The Fool

Explanation

Only a fool would stand so close to the cliff's edge.
But the fool is on a high, thinks he can handle anything the world will throw at him. Here in lies both his strength and his weakness. One false step and the tumble down the rock face could be short or long. The fool doesn't even know how long, because he looks to the sky.

Place in the cycle

The fool is the first card in the deck, the new born heading out into the world, facing the different stages of development ahead. One can undergo many cycles during his or her life, the last card in the major arcana ('The World') always followed by The Fool for some new aspect of life to be discovered and experienced.

Meaning

Positive

Don't look at practicability or feasibility for a while. Open up to your desires and dreams, without immediately trying to figure out how to realize them.
Dream all you want and figure out which dreams to realize later.

Neutral

You're probably saturated by the life you now have around you.
It's time for something new, to let the child inside you boss the adult in you around a bit as it discovers these new things to explore.

Negative

Perhaps you're discouraged by your dreams, because your subconscious is telling you you're not happy with current circumstances, while your higher intellect is still OK with this situation.