The first part of this comes from the book, "Tarot of the Old Path" by Howard Rodway.

Description:

"In the foreground, a baby that is unaware of danger crawls toward the fire. Its mother, with arms outstretched in horror, attempts to prevent the little boy from being burned. Behind the mother and child can be seen a young man dressed in green. He is commencing his journey up the hill of life. Ahead of him is a choice of route, one path of which is precipitous. On his shoulder rests a stick with a red bundle tied at the end. This cloth contains knowledge gained in a previous existence. The information will come to his aid when he faces the choices and obstacles that lie ahead. The scene is warm beneath the full sun with only a few clouds in the sky. In the foreground, a golden rod plant warns in the language of flowers that care must be taken. The partridge signifies an ability to deceive in order to protect, about which the young traveller is unaware. To the upper right hand side, a butterfly has just emerged from its chyrsalis and waits for its wings to dry before making the first flight. This symbolizes the soul about to start off on the journey of life."

When I see this card, it reminds me of the generalizations of youth - naivety, enthusiasm, adventure, immaturity, etc. This card says to me that Life is based on experience, sometimes a lack thereof. I feel that the young man in this picture and the baby are intertwined. The Fool is just starting out on his path, just like the baby is starting his life. Our experiences change as we get older. The baby doesn't know that fire can hurt him until he gets too close. Likewise, as the young man travels down his path, he is sure to encounter situations that are dangerous but he won't know until he gets too close to realize. However, the man can rely on his experiences in this life, and perhaps even recalled experiences in other past lives, to help him make better choices. The card almost seems to say "Live and Learn." The Fool has the potential to walk the path and ignore the lessons being taught to him - and indeed end up being foolish, but he also has the potential to gain wisdom from his mistakes AND successes and transform himself into a Wise One.

Dana
darklayce@prodigy.net