Spinning with The Wheel of Fortune

Of the twenty-two Major Arcana Tarot cards, the Wheel of Fortune is one of the more exciting and suspenseful cards. The images typically depict a wheel strewn with characters or figures in various forms of conquest and stages of evolution or regression. In some traditional decks the phrases “I will reign,” “I reign,” or “I have reigned” also accompany this image. The Wheel of Fortune represents the presence of fate and circumstances beyond prediction.  Obviously someone consulting the Tarot wants to know the nature of future events. To draw the Wheel of Fortune can portend luck and fortune itself, but often leaves one with an air of suspense and anticipation. The meaning of the Wheel carries a bit of a contradiction in concepts. Things are afoot that will reroute your destiny, alter your fate and change the course or your plans. Do not get too rigid in your own expectations, for what you get will be what you could never have anticipated. There is nothing like a dose of “expect what you least expect” to make one’s brain hurt and heart race.

The Wheel of Fortune is a card beckoning one to open up to more spontaneous occurrences. “’You will be taken care of” Lady Fortune reassures, “Just not according to the plans YOU designed,” she adds, perhaps with a smirk. This card signifies new beginnings, a ripe time for change, and a strong likelihood that what comes your way will be an array of doors opening, new opportunities knocking, and blessings landing at your feet. What could be wrong with that? Nothing, as long as you are not so busy tied to your carefully crafted and well controlled plans for the future that you fail to go with these changes and be open to the flow of new possibilities. There is a required compromise here. You will find luck and opportunities for success coming your way but they will not be the dreams you thought you were chasing. They may also not be the roads you thought you would take to get to your destination.

When the Wheel of Fortune appears in a layout, Fate has a greater plan. The Powers That Be are lining you up for success, but in order to get there you must surrender to a bit of a rollercoaster ride. It is as if you were planning a vacation to a moderately nice hotel and along the way were caught up in anticipating every minute of your trip being spent in accordance with what the brochures, websites and advertisements promise will be a fun filled time. When you arrive however, a mistake has been made, your room is not available, and just as your visions of recreation are shattered you are offered an even better room, at an even better price. Doors have been opened up that you could not have planned for and if you are able to get past the fact that your well laid plans have been disrupted - you might have a far better time than you originally planned!  When the Wheel of Fortune presents itself things are shaken: those who had power or had power from a role or status they held, may find themselves having to seek status and identity elsewhere. The Wheel turns, and what used to define success will now change.

Largely this remains a promising card. The biggest precaution to consider when this card appears is how tightly you may be holding on to your own definition of yourself, your success and your value. Are you holding on to one vision and one dream so tightly that you cease to allow new blessings to enter your life? If so, the transition brought by the Wheel of Fortune may be difficult to adjust to; regardless of whether you are ready or not, surrendering to changes around you will ultimately work in your favor. After all it is the Wheel of Fortune, not the Wheel of Crushed Dreams!

Article by: Angela Kaufman.  Angela is a Priestess for the Dragon Warriors of Isis Coven in Upstate, New York, and the co-author of Wicca: What's the Real Deal?  She is a professional tarot reader.  For more information about Wicca: What's the Real Deal? visit http://www.wwtrd.webs.com.