- Planetary alignment: Uranus (unpredictable change, forward-looking, discovery, innovation, originality & individuality, openness to all that is new, unusual, and unknown)
- Number: 0
- Keywords:
The Fool is, obviously, the first card in the tarot deck. However, the card number is not 1, it is 0. Before we dive into the image itself, I’d like to spend a few moments talking about this as the number itself gives us insights as well. One might think that zero represents nothing or the absence of anything, but in reality it does represent something. The history and philosophy of the number zero is deep and fascinating and I may pick it up as a possible essay topic later. The rabbit hole formed within minutes of me looking it up (the Europeans actually were afraid of it and it was banned in some places). For now, though, we can focus on the idea that 0 is not simply “nothing.” Technically speaking, it is a placeholder for the empty set in mathematics. And what do placeholders represent? “There’s nothing here right now, but there will be.” In this sense, zero represents potential. It can be anything, good or bad but it is not nothing. The Fool is the card of new journeys, beginnings and beginners, leaps of faith. This corresponds so well with the number zero in that beginnings have so much potential for many outcomes.
Moving to the image itself, the young man carries a bag on a stick in one hand and a white rose in the other, and walks toward the edge of a cliff with a small, white dog at his heels. He looks to the sky, not at the ground in front of him. We don’t know if him looking at the sky instead of the ground is purposeful or not. Maybe he is simply not paying attention, and maybe he simply trusts the path he’s on. The sun is bright in the sky and there are mountains in the background. I want to go through the elements of the image individually because there seems to be a lot to unpack:
- The bag on the edge of a sick – Some sources claim that the stick is actually a wand. The wand in tarot is associated with creativity, work, and passion. The wand is also associated with the element of fire, which creates and destroys, but is also passion and “the spark that creates movement.” On the stick hangs a bag, representative of past experience or “baggage” as we like to call it. While he is heading toward a new, exciting beginning, he still carries a little bit of his past with him. However, this past is not so heavy that it holds him back.
- The white rose – It is also a symbol of purity and new beginnings and roses in general symbolize passion.
- The young man walking to the edge of a cliff – He is dressed beautifully and gazes up at the sky. Again, he is either taking a leap of faith or is ignorant that his steps lead off of a cliff.
- The white dog – As with the rose, the dog is white which in itself symbolizes purity, innocence, and newness. He looks happy and excited to begin this journey and is a loyal companion to the Fool, but he could also be warning the Fool of the danger ahead. Sources say that the dog may represent intuition and instinct. Something that will tell the Fool when there is danger if only he listens.
- The background – One thing I don’t see a lot of sources discuss is the background of the card. There is a bright, clear sky with snow-capped mountains. This reminds me of crisp, clear days where it is refreshing and uplifting to be outside, but I think the mountains themselves are representative of obstacles and hard work. This is not necessarily negative, but more a necessary thing as we embark on new journeys and progress toward our desired outcomes.
Reversed:
I think of reversals in much the same way was Rachel Pollack does in Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, “But we can also look at reversals as deepening the meaning of a card as a whole. In general, a reversed card indicates that the qualities of that card have become blocked, distorted, or channeled in another direction.” This card in reverse suggests that one is not ready or is fearful of taking such a leap. Perhaps they shouldn’t take that leap at all, depending on the spread and question at hand. It’s just not the right time. Maybe our baggage is too heavy and needs to be lightened first. It can also symbolize recklessness by not listening to the little dog at our heels.
Leave a Reply