Paul McCartney's creative work on Magical Mystery Tour was influenced by Tarot readings with artist Marijke Koger, a designer who had already collaborated with The Beatles on visual projects. During these sessions, McCartney consistently drew The Fool card, which initially concerned him due to surface-level associations with foolishness. Koger reframed the card's meaning for him, explaining that it actually represented innocence, curiosity, and the capacity to embrace the unknown without preconceived ideas—a reversal that captivated McCartney and prompted deeper reflection on the nature of wisdom.

This encounter connected with The Beatles' wider philosophical investigations during the mid-to-late 1960s, as the group explored meditation, Eastern thought, and alternative perspectives on human understanding. McCartney recognised a striking parallel: figures often dismissed as fools by mainstream society—whether spiritual teachers or unconventional thinkers—frequently possessed genuine insight that Western culture rejected simply because it resisted straightforward, empirical explanation. This observation informed his songwriting approach, leading him to embed spiritual themes and philosophical contradictions into his work through symbolic characters and imagery, allowing listeners to discover their own meanings within the compositions.