The Wheel of Fortune:Ā The tenth major arcana card in the tarot. The middle of the cycle, signifying how it relates to the entire cycle of life within the major arcana archetypes. This archetype flows through, and is a part of, all trump cards. And by trump cards, I am meaning major arcana cards, although that other trump is all part of a collective lesson. Take that as you may.
The Wheel of Fortune has always been a reminder to me that we are forever in motion. That no matter how āstuckā we may feel that there is always perpetual movement. That we are always evolving. It is the spiderweb of life that keeps nurturing our spiritual and human bodies.
It was obviously a human mind that coined the term āwheelā for this card. Possibly to make it more understandable for those who have not evolved too far on a spiritual level, or for those stuck on the linear timeline train. I do give credit to how the wheel reflects the changing seasons though. The web of life is not constricted by our human definition of time. Progression in the spiritual world may mean jumping back in time, jumping forward, sideways, through timelinesā¦you get the point. Time, nor spiritual movement, can be easily defined. Itās understanding goes beyond our monkey-mindās comprehension. Therefor, the term wheel does not fit in my opinion. Our motion is not just in one, or two directions.
I have always thought that this card should be renamed The Wheel of Life as it so frankly states that things are in a constant state of motion. Nothing is ever truly stagnant. Even through our suffering there is always progression, whether that progression is falling back in what we deem as linear time or jumping forward. Lessons are learned no matter the outcome. Movement never ceases to exist. I suppose it could be looked at as a wheel of fortune in the sense that we canāt control all aspects of our earthly, or spiritual, constant. We can, however, look at the constant motion as fortunate knowing we will not be forever stuck in place.
This doesnāt fit either though, as I believe we do have control over our future, our destiny. That we can dream our world into existence. I suppose no matter the case, we are still always caught in the web, on the wheel of life as timelines converge and destinies are woven, forever in motion and forever cycling our lifeās lessons.
I look at our Wheel of Life and smile, knowing that there is always happiness to be found by looking within yourself and outside. When I feel that I am at the bottom, forced through a muddy puddle, I know it wonāt last. I find freedom and hope in becoming the eagle and soaring to new heights allowing for an outside vantage point. This allows me to take a step away from my emotional status, looking through eyes that are not part of my human makeup. Here I see the entirety of the picture. Here I see the details as well. Here I can take an outsiderās vantage point and make sense of what the situation is teaching me and how I can respond in a manner that fits my desired being. Here is where I can find peace in the silence, for the silence is where I must be to understand. Hmmā¦yup, I always tend to bring it all back to The Hermit card, my significator.
If you take anything away from this writing, take the understanding that life is always in motion. You are never truly āstuckā as change is inevitable, and that time is not linear, but more like a spider web. Or compare time with how our neurons and synapses work in our brain, multi-directional and in constant motion and reaction. Getting into the butterfly effect a bit here too. Better end it before a novel arises.
One last thought in closing, if you have better terms than āwheelā or āfortuneā, please do share. I have yet to come up with a word that I believe defines the universes perpetual movement. Energy of life card? Noā¦doesnāt scream motion to me. Comment your ideas if you are so inclined.
