Tarot Deck of Pamela Coleman-Smith has been used to help people understand the meaning behind each card in relation to the tarot overall. The early classical version of The Fool card reflects an individual who is consumed with base needs and urges, and who has fallen into a state of poverty & deprivation.
The Fool is sometimes regarded as a carnival performer who, in the past, has been made out to be a wandering, nutty old man. He’s also been depicted as someone who can’t do any better than he’s been doing. It wasn’t until the 20th century that you start to see depictions of The Fool, an innocent soul before its fall into the terra firma. This negative forecast is misleading — after all, he’s just painted sitting in a corner of playing cards and probably knows it.
Modern decks often borrow from the Rider Waite imagery, as most Fool cards have the bucolic mountain scene, the butterfly and one misplaced step that will lead The Fool into an unknown. This card originally represented humanity, who had fallen from a higher plane but was beginning to acknowledge their mistakes and the spiritual path they needed to lead. The Fool card reminds us to realize where we are on our path of personal growth. It also enables us to apply the energy we might’ve lost while being rigid and stagnant in order that we can continue pushing our selves towards deeper self-realization.
