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!

Lusting for the Lovers

The Lovers VI

Look at those saucy nude people! Ouuuhh-la-la!

I am happy to announce that it is finally warm. It's like someone has turned up the heat a little bit in Canada these days. It feels so good to be able to actually feel warmth. Like actual, warmth. No more pretending its warm to make ourselves feel better, it is actually warm. Its magick. There are some green little stems poking out of the front yard and the trees in the backyard are getting buds. On top of all of this, the air is fragrant with the scent of melting dog poop. Oh melting dog poop stink, you are a good omen. Soon friends, very soon we will see tulips, lilacs, daffodils and dandelions. Oh yes, I went there. I said the dreaded word, dandelions. The Devil's Paintbrush, the demon weed in which I have always had a little soft spot for. They are always a good sign that Spring and Summer are around the corner and for that, I welcome them. At least for now until they are taking over my driveway again, but lets not focus on that. Let's focus on the now and right now I love them. They are wonderful. 

"I'm melting! I'm melting!", said the snow mountain as the warm sun finally made its appearance. Also,  I have the cutest nephew in the world.

All this sunshine infused ecstasy is a perfect lead in to today's card of choice, The Lovers. Pictured above you will see two very naked people. It must be a little cold where they are, if you know what I am saying, wink wink. Above them is the Angel Raphael, before the Waite-Smith deck it was normally a Cupid pictured there. I almost prefer the idea of a Cupid, lets not tell Waite and Smith that however... It is obvious in this card that our naked man and woman are Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Pictured beside the woman is the serpent. Notice that this card is linked to The Devil, card 15. I am no mathematician but you can see that 1+5=6 connecting The Devil back to the lovers... Why would this be? What on earth does love have to do with the Devil? Who am I kidding, we all know why these two are linked. Without lust and desire we rarely have the hot burning love we all crave. Love can be beautiful full of roses and butterflies in your stomach but love can also be raw, dangerous and painful. One does not exist without the other. This is why this card may not exactly be what people often think it is. 

Often times when this card makes a grand appearance in a spread people are happy to see it but under the surface you will learn that this love does not come without some sacrifice. The card signify someone who could be in a love triangle having to pick between two or more lovers (you wild thing you!). Without sacrifice you will not get what you want in the end. It can mean a new lover coming into your life if you are single but you will be sacrificing your single lifestyle for this new life. Are you ready for that? The trees in the Garden of Eden symbolize knowledge of all sides of your lover. Do you want to bite the apple and really know everything? I don't know if I would bite that one, even if it was a delicious candy covered apple with my name on it. The Angel to me is always a symbol of the good people that are in your life and that you do have someone looking over your shoulder. There are only four cards in the deck that have Angels so I always consider it special when they show up. 

Keys to remember with this card: Love, choice, desire, knowledge, sacrifice, new love 

Meeting the Lovers through Meditation 

Get yourself comfortable, maybe even sit outside, I can't believe you can actually sit outside now... SO EXCITED, sorry off track there. Yes, get comfortable inside or out and try to clear your mind. Let your muscles relax and allow your ears to take in the sounds around you. Try to find some peace amongst the chaos of the day to day. You find yourself walking through a large pasture. You are on a little footpath that is leading you through tall grass. It smells like Summer. You can feel the warmth of the sun on your head and back. You take a moment to bathe your face in it's heat. Feeling energized you continue to make your way down the path and you can see before you a stone garden wall that looks very old. It is covered in ivy climbing over the stones and surrounding the iron gate. You feel no hesitation and know you must go there. You know you need to see what is inside this stone wall. The closer you approach you can see flowers blooming along the side of the wall and you can smell the sweet scent of blooming fruit. You are excited and thirsty for what is waiting for you. Your heart begins to beat a little faster, you feel your hands getting clammy, butterflies dance in your stomach.  

Inside the garden is a plethora of flowers in full bloom. Colours of every shade are proudly on display before you. You stop to smell the different flowers. What flowers do you see? How do they smell? How do they feel between your fingertips? You find yourself mesmerized by the flowers. So many different kinds, they look like they are from all parts of the world. Stepping away from the flowers you see an orchard. All the trees are in different phases of blooming. This is a magical place. There are trees heavily laden with pears, apples, peaches and many other varieties. What do you see? You stare in awe at this spender in front of you. 

Something in the far corner of the garden catches your eye. You begin to walk towards it. A figure stands before you naked. You are instantly attracted to this person. What do they look like? Is it someone you know? Or someone you never met before? You approach this person and notice behind them is an Angel. Never in your life have you seen a being so beautiful, so pure. What does this being look like? You find yourself longing to be closer to the other person in the garden. You want to get to know them and touch their flesh. Yearnings stir inside. There is a large apple tree with the reddest apples you have ever seen. A large serpent unwinds itself from a branch and catches your gaze. It offers you an apple full of knowledge. You know biting this apple you will gain the lover of your dreams and all the knowledge you seek, but is it worth the sacrifice?

Did you bite the apple? What happens next? Write your experiences in a Book of Shadows or journal.

I think Paul and I could be hand models, just putting that out there... 

Well friends I think this is all for me this evening. I hope that the May fires burn brightly and your lives are full of love and of course a little lust thrown in there too!

Sine we are talking The Lovers, I thought I would add the love of my life in here too!