Paulina Tarot Study Group~The Fool

This fool reminds me of the jester fool in Tarot of a Moon Garden.

Anyway.

In a lot of decks the fool carries a bundle on the end of his staff. In this deck he carries it tied to his waist. I feel this represents keeping his worldly goods closeby, having all he needs at hand, near his core. This shows his needs as opposed to his wants.
I also feel that for this traveller, he has his heart tied to his staff to show that he is being led by his heart, not his head.

The fool is too busy watching the birds above him to notice he is about to step off the cliff, much too engrossed in their freedom and beauty, so that the little dog, his travelling companion, must warn him before he falls.

To me, the "balls" are almost like juggling balls, or something similar, showing a sense of fun and playfulness.

The one detail that stands out to me in this card is that his eyes and hand are pointing upward. It gives me strong vibes of the traditional Magician or even Hierophant, perhaps foreshadowing the cards to come. It also gives me vibes of the divine influence in the card. Looking up at the divine while walking towards a cliff--is this his folly, or is this evidence of his trust in the divine?