, but whose intelligence is often so mind blowing that the average person can’t comprehend him. He might get the label as weird or worse be clinically labeled as having Aspergers or mild Autism. He can be a mathematical genius, an artistic marvel or easily be able to memorize complicated programming languages. Give this type of person your Rubik’s cube and they might be able to solve it!

The Fool is represented by superconsciousness, so he is free to be whoever and whatever he wants. Because he comes from everything and everyone, he is never ending and all pervasive.

The Fool person has a vivid imagination and is often a dreamer who can make his dreams come true.

The Fool is not a fashion forward person at all. They are typically rustic and can be “grungy”. They like to be natural and you’ll see many Fool people with beards and unshaven legs (for women).

The Fool in Love

The Fool in love doesn’t normally want to be tied down. He is a free spirit. If you get the Fool when asking about a new potential partner, the Fool is telling you that your love interest probably doesn’t want to be in a relationship.

If you are already in a relationship, the Fool is asking you to let go and just be happy in the moment. Live each moment with your partner as if it will be the last. Let go of whatever opinion you think someone else has about your relationship.

The Fool as a Feeling

If you are asking how your lover or potential lover feels about you, then the Fool may indicate that he feels new, fresh and carefree about you. His (or her) feelings may only be fleeting. They can change rapidly.

The Fool as an Action or Advice

The Fool is telling you to jump in. Do not over think the situation. Just do it!

The Fool might indicate that you need to rethink an old way of thinking about something. This could involve restarting from the beginning and creating something new.

Be that someone that you want to be.

The Fool as an Obstacle

Reckless behavior and a nonchalant attitude could be an obstacle that is crossing you at this time. It might be important for you to look around and observe the details because the fool is not a detail oriented card. A failure to observe maybe an obstacle.

The Fool as an Outcome

As an outcome to a romantic reading, the fool could indicate that you will start all over again with someone new. This new person could be younger than you. You might take a trip together or he could be foreign. It will be with someone you don’t expect to be involved with or it will come suddenly without expectations. You’ll see someone from a different perspective. If there is a societal block such as age or culture, the two of you will ignore them and bond through the powers of the superconscious.

The Fool in Career

New beginnings! New business opportunities. New job proposals. Could truly indicate a move into a new business or job venture. The fool indicates jobs as an adventurer, explorer, travel writer, farmer, mountain climber, skydiver, computer programmer or developer, or creative thinker. Look for jobs that require you to think out-side-the-box. I usually feel that this is a good card for new career moves.

Over a life time the Fool can have many jobs. He is the jack-of-all trades and can do most things he sets his mind too.

The Fool in Finances

When it comes to finances, the Fool can be reckless. Sometimes he wins and sometimes he loses. It’s not the best card to get if you are asking if you are going to do well in the stock market.

He is very altruistic when it comes to money matters. You might see him giving away his last dollar to help someone else. He does this because money isn’t very important to the Fool. He lives in the moment.

The Fool understands that once his basic needs are met financially, that he can focus on his spirit. He realizes that money does not buy happiness.

The Fool in Health

The Fool in a health reading is favorable, for it suggest that the querent can mentally heal themselves using the Law of Attraction and positive affirmation.

You must be careful of any illness that is related to mental disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. All these diseases are mental and can be undone through a balanced lifestyle and positive thinking. (Easier said than done!)

Fool Tarot Professions

Sky diver. Adrenaline Junkie. Risk taker. Trapeze Artist. Hiker. Mountain Guide. Clown. Inventor. Scientist. Veterinarian. Runner. Mathematician. Astrology. Occult. Rock Climber. Astrophysicist. Travel Guide.

The Fool Reversed

Even upright, the Fool warns that being too naïve will result in disaster. It’s like the young girl who runs away from home at 16 only to find that she needed money and resources. Discovering that life is harder without the shelter of a home. Subsequently, he or she got into a lot of trouble. The Fool can have this meaning whether reversed or not, but when it is reversed we tend to see the querent falling over the cliff, while upright the warning is enough to possibly warn the querent.

The reversed Fool can indicate mental illness, folly, mania, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. This card can also represent mental instability and foolish behavior. We have to guard against reckless behavior when the Fool comes up, especially when reversed or ill-dignified.

Fool Tarot Card Combinations

The Fool and the Empress
a. A mother and her child. This is a good pairing and can show a good relationship
between mother and child. Combined with the Hierophant, it could indicate a mother who homeschools their child.

Fool and Emperor
a. Lighthearted of foolish behavior gets reprimanded
ex: texting while driving results in a traffic violation

The Fool and the Devil
a. Possibly a younger person who has a shopping problem. (Think Confessions of a
Shopaholic.)

The Fool and the Tower
a. New Beginnings emerge from the destruction of lies.

The Fool and the World
a. Travelling overseas to new and exotic locations.

The Fool and Four of Wands
a. I do NOT want to be in a serious relationship. Not me. Not at all. Not with
anyone.

The Fool and Six of Wands
a. Playing a game in order to get ahead and win.
b. Knowing that your victorious new life is just a few steps away when you lie just a little

The Fool and the Eight of Wands
a. Rapidly advancing feelings hit you out of the blue
b. A new feeling you may have never experienced before

Fool and Knight of Wands Reversed
a. Irrational spending of money, but you don’t care! It feels good to shop
b. I don’t care what that bad boy thinks of me
c. I’m going to ignore all bad boys
d. I don’t want to be tied down. I’ll run the other way if I sense a relationship

The Fool and Ace of Cups
a. New love, which is fresh, exciting and exuberant. You must act on your feelings
if you are to see good results.

The Fool and the Two of Cups
a. Meeting a friend in an unexpected place
b. Trying new things with your partner

The Fool and Ace of Swords
a. Going for a walk to clear your head
b. I really don’t care anymore because this is the truth

The Fool and the Nine of Swords
a. Nightmares and worry result in mental instability.

The Fool and the Five of Pentacles
a. Take the time to think through all your options. You don’t want to be left outside in the cold.
b. Eviction or homelessness
c. Moving down the social ladder

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