In my previous post, I mentioned that there are 21 Major Arcana in any Tarot deck. I had a friend ask me about that, pointing out that my math didn’t add up. If there are 78 cards in a deck, four suits of 14 cards each and 21 Major Arcana, then there was one card missing. She was right.
The math doesn’t add up because there is one card that doesn’t quite fit into either Major Arcana or Minor Arcana: The Fool.
Numbered as Trump (another word for Major Arcana) 0, the Fool sits outside both Major Arcana and Minor, separate and yet still a part of the whole. There is, actually, a bit of a split in the tarot world about what exactly the Fool ~is~. Is it Major Arcana, Minor or something else entirely? I take the ‘something else’ point of view when numbering the cards.
The Fool card may look quite simple, but there’s really a lot going on in this card. Visually, the Rider-Waite image packs a lot into a tiny space. The choice of color for each element has meaning, and there is detail in the image that is hard to pick out, unless you know it’s there.
The wheels on the figure’s mantle represent the Self; they are mandalas with eight spokes. The wheel with eight spokes symbolizes the whirling motion of the creative universe. There are seven leaves around each mandala, representing the seven chakra centers in the body. One wheel, near the back and bottom edge of the mantle has the Hebrew letter Shin, which symbolizes the spiritual energy that brings things into existence. In addition to all this, on his white shirt over the throat chakra is embroidered the Tetragrammatron, or name of G_d.
The wand or stick that the Fool carries represents his personal identity and psychological potential. His satchel is embroidered with the eagle of Zeus, representing self-renewal and messages made clear. The Fool stands at a crossroads or on a precipice; the white dog at his feet is conscious awareness. (reference Spiritual Tarot)
Arthur Edward Waite, in his The Pictorial Key to the Tarot says: “the conventional explanations say that the Fool signifies the flesh, the sensitive life…” He also points out that in the card, the Fool is unafraid, and while pictured unmoving, is still actually in the act of moving forward, over the cliff. He is the spirit of energetically seeking curiosity. He is bold as he steps forward, certain that angels will bear him up. The Fool does not hesitate as he begins his great adventure.
At the same time that the Fool is beginning his adventure he is also ending one; the cliff is a real danger, the white dog is warning the Fool of it. The Fool is the only Trump card that has survived in modern decks of playing cards — the Joker was once the Fool. Again, unnumbered and separate from the deck, the Joker or Fool can upset and change everything. He is change, at his base. Elemental organic change; he changes state, he alters people and situations.
He is the childlike spirit who with his innocent questions causes new insights; he is the adventure seeker who follows his sense of curiosity and wonder to new delights. When the Fool appears in a reading, you should be on the lookout for opportunities to be childlike, to follow your sense of wonder, and be aware of possible dangers, as well. If you blindly follow your sense of wonder, you could find great delights — or you could find immense sorrows.
When reversed in a reading, the Fool reminds us to loosen up, go with the flow, and to try to release our fears of change and the unknown.
Ultimately, the Fool whether upright or reversed speaks in Zen tones of the need to remain in the moment. Here, now, on the edge of the cliff, there is nothing to fear. Release your fear and step forward. What comes is not something to be concerned over now; it is a problem for later. Make your plans, but be aware that things are now changing, eternally altering, and that your plans may not come to fruition the way you think they should.
The barking dog of your conscious mind will try to warn you, stop you, turn you back from your path; step out on your path anyway, despite the barking thoughts of failure, fear and danger to yourself. Be childlike, be bold, be curious! See what the moment holds for you now.
See also: Tarotpedia’s article on The Fool; lots of really in depth information from a very traditional point of view!
[...] Magician, Tarot Trump number 1, starts off the archetypal journey represented by the Major Arcana. The Fool stands as both the beginning and the end of the journey, outside and yet an integral part of the [...]
[...] The Fool (Trump 0) [...]