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Major Arcana 0 : The Fool

Every Tarot deck has its own images and symbolism which must then be filtered through the psyche of the reader and the context of the question. However for the benefit of beginners, below are some possible interpretations and meanings of The Fool as a starting point for your own personal exploration of the Tarot.

Reading The Card

The Fool is the most complex and most contradictory of all the Tarot cards.

The number zero is usually associated with this card. In fact this is simply a shorthand for saying that The Fool has no number. He is outside of such systems: "I am not a number, I am a free man". As such this card can be considered to fall at the beginning of the major Arcana, or at the end, or anywhere in between.

The Fool represents naivety and childlike innocence - yet the Fool is wise.

He carries only what possessions he really needs, having thrown off the rest of the materialistic baggage that we carry. He journeys through life, tasting everything it has to offer then letting it go and moving on.

In many Tarot decks The Fool is illustrated as being about to step off a cliff. Is this symbolic of dangerous, impulsive risk-taking? Or does it indicate one who simply refuses to be held back by the problems life throws in our path.

Whether the Fool represents opportunity or danger one thing is clear: this world needs more fools.

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