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T.10 Wheel of Fortune

Activity

X. Wheel of Fortune

Name: Wheel of Fortune
Hebrew Letter/Meaning: Kaph (כ) / Fist, Riches-Poverty
Element/Planet/Zodiac: Jupiter / Pisces, Sagittarius
Name of Path: Conciliation
Type: Stabilizing Activating
Connecting Sefirot: Mercy (4) & Victory (7)


Tidbits: This card really has a lot going on in an effort to make its point: the pressure of ever-changing karmic force rolls on in continuous cycles.

The four elemental Cherubs (Angel = Air, Eagle = Water, Lion = Fire, Bull = Earth) around the Wheel (Spirit) create what is known as a Quincunx—a form of sacred art meant to demonstrate the universe, Creation, or the Divine. The wings indicate the harmonious union of stability and change, while their books represent direct knowledge of how the world works.

The wheel itself has TORA and TAROT written intermixed with the sacred name of God (יהוה), called the Tetragrammaton, marking the secret functions of consciousness, time, and space. Inside that circle is an 8-spoked wheel marked with the symbols for the building blocks of life: Sulpher (fire), Mercury (air), Salt (earth), and Aquarius (water), signifying everything that happens in the world.

Finally, the snake (Typhon) represents old age, the Empress’s energy, feeling/sensing, and the descent of the spiritual into the material. Anubis represents youth/rebirth, Magician energy, thought, and the material becoming spiritual again. The sphynx, armed with the sword of intelligence, marks maturity, ecstasy, Emperor energy, and the full complexity of life.

Luck may be a factor.

When the well is unsupported it can indicate resistance to change or an unwillingness to face the consequences of our actions.

Reference Note:

Spend time with each of the Trumps to generate your “tarot encyclopedia” notecard for each.

Working with the Trumps is slightly different because they represent forces of subjective experience instead of forms and objective structure. The symbolism in the cards is more complex, subtle, and profound. For this reason, we will slow down our pace to only one Trump per day (except today when we do two).

You are encouraged to only engage with one Trump per day. This will hopefully allow you to relax a little, spend more time exploring each trump, and catch up with any minor arcana you had to skip over the last few weeks.

In case it’s still helpful, here is the recommended process.

  1. Look at the image on the card and examine its details.
  2. Read the page in the companion book for that card.
  3. Read the description provided here.
  4. OPTIONAL: Read other descriptions of that card online or in other books.
  5. Reflect on the questions posed.
  6. Write down the details of the image that have meaning to you and the 2 or 3 interpretations (perhaps 1 heavenly, 1 upright earthly, and 1 reversed earthly) that resonate most strongly for you.
  7. Reflect on whatever correspondences you can find, such as relationships to other cards, astrological associations, and anything else. Include notes on anything specific that stands out.

    Feel free to write down your own interpretations based on what comes to you!