The white sun is shining on him, but he turns his back on its radiance. Instead, he embraces the yellow sky. We can only see a third of the glowing white light. It shines from the right-hand corner of the card, which means that all has not been revealed to him. Never-the-less, he has the energy and childlike exuberance of discovering the wonders of being alive. The placement of the sun is important in esoteric teaching as it represents the spiritual sun, which never sets. In this way it cannot reach its high point. It will never set. It is eternal. The angle is 45-degrees, which equals the number nine. The number nine represents the height of spirituality that one can reach in a lifetime. The Hermit, Key 9, also stands on a tall summit. Perhaps this summit is the one in the background. It’s definitely something to meditate on.

He holds a white rose, which symbolizes purity and innocence. He is indeed innocent and a little naïve, but only because of his youth and inexperience. He is ready to learn everything life has to offer him. The rose is a cultivated flower. There is a species of roses that grow in the wild and these have 5 petals. The roses we see in the florist shops today have been bred to contain multiple petals.  So here we have a natural element combined within human constraints. The same is said about the dog, which is also white. Left to nature, the dog is really a wolf, but with the help of human intervention, we have a dog. The white dog is also a representation of the intellect being a human condition, which is lower than the spiritual cosmic egg that we spring from. The color white represents the purity of the fool’s consciousness (dog) and the cultivated desire yet to be directed (white rose). When we get to the Magician, we have truly cultivated our desires with the red roses. Red represents our passions and desires. At this stage in the Fool’s journey, he is just happy to be alive and has not yet directed his desire. It is still unlimited and expansive.

He holds a red nap sack and has red brimming around his sleeves. All his desires are still covered in his purse and by most of his clothing. In general, red is associated with action and power; it is a primary color. The red nap sack is tied to a wand, the essence of actions. The pouch is full of his past memories, which represent subconscious. It is full of his past lives that have not been utilized consciously, but he is ready to learn how to use them. Last, red is the color with the shortest wavelength. If we think about the shortest wavelength, red, we can’t really see into it. The waves are too short.

The Fool has a yellow background. Yellow can symbolize many things, but Paul Foster Case attributes this pale yellow to the fiery breath of life called rauch, prana or chi. Uranus is the planet that the Fool governs, whose color is also pale yellow. Uranus is the planet of the occult and extremes. Aquarius is associated with yellow, which rules Uranus. Yellow rules over the element air.

Whenever I personally see the color yellow, I think of intellect. Everything seems very clear and precise when I think of yellow. There is a warmth and peace that radiates from yellow and golden colors. For me, yellow and gold are the go-to meditation colors I use.

The red feather is symbolic of desire, passion and truth. The red comes from the green wreath, symbolizing growth and manifestation into the physical. It is a connection to reincarnation and evolution, for we start at the vegetable kingdom and rise up though to the animal kingdom. 

The mountain peaks in the background are cold and snow covered, but they are a reminder of the accomplishments awaiting each of us on our journey through life. The Magician, the next card, is when we figure out how to use our tools to achieve these goals. The mountains in the distance are contrasted against the precipice the Fool stands upon. This reminds us of the mathematical concept of fractals. Up close it looks like a pile of rocks, but from a distance the mountains rise up into beautiful, mathematical perfection.

His white dog jumps up and down at his feet. Both are standing so close to the edge of a cliff. Is he even looking where he is going? His foot looks like it’s moving forward. Does he even know that he could fall over the cliff? He’s so full of excitement and renewal that he doesn’t observe the edge, but the dog does. Is the dog his friend, his companion, his intuition? Since the Fool is represented by superconsciousness, then the dog is the fool’s conscious mind reminding the Fool to come back to the constraints of the physical reality. All his subconscious memories are tied into the knapsack. In order to understand superconsciousness, it needs to be examined into parts: subconsciousness and consciousness.

The Fool loves new ideas and can be considered a genius. He’s like the idiot savant who makes the best things happen to him without planning or thinking things through. He is also an adventurous spirit. He loves the outdoors and activities that give him a rush of adrenaline. He is not afraid to “let go” and take the plunge into new and exciting ventures.

The Fool tells us to be content with who we are, just the way we are. The Fool doesn’t worry about what other people think of him. The Fool can be very productive in this regard. He just does. He doesn’t have time to think about all the “what ifs”. In this way, the Fool is riding on instinct. No one has told him about all the societal constraints that bind the average person to work, relationships, and experiences. He doesn’t have to think things through, he just takes that leap of faith. 

The Fool reminds me of our tarot journey. How many times have we been told that tarot is foolish? How many times have people looked at you funny because you are a student of the occult or a wiccan or something else that involves a fringe lifestyle. This is the Fool and since it represents superconsicousness, you and the other person are equal fools, yet on different polarities. You laughing with the yellow sky on your face because the truth is that you do not care to pass judgement on those who pass it on you. The other laughing at you because they think you are crazy, but many people throughout history have been called crazy at some point in their lifetime, only to be revered after their death. So, let us all laugh together.

In the exoteric world, the Fool represents children and teenagers or anyone starting a new journey. The Fool asks us, “What do you want to be?” The answer is that you can be anyone and you can do anything. All it takes is faith and a belief that you are part of something bigger. Let nothing hold you back of your dreams and visions.

Most of the time this card represents the querent. 

Physical Representation of the Fool

From the Tarot Heaven Archetype Deck. 

Coming 2025

As a person the Fool is unpredictable, outgoing and loves nature. You can expect this type of person to suddenly take off for a weekend retreat of snowboarding or mountain climbing. He might learn a new language in a new country or be a dive instructor.

The Fool is an intelligent person, but whose intelligence is often so mind blowing that the average person can’t comprehend him. He might get the label as weird or worse be clinically labeled as having Aspergers or mild Autism. He can be a mathematical genius, an artistic marvel or easily be able to memorize complicated programming languages. Give this type of person your Rubik’s cube and they might be able to solve it!

The Fool is represented by superconsciousness, so he is free to be whoever and whatever he wants. Because he comes from everything and everyone, he is never ending and all pervasive.

The Fool person has a vivid imagination and is often a dreamer who can make his dreams come true.

The Fool is not a fashion forward person at all. They are typically rustic and can be “grungy”. They like to be natural, and you’ll see many Fool people with beards and unshaven legs (for women).

In the traditional Celtic Cross Tarot Spread, often the card you place over the Situation Card will reveal whether the crux of the situation is an obstacle (hindering) or helping (strengtheing).  This placement is the second card drawn in a traditional Celtic Cross Tarot Spread. 

Ace of Cups as a Strength

The Fool as a dynamic crossing card could be urging the situation forward to new experimental heights. There is something freeing about the ability to not care what other people think. Some of the greatest minds throughout history have been people who are fearless in the pursuit of knowledge and expansion.