Tarot Reference and Study Course

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Key 10

The Wheel of Fortune spins ever onward throughout all eternity. It can carry a humble man to greatness, or teach a great man humility.

Description

For me, the Wheel of Fortune represents the cycles of good and bad luck that we each experience throughout our entire lives.

When I discover the Wheel of Fortune in a spread some of the key ideas I like to consider are:

• A change in luck.
• A change in fortune.
• A change in career.
• Events re-occurring in cycles.

Upright

When the Wheel of Fortune appears upright in a spread I see a change of luck for the better. Success and fortune are within sight. There are exciting new opportunities in our relationships. Great possibilities in career may be developing. Cyclic events are turning in our favor.

With the Wheel of Fortune I like to consider, "What comes around goes around."

Reversed

As with all wheels there could be a turn of bad luck or misfortune. When I see the Wheel of Fortune reversed in a spread I think of negative changes in relationships and career.

As intelligent beings we all realize that change is inevitable. The Wheel of Fortune can give us a glimpse of these upcoming changes. Fortified with this knowledge, we are given the opportunity to continue our journey of self improvement with confidence.

Through perseverance this negative turn of events can be weathered.

Symbols

Starting first with the wheel itself I see the letters “ROTA” written around it’s spokes. Rota is a Latin word meaning “wheel”. Between each letter of that word can be found Hebrew letters which translate to “YHWH.” YHWH is considered in Judaism to be a proper name of the God of Israel used in the Hebrew Bible.

The eight spokes represent universal radiant energy similar to the Star (key XVII). If you look closely you will see three circles in this wheel. The inner circle represents the creative force, the middle formative power and the outer is the material world.

Four mystical creatures that are mentioned in the Bible can be found, one in each corner of this card.

As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.

-The Book of Ezekiel (1:10)

And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

-Revelation (4:7)

These images also seem to have a link to four of the signs of the zodiac. The winged bull may represent Taurus. The winged lion could represent Leo. The winged eagle might represent Scorpio. The winged man could have been intended to represent Aquarius.

To the left of the wheel you will find a serpent. It is believed to be Typhon, the Egyptian god of evil. On the right is the jackal headed Egyptian god Anubis. Typhon can easily represent the life force as it descends into manifestation and Anubis that of intelligence aspiring to ascend.

The Sphinx at the top of the Wheel of Fortune seems to represent wisdom and stability. It reminds us that we are not always governed by fate. With all of the perpetual motion of a fluid universe we still retain the power to change our lives.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_Fortune_(Tarot_card)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YHWH

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Illustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck®, known also as the Rider Tarot and the Waite Tarot, reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyright© 1971 by U.S. Games, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited. The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck® is a registered trademark of U.S. Games Inc.