The Major Arkana card, marked with the number zero, is placed at the beginning and sometimes at the end of the tarot deck.

Card description

The Fool is the first card of the Great Arcans, marked with the number zero. The card symbolizes all beginnings, i.e. initiating new activities, projects and ventures. It is a card that, like the hero of an archetypal story, initiates an adventure by making a decision to venture into the unknown. The Tarot presents the Fool as a young man with a traveling bundle. The fool looks ahead with hope and optimism. He boldly challenges fate. He hopes that the journey he embarks on will allow him to gain knowledge and experience that he lacks. The call of the expedition is strong because the young man wants to prove himself during it: test his own limitations, learn about his strengths and weaknesses. He is not yet aware of his own internal resources or the abilities he possesses. This is why the bundle in the hands of a Fool is sometimes equated with unconscious knowledge and with treasures to be discovered. The fool himself is unaware of the gifts at his disposal. To understand this, he must go through a series of trials and tests, symbolized by the successive cards of the Great Arcans.

There are many dangers lurking on the Fool during his journey through the Great Arcana. On the card, they are symbolized by what is at the young man’s feet: the dog and the abyss. The gulf means the risk of devastating failure and profound losses that can be suffered from over-optimism, recklessness, and gullibility. The chasm also symbolizes the boundary of his own comfort zone that the Fool must overcome. On the other hand, the dog can turn out to be both a faithful companion and an additional threat. The way the situation on the card develops depends on the attitude of the Fool himself.

Card meaning

In a positive aspect, the Fool card speaks of starting a new stage on our way of life. Often it involves stepping out of our comfort zone and re-establishing our life priorities. Often times, this card heralds the need to reorganize our everyday life and get to know the surrounding reality somehow from scratch. Therefore, the fool appearing in the schedule often signals such important life events as a longer trip abroad, the need to emigrate for work, moving a long distance, starting a new field of study, enrolling in a university. This Tarot card can also talk about starting your own business or about taking your first steps in a new industry. The fool heralds the need to find ourselves in a new reality, which may be difficult for us at first. Therefore, the card emphasizes the importance of an open mind and flexibility. In addition, it reminds you that it is worthwhile to reasonably calculate the risks taken, because in our new environment, we can be an easy target for people who will want to take advantage of us. However, it is worth taking the first step on a new way of life to see where it will lead us.

Even the longest journey starts with the first step. You have to do it.
(Lao Tzu)

Reversed Card

The inverted Fool card means destroying yourself. It may foretell thoughtless and unpleasant behavior. Card in this position tells about irresponsibility, laziness and a tendency to lie.