The Fool:
setting out without knowing how it ends

The Fool is card 0. He carries a small bundle and walks to the edge of a cliff without looking the least bit worried. Many people first see him as naive. I often read him as "no experience yet, but ready to give it a try".

What's on the card

The young man holds a white rose in one hand and a small bundle over his shoulder, looking up as he walks, with a cliff at his feet. The white dog leaps beside him, as if warning him, or keeping him company.

The Fool is number 0. The Major Arcana begin with him, and the Fool's Journey follows him through 21 cards to tell a story of growing up.

Upright: a new beginning

Upright often shows up at the start of something: a new job, a new relationship, moving out for the first time, learning something new. You don't know much yet, and you have more curiosity than plans.

When it's upright, I ask: what are you willing to try? How much do you need to prepare, at minimum, before you'll set out?

Reversed: wanting to go without thinking it through

Reversed has two common forms. One is being too impulsive and skipping even basic preparation. The other is wanting to start for ages but being afraid of falling, and never moving.

Both come back to the same question: can I bear the risk of this step?

The Fool in love

When the Fool comes up in a love question, the relationship is often very new, or one person doesn't want it defined. Lightness is a strength; see too whether your ideas of "later" are close.

The Fool at work

At work, the Fool often points to changing careers, starting a business or taking a first freelance job. The card backs you to try and reminds you to keep a way back: savings, time, people you can go back to and ask.

When you draw the Fool, write down

• In one sentence, what do I want to try?
• What's the worst case? Can I accept it?
• Before I set out, what's the one thing I still need to prepare?

Common questions