X - Wheel of Fortune

Description:

An open upraised right hand holds a white disk or wheel in the center of its palm.  This wheel has three concentric circles, and the rim is brown.  At the base of the palm are the symbols for the planet Jupiter and the Hebrew letter Kaph.  On the tip of the small finger is the Hebrew letter Heh. 

From the center of the disk rises a corkscrew column, composed of ten Yods (Hebrew letter).  The tenth Yod at the bottom is blue, and the sixth Yod is green; all the rest are purple.  Green, yellow and white spirals rotate around the column. 

At the top of the Yod column is another wheel with three concentric circles.  The rim of this wheel is yellow.  On the outer circle are the alchemical symbols for Mercury, Sulphur, Aquarius, and Salt.  The inner circle on this wheel is yellow.  On the inner circle is a white six-pointed star, composed of intersecting upward and downward pointing triangles.  Arranged around this inner circle are the letters T A R O.  At the very center of this wheel is a large X. 

Symbology:

The Hebrew letter associated with the Wheel of Fortune is Kaph, which means the palm of the hand.  The rotating wheel in the palm symbolizes that all possibilities are “at hand”.  The corkscrew column of ten Yods between the wheel above and the wheel in the palm reflect the 10 emanations or spheres on the Tree of Life.  Yod itself means “hand”.  The Yod column is the axle uniting the cosmic wheel above and the personal wheel of life below. 

The three concentric rings on the wheels represent movement from the outer world of form to the inner world of spirit.  The outer rings of the wheel are always in motion, rotating in the cycle of birth, experience, and death.  The closer to the center of the wheel you get, the more balanced and refined your relationship to the inner light becomes. 

The Nun/Sphinx at the top of the wheel is the Great Mother.  The dark and light wings of the Great Mother symbolize death and rebirth, ever cycling and recycling through the spinning Wheel of Creation.

Divinatory Meaning:
(from "Tarot of the Spirit" companion book, by Pamela Eakins)

• Your fate is changing, rising or falling; stay balanced through these changes

• You are responsible for your own state

• Whatever you are seeking without is a manifestation of your desire to understand your inner spirit

• The ultimate goal is to stay balanced in heart, mind, spirit and body through all the upward and downward movements of life

• In times of sadness, retain your equilibrium; in times of joy, retain your equilibrium also

Personal Reflections:

The Wheel of Fortune represents the cycle of life we all must experience, on the road to the One.  You have three options or fortunes on the wheel:

a)      Stay on the rim, and repeat the laps on the long road of birth, life, and death.

b)      Veer from the wheel you are currently on, and hook up with a different wheel to experience a change in course.

c)      Center your self at the hub of the wheel, where movement stops and all becomes One.

 The Wheel of Fortune is the Tenth major arcana of the Tarot.  10 = 1 + 0 = 1.  This symbolizes the path that Light takes through Life.  The Light descends through increasing materialization through the 10 spheres of the Tree of Life from Kether (1) to Malkuth (10).  The 10, fully materialized, yearns to return to the One source from which it came.  Through introspection, devotion, and evolution, we travel on the revolving path of Life to return to the One.  To travel on the Wheel of Fortune is a wonder filled opportunity to experience the joys of creation.  Enjoy the ride!