
The Fool Card Meaning
- Table Of Contents
- Overview
- Upright
- Reversed
- Love & Relationships
- Career
- Similar Cards
Upright
The Fool card marks the beginning of an exciting adventure. The step you’re about to take will have a great impact on your life, leading to significant changes in yourself and in the world around you. This card often emerges before big life decisions. And this is often a path surrounded by doubt and uncertainty. This card comes not only to remind you of the relevance of your choices, but also to encourage you to wholeheartedly pursue your own desires. This is not the time to give in to society’s standards or to conform to the expectations of others. In the end, the only one that will have to live your life it’s you!
At its core, it’s an invitation to embark on the path of authenticity, embracing the unknown with courage. Trust yourself and make choices that resonate with your true desires.
Reversed
Corrupted: Negligence, Folly
Blocked: Fear of Change, Disregard or Ignorance of new Opportunities
Opposite: There is a Risk in making the Change, Consider going for Traditional ways
Internal: Authenticity, Planning new Beginnings
The Fool Upright Card Meaning
The Fool card marks the beginning of an exciting adventure and encourages you to take the risk and act following your heart’s desire, without much regard for social conventions and the opinion of others. If there is a project or activity that you’ve been planning on starting, now it’s a great time to take your first step.
Beginner’s luck
The path of the beginner often starts with promising results. The initial interest and excitement around a subject can greatly help us learn and practice. This is a one-time-only opportunity to attain huge progress in a fun and quick way, so make sure to take advantage of it!
In this phase, it’s important to not take things too seriously too fast, after all, there is going to be a time when that becomes inevitable. Instead, take the time to appreciate the joy of first discoveries and small achievements. This is a time to trust your instincts, embrace spontaneity, and let go of rigid expectations.
Lean in on your enthusiasm and curiosity
If the reading is in regard to a long-standing situation, the Fool encourages you to approach it with the enthusiasm and curiosity of an apprentice. See the world around you by its possibilities and potential, not by its limitations. The repetition that comes with experience can often limit our ideas of what is possible. Not only you’ll start acting and thinking automatically, but you also tend to disregard everything outside of the familiar. But remember that just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved upon. Similarly, just because something has never been achieved doesn’t mean it is impossible. The Fool in this situation would appear as an invitation to dare to innovate and think outside the box.
Avoid unnecessary risks
Taking a leap of faith in yourself and following your dreams is a powerful way to find individual purpose. Even if your endeavor ends in failure, the process itself can be incredibly rewarding. However, it is always important to take the time to make a risk assessment before any major changes. While the Fool encourages you to embrace the new, the level of intensity with which you engage is ultimately up to your own discernment. It doesn’t have to entail a drastic change overnight. Starting a new career, for instance, can begin as simply as attending a workshop or networking event related to your dream job on your day off.
Give your dreams a chance to come true
Remember also that beginner’s luck can only take you so far. While it provides an excellent starting point, it’s essential to continue acquiring knowledge and experience. The Fool majorly comes to remind us that often the worst thing that can happen in regards to our dreams is not giving them a chance to come true.
The Fool Reversed Card Meaning
Corrupted
In a corrupted state, the Fool represents someone acting in a foolish way. It may indicate a lack of grounding or a detachment from reality. Innovative concepts are often outside of common perception, but they still need to be grounded in reality, otherwise, they become just irrational concepts that are nothing more than fantasies. Another common situation is insisting on something that has yielded no results for a long time. To improve your situation you’ll have to assess the ways in which your actions or thoughts may be illogical or counterproductive, and be willing to make the necessary changes.
Blocked
You’ve been trying to avoid embracing a new beginning for some time now, and yet the idea is still very persistent in your mind. Don’t let fear get in the way of you achieving your dreams. Start with small steps if needed, there’s no need to make drastic changes right away. Most of the time you don’t even need to let the people close to you know what you’ve been up to, as that could cause unwanted conversations or expectations. Test the waters all you want to, as long as you take the first step, everything is valid.
Opposite
In this reversed position, the Fool serves as a cautionary reminder that now may not be the best time to start anything new or rebel against common sense. The standard ways and techniques may not be the most exciting or interesting, but they are standard for a reason: they work. Sometimes we have to sacrifice our curiosity and desire for novelty in order to get the results we want. However, don’t let the fire within you die yet, for there will be better opportunities in the future to act following your heart.
Internal
In this context, the Fool indicates the birth of new perspectives and new ways of thinking and acting, especially those that do not conform to societal rules and the expectations of those around you. You might experience some resistance and backlash from those who do not understand you, but The Fool urges you to resist the temptation to renounce your authenticity in an attempt to conform. Another interpretation of the internal reversed Fool is similar to the blocked interpretation. You may already have the desire for a new beginning and plans in your mind, but you have yet to take action on them. While planning is an important part of the process, be careful not to put too much focus on the details of the “how” and not enough on making things happen.

Love & Relationships
Upright
The Fool in this context encourages you to take an active role and be the one to take the first step towards creating a new connection or taking a relationship to the next level. Don’t be afraid to express your feelings or voice your complaints. If you are single, The Fool could bring new opportunities for relationships, especially, but not limited, to those that are in some way uncommon or frowned upon (within legal limits, of course).
Reversed
Corrupted: Foolish decision. Being taken advantage of in a relationship. Unrealistic dating standards. Flimsy connections.
Blocked: Fear of commitment. Being emotionally unavailable.
Opposite: Not the best time or partner to start a new relationship with.
Internal: Focus on self-care and self-love.

Career
Upright
This is an encouragement to go after the job of your dreams. Whether what you want is a promotion to a specific role, or a job at a particular company, now it’s a great time to start putting effort towards achieving it. Don’t be afraid, even if you feel you don’t meet all the requirements yet. Your own judgment is not the most important factor here. Dare to step out of your comfort zone and you might be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.
Reversed
Corrupted: Foolish decision. Being taken advantage of by a coworker or boss.
Blocked: Fear or unwillingness to seize new opportunities that could benefit you.
Opposite: Not the ideal time to make changes in your career.
Internal: A good time for learning new skills or making career plans.
The Fool Similar Cards


The Fool and The Magician
They both have huge life-changing potential. The main difference is that under The Fool the most important thing is to take the first step. While The Magician calls for ongoing efforts and actions, as well as maintaining a favorable mindset.


The Fool and The High Priestess
They are both about listening to your inner voice and having the courage to act authentically. But while The Fool represents that in regards to giving the first step on a journey, The High Priestess represents more of a general way of going about life or of dealing with a specific situation in your life.





The Fool and the Aces
All of these cards represent new beginnings of some sort. While the Aces are limited to specific areas of possibilities based on their respective suits, The Fool faces no such limitations. The new situation brought by The Fool often encompasses more than one or even all aspects of the individual suits. As a Major Arcana card, the Fool carries greater life-changing potential than the Aces do.