August's Card: The Fool
What do you think when you hear the word "fool"? The word has different connotations for everyone. Some people think of a court jester, one definition of a fool. Others think of a person who does foolish or foolhardy things. In Russia, to call someone a fool ("durak" in Russian) is one of the worst insults one can bestow on another. But in the Tarot, it has a different meaning all together.
The Fool is the first card in the Major Arcana. The most common image comes from the Rider-Waite deck -- a young man holds a stick with a bag on the end containing all of his worldy possessions,
while by his feet runs a small white dog. The young man seems oblivious to the fact that he is about to step off of a dangerous precipice, and the dog almost seems to be nipping at his heels in warning. He holds a white flower in his left hand, a symbol of his purity.
This card is one of the more versatile in the Major Arcana as it can often have a variety of meanings. The basic interpretation of the card is that of a journey. The Fool is an innocent young person, about to embark on a journey into adulthood. There is danger ahead, as indicated by the precipice he stands on, but he is joyful, and the hard, jagged mountains behind him show tht the hardest part of the journey is over. This type of meaning is more fully pronounced in the Norse Tarot, where The Fool's part is played by Balder, beloved of all the gods and goddesses for him innocence and purity of heart.
When reversed, this card can symbolize a foolhardy and dangerous undertaking -- "looking before you leap." Reversed, the Fool is about to step off into the unknown and into something that could prove to be his downfall.
The Fool represents a point where we have all been -- about to start a journey into the unknown, hoping for the best but being prepared for the worst. It is a card of hopefulness, as the Fool is optimistic and happy, representing a quality we could all draw from in the first card of the Tarot.
August's Card: the Fool
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