This is an article in a series in blog posts…. the “The Major Arcana In-Depth” series! Every few weeks I will be featuring one card of the Major Arcana, from the Fool to the World. Come take a tarot journey with me!
To learn about the Major Arcana overall and the first card in the Major Arcana, The Fool, go here.
To learn about the Magician, go here.
To learn about the High Priestess, go here.
To learn about the Empress, go here.
To learn about the Emperor, go here.
To learn about the Hierophant, go here.
To learn about the Lovers, go here.
To learn about the Chariot, go here.
To learn about the Strength card, go here.
To learn about the Hermit card, go here.
Spin baby spin… but what is the Wheel of Fortune card really about?
Put it this way… it ain’t a game show! But when the Wheel of Fortune comes up in a reading, sometimes life can certainly feel that way. Many of the Major Arcana cards of the tarot point back to the cyclical nature of life, The Wheel of Fortune and the World cards being two examples. The Wheel of Fortune, when upright, can indicate luck and that life is on an upswing right now. Reversed, it feels as if the world is a proverbial wheel running you over! As I wrote about decision-making and different paths in the MAID: The Lovers post, sometimes the Wheel of Fortune will come up to indicate a stalling in a choice, but the Wheel of Fortune to me indicates multiple possible paths, while the Lovers card indicates to me that the client has a choice between 2 equally viable options.
Some interpretations of the Wheel of Fortune card from my card of the day posts:
The Wheel of Fortune when upright can denote a stroke of good luck and that things are on the upswing right now. It also indicates navigating life with a touch of grace and as seen in the quote above, not sweating the small stuff. When the Wheel comes up, it always points to the cyclical nature of life and that life is basically change… nothing can remain fixed forever, but finding a sense of control when life seems to be coming at you tends to be a way that people navigate it. The problem is, where does your sense of control lie? If it’s in making things stay the same… yikes, then the Wheel of Fortune is not your friend, no matter whether it’s upright or reversed! As soon as you learn how to navigate the feelings you have surrounding the uncertainty principle, the sooner the Wheel of Fortune can become your friend and not your enemy.
Traditional depiction in RWS: A revolving wheel which represents the wheel of life. A sphinx usually sits at the top of the wheel. Sometimes the god Anubis will be pictured. In each corner of the card, we see four winged creatures sitting upon clouds, representations of the four fixed signs of the zodiac and the four elements of the Minor Arcana.
Keywords: fate, karma, dharma, multiple options, upswings, downswings, the cyclical nature of life
Applicable Quotes:
“One day I feel I’m on top of the world
And the next it’s falling in on me
I can get back on
I can get back on
One day I feel I’m ahead of the wheel
And the next it’s rolling over me
I can get back on
I can get back on”—”Far Cry”, Rush
Ultimately, if/when you read for yourself, please keep the things I listed above in mind… and if you disagree, PLEASE use your own meanings for this card. Your thoughts on each individual card are invaluable, and lead you to a multi-layered understanding of the tarot that no one individual book/Little White Book/teacher can give you. Your experience with the cards counts, too!
Tarot class dismissed!
Blessings,
~*~Hilary~*~
www.tarotbyhilary.com
hilary@tarotbyhilary.com
HILARY PARRY HAGGERTY is a tarot reader, witch, mentor, editor, and teacher. She has been reading tarot for over 21 years (13 years professionally). She was the winner of Theresa Reed’s (The Tarot Lady) Tarot Apprentice contest in 2011, and has taught classes on tarot and spell-work at The Tarot School’s annual tarot conference Readers Studio and at Brid’s Closet Beltane Festival. She writes a weekly blog on tarot at her website www.tarotbyhilary.com and has been featured in Maxim Magazine and BuzzFeed.
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© Hilary Parry Haggerty | Tarot by Hilary
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