Key 0: The Fool

A study of The Fool across various decks and books.

Astrological Counterpart: Uranus | Elemental Sign: Air

Pure state of mind. No mind at all. Pure truth. Beware naivety.

My husband and I love watching Love on the Spectrum together, and Key 0: The Fool definitely gives me autistic friend vibes. An innocent mind that can see the truth of something without the ego or preconceived ideas. They just say it how it is. And that's really beautiful and relieving. 

In the Rider-Waite deck The Fool is depicted as a man on the edge of a cliff. He is looking at the sky and not paying attention to where he is going. There is a dog nipping at his heels warning him he is about to fall. He looks like a court jester, or maybe a hobo.

This card can show taking a leap of faith without fear. Like the saying you will either stumble or fly. It has the potential to be the harbinger of new beginnings.

The choice is not about ethics or morality; it is a choice between two forks in the path. One leads to flying (attainment) and the other to demise (Wen, pg 64).

Sometimes, starting over is the best option.

Upright: You are on your own path others may not understand.

I was born into strict religion. After leaving that church in my adulthood, I started on a path of discovering what I believed to be true about the world. There was a lot of hurt and pain at that time. Leaving everything you know to be true is terrifying. I spoke to a Chaplain (I was in the Army at the time) about the process of deconstructing from religion, and I still remember what he told me: "People will look at what you're doing right now and they won't understand. They'll think you're crazy. But one day they will question what they believe about the world and then they will understand what you went through."

To me, that is The Fool. When I say 'no mind at all' I don't mean low intelligence. I mean that the slate is wiped clean and the seeker is honestly searching out a new path and new information. If they take the leap, they may be surprised how well it works out for them.

Reversed: You may be making a decision based on your fantasy self.

I am known in my house as the Ideas person. I am constantly coming up with new business ideas that I rush to tell my husband. 9/10 times they are actually terrible ideas (and he lets me know), formed from ideas I have about my fantasy self. I have romanticized an idea before thinking through what it would actually look like in practice. Although the idea may be great for someone else, for me it would be a disaster, either taking too much of my time, my energy, or my focus away from what I am already working on.

I have a sticky note on my desktop with a quote from Jesse Itzler: "Don't give up what you have for what you want." Maybe, just maybe, the grass is not greener on the other side, and what you have now is exactly what you need. Listen to the dog at your heels (or your spouse who knows you better than anyone) that the leap you are about to take may end up with you at the bottom of the ravine. As the Fall River book says, "You must discriminate between your personal fantasies...and reality" (pg 59).

Study with Me

Follow along as I study this session. There's no talking or teaching, only the sounds of studying and an ambient playlist.

On My Study Table

What I used in this study session.

Decks used:
Golden Universal Tarot (Rider-Waite) by Lo Scarabeo
Dark Wood Tarot (Bulgarian Edition) by Sasha Graham and Abigail Larson
Prisma Visions Tarot

Books referenced:
The Windows of Tarot (1973) by F.D. Graves
How to Read Tarot (2017) by Fall River Press
Holistic Tarot (2015) by Benebell Wren
Tarot: Card for Divination, Wisdom and Self Discovery (2022) by Nikkie Jay

Journal & Supplies:
The Chapel Journal Notebook
Small Rider-Waite Tarot Stickers
Prisma Visions Tarot Stickers
Velvet Tarot Wrap