The Fool

The Zero - the Fool - the un-numbered card in the tarot, representing the un-anchored point of view, the un-limited range of possibility, the un-classifiable one who - while lightly clutching a small bundle of possessions - is teetering merrily on the brink of a precipice. 

(All 22 Major Arcana interpretations may be seen by clicking link, above)

The Fool card represents the unfixed perspective from where one may move freely to any perspective. It represents the beginning of a journey – youth in blissful naiveté, the carefree soul with few needs or formulated opinions, and a lack of a rigid agenda. Little disturbance is caused in his wake, as he goes forth in innocent curiosity. The card depicts a dog nipping at his heels, urging him nearer to the brink of the cliff, but he neither shies nor is distracted by the danger and - it's important to note – he’s not shown falling, he is shown to be on uncertain ground near the edge, but not over the edge.

There is no misfortune implied here as in the case of a saddened castaway, but rather of one who has quite willfully cast away all encumbrances and has taken to the road, the road symbolizing the spiritual path, the path of basing our thoughts in the heart (compassion) and our actions from the higher mind (wisdom). Allegorically it refers to the Dharma, the Tao, the great way to spiritual liberation. "The Fool" being a metaphor, there is of course no mandate that one must strap on a backpack and give away all possessions – though that extreme remains ever as a possibility, and many have done just that. When one takes refuge in the Dharma, as it is said in Buddhism, one  treads mindfully step by step the razor’s edge, the slim path of nurturing ground that cuts a ragged course through vast realms of danger, eminent dangers that lurk closely on either flank of the path. To the extent that one dedicates to the practice of non-harming (sanskrit ahimsa) and to the practice of owning our life's situation, that is, taking personal responsibility for our present condition and for our subsequent conduct in the world, we will be guided and protected by the mysterious Dharma – casting blame or seeking revenge will only complicate our matters. To the extent of releasing blame for our misfortunes, according credit to others as well as ourselves for our successes, and of expressing gratitude for what we have will we be rewarded with an ever-growing sense of inner-guidance and tranquility of mind. 

The word fool does not imply idiocy or ignorance, and while the card depicts someone who may be regarded as such, it is by choice that he allows himself to be ridiculed, to be perceived by the world at large as a foolish person who would throw away the outward signs of success; comforts, possessions, position, ambition and opportunity, to aimlessly wander. All this is to symbolize the root qualities of poise, of foregoing our ongoing needs to impress, to be right, to be held in high esteem. Any measure of restraint from these urges may be useful in maintaining a generally peaceful mind, or in calming a flaring ego, for example, giving breathing space to a situation where 'to be right' may simply mean giving the other voice its say.

Another aspect of The Fool card is of the floating quality of a mind that is absorbing rather than asserting. We then observe both inward and outward from a place deep in our calm center. In our center, at the nexus of the forces of the universe, we find a natural balance, as we are not caught up in the centrifugal forces swirling about us. Enmeshed in the plexus, the web of externalities, we find ourselves vulnerable in an ever-shifting ground of uncertainties. In Sanskrit this web is referred to as Samsara.

Because of its numerical denomination, Zero, this is the most mystical and all-encompassing card in the entire deck of Tarot. At its very root it represents the mysterious formless Void, the primal plasma from which all manifestation emerges, void of form – no thing – but never nothing. It is the seed, the point (sanskrit Bindu), the infinite potential out of which the entire spherical universe pours forth, anew at every moment. It is the point into which we return at death, back into our primal seed form where we carry the imprint of our karmic DNA, the determining blueprint out of which our future destiny lies. It is of great importance to realize that our destiny is all of our own making, with each step and with each thought we guide and shape our lives, it is our present actions that determine our future. 

By Ananda Brady copyright 2011