Paulina Tarot Study Group~The Fool

My thoughts on The Fool!

The first thing I notice is the Fool him/herself. We really can't quite tell what gender the Fool is which is rather inviting in itself. Decked out gaily in bright attire, much like a clown-like costume, the Fool carries the traditional staff with a cheerful heart dangling from its end and points to what almost looks like balls or bubbles, which instantly gives one the sense of light-heartedness to the journey he/she is about to take. Notice how the bubbles are not popping! The trees in the background look much like lollipops and the Fool is concentrating on the exotic looking birds flying right over head, both with a look of admiration and perhaps envy of their freedom. The Fool, too, is taking their own flight and journey. This Fool, interestingly, carries no pack, making me feel it is even more lightly unburdened or with care, no plans, no preparations. Perhaps a bit too impulsive, so beware! The dog is warning him/her about the cliff, but the Fool is too busy in its own little utopian dream! Overall the card is very optimistic, but the cliff is a bit ominous! It has eyes and is watching! Bones and fish skeletons are hung underneath, as well as tangled roots easily to trip on. But the Fool cannot see these. What has happened to others who have taken this particular route? Or are these just tokens, perhaps leftovers of a meal before venturing forward? A meandering brook and mountains in the upper right hand corner bring forth the excitement of uncharted territory to be explored. The snail in the bottom righthand corner seems to remind us of two things...that life can sometimes move at a snail's pace, as well as cautioning us to move slower and with more discretion. Is there a lesson here similar to the tortoise and the hare?

In a nutshell, the card seems to have a lot of positive aspects, but with a few warnings for the new traveller!

I really love this card...

Two of the things I notice are that the Fool has very large eyes - moreso than a lot of others in the deck, which makes me think of a wide-eyed innocent. Someone eager to take in the world

The other thing is, the Fool carries a bag hanging from their waist...what's drawn on it? It appears to be some sort of flower, but I can't tell what kind. I wonder what that's supposed to represent :O


I really love the small details on this card...the ornate staff! It reminds me of myself, when I'm starting something new, and I go out and buy something that's much more than what I really need for the task at hand. And the cliff! Gorgeous! The branches that are coming out of it appear to have buds on the ends, like something new about to unfold. I love it!

I like the way the Fool almost seems to be dancing. I suppose you could argue that she's about to trip over her own feet but I like to think of her as dancing. The first thing I notice about the card is the way the Fool is looking up (and her eyes are wide!) She's far more interested in the birds soaring above than she is in her surroundings.

I love the idea about the trees looking like lollipops. It adds to the since of joyful innocence that is captured on the Fool's face.

In my Tarot blog I also wrote about the strong appeal the Fool has for all of us.

The possibility for a grave mis-step is strongly present and yet there is an irresistible quality to the naive Fool. We love her anyway. Even when ill dignified, even when at her "worst," we have to admire the fact that she leaped.

Without her there would be no new projects started, no dance of youth, no childlike wonder. Even her clothes are quirky, eccentric even. She's an individual and she listens to the beat of her own drummer.

She is Everyman; she is the card I think we can all identify with the most strongly. She's so human, a reflection of all of us as we begin our fabled journey.

I think the LWB says that the Fool is a "he".
He looks like he is wearing heavy make-up or a mask and it makes him look like a performer. He is very genuine and sincere, though, but there´s also a role he is playing..
The stone cliff and the bones underneath are quite special. The LWB says they have to do with "memoirs left by those who have ventured before him."

The little winged snail under the cliff can be seen in many other cards as well (the Empress, the Strength, the Hanged Man..). There are no winged snails in reality so this is a whimsical fairy-tale creature. I wonder what the meaning of that snail could be? Does it have a message for us?

Interesting, I hadn't particularly noticed the snail before ... will go snail hunting later!

Other things I picked up on:

Birds of paradise – a connection to the Garden Eden, a state of innocence, pureness of intentions which are as of yet undeveloped, a fresh mind ready to soar with the birds.

He doesn't have a bundle at all, but his staff is coiled – reminds me of the staff of a bishop or a shepherd – maybe an indication that he might become a leader later on.

The LWB indicates it is "shaped with the memoirs of those who ventured before him" – and their traces are certainly diverse! Embedded are bones and fish bones, ammonites (so this soil is really ancient!), but also the all-seeing eyes that will show up again on the robe of the High Priestess. This could mean that there will be knowledge beyond the collective memories available to him later.

I don't see the figure as being on a cliff, but on a large water creature like a squid, and the smaller fishes under. The squid and fish below are prehistoric remnants. Old ways. Inside the box thinking.

This figure seems to have the confidence to say, "I have the right to step out on faith", not "I have haven't a clue in my head...".

The Paulina tarot was waiting for me at home when I came back from my 4 day "vision sit" out on the land.
I am quite intrigued by the deck!
The fool, like many other characters in the deck wears the outfit of a "payatzo" a tragic/ comic clown. Opposing colors on opposite arms, legs, feet and so on. Red for enthusiasm, green for growth, checkerboard for order, peacock eyes for celebration and festivities.....
Seeing the flying snail; I would like to tell a legend/ Medicine Story that I am reminded of. I do not remember the specific culture or time it is from, just the “jist” of it:
There were a Caterpillar and a Snail. They were fast friends and also both students of a wise old Wisdom- Keeper, learning about life. One day however the Caterpillar got very tiered during their lessons and said to her friend the Snail; “I want to just roll up here for a while and dream of flying like a bird.” “Oh yes“, the Snail said; “I will do the same.” The Snail hid in her house. The Caterpillar had no house but took a silken thread and build herself one. And there she slept and slept and slept. The Snail had loooong woken up and asked her teacher, if she should wake her friend. “No” was the answer. “She needs to dream of flying!”
After many days the Caterpillar moved, cracked open her house and a beautiful Butterfly came out!
“Oh” Said the Snail, “What a wondrous dream you had!” The Butterfly said: “You will always be my friend, but I now must fly “ and with that she flew of. The Snail was sad and also hoped and prayed for a dream that would make her fly, so she could be with her friend. But however much she dreamed, she never woke up and could fly. So she asked her wise teacher, why she was not able to do that. “Oh, little one,” the teacher said, ”You can dream of flying but the Great Mystery has quite a different reality and a different “Medicine” in mind for you!”
“What is it?” the Snail wanted to know.
“Only if you live your life, will you find out” the wise teacher answered........

I think, this is the Snail that transcended destiny and grew wings!

Thanks for the stories about this card; I love it so much! When it comes up in a spread it always make me happy; I think it´s the most light-hearted Fool I´ve ever seen in a deck.

I loved this story, Mi-Shell.

In another thread, poor little snail was frowned upon as a pest by gardeners... I on the other side have many positive associations with the snail.

And I think you found a wonderful explanation for the wings! I can easily visualize her sleeping and dreaming and transforming.

I don’t think this fool is as foolish as others. He is using his stick as a walking stick not a stick to hang his pack on like many fools do.
He has planned for his journey and has a walking cane, a pack and his friends for company. The mountains in the back ground suggest thought and the little stream gives me the image of steady emotions.
My thoughts on the bubbles are he is making them for the birds to play with, fooling around with them and his dog, lightening the time they are travelling.
The eyes on the cliff say to me that nothing we do goes unnoticed and the bones tell me others have gone this way before him, I would say with success as they don’t look to me like the bones of someone, more fossils showing this path has been around for a long time, available to those that choose to walk it.

The story about the flying snail made me smile thank you for sharing it.

Sarah x