The Fool Key Facts#
Before diving deeper into the upright- and reversed Fool tarot card meaning, and its connection to love, work, and life, below a quick overview of some facts and the most important words connected to the Fool tarot card.
Upright | New beginnings, innocence, adventure |
Reversed | Recklessness, fearlessness, risk |
Yes or No | Yes |
Numerology | 0 |
Element | Air |
Planet | Uranus |
Astrological Sign | Aquarius |
The Fool Tarot Card Description#
To fully understand the Fool tarot card meaning, we will first take a look at the illustration, its colors, and symbolism.
The Fool tarot card depicts an innocent soul, walking joyfully and excited into the world. He is gazing upwards toward the sky and is seemingly unaware that he is about to topple over the cliff into the unknown.
He carries nothing with him except a bindle, containing all his worldly possessions.
The white rose in his left-hand shows, as white would suggest, purity, freedom. The explosive decal on his clothing represents potentiality.
At the feet of the fool is a small white dog. He represents loyalty and protection, that encourages the fool to charge forward and learn the lessons he came to learn.
The mountains behind the Fool symbolize the long journey and its challenges yet to come.
The Fool Tarot Card Meaning#
The Fool tarot card is the number 0 of the Major Arcana, which stands for the number of unlimited potentials. Therefore it does not have a specific place in the sequence of the tarot cards. Its place is either at the beginning or at the end of a sequence.
The Major Arcana is often considered the Fool’s journey through life. As such, he is ever-present and therefore needs no number.
When you are feeling butterflies in your stomach because you are so excited about new goals, this can be that you are in the Fools state of mind.
The Fool can symbolize openness to an unexpected adventure. Consider what a leap of faith would require in practice.
The card can frame a new experience as an opportunity for growth. That experience may involve literal travel, but the card does not predict a journey.
“Sometimes we need to take the first step even if we can’t see where we’re heading. It’s called faith. It’s risky. It’s amazing.”
The Fool often frames change as welcome while also inviting you to weigh the risks.
The card inspires you to open up new areas in your life. With that comes a mixture of anticipation, wonder, awe, and curiosity.
The Fool Reversed#
If you’re a tarot beginner, you might be wondering what on earth a “reversed tarot card” means. Well, it’s simply a card that appears to be upside down from your angle of vision, just like the image below of the Fool tarot card.
In this paragraph, we will talk a bit more about what it means if you’ve pulled the Fool in the reversed position.
In relation to its upright description, where the Fool is the infinite potential for a new journey in one’s life, the Fool reversed would be the infinite potential for absolutely nothing of value to come into being.
The Fool in reverse represents being reckless, and novice behavior when pursuing a new venture. It indicates that you start a lot but don’t finish anything and that you are literally acting like a fool by disregarding the repercussions of your actions.
You may excuse this as a journey to “find yourself”. Yet, you may be highly disappointed in where you ultimately find yourself if you fail to stop acting foolishly.
“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous unpremeditated act without benefit of experience.”: Henry Miller
This card is here to warn you that now is not the time for spontaneity and freedom. You must finish what you have started and deal with your responsibilities before you can safely move on.
Be sure that you don’t get lost in your own thoughts and not actively ‘doing’. We all have ideas, but it is only through action that these ideas materialize and have value.
The Fool Tarot Career Meaning#
With the Fool tarot card in your career and work, the card can symbolize openness to a new role or venture. Evaluate any move on its practical merits.
For some, this means moving to a new state or country, especially if paired with the World tarot card. For current projects, it means you are attracting innovative ideas and being sparked with new energy.
Pursuing a pipe dream might be looked down on, but not when the Fool tarot card is in charge of a reading. Treat spontaneity as a theme to weigh against research and practical constraints.
- Go for that new job/promotion/project
- Start your dream business
- Be open for new ideas
- Don’t let fear hold you back and follow your heart
The Fool Tarot Love Meaning#
Combine the fool tarot card with love, and the card can symbolize openness to a new romantic chapter.
If you’re already in a relationship, this can symbolize a new chapter, but it does not predict an engagement, wedding, or pregnancy.
If you’re single and looking to mingle, the Fool in a love reading signifies that there may be openness to an unexpected connection, but it does not promise a relationship.
The meaning that should be extracted from this is to be open and inviting to new and unexpected people in your life.
When pulling the fool in relationship to love, it is a good time to put yourself out there and take new chances with partners you might not otherwise consider dating.
This card encourages you to trust the unknown and adopt a more optimistic and hopeful outlook, celebrating and reclaiming your inner child.
The Fool is there to show that you can never really tell what lies ahead, and you can only greet it with joy.
- Be open to new people in your life and go on a date
- Trust the unknown
- Get ready to take your relationship to the next level
- Celebrate and reclaim your inner child
The Fool Tarot Health Meaning#
The Fool is a card of strong energy. If you have been ill or struggling with your emotional/mental health, the Fool can represent a new lease on life and feeling uninhibited.
Every situation is different, but being true to yourself and focusing on meeting your own needs may support your sense of well-being.
- Be true to yourself
- Show some self love
The Fool in a Yes or No Question#
When the Fool is drawn, it can suggest important decisions or change. In a one-card spread, many readers treat the Fool as yes-leaning, but it does not guarantee a favorable outcome.
The Fool Tarot Card and Numerology#
The Fool is the card numbered zero. Zero is round, it forms a circle and thus represents totality and cycles. Yet it’s also empty and represents emptiness, openness, and nothingness.
Zero is the beginning. It is purity and innocence. It is defined by absence.
You could easily get lost meditating on the concept of Zero and that can be a fun way into the world of Numerology. You may even imagine yourself as the Fool while you meditate on the open void of the journey that is Zero.
The Fool Tarot Card and Astrology#
The Fool is about carefree energy, innocence, and following your own drumbeat. The depictions of the Fool are often free-flowing and airy.
Right away, it makes me think of the Air Signs: Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius.
Of the Air Signs, Aquarius is the best fit. Aquarius, ruled by Uranus, is the power of independence and freedom: the ultimate catalyst for breakthroughs and wiping the slate clean.
The Fool Tarot Card Combinations#
When you pull the Fool tarot card, it always has a strong influence on the entire reading. If the Fool is pulled with other Major Arcana cards, together they will rule the message.
The card combinations below are some of the most telling of all possible pairings.
The Fool and Death#
Although the Fool is one of the most beloved cards in a tarot deck, the same can’t be said for Death.
Together, these contrasting cards can symbolize an ending and a new beginning without predicting either event.
As simple as this may sound, we as humans have a hard time with change. The Fool walks alongside death as a reminder that the only thing constant in life is change and embracing it is a must.
The Fool and the Devil#
Like the pairing above, the Fool tarot card and the Devil also have a positive theme when pulled in the same reading.
If you have personally drawn these cards, you’ve probably felt a lack of faith in at least one situation or area of your life recently.
This is normal, but you don’t have to live in this negative vibration. Look around. Are there ways that you could bring about a fresh start? Now is the time to take a crazy chance!
The Fool and the Hanged Man or the Star#
If you’ve drawn these three cards together or the Fool tarot card with either the Hanged Man or the Star, this is a good sign.
Now is the time to let go of what worries you and simply consider which possibilities and practical steps are available.
Fear can hold us back. The pairing can symbolize hope and a more positive direction without promising what comes next.
Practice ‘blind faith’ and walking on water, even when it seems as if you will soon sink.
The Fool Tarot Card Designs#
Although I write all the descriptions based on the Rider-Waite Tarot deck, I use other decks too. It completely depends on my mood and the kind of reading what kind of deck I use. Below I added some of my favorite depictions of the Fool tarot card.
A Little Spark of Joy 
Eileen Oberlin via Behance.net 
Nightshift Nest via Behance.net 
The Modern Way Tarot
The Fool Tarot Card in a Reading#
That’s all for the Fool tarot card meaning. If this card appeared in your reading, it can symbolize openness to an unexpected adventure.
A leap of faith can feel scary and risky. Consider the consequences and practical constraints before deciding how to proceed.
Now, for the next card (or Archetype) the Fool will encounter the Magician, click here to learn all about the magic this card brings!
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Our community loves to hear about spot-on readings so if you’ve pulled the Fool tarot card, please take a minute to let us know in the comments below if the meaning made sense to your situation in life?
