The Fool

the fool tarot card
Card image is from The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Meaning: New Beginnings, Optimism, Trust

The Fool is a journeyer of life, who sets out on his grand adventure without a map, trusting that life will lead him in right direction and everything will turn out splendidly! He represents the adventurous, joyful and carefree spirit within all of us.

Remember that person who used to work in your office who suddenly up and quit one day to go travel or start is own business teaching surfing? You resent him. How dare he!? Who does he think he is?

The Fool can be a bit naïve. For example, he is the dude who gets all fired up about some bizarre business venture and puts all of his life savings and energy into it. He may turn out to be a millionaire or a broke hobo, but he will always trust his instincts, follow his heart and live each day joyfully.

When

  • You are about to begin a new life phase, project, job, adventure
  • You know where you want to go, but don’t know how to get there
  • You are heading into something with blind optimism (which could either help or hinder you)

Inquiry

  • Imagine what your life would be like with the absence of fear – what would it be like to be free to pursue your dreams?
  • Where in your life are you like The Fool?
  • How do you feel about people who embody The Fool – do they irritate you? Inspire you?

Action

  • Take a leap of faith! Focus on the NOW and don’t worry so much about HOW to get to where you want to be.
  • Align yourself with the bright eyed and bushy-tailed aspect of The Fool
  • Be optimistic and do your research before making any big decisions

More Tarot Card Meanings…

17 thoughts on “The Fool”

  1. Part of what I love on the Fool card is the dog. The dog is there to give warning, to pay attention to the reishks that may be in our world. The dog is concerned the Fool is so close to the cliff, and telling him to pay attenion, and when he does, he will move back a few steps. The lesson here it to listen to your inner guide, your guardian angel, His dog is loyal and will not abandonedhim no matter what.

  2. Thank you for this video – and all of your videos! I am very very new to tarot so I am trying ot focus on one card per day. As I shuffled my deck, this was the card that fell onto my desk – it couldn’t have been a more appropriate card! I just moved into a new home and started a new job at the end of 2022. I am incredibly optimistic about 2023!!

  3. Love this card! Shows me a sign of youth. To me I like to say the dog represents companionship and loyalty, either ready to jump the cliff with the fool or warning him of the cliff.

  4. Kate

    Thank you for clearing things up with The Fool, many times when I got readings I always got The Fool… I thought I was dumb but with you giving the meaning as to say I’m going into a new passage in life.

    Truly grateful.

  5. Thank you for sharing your information. I’m brand new at this and find it quite overwhelming with everything that’s going on in my life right now.

    I love The Fool card! He’s going out there and taking a jump on a leap of faith!
    How many times are we held back because we don’t trust, don’t act, don’t risk (even though we don’t like how things are in our life), don’t jump?
    All the great inventors in most peoples eyes failed on their first to 1000th attempt of their inventions, Henry Ford, Mr. Honda, Colonel Sanders, etc. They, like The Fool, jumped, took a leap of faith. Trusted. And eventually achieved.
    Also, The Fool card has the sun shining, the flower in his hand represents to me that along the way he’s stopped to smell the roses!
    Yes, I feel the little dog is warning him, watch what your doing, open your eyes, your going to fall, your going to fail, could be used as a positive or negative reinforcement. Our negative sides are great at hamster wheeling us into believing a lot of things we shouldn’t listen to.

  6. im fairly new to tarot, but have to say that i feel better inside already. i believe once the happy medium is found, then you know your limits

  7. My favorite card -reminds me that no ones’ tomorrow is guaranteed and you’d best grab the vine while the fruit is ripe – go for it joyfully and throw caution to the wind – I guess I’m an idealist, but I love that kind of courage.

  8. I love the faith and courage of the fool. But I also see that he is nearing the edge of a cliff it seems and with his head in the clouds, he cannot hear his faithful companion the dog warning him to pay attention where he is going. The white flower to me symbolize purity of motive and heart as he begins his adventure.

  9. Fool always reminds me of a new graduate who ‘knows it all’. They are great at knowing how things work in books and in theory. They get a big shock when entering a work place where they have to implement their limited knowledge into something practical. If they stick it out they grow and learn and become Magician who has both theoretical and practical knowledge.

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