This can be seen as a trial through circles of experience. There will be highs and lows on this journey, and we may be crushed under the wheel only to find that we are our most creative in moments of crisis. This wheel of life (the Tarot is sometimes referred to as a wheel) is teaching us to look at everything differently. We’ll find that preconceptions yield fields of gold once dropped, but the more we resist these challenges to our preconceived outlook on life, the more we’ll suffer within a shell of ignorance.
The true value of experience can be found when you dig into every low place you come across. We can find wisdom in rocks, people we hate, and in the manure that makes roses grow. We must keep our eyes open – as life is about to spin us around to test our mettle.
We are in essence becoming much more than we ever imagined, and we may have to look in unusual places to get inspiration for this stage of development. A decision has taken place in the past that has puts us at the centre of a possible opportunity; an example of this would be that we have received training, and now have the opportunity to apply that knowledge.
Each major arcana card offers a chance to learn something about ourselves, but the cost is the loss of outdated personality traits, prejudices, preconceptions, etc. The Wheel is a bit of a whirlwind where anything trivial will fly away rapidly as we claw our way to the hub, where eventually we will find some peace within all this chaos.
Preconceptions are the behaviours we learn by copying our parents and peers. They build up like a covering over our simpler self, a self we need to recover by clawing at those preconceptions through analysis. As these preconceptions are understood and seen through, it can feel like parts of us are being smashed to reveal another layer hidden underneath. It’s a long lifetime process, and sometimes we find ourself refusing to let go of old outdated ideas. We must learn to let the wheel roll, and let go of the ideas that hold us back, and question what is actually real about that outdated behaviour, mental construct, or feeling.
Advanced Notes:
The Hebrew letter is Kaph (palm/fist) — what’s hidden in the hand? Could this be a person holding onto something they don’t even need? This is at the core of the Wheel of Fortune card. The more you let go and remove old modes of thinking and old habits, the more you’ll be able to move forward. There is a literal fortune to be gained from removing these old forms as they are no longer needed.
People may come to the cards expecting riches, love, acknowledgement from beyond, or a host of other strange notions they hold onto, and the cards may show us something they don’t expect. You’ll have to try to get to the bottom of the message while the querent is in a state of disillusionment or denial.
The Wheel of Fortune card is a baited hook. The universe has presented a challenge and is tempting us with a metaphysical reward for removing part of ourself that isn’t needed. Maybe it’s a gift in that closed hand, maybe not. This card, the 2 of Cups, and the Lovers all scream what the seeker thinks they want, but the actual message contained in the cards is much different from the preconceptions with which they have arrived at the reading.
There isn’t a major character on this card. This is a primal force manifesting within the person and their life. People may think they are going crazy during this experience, as they are both confused and seeing life clearly for the first time as the shells of previous lies are removed.
As the attributes of Jupiter are influencing this card, we can use the analogy of something expanding inside an egg; expansion and growth require that the shell be broken. When facing something difficult with another person, such as bereavement, we can see the process needs many stages of change before we are able to escape the prison of those shells. There is a natural process that will take place, and it will involve extreme human emotions. Our role as a reader would be to help the querent feel easier with that process, and for them to try to see themselves clearly throughout it, even if that person is us.