WHEEL OF FORTUNE

"Cycles of the Elemental"

Rider Waite Tarot

Pamela Coleman Smith

1909

Fire – Jupiter

- upright -

· Change

· Adaptation

· Life Circles

· Fate

· Luck

· Good Fortune

· Decisive Moments

· Unexpected Event

· Adjustments

· Being Flexible

· Destiny

· A Turning Point

·Resistance to Change

· Challenges

· Bad Luck

· Lack of Control

· Delays

· Breaking Cycles

· Failure to Adapt

· Clinging to Control

· Misfortune

- Reversed -

Fire – Jupiter

Rider Waite Tarot

Pamela Coleman Smith

1909

- upright -

· Change

· Adaptation

· Life Circles

· Fate

· Luck

· Good Fortune

· Decisive Moments

· Unexpected Event

· Adjustments

· Being Flexible

· Destiny

· A Turning Point

- reversed -

·Resistance to Change

· Challenges

· Bad Luck

· Lack of Control

· Delays

· Breaking Cycles

· Failure to Adapt

· Clinging to Control

· Misfortune

Indication:

Life holds out unexpected gifts and possibilities for us.
You stand before the possibility of a great breakthrough.
Miracles are happening to you right now!
Make use of the moment!

Question to Ask:

Are you really ready for the great fortune?
What is still standing in your way of perceiving the gifts that life offers to you?
What happens when you release your attachments to things, people, and values?

Affirmation:

I am now ready for the miracles of my life.

All go, all return, the wheel of life ever turns. All die, all flourish again, the year of existence runs eternally. All perish, all live again, the same house of existence is ever building. All separate, all meet again, the ring of existence is ever true to itself. Existence begins at every moment. Round each “here” rolls “there”. The middle is everywhere. The way of eternity is a curve.

— P. D. OUSPENSKY, The Symbolism of the Tarot (1913)

The Wheel of Fortune is a card about changes, and can often appear at the close of one chapter and the beginning of another. But it is also a symbol about inevitability and the natural order of things. There is only so much we can control, and magic happens if we ride the waves of transformation, rather than resisting them. If you fight the current, you might drown. Is there nothing you can do? Well, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” It’s good to get ready, to do your homework, and show up to meet the universe halfway. Beyond that it’s up to the Fates to decide. And whatever happens, good or bad, you must always keep in mind that “this too shall pass”.

— PAM GROSSMAN, Le Tarot de L’Etoile Cachee (2018)

Our attitude alone will determine whether, in meeting difficult experiences, we will suffer and curse our ‘fate’, or whether we will grow by learning the lessons that life is teaching us. “Mind is the builder”. We become what our mind dwells upon. If therefore we can subtly alter our attitudes and modes of thought, if we can attune our consciousness to some high frequency by meditation, by not only having but also living an ideal, then we can begin to be liberated from bondage and to breathe freely with the rhythm of life.

— STEPHEN ARROYO, Astrology, Karma & Transformation (1978)

The Fountain Tarot

By Jonathan Saiz & Andi Todaro

2014

01. Wheel of Fortune reminds us that the wheel is always turning and life is in a state of constant change.

Where the Wheel stops is as random as chance. Whether riding high atop its spokes or crushed under the Wheel’s bottom, one is reminded that all transformation is continual. There is both comfort and warning in the certainty that the Wheel will always be turning.

Change is constant. Adapt. Be flexible.

02. Wheel of Life came to signify the laws of karma.

Our limited understanding prevents us from directly experiencing the truth behind the wheel of Fate, or karma. When Buddha attained enlightenment, he remembered every moment of every one of his past lives. Indeed, the memory was the enlightenment. By gaining full knowledge he was able to perceive that all those lives were only forms created by his desires. When he ended his desires, he ‘got off the Wheel’. We could say that enlightenment means piercing through the outer events to the spirit that dwells within them, that is, finding the still center within the Wheel of Fortune.

The Muse Tarot

Chris-Anne

2020

The Muse Tarot

Chris-Anne

2020

03. If we allow the unconscious to speak, we will sense some great secret to life. Life is powerful, chaotic, and surging with energy.

Wheel of Fortune asks us to be optimistic and have faith in the Universe. Meditation and visualization will reinforce our intention to bring abundance, good fortune, and prosperity. Life is about to turn in more positive directions if we are open to the opportunities it offers and willing to grow and expand. Keep your mind open to all kinds of synchronicities and signs from the Universe.

04. Wheel of Fortune shows us it’s important to cherish the blissful moments in our life and make the most of them while they are within reach.

When you have good moments in your life, make sure that you enjoy to the fullest, for what comes up must always go down. The same is true in reverse – when you are in a bad situation, things will eventually become better again.

Navigators Tarot of the Mystic Sea

Julia Turk

1997

Andrea Piccini Tarot

Andrea Picini

1979

05. The Wheel of Fortune signifies a critical turning point in your life.

Opportunities you could never imagine are suddenly available to you, and you have the chance to make a significant change in your life. While it may be unexpected and unfamiliar, see this as an invitation to turn things around and take an entirely new direction in your life. The more you tune in to your intuition and allow the Universe to guide you, the better the outcomes will be.

If the wheel appears the right way up it signifies adaptation. In its strongest sense, it can indicate the ability to pierce through the mystery of events to find a greater understanding of life. The end of a love affair, despite its pain, can give greater self-knowledge.

Tarot of Ceremonial Magick

Lon Milo DuQuette

1997

Amano Tarot

Yoshitaka Amano

2000

- Turn Around -

06. When the wheel is reversed, it means that luck has not been on your side. Like the wheel, our luck and our fate is always in motion, and sometimes we are on the bottom.

See this moment as your opportunity to take control of your destiny and get your life back on track. Starts with accepting responsibility for your past actions. Even when you think everything is beyond your control, there is often something you could have done differently that might have changed where you are now. Learn from the situation and act smarter in the future.

07. The Wheel of Fortune Reversed can also suggest resistance to change, particularly if you feel it forced upon you. You might cling to the illusion of control. There are things that cannot be moved by human will and action alone.

When we learn to accept, we also learn to forgive ourselves. We learn to move on, and move forward – and eventually, this feeling of acceptance can push the wheel again forward, and move it towards a new cycle. Accept that change is inevitable and go with the flow.

08. On the positive side, the Wheel of Fortune reversed might mean that you are finally breaking a negative cycle that has been present in your life. Perhaps you have realized how your actions have created a repetitive situation and are now ready to break free from the cycle. This may flow naturally following a period of introspection and self-discovery. Or sometimes, especially if you have been resisting the change, things may need to hit rock bottom before you are ready to see what is no longer serving you.