Dignified:     The Fool is usually the first card of the major arcana but some decks place it at the end.  There has been much debate over the years as to where this card really belongs.  The Fool whether at the beginning or at the end of the major arcana represents the initiation into the circle of life.  This is why the Fool is usually numbered as zero, representing a circle with no end or beginning.  Understanding that life is a circle is very significant because it should help you to understand some of the basic truths of reincarnation.  The Fool represents a motivation; he is the innocent one who takes a leap of faith to gain wisdom and insight.  The Fool steps forth without regard to warning and he is free to make his own choices.  The Fool knows there will be consequences to his actions but he steps forth anyway.  The Fool reminds us to take heed to the signs of spirit around us and to be on guard.  The Fool is innocent before he steps forward but the cycle of life cannot begin until he makes his first move.

Ill-Dignified:     In a reversed position The Fool card represents a lack of motivation to start something new, succumbing to fear, or the turning away from learning.  It can also signify a person heavily depressed or restricted by outside means.  It can show a lack of freedom, denial or refusal of choices, or imprisonment.

Insight Competition Winner Jenna Lowell writes:

     The Fool, for me, has always meant that it is time to stop acting like a child, perhaps to stop running away from a particularly nasty situation or to stop avoiding responsibilities as children do.  The Fool represents carefree living, not in such a way that it is negative necessarily, but in the sense that the Fool doesn't worry about the trivialities of life.  The Fool is happier in his own world.  The Fool card does NOT mean that you ARE a Fool, but it means that you are either living life in a well and carefree way or that you are ignoring or denying the existence of some sort of difficult issue.  Perhaps you are denying the issue only because you would like to avoid the unpleasant aspects of that particular situation.  The Fool also represents travel to me as every time I end up with the Fool in a reading, I end up going on a trip (usually with a good friend).  The Fool is a card of warning, telling you not to avoid the past or the future but to embrace it in a child-like wonder and move on.