The Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card: One of the most complex tarot cards, the imagery of this card is rich and meaningful. In the center of this card, there are 3 consecutive circles. The innermost forms the wheel of spirit (a circle divided into 8). The second circle is also divided into both 4 and 8 and contains the alchemical symbols of Mercury, Sulfur, Salt, and Water. The outer circle has no divisions and contains the name of God in Hebrew YHVH as well as the four Latin letters TORA.
Around the orange circles are three beings. On the left is the serpent, and on the right is Anubis, the Egyptian God. And on top is the Sphinx holding a sword and wearing an Egyptian headdress. At the four borders of the card are the four Charubs (as in The World card): The angel, the Eagle, the Bull, and The Lion. Each of them is reading a book.
The key to understanding this card lies not in the complex internal imagery and symbols but rather in the sphinx, who is the main character. The sphinx is symbolic of the rising sun (having an association with the Egyptian god Horus). The rising that is happening in this card is the rising of the human mind above the elements that have controlled it. The sphinx is symbolic of the dawning of the truly self-cognizant and sovereign human. You can think of it in terms of an AI that is becoming self-aware.
The human AI is complex and made up of all the internal systems and elements depicted in the concentric circles of the wheel, which represents all life and its components. But for the most part, humans only run on their base and conditioned programming. They are guided by instinct and emotion even if they think they aren’t. But this card tells us the story of awakening from that dream. The sphinx, through learning, practice, and study (as depicted by the books being read by the cherubs) has had a dawning of true self-awareness and a glimpse of what it might be like to be completely free from cyclical existence.
The sphinx in this imagery is The Fifth Element. It is the dawning and awakening consciousness of the human being. The four elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire show up in this card in repeating ways. In the Alchemical signs (Salt, Mercury, Water, Sulfur consecutively), with the Hebrew Tetragrammaton Y (Fire), H (Water), V (Air), H final (Earth), and with the 4 studious cherubs. Duality also shows up in this card in the forms of the serpent and the God Anubis. The serpent represents death and the journey into the shadow, and Anubis represents rebirth and awakening.
The Latin characters spell two words - ROTA, meaning wheel in Latin, and TORA which is the Hebrew word for the sacred teachings (not only The Bible, but also those teachings that are external to The Bible and even the secret teachings). The word TORA also shows up in the High Priestess card, where the main character has become not only a master of the teachings but a teacher as well.
All together, this formative grouping of symbols represents all of life’s complexities and components. But the sphinx rises out of this soup of alchemy and elements and is now evolving into being its own master, following its own inner guidance and connection to the Divine. It is learning to ride the wheel without resistance, understanding that while its influence will continue to exert itself, that she, herself, is breaking free of being a slave to it.
Association with Jupiter: The planet Jupiter symbolizes transcendence and abundance. It moves very slowly around the sun and the chemical processes in its atmosphere slowly continue century after century. In one human life, there seems to be little change within Jupiter. So Jupiter reminds us to view things from a higher and longer-term perspective.
When to use The Wheel of Fortune card: When life, your relationships, and your base emotions seem to be driving you, and your life is ‘spinning out of control,’ this is a good time to meditate on the Wheel of Fortune card. It will remind you of higher perspectives and give you a dawning glimpse of what it will be like once you are completely free of being controlled by life’s ongoing momentum (or karma). In addition, when you are ready to commit yourself to the study of spirituality, of life, the human mind, and the understanding of duality and the four elements that construct it, calling in the Wheel of Fortune energy will help you find the right direction to go in.
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