Are You Playing The Fool to Your Advantage?
What does the appearance of The Fool mean for you when it
appears in a Tarot spread? Do you get excited or worried? In
this short article we explain what The Fool means when he
appears in the Tarot.
The Fool is perhaps one of the most important tarot cards in the
deck. He is the first card of the Major Arcana, the first of 22
cards. He is also the only one of the Major Arcana to remain in
our modern card deck, appearing as the Joker. His journey is at
a deeper level the journey we are all on - the journey through
life and life's troubles, as no matter how old we are or what
experiences we have been through we will still contine to find
ourselves in areas where we are unsure, and vulnerable.
The Fool has appeared in many guises over the centuries in the
different decks that have appeared. In the Visconti Sforza deck
he is seen looking a bit like a tramp without shoes in his
stocking soles, and threadbare at that! He carries a large stick
or staff over his shoulder as though ready to commence a long
journey.
In the Wirth deck he looks a bit like the court jester of old,
and most like the forerunner of today's joker in the traditional
card deck. He has however a cat with it's teeth sunk into his
left leg, and a crocodile in the distance. The picture on this
card seems to indicate the urge of The Fool to get on with his
journey in spite of all obstacles both past and future. The
Arthurian Tarot portrays The Fool as Parsifal who sought the
mythic Holy Grail, and the Mythic deck depicts him as the Greek
god Dionysus, wearing animal skins of many colours, and dancing
gaily at the edge of a cliff.
No matter which deck we use the appearance of The Fool is a sign
that we should follow our own path no matter what. We need to
have the courage to jump off the cliff into a new venture if
that's what is called for. We need to have faith in our
convictions no matter how hard this might be.
There are risks to everything in life and the appearance of The
Fool in a spread is a great opportunity for a new beginning
provided you are willing to make the jump!