The Fool (0)

Meanings according to Rider-Waite:

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Uranus / Mercury in the sense of openness of character, curiosity, spontaneity, and a touch of madness; in interaction with Neptune — a sense of being guided from above.

THE FOOL. The Fool is our inner child. He signifies the spontaneous beginning of something new, impartiality, openness. This is carefree play, the most elemental joy of life, a period when we step into the unknown with cheerful wonder and without any specific expectations. However, he can also signify infantilism with all its attributes — frivolity, naivety, recklessness, and even simple foolishness. Or else — wise simplicity, modesty of needs, and humility, which we usually arrive at only at the end of a long and difficult path. The Fool can also be a trickster, a mischief-maker. One way or another, he lives only in the present; he is a candid, sincere, mobile person. Is this good or bad? What this card actually means — our stubborn unwillingness to grow up, or, conversely, the simplicity acquired through long experience — must be judged from the spread as a whole. The Fool always warns of something completely new about to burst into our life, causing chaos, and we ourselves may receive a few bumps; however, there is in fact nothing dangerous in this.

From the book: Hajo Banzhaf. THE TAROT HANDBOOK. Translated from German by E. Kolesov. Publisher: Center for Astrological Research, 1999.

0 — The Fool. Uranus. The zero card THE FOOL (also known as THE JESTER) is likened to the material Universe. But, like the mortal human body, it is nothing but a garment, the motley costume befitting a fool, beneath whose attire, however, lies divine substance, for which foolery is merely a shadow. The Tarot cards were entrusted by enlightened priests to the safekeeping of foolish, ignorant people, who turned them into playing cards, and in many ways even into an instrument of vice. Man's devilish habits thus became the unconscious guardian of his philosophical teachings. If THE FOOL is placed first in the deck, and the other cards laid out in a row from left to right, one can observe that THE FOOL walks toward the other figures, as if passing through all the cards. Like a neophyte spiritually blinded by a blindfold, he is ready to set off on the most complex journey, leading through the gates of Divine Wisdom.

Uranus — embodies the principle of primordial movement. In TAROT this principle is matched to the concept of "living nature" and the image of THE FOOL, symbolizing divine power before manifestation. This is the divine genius, capable of creating the Universe and destroying it, but... the Universe does not yet exist, and therefore THE FOOL is only zero, nothing, the absolute emptiness that can become anything whatsoever, and the absolute freedom of this becoming: within this nothing, in potential, all is contained. The planet Uranus tells us that God creates the Universe easily, by chance, and not on purpose — and such too is the spontaneous Nature of human genius. Most often THE FOOL is depicted carrying a bundle on a stick over his shoulder and balancing with it (the bundle) on the edge of an abyss. In this bundle is that "everything" and "nothing" which compelled THE FOOL to set out on his journey. In a narrowly practical projection onto human life, this card is interpreted as a warning against dangers and against everything unexpected, fundamentally new, and unknown. But behind this unknown stands the broader meaning of higher creativity — creation from emptiness, from the entire fullness of one's being. And though creation is a violation of the primordial order of existence — and that is why the abyss lies before the Fool — nevertheless it is dictated by higher moral laws and therefore simply cannot be creation if it does not carry the first principle within itself.

Upright position: the position of THE FOOL card can mean the beginning of a new life cycle, any new undertakings. There is energy, optimism, strength, and happiness here. The card points to unexpected, unplanned circumstances that may overturn the present state of affairs. It also indicates the need to make important decisions: — you are free to choose any direction, to go wherever you wish, to do what you want.

Reversed position: the position of THE FOOL speaks of restless, impulsive activity, of ill-considered actions. It symbolizes folly and recklessness, wasted energy, time, and effort. Problems are not being solved. You are very careless about something important. Your choice may turn out to be a poor one, your decision fateful. Sometimes this card symbolizes a person tirelessly seeking changes of environment and occupation, beginning many things but bringing nothing to completion. In addition, the card may signify thoughtlessness, whims and caprices, extravagance, lack of discipline, immaturity, irrationality in thoughts and behavior, exaltation, defenselessness, an inability to weigh consequences, and in extreme cases — frenzy.

"A symbol of the blind man who has enslaved himself to matter. His knapsack is overflowing with his delusions and senseless deeds. The shattered obelisk is the ruin of his works. The crocodile (in Papus's cards a crocodile is depicted instead of a dog) is the emblem of inexorable fatality and... of the inevitable atonement and payment for what has been done, for nothing in life is done 'just so' — and for everything one must pay." Papus