Jenny-Li's 2 cents on the Fool...
The general feel for this card is joy, freedom and lightness - just like a Fool-card "should" be. The Fool is a man jumping/flying off a rock, chasing a big, green butterfly. The Fool has Butterfly-wings on his back and a big, happy smile on his face. His arms seem to embrace the world as he flies to greet Life. He is followed by a little dog, who has little bird- or angel wings on his back. Below the rock is water, blue, endless water, that blends at the horizon with a dramaticly clouded sky. Above the Fool's head is a pattern in the sky, like a flower or a mandala (or the pattern of iron dust on a piece of paper if you hold a magnet underneath the paper...!). In the water, right in front of the Fool, is a crocodile (or an alligator...? I can't really tell the difference...), its jaws are opened, showing all of its sharp deadly teeth. From within the crocodile's inside a hand reaches out, holding a brightly pink flower that radiates with light.
The Butterfly wings on the Fool's back:
Freedom, unlimited possibilities to make of your life what you want to. The world is open for you, open to discover, open to be your playground, your flowery meadow...! (The butterfly wings could also suggest a fragile freedom, that there are no guarantees that this innocent joy will last forever, on the contrary it's very essence may be that it is a passing, volatile joy. Savour it, don't let it go, but also don't try to hold on to it tightly, because you would crush it in your hand. This idea is partly stolen from someone at the AT, just have to mention that. This was the only thing that I couldn't quite shake off when I sat down, searching for my own thoughts.)
The Fool's posture and facial expression:
He signals life, motion, joy and love of life, just the way it is. He rushes towards the universe, embracing it. He is not bound by what he is supposed to do or think or feel about things, he just is what he is.
The dog:
I see in the dog not a nay-sayer or someone trying to stop our Fool from doing the unthinkable (which is exactly what Fools do, unthinkable things...!), but a wannabe-follower. One who admires from afar, but may not quite possess the courage to give up on the security of the rock (symbolism discussed below) - just yet. (The AT-person felt the dogs wings were more stable, less fragile than the Fool's butterfly wings, but I think they are just too small to carry the dog...!) These people can be supportive, cheering the person who dares what they wish they'd dare - OR they could be the Fool's worst enemies, jealously doing anything they can to keep him down, prove him wrong to dance off the rock like that.
The pattern in the sky above the Fool's head:
There's a swedish saying that goes something like this: "God holds his hands over Fools and drunken people". That's how I read that pattern. That the Universe will see your courage and reward it through synchronicity - by giving you hints and opportunities along your way.
The butterfly the Fool is chasing:
Following your dreams and impulses, never mind the rules and norms, the musts and shoulds. Letting one's inner child play in full freedom. The butterfly itself is the Dream, our fantasy, our creativeness, our "being all we can be" in the creative/spiritual sense of the word - filling our spiritual purpose by following our hearts.
The crocodile:
Danger, risk. The Fool follows his dreams, but that is no guarantee that everything will go his way, there will always be plenty of possible hardships along the way. The foolishness of the Fool is that he practically doesn't see it his eyes are focused on the butterfly, he seems to completely overlook the crocodile that lurks in the water, right beneath his feet.
The water:
Our Fool looks like he's about to walk on water... Water is usually a symbol for emotion AND of the unconcious that is our link to the eternal and spiritual, to the Universe. He is the key, the vessel on the spiritual journey. He is the ship in which we must set out on this journey.
The rock:
This is the world as we can perceive it with our bodily senses, the society, the norms, the knowledge we take for granted, all the stuff that make up our outer references. Our physical, tangible world. It is stable, yet rigid and offers little opportunity for real development and growth.
The labyrinth on the rock's front side:
We can very easily get lost in the world if the physical and tangible is all that we allow ourselves to refer to. Without the reference to that which is symbolized by the water, we are perhaps bound to get lost. The rock itself isn't enough to keep us on track.
The hand with the flower in the crocodile's mouth:
The beauty of life is in daring, growth is in facing and overcoming difficulties. The Fool's journey leads ahead even if at times it also must pass hardship and fear and difficulties.
The dramatic sky:
The Fool's world is an ever changing world, where you will at least never be bored or stagnate. But prepare for quite a ride, there may be some scary parts of the ride too.
