Introducing The Wheel of Fortune X
The Wheel of Fortune card represents Karma, Fate, Destiny, being on the Wheel of Life. It describes the process of being on the wheel and trying to understand our place in the bigger picture.
We see a multitude of symbols, many seemingly abstract and strange. In the center is an orange wheel with symbols at its center, surrounded by the letters of the Hebrew word “Yahweh” (the unutterable name of God, or the Tetragrammaton), alternating with the Latin letters spelling “taro”. Creatures surround the wheel, and in each of the corners is a figure.
Symbols & Systems
orange wheel
The words spelled out on the wheel’s edge imply that God and TARO are connected, and that the secrets and mysteries of the universe are inside the Tarot. If we look at the Latin letters again, we see there are more words than just TARO:
TORA – the Hebrew Bible
ROTA – Latin for “wheel”
ATOR – An older word for HATHOR – Egyptian Goddess of faith
ORAT – Latin for ‘speak’
We can form a sentence from these words: “ROTA TARO ORAT TORA ATOR”, or ‘The Wheel of Tarot speaks the law of Ator’. The Inner Wheel contains 8 spokes, which represents many things, one being the 8 cross-sections of the astrological year. It also contains alchemy symbols described below.
symbols inside the wheel
These symbols are from alchemy, and represent (starting with “north” or “12 o’clock” and moving clockwise) Mercury (consciousness), Sulfur (passion/activity), Dissolution, and Salt (inertia).
blue creature atop the wheel
The Sphinx, which represents the mystery of life. It also represents the Self, the real person behind the mask that we wear, or our persona.
red creature underneath the wheel
Anubis, the Egyptian God who guided dead souls and was the giver of new life. Anubis also helps our consciousness rise from lower to higher.
snake left of the wheel
Set, the Egyptian god of evil. He also represents death and rebirth. The other message of the snake is about creating form from energy. The snake is wrapped around The Magician’s waist. Through will and cosmic manifestation, creation happens on earth. We are co-creators of our life and destiny. The snake also reminds us that we have to shed the old skin (habits, etc.) in order to grow the new.
four figures in the corners
The four corner figures represent the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. These figures can also represent a Tarot suit, an astrological sign and an apostle from the New Testement of the Christians.
Figure in top right corner
Element of Water. Cups suit in Tarot. Eagle, Scorpio. Apostle John
Figure in bottom right corner
Element of Fire. Wands suit in Tarot. Lion. Leo. Apostle Mark
Figure in bottom left corner
Element of Earth. Pentacles suit in Tarot. Bull. Taurus, Apostle Luke
Figure in top left corner
Element of Air. Swords suit in Tarot. Man, Aquarius, Apostle Matthew
The corners of the card and the characters can also represent the 4 corners of the universe and the 4 stages in which the universe was created, and that make up the Hebrew name of God יהוה. They also represent the four creatures described in Ezekiel 1:10 and Revelations 4:7.
In other tarot decks, they can also represent the 4 seasons of the year, the four grail symbols.
gods / goddesses
The Wheel of Fortune is ruled by all the Gods and Goddesses that rule fate, destiny, and fortune.
Female: The Moirai, Hathor, Isis, Maat, Fortuna, Dike, Necessitas, Arianrod, Nine-fold Sisters of Celtic Legend
Male: Zurvan, Zeus, Dagda, Fa, Shai, Tezcatlipoca
number
The number of The Wheel of Fortune is 10, which can be seen as a combination of 0 and 1, or nothing, and the first manifestation. The Creator is represented by10, as s/he makes something out of nothing.
Astrology
The astrological sign ruling the Wheel of Fortune is Jupiter, which in turn rules Sagittarius and Pisces. Jupiter governs circulation of blood and cyclical motion, as well as the solar plexus area.
Kabbalah
The creators of the Rider Waite Tarot deck were members of the Golden Dawn, a group that followed teachings based on the Kabbalah. Kabbalists are mystics who believe that God is neither male nor female, and has many aspects. Kabbalah is all about learning why we’re here, the mystery of the universe, and what the big plan is.
Being the 11th card, The Wheel of Fortune corresponds to the 11th Hebrew letter Kaph כ, a grasping hand. The Wheel of Fortune on The Tree of Life sits on the path between Chesed and Netzach. In Kabbalah, the number 10 is a number of completion of a cycle and the beginning of another. We have 10 sephiroth on the Tree of Life describing the process of Creation. We have the 10 commandments, which prescribe how to create a world that reflects God. 10 is also two numbers: 0, and 1. 0 is the Fool (nothing), and 1 is the Magician (manifesting something out of nothing). Together they explain how God created the universe.
The message from The Wheel of Fortune X
Why do things happen the way they do? Is it accidental? Or is there a greater purpose?
Perhaps it is we who give it purpose in order to cope with the vicissitudes of life. The Wheel of Fortune asks you to think about your life and what you do and do not have control over. In fact the only thing you really have control over is your thoughts; everything else is subject to change.
If we cannot control life, then perhaps things happen as fate? Do we have power to create our destiny? Or is everything Karma?
The Wheel of Fortune teaches us that while we have control over ourselves and we can channel what we want, we need to let go of control over the outcome. Every effect is the consequence of the past. To create our future, we must understand how we are a product of the past. Knowing how this came about can help us better control our future. We can ask, put the message out into the universe, and then go about our life and hope. Destiny is therefore a combination of our desires and what the universe decides.
Ask yourself these questions:
• Do I feel life is in my control, or not?
• What is changing in my life?
• What is passing away now? What is coming into being?
• Where am I in the bigger picture?
• What seeds am I sowing for tomorrow?
• Do I truly understand that I am a co-creator of my life?
• What do I believe about destiny and fate?
• How can I learn to work with the energy of change?
Allow yourself to focus on the above questions in order to understand the Wheel of Fortune on a deeper personal level.
The Wheel of Fortune X reversed
When I see a reversed card, I simply see the energy blocked or inhibited in some way. How would The Wheel of Fortune be inhibited?
The Wheel of Fortune means that you’re in a bad run of luck; things are not going your way, and days feel hard and exhausting. If you get The Wheel of Fortune reversed for yourself or someone else, some questions to ask might be:
• Am I feeling torn by life changes?
• Am I feeling disconnected from everything?
• Am I failing to see the change around me? Am I resistant to it?
• Am I having a run of bad luck and setbacks?
• Am I repeating old patterns in love, relationships, money, etc.?
• Is there a family situation that seems to repeat itself?
• What experience right now am I having difficulty understanding?
• Do I feel like a victim of life?
If you get The Wheel of Fortune reversed, understand that this phase will pass. The trick while you are in this hard phase is to accept it for what it is and not fight it. It usually passes quicker when we let go of the need to control or ‘fix’ a hard day. This does not mean ‘giving up’; it means surrendering to ‘what is’.
The Wheel of Fortune reversed tells you to learn to not be a victim of life, but rather to surrender to its flow, and in that space, be empowered.
To sum it all up
The Buddhas principal teachings is how to get off the Wheel of Life (Samsara) and understanding how attachment brings us pain and suffering. Once we transcend pain and suffering and understand that EVERYTHING is impermanent then we can get off the Wheel of Life.
Tarot however gives us a different option: Perhaps rather than trying to get off the Wheel of Life, we learn to live and revolve with the Wheel of life. We learn to WORK ALONG with the creative plan as CO-CREATORS.
Yes to not getting too attached to the ups and downs of life, but also NOT to try our whole lives to get off it. Life is an amazing wonderful gift in all its joy and sorrow. We can gain enlightenment through being ON the Wheel of Life
