7 Facets of The Tarot Fool

The Tarot Fool is the Major Arcana card numbered 0 in most Tarot decks. Here are 7 things about The Fool that you may or may not be familiar with, whether you are new to the Tarot or an old pro. Hopefully, it will help you see The Fool card in a new light and perhaps give you some new ideas if he shows up in a reading…

1. The Fool character in the Tarot is borrowed from the Medieval morality plays where he was also known as ‘Nought’ or ‘Everyman.’ He was seen as both innocent and ignorant/easily tempted. While The Fool is an ancient archetype, the ‘Fool’s Journey’ is a relatively new concept and not the original idea behind the Tarot Major Arcana. The Fool archetype is still very much alive and well. Think about Jim Carrey in Dumb & Dumber, for instance. The Fool is not always a character who is looking for redemption but always one we project our own desire to not conform.

2. The Fool corresponds with the planet Uranus and represents the Element of Air.

3. The Fool is not a great card to get in a love and relationship Tarot reading if you are looking for stability and commitment. But it is fabulous if you are looking for someone you can have an open and/or unconventional type of relationship with that is more based on friendship.

4. The highest potential of the Tarot Fool in terms of our spiritual journey lies in the qualities of innocence, emotional freedom and a sense of awe about the miracle of life.

5. Questions to ask yourself when the Fool shows up as a challenge are: ‘Am I fooling myself about any aspect of this situation?,’ ‘How can I free myself?’ and ‘What can I do next that is totally outside the box and/or off the wall to regain my sense of excitement about life?’

6. Archangels Uriel and Raphael are both associated with The Fool. Uriel is the ruler of Uranus and Raphael rules the Element of Air.

7. If you were to live your life like the Tarot Fool for a day you might…

• Pack your day full of spontaneous activities
• Play for most of the day
• Question normal, everyday things that seem tedious
• Skip instead of walking
• Wear bright colours
• Laugh a lot
• Not worrying about your sense of humour being appropriate
• Be the first to yell ‘The Emperor is naked!’
• Play pranks on your friends
• Buy a dog
• Get pranked
• Fall for a few temptations
• Make some more or less serious mistakes
• Decide that life is one big adventure
• Break up with your partner
• Fall head over heels in love with a fictional character
• Jump head-first into a pool of shallow water
• Have a brilliant idea and giggle happily at the thought without acting on it
• Invent something totally bizarre

Whether the Tarot Fool is showing up in your reading as an invitation to play more or as a warning that you are about to do something really rather foolish, it is always a reminder that even when though we need to be ‘wise as serpents’ we must remain innocent as doves…

We’ve let the blade of our innocence dull over time, and it’s only in innocence that you find any kind of magic, any kind of courage.
~ Sean Penn

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