It can sometimes be easy to get bogged down by the problems of life and let the heaviness of a seemingly negative situation get the better of us. We wonder if things will ever improve and if the situation will change.
Depression, struggle, grief, and loss, waiting anxiously for a desired outcome – these are all states that can cloud one’s faith and ability to find solutions in the present moment. Geraldine Amaral, author of Tarot Celebrations: Honoring the Inner Voice, sums up the Wheel of Fortune with the saying, “Today’s adversity is tomorrow’s opportunity.”
With this in mind we are able to put a positive spin on situations that cause us worry, knowing that the episode will not last and that it’s possible for positive outcomes we had not previously considered to emerge. The loss of a job, for instance, could lead to the creation of a new business.
Symbolism of the Wheel of Fortune Card
The tenth of the twenty two Major Arcana cards, the central image of the card is a turning wheel. In the Morgan-Greer deck, a joyous couple sit atop the wheel while another figure falls off the edge. This reminds us that life is in a constant state of flux, and that when we find ourselves at high points we can be sure that there will come a time when the moment will pass and we find ourselves feeling quite the opposite.
Teachings of the Wheel of Fortune Card
Accepting that all of life is change allows us to detach emotionally from more challenging situations. Remembering the impermanence of all things empowers us to enjoy moments of joy when they arrive, and gives us the hope to pull through when things are tough.
Amaral quotes a line from A Course in Miracles: “It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful.” Seeing life from this larger perspective allows one to meet all of life’s experiences without resistance.
The value of the Wheel of Fortune card lies in its ability to teach us:
- Non-attachment to the ups and downs of life
- The phases of life are cyclical and are not permanent
- To find our inner strength and our core values in times of turbulence
- To have a broader attitude towards our life, to focus on what we learn from our experiences and how we are reacting to them.
The turning wheel of the Wheel of Fortune is thought to be a metaphor for finding one’s inner stillness amidst change and movement in the outside world. We see that life is not a series of random occurrences but an interconnected pattern of events with intelligence behind it that is leading us to ever higher states of consciousness and awareness.
Amaral, Geraldine. Tarot Celebrations: Honoring the Inner Voice. Samuel Weisner Inc, 1997.
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