Tarot card meanings › Major Arcana
The Fool Tarot Card Meaning
The Fool tarot card means new beginnings, trust and spontaneity. A fresh start and a leap of faith.
Upright
- New beginnings
- trust
- spontaneity
Reversed
- Recklessness
- hesitation
- a false start
Yes or no
Yes
The Fool is card 0 of the 22 major arcana.
What the card shows
A young man in a flowered tunic strides toward the edge of a cliff with his face turned to the sky. He carries a white rose in one hand and a small bundle on a staff over his shoulder. A white dog jumps at his heels and the sun shines behind him.
This is the card as drawn by Pamela Colman Smith for the 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck, which is in the public domain.
Upright meaning
The Fool is the card of beginnings. It is read as a new chapter, a risk worth taking, or a moment to act before every detail is settled. It asks for trust more than a plan.
The Fool reversed
Reversed, The Fool is read as leaping without looking, or the opposite: holding back from a start you actually want out of fear of looking foolish.
Yes or no?
In a yes or no question, The Fool is usually read as a yes. Readers differ on some cards, so treat this as one common reading. You can ask a yes or no question and draw a card for it.
Draw a card yourself
More Major Arcana cards
The MagicianThe High PriestessThe EmpressThe EmperorThe HierophantThe LoversThe ChariotStrengthThe HermitWheel of FortuneJusticeThe Hanged ManDeathTemperanceThe DevilThe TowerThe StarThe MoonThe SunJudgementThe World
‹ King of PentaclesAll 78 cardsThe Magician ›
Want more than one card? Leave your email for Free Premium access when we open.