Key 0: The Fool
Background & interpretation
I like to think of the tarot deck as representing the breadth of human experience. And beyond, of course. Maybe the mind-body-spirit experience is more accurate.
Each of the traditional 78 cards found in the Rider-Waite-Smith system—the one I’m most familiar with and read professionally—offers the essence of a particular energy, an energetic quality, I suppose.
These qualities can be combined and mixed to form new stories and complex reflections of whatever is going on in life.
(Stick with me to the end for my personal interpretation of the Fool).
tarot systems
With a broad stroke, the main systems used in tarot are:
Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS): The most popular and widely used tarot deck, consisting of 78 cards. It includes 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana cards.
Tarot de Marseille: A traditional French tarot deck, also with 78 cards. It's known for its distinctive artistic style and is used primarily for cartomancy.
Thoth Tarot: Created by Aleister Crowley, this deck contains 78 cards as well. It is known for its complex symbolism and astrological associations.
the fool and the systems
Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) System:
In the RWS system, The Fool is often depicted as a young traveler, carefree and embarking on a new journey, representing new beginnings and the spirit of adventure. The card’s imagery typically includes a cliff, signifying the unknown, and a small dog, which can symbolize caution or the call of the wild.
Unique aspect: The RWS Fool is often interpreted as a call to embrace new experiences with optimism and openness, emphasizing a journey into the unknown with a sense of innocence and curiosity.
Tarot de Marseille System:
The Fool in the Tarot de Marseille is depicted more as a vagabond or court jester, with a more ambiguous expression. This version of The Fool suggests a sense of wandering and can speak to the idea of folly or foolishness, as well as the freedom of living without conventional constraints.
Unique Aspect: The Tarot de Marseille’s Fool is often viewed as a warning or a sign of caution against thoughtless actions, highlighting the risks of being too carefree or inattentive to one's surroundings.
Thoth Tarot System:
Created by Aleister Crowley, the Thoth Tarot's Fool is rich in esoteric and astrological symbolism. This Fool carries a more complex and mystical interpretation, often associated with pure spiritual energy and the potential of an untapped universe.
That is a major understatement, but it gives you a sense of what’s going on between the systems.
Unique aspect: The Thoth Fool is deeply symbolic, often interpreted as the beginning of a deep spiritual journey and the potential for profound transformation, infused with various symbolic and astrological references.
on meanings
There are so many decks available, each with a different style and interpretation. Our diversity as a human species allows readers to bring their own wisdom and interpretation to a reading.
And speaking of diversity, modern decks are much more representative of the collective than their parent decks, which clearly reflect different not-so-diverse eras in our history.
I enjoy the flexibility that tarot offers. It is a practice of moving with your intuition, using the cards and guideposts, not rote memorization.
In Finding the Fool, Meg Jones Wall reminds readers:
“Sometimes we can find rich truth in the ideas that rub us the wrong way, and in digging into those reactions, we may find new layers of meaning that actually do work for us. But if a definition ever feels limiting, incorrect, or harmful, you absolutely do not have to force yourself to use it.
The world is wide enough for many meanings, even—especially—the ones that you create yourself.”
the Fool, from my perspective
When I’m reading, these are some of the main ideas that I draw from and resonate with when it comes to the Fool
Beginnings & endings
upright: inexperience, possibilities, innocence, new journey, pure in spirit, curiosity
reversed: ignorance, immaturity, impulsiveness, recklessness, caution
our subconscious connection to youth, playful innocence, exploration
the part of us that takes risks and feels drawn to adventure
As I wander the path of creating my own deck, I find that describing the energy of each card as a story is really helpful for me.
My interpretation of The Fool’s energy, story style
The Fool
from the Saga Modernai Tarot
You say yes to a date with a new crush. The party they take you to--both of you giddy with excitement and each other's company--is wild, loud, and crowded. Music is blasting, people dance and kiss and shoot down more liquor. The danger and newness is magnetic.
A small voice of caution rises up, but you push it away. Your date asks if you've tried this before, revealing two small pills in their palm. You haven't. But you're here, and it's now. You swallow it, then kiss, then laugh, and join the dance floor.
The world is new and shiny to the Fool. Chances are taken, consequences a dim whisper. The cocktail of curiosity and immaturity is potent, and the lack of fear helps the world to shine brighter.
The road trip with no map or plan, the positive pregnancy test, the job offer in another country, the temptation of someone who's already taken, a huge investment based on a gut feeling...this is when the Fool walks beside you.
The Fool never leaves you, even when the shimmer of adult life has dulled. Too many blurry nights and stupid decisions pull the Fool deep into your subconscious. And you might forget how much you need him.
He screams at you from your depths to "go for it" when, in midlife, you wonder if you should quit your boring—and very stable—job to explore a new passion project. He begs you to hear him out, to remember the thrill of not knowing what might happen, of ditching your ten-year-soul-crushing life plan to actually feel something. But sometimes the alcohol and nightly tv marathons win.
It's safer to ignore the Fool.
Yet, if the stars align, you embrace him because you're tired of playing it safe. You grasp the Fool's hand with all your might and leap into the unemployed void because you'll die of boredom if things don't change. It is not a secure road. It is playful chaos, a fresh breath in a stale routine.
At this point, you're wise enough to know the risks but also aware of the many rewards that the Fool's energy offers. He is rife with gifts if only you're willing to see them.
Much farther down the road, as your body begins to deteriorate and friends pass away, you catch whiffs of the Fool in your daydreams. He still calls to you. He is there when you laugh at the mess the grandchildren have made in the kitchen, hands sticky with sugar...a mess that you'll keep as your own little secret.
At the very end, you'll realize that accepting the Fool was the best life you could have lived. A balance between stability and adventure. You needed the Fool to really live, to push yourself beyond what became comfortable and "grown up," as you need him now in your final days.
Finally, when your world begins to quiet and your last breaths sift in and out, you eagerly take the Fool's hand and leap.