0. The Fool
i. The Nutshell
Upright
The Fool signifies the beginning of a new chapter that requires openness, adaptability, and a willingness to move forward without knowing the outcome. This card often appears when you're stepping into unfamiliar territory: starting a new job, relocating, launching a project, or making a significant life change. The emphasis is on trusting your capacity to navigate change without needing everything to be predetermined. It invites presence, curiosity, and the ability to respond rather than predict. Progress here is experiential, and clarity comes through engagement. While The Fool encourages independence, it also reminds us that risk is best taken with awareness. It’s not about recklessness, but about letting go of rigid expectations and remaining receptive to possibility.
Sometimes The Fool may be pointing to a new thing after a completion, so check out The Fool 22 which is an extra card in some decks, and I’ve written about it here for the Linescape Tarot.
Keywords: New beginnings, openness, exploration, uncertainty, transition, responsiveness, a new cycle, spontaneity
Translation: You are at the beginning of something. Stay present, take the next step, and allow the process to inform the path.
Reversed
When The Fool appears reversed, it may signal hesitation, impulsivity, or avoidance. You might be resisting change due to fear of instability, or rushing into decisions without considering long-term impact. In daily life, this can show up as missed opportunities, poor planning, or disengagement from responsibilities. Sometimes it points to over-reliance on spontaneity without structure, or an unwillingness to learn from experience. So this card calls for recalibration: step back, assess your motivations, and ask whether you're acting from avoidance, urgency, or informed trust - and if the latter, whose? Points if it’s your own. Starting fresh requires both courage and discernment.
Keywords: Avoidance, impulsiveness, resistance to change, poor planning, inexperience
Translation: Pause and check your direction for something values-aligned, intuitively-honoured and sustainable.
ii. Illus-traits
A quick glance at The Fool's symbolic traits in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck - what's hidden in plain sight?
The Knapsack - Carries only what’s essential. Suggests unconscious potential rather than preparation.
White Rose - Purity of intent and willingness to begin without agenda.
The Dog - Instinct or loyalty both helpful and cautionary. Stay awake.
The Cliff’s Edge - Imminent shift. One step away from consequence or liberation.
The Sun - Clarity is present but the Fool hasn’t looked up to see it yet.
iii. Influences
Planetary: Mars symbolises the warrior spirit, assertiveness, territoriality, rage and possible self destruction whilst Uranus represents innovation, individuation, autonomy, eccentricity, rebelliousness and sudden change.
Natal House(s): The first house represents your sense of self, personal identity, outward persona and how you present yourself socially. In contrast, the twelfth house signifies closures, challenges, spiritual dimensions and the act of letting go.
Astrological Sign(s): Aries symbolises bravery, leadership, and fresh starts. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries relates to self-identity and new beginnings. Aquarius embodies the essence of individuality, challenging authority and explores the themes of alienation and dissociation. This invites you to embrace your authentic self, take assertive steps to express who you are, assert your own authority, and recognise instances of loneliness in your life.
Numerologically: 0 (zero) symbolises choice, providing the freedom to either select a direction or simply go with the flow. The concept of free will means that zero can manifest as either a significant challenge or a relatively easy experience, depending on the choices you make. While it does not signify a life devoid of challenges, it does present an opportunity to attain a greater level of awareness and understanding through a variety of life experiences.
Element – Air governs thoughts, words, and ideas. The Fool embodies open skies; curious, impulsive, and free. Ideas or dreams that invite exploration without over-planning.
iv. A Day in the Life of The Fool
Well That Escalated Quickly
You take a leap saying yes to a new opportunity, change, or challenge - but without clear direction. You feel unprepared, unsure whether this move was inspired, responsive or reactive. Communication is scattered, tasks are half-finished, and your schedule lacks structure. There's movement, but little follow-through. Enthusiasm fades into anxiety when there’s no clear framework to support it.
Adjusting the Knobs
You ignore a complicated, never-cooked-this-before recipe… and end up eating cereal for dinner. You begin to slow down and notice where things aren’t landing. You start asking questions instead of rushing for answers. You revisit plans, clarify intentions, and recognise where spontaneity has turned into distraction. There’s a shift from acting on impulse to learning how to navigate the unfamiliar with more awareness. You’re now aware of what you weren’t aware of.
Unsubscribed from Self-Sabotage
You Google how to raise goats after watching Clarkson’s Farm. A couple couldn’t hurt to keep the lawn down and at least you’re doing some research. You start taking steady, intentional steps, reviewing your priorities, setting boundaries, and checking your capacity levels. You still don’t have every answer, but you’ve stopped outsourcing your direction to circumstances or Joan on Reception.
Writing the TED Talk
You follow a weird little nudge, end up exactly where you didn’t know you needed to be and somehow it’s all working out - free lunch, perfect timing… and you realise faith works in your favour as long as you listen to your gut instincts. You move through unfamiliar situations with measured openness. Tasks are met with focus, transitions are handled with greater ease, and you trust your ability to respond to what arises. You’re shaping your environment as much as it’s shaping you. Curiosity remains, but it’s grounded in self-awareness and practical steps forward.
v. Working with these Energies
Balancing Bold Energy with Mindful Presence
The Fool and Aries are basically the duo of ‘let’s do this thing and see what happens’. Both champion new beginnings, risky leaps and the occasional face-plant. But before you charge forward like a ram with a to-do list and no sense of direction, take a breath. Presence, pace and intuitive trust is the real message here.
Aries gives you the fire to move whilst The Fool hands you the open-hearted enthusiasm to say yes, but neither are suggesting you abandon all forethought. If The Fool shows up reversed, that’s your cue that perhaps enthusiasm has turned into an escape velocity. So instead of sprinting into the void, consider pausing long enough to feel your feet on the ground. That pause is the middle path to self-trust, and the difference between mindful action or another lesson you’d probably prefer to swerve.
1. Embrace new beginnings with reflection and trust by considering a time when you took a leap of faith:
What was the outcome and how did it change you?
What new beginnings are calling you now?
When have you trusted your instincts, what happened and how can you increase trust in your intuition today as a result?
2. Explore spontaneity and innocence with awareness by thinking about a recent spontaneous action or decision:
How did it feel?
What did you learn?
How can you honour the honesty and sincerity of The Fool whilst staying rooted in the wisdom of your past experiences?
3. Observe astrological energy for inspired change:
In what ways are you being called to innovate or initiate right now?
How do Uranus (unconventional change) and Aries (inspired action) show up in your life?
What meaningful action can you take this week to move your life forward in some way?
4. Identify extremes and re-balance by reflecting on a recent moment where you were either impulsive or overly hesitant:
What was the trigger, and as a result, what were the extremes in your thoughts and/or behaviours?
How could you have brought in more balance?
What would walking a middle path have looked like in that moment?
5. Practice mindful action to anchor energy by choosing a simple activity like drinking tea, going for a walk, or stretching:
During the activity, stay present. Notice sensations, sounds, textures, and observe any impulses to rush or disengage.
After the activity, reflect on how it felt to slow down and stay present?
How might this support you in balancing the urgent energy of Aries with the openness of The Fool?
vi. Building Skills
Mindfully Noticing Emotion Without Judgement
This short practice helps you stay present with your emotions, without needing to change them, analyse them or push them away. Emotions are experiences to notice and not problems to solve.
Begin by sitting comfortably.
Close your eyes or lower your gaze. Take a few slow, steady breaths, longer exhales than inhales. Let your body settle.
Now gently bring your attention to what you’re feeling emotionally. Don’t name it right away. Just sense: Is there heaviness? Restlessness? A flutter in your chest? Let yourself feel whatever is there, without trying to fix it.
If you notice thoughts or judgements such as, ‘I shouldn’t feel this,’ or ‘This is too much,” or ‘I’m being dramatic’, simply notice them, then imagine them floating downstream like leaves on water, passing by, not needing your attention.
Remind yourself you have a right to feel what you feel.
Stay with this awareness for five minutes. Observe how the emotion naturally shifts, expands or fades. You’re witnessing the flow rather than controlling it.
Today, practice this whilst reflecting on something that feels risky or uncertain.
Can you stay with it without jumping to action or avoidance? The goal is to get better at feeling.
vii. Embodiment
Tarot is a language, but it’s also a felt experience. Embodiment is how you move it from the page into your body, your senses, your real life. This presence over performance. Before you try and memorise what The Fool means, feel its meaning.
When you learn a card through sensation, i.e. what it smells like, where it lands in your body and how it shows up in your day, you create a personal, unforgettable map. The Fool then turns into more than a suggestion and becomes part of you.
Smell: If The Fool were a scent, what would it be? Fresh air? Wildflowers at a picnic?
Body: Where do you feel it when you think about freedom or risk, your chest, your feet, your stomach?
Soundtrack: What song feels like The Fool’s energy right now?
Action: What could you do today that feels a little spontaneous, playful, or brave, even if it’s minuscule?
Nature cue: Go outside. What in your surroundings reflects Fool energy? An open sky? A stray dog? A path you’ve never taken?
Notice what shifts: The goal is to feel alive and self-trusting.
viii. Your Impressions
Look at The Fool card in your own deck. Take a moment to observe without overthinking.
What stands out to you most?
How does this card feel in your body or mood - light, tense, free, uncertain?
If this card spoke, what would it say?
ix. Intuitive Meaning
Use this space to reflect on what The Fool means to you personally:
When have you been The Fool in your life, inspiring, haphazard, or both?
What are you afraid to leap into and what might be waiting on the other side?
What would it mean for you to trust the journey, even if you can’t see where it’s going?
Applied insight with a 3-card micro spread using The Fool as your anchor:
What leap is calling me now?
What fear or belief keeps me from stepping forward?
What energy will support me if I do?
Pull cards. Note feelings or observations that reflect your lived experience and write your own interpretation:
—————————————————
—————————————————
—————————————————
x. Closing Reflection: Track Your Evolving Lens
Your relationship with each card will grow over time because it’s meant to shaped by your life. Consider the prompts below to revisit and reflect.
What I thought this card meant when I first pulled it: —————————————————
A recent experience that changed how I see it: —————————————————
How I feel about it now, in my body or life: —————————————————
What surprised me as this card kept showing up: —————————————————
One way this card is living in my life right now: —————————————————
If this card visited me today as a guide, what would it want me to remember? —————————————————
Revisit these after a week, a moon phase, or a meaningful moment. Let the card evolve as you do.
If you feel a quiet sense of recognition, curiosity and want to explore it, browse the sessions page for what feels right.