Initial Impression:
This is the start of my Tarot journey and I have to say, this is more or less exactly how I feel… like a fool. Not so much because this is a foolish task or anything like that, but because I don’t feel like I know ANYTHING. I guess that’s what this study is for.
What I find particularly interesting about this card is that in his hands, highlighted are the symbols for Cancer and Gemini… my sun sign is Cancer and my rising sign is Gemini. I don’t know how that pertains to the card or to my interpretation of this card, but I did find that fact rather amusing.
Analysis of the card:
He is dressed merrily, in fine cloth and bells. However, the look on his face is rather… inquisitive? Serious? I’m not sure what to call it. His face doesn’t look like he’s “fooling” around, despite what his body is doing. It’s like he’s questioning or trying to understand something that is over his head.
That ring and rod around his ankle looks like it could easily trip him if he doesn’t dance carefully. That’s sort of the thing about this picture – he could be dancing and the look of concentration on his face could be his focus on not tripping on the hoop and rod. He could also be in the act of tripping, and the look of concentration could be how to best recover without dropping what he’s juggling (in this case, the signs of the zodiac). Either way, he’s attempting something difficult and seems more or less calm about it. He’s not stressed, he’s not scared – he trusts that things will be just fine.
The books I’m reading call the progression of the Major Arcana “The Fool’s Journey,” and as we progress through the cards, we see the natural progression of life’s journey. This card, then, in relation to that statement, would relate to infancy. The very beginning of a quest for something – knowledge? love? success? – or the start of something new. So, I think that the Fool is representing the onset of a journey without fully comprehending the scale of what this journey will entail or starting some new phase in your life. Innocence, perhaps… a journey begun without yet being tainted or jaded by life’s natural challenges, pains and obstacles. This could be both good and bad, depending on where this card shows in the spread and what other cards are influencing it.
On the plus side, one can become hindered by the memory of past pain or obstacles, and never begin a new journey when the opportunity presents itself… or worse, never even recognize that an opportunity has presented itself. We must remember to recapture the innocence and joy that can often get lost as the world bogs us down. Embrace spontaneity – remember to have fun! Be a kid again! Don’t psyche yourself out of new ideas that you love simply because your past experience was negative. Start new and trust your inner instincts about a possibly “crazy” idea. Take a chance.
On the negative side (perhaps the reverse meaning of this card?), one can be so eager to start a new journey that they end up leaving ill prepared for the challenges they will do doubt face – like going on a 3 day camping trip and forgetting to bring food. There is merit in being open to new opportunities or starting new things, however if these journeys or events are started recklessly, they can cause harm to both yourself and those around you.
Final Thoughts:
I haven’t yet begun to study reversals in depth, so the “negative side” impression I got may, in fact, be what the reverse interpretation is. However, depending on which spread you use, in the right position, with the right surrounding cards, this card (even upright) could very well be a caution against recklessness. More study will be necessary, obviously.
Key Words:
Spontaneous, Innocence, New Beginnings, Quests, Frivolity, Opportunity, Openness
