In this card, the Fool is dressed much like a far eastern peasant with wide brimmed hat, shirt, jacket, calf-length loose trousers and bare feet. Most of his clothing is yellow, though he wears a black shirt, a red belt, and has a red band and red and white feathers decorating his hat. The bag he carries is filled with the four suit symbols. He walks calmly in midair, moving slowly toward the left hand side of the card. As he walks, he plays the flute, head turned toward the right side of the card. The feathers and the flute both show that he is a creature of air.

Unlike the other major arcana, the title of this card is unnumbered. However, the fool is surrounded by other images, forming an abstract number zero. Below him, but not a threat (according to Miller) is a crocodile, symbol of creative energy. To either side, each standing on cliff, are "spirits of the wind, servants of Shu, Egyptian God of the air…" These figures have the slender bodies of human males (each dressed in a simple skirt) and the heads of an animal (possibly ram?). Each of them holds the end of an arch made of geometric shapes, beneath which the Fool passes. These shapes represent a Sufi concept called the “Breath of the Compassionate” (symbol of both air and creativity.)

The dominant colors in this card are slate blue of the background, green of the crocodile, yellow of the Fool, and white for everything else (cliffs, spirits of wind and arch.)

Abbreviated Meanings: The source of creativity. Where impulse comes from. The unexpected influence. Unpredictable like the wind. The element of surprise. Hazard. That which is beyond the control of man. Possibility of dramatic change. Unforeseeable events. Start of a new cycle.

My impression:

My usual thought when I hear of or see a Fool playing a flute is that he’s dancing along as he plays a light-hearted tune. That’s not what I see in this card. This Fool is playing a beautiful, haunting melody as he slowly walks along. It may appear that he is looking to the right, but, in fact, he sees nothing. He is so absorbed in the music that he is unaware of his surroundings. Defying the law of gravity is not amazing to him, because he doesn’t realize that he’s doing it.