The Fool 0
Smith-Waite Tarot Deck — Borderless Edition
The essence
A young man with golden hair and a feathered hat stands, mid-step, at the edge of a cliff. In the far distance, snowy mountains rise as the sun gleams upon him. He lifts his gaze skyward, bathing in its warmth, free from worry or sense of lack. Over his shoulder rests a light stick with a small carry-on bag — something he barely registers the weight of. In his left hand, he holds a white rose, symbolising his innocent spirit and truthful nature.
Key symbols
The dominant yellow reflects delight and the generous nature of the Sun. In the background, jagged mountains foreshadow the challenges and obstacles yet to come. His posture is open and receptive, mirroring the purity of his intent. His mind is light, unburdened by the weight of the past. At his side, a loyal companion bounds along, representing instinct, protection, and faithfulness. Even at the cliff’s edge, the Fool remains safe within himself.
Practical insight
The Fool marks 0 — the beginning before the beginning — a threshold into the future. This card invites openness and trust in the journey ahead, free from the weight of personal projections. Here, the rational mind cannot confine the boundlessness of an open heart. Perhaps it is worth the risk to step into the unknown, and leave behind all that weighs you down.
The Night Sun Deck — Fabio Listrani
The essence
An unidentifiable figure — masked and horned — emerges from the dark, part-naked and adorned with cloth bearing the emblem of chaos. He wears pure white and a jester’s hat, carrying a traditional knapsack that lends a strange lightness to his mysterious form. In his right palm rests the symbol of the universal womb — a protective egg — radiating with latent potential. He wanders through the green smoke, silent and steady in his trust of the unknown, placing faith in his chiselled canine companion, who watches intently and guards his every step.
Key symbols
Green carries a paradox — symbolising both growth and life, as well as envy and poison. The ambiguity of this Fool is steeped in spiritual gnosis, weaving traditional tarot symbolism with Thelemic and Qabalistic teachings. Looking to the top corners of the card, we find the alchemical symbol for air (left) and the Hebrew letter aleph (right). In Western esotericism, elemental air — drawn from classical Greek philosophy — became associated with The Fool, reflecting its nature: invisible, free, and beyond grasp. Combined with aleph, meaning “ox,” the Fool embodies a primal force that precedes manifestation itself. Simply put, the Fool is the capacity to journey.
Practical insight
This version of the Fool carries a shadow aspect. In a reading, it suggests a reformation of identity — a willingness to step into the unknown, trusting that there is a deeper safety in the unfolding process. This card offers a richer complexity, inviting the querent to accept chaos and fear as necessary forces in growth and evolution. Much like the innocent child, who has yet to form a fixed identity, the Fool embraces life through the irrational pulse of creation.
Cartomanzia 184 — Modiano
The essence
A female form stands on her tiptoes, warped and bent into a strange, almost dancing figurine. There is a sense of unfamiliarity — both playful and disjointed — that feels unreadable and uncertain. The shadow deepens this obscurity: though clearly anchored at her feet, it appears detached, as if split from its source into a fragmented extension. The dog faces her, poised somewhere between attentiveness and confusion, awaiting a clear signal to follow. Perhaps it senses this shadowed aspect, anticipating any sudden misstep or unseen danger. Altogether, this Fool embodies a subtly unsettling ease, one that emerges when the sense of self begins to distort.
Key symbols
The Cartomanzia 184 draws from the Etteilla lineage of tarot as a divinatory system, where each card communicates more fixed and specific meanings. Defined here as The Madman, this 18th-century Fool is accompanied by the key phrases: breaking of divine communications, moral blindness, and matter. Within the broader context of tarot, the Madman emerges as a disruptive archetype — one that is not excluded from the narrative, but recognised as part of what is physical and real. Marked as 0/22, the card points towards a form of absolution that requires unacknowledgement — an entirely ego-driven identity that recognises no reality beyond itself. In association, the pairing of the Hebrew letter Shin and the pyramid symbol suggests a fiery impulse directed through structure — a pursuit of the new that stands in open defiance of established order.
Practical insight
The Madman invites a recognition of the unruly, frenzied aspect of the self — careless at times in its promises, yet not without its redeeming force: an equal measure of passion, fervour, and enthusiasm. To act without restraint fuels the imagination, initiating entry into a realm of pleasure from which something real can emerge, shaped through the challenges of its pursuit. There is a fearless, almost frivolous delirium here, one that allows for a break from common truth and the higher order of meaning. Within this restless desire, what once held sense may be severed and distorted — unsettling the status quo and setting the conditions for reformation and renewed spirit.
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