Taking a Ride on the Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune X

Dear readers, we have finally reached the tenth card in the Major Arcana. Thank you for sticking with me through to number ten. There has always been something special with the number ten. How many of us as kids thought we were “grown up” because we reached the double digits? Ten is special. It is a number of change and wonder about what’s next. There is a little mystery with ten and what options it presents for the next decade of life. When I think back ten years ago, I would have been graduating high school about to embark on my first trip without my parents (If you’re curious, I went to Montreal to see Rob Zombie). I thought I was finally an adult and could make decisions for myself. Ten years later looking back, my Gods, I had no idea what adulthood was at eighteen. Ten years from now, I will probably look back on my twenties with the same disdain. So many wonderful and scary things can happen in ten years; happy times and heartaches. The future can be frightening, as a Tarot Reader I probably shouldn’t say “the future is scary” but we have to keep it real here at, Adventures in Tarot Reading. 

When we proceed to ten in the Tarot we land on the Wheel of Fortune. Note: every time I go to write “fortune” my fingers type “torture”, no it is not a wheel of torture- fingers! Clearly, I am watching too many horror movies. What the Wheel of Fortune is telling us about is the unknown, taking risks and letting our inhibitions go. When this card comes up in a reading I usually see it as a nudge for the querent to take a risk. Do something different and out of character. The payoff will be worth it. I see this card as a indicator that your luck will change. Of course, this is twofold. If there were a lot of “dark” cards around the Wheel of Fortune than I would say that luck could be changing for the worse and to be careful. If the person getting the reading has a gambling problem then I would tell them to be very careful. Normally however, because I do see the Tarot as a mostly positive messenger it can mean your luck is changing for the better. This card can be an omen that things are going to be looking up really soon.

It can also mean that the querent is going to win something. Now this does not mean the lottery. I feel like I always have to stress this because so many people associate fortune tellers with lottery winnings or other such mumbo-jumbo. It could be winning money but it could also be about winning a raffle or something small. A win is still an awesome thing to have happen no matter how big or small it is. I would even go as far as suggesting the querenet have a little fun and do a little HEALTHY gambling. I am not saying gamble the house and dog away but do go out and test your luck; you just might be surprised by the results.

You will notice some characters surrounding the Wheel of Fortune; here is a little bit of info on each one:

The Wheel: This represents the wheel of Ezekiel. I will be honest, this aspect of the Tarot when we get into the really, really deep symbolism both fascinates me as much as it intimidates me. I am going to link you to our good friend Wikipedia who will explain this much better than I ever could. In layman's terms, just think mystical, magickal wheel.

Anubis or Demon: I always see this as Anubis but I have heard people refer to it as a demon as well. Anubis is the Egyptian God of Death (my personal favourite). Death always symbolizes a new beginning and uncontrollable change. It is a symbol of positive transformation in this card.

The Snake: I always thought this part of the card was pretty interesting, the snake is the Greek creature Typhon, the most deadly creature in their mythology. It is descending because it is telling you that the evil in your life is going away allowing good things to ascend into your life. The best is yet to come.

Man, Lion, Eagle and Bull (pictured in the corners): Represent the four fixed signs of the Zodiac (Aquarius, Scorpio, Taurus, Leo). They also represent the four angels of the Tarot (Michael- the lion, Raphael- the man, Gabriel- the eagle and Uriel- the bull). Another representation that these four critters represent are the four elements (earth, air, fire and water). Their wings represent freedom to change. The books they are reading is called Torah which full of ancient knowledge and visions.

The Sphinx: The sphinx represents strength and endurance. 

The letters on the wheel stand for God.

Keys to remember: A new direction, change of luck, winning- hopefully not Charlie Sheen style, risk taking, lower inhibitions, doing something out of character.

Wheel of Fortune Exercise:

This card is urging you to do something outside of your character. I am not saying go out and become a stripper- though there is nothing wrong with being a stripper- those folks make A LOT more money than I do, but I would like you to do something different. Try something a little wild. Focus on this card and try your luck. Enter in a draw, 50/50 or buy a lottery ticket. Enjoy the rush of the gamble. If you have an issue with gambling, please do not listen to me! Do not go back on all the hard work you have done to get away from your habit- also kudos to you! What I would like you to do is to do something fun. Whether it’s getting on a thrill ride, seeing a horror movie or getting a hot new lover. Do something that makes your heart pump and makes your adrenaline spike. Again, please be safe but do get out there and take a ride on the wheel. I think you will be excited by the results of doing something a little outside of the norm.

Side note this card always makes me think of my grandma. Simply because she loves the game show Wheel of Fortune and I feel like I would be doing her a disservice by not bringing up nanny Betty in this post. I keep thinking about her as I write this because she is someone who truly lives by the Wheel (not just with making sure she is home in time to watch the game show but also in a Tarot sense LOL). She was never was afraid to take a little risk or do something out of character. I have proof of this because there are pictures floating around of my sweet, Rice Krispy square-making grandma with male strippers at a Chippendales show. I can only hope that her wildness and appreciation for doing things out of character stays with me when I am a few decades older. Nanny Betty, please don’t kill me for telling the Internet about your male stripper adventure! Love you!