THE FOOL

Here we have a youth about to step off the edge of a precipice. He symbolizes the Lifepower before it enters into manifestation. Therefore he represents inexperience—which certainly can be foolish. He faces northwest, the direction of the unknown. The sun behind him is still rising, for the spiritual sun never reaches its zenith; if it did, it would descend and decrease in power. The wand over the youth’s shoulder is a symbol of the will, and tied to it is a wallet that is thought to carry universal memory and instinct. (Another possible interpretation is that the wallet carries the four magic symbols that he will have to learn to use.)

The sign of the eagle on the wallet betokens virile strength and is also associated with the zodiacal sign Scorpio. The youth also carries a white rose, indicating that he is still free from animal forms of desire. The little white dog at the young man’s heels has many possible meanings: he has been evolved from the wolf, showing that lower forms of life can be elevated and improved by human companionship; he also shows us that Nature is glad to follow along in Man’s wake. The snowy mountains in several cards indicate the cold, abstract principles of mathematics, which govern all earthly phenomena.

The Fool is about to pass into the cycle of life through which each soul must journey—stages so graphically described in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress . Think of the youth as Spirit facing unknown possibilities of self-expression as he enters the world, an ignorant babe. He stands on spiritual heights, about to step down into manifestation.

Every man must journey forward and choose between good and evil. If he has no philosophy, he is the Fool.

Divinatory Meaning:
The subject of the reading is a dreamer, a mystic. He has the desire to accomplish a great goal. He must be careful to make the right choice. If he thinks that “when ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise,” then he is indeed the Fool.

Reversed:
Folly, indiscretion, thoughtless action. The choice is likely to be faulty

DAscent Deck