Wheel of Fortune
The Fool’s Journey
One day, The Fool decides to continue walking until the sun has risen and his own staff is no longer pointing his way. As if emerging from the darkest night, he enters the world as if some unknown force is pulling him up from his lowest point. He is ready to get back to work, but the world around him has changed.
Everything has suddenly become easy, and The Fool finds his luck in line with fortuitous synchronicity. A seraph near a well gives him a drink, and insists he keeps the golden cup. He admires the sword of a young warrior, only to find it pressed into his hand as a gift. With very little money, he stops at a merchant only to be told that he is the tenth customer, who has won a monetary prize.
The Fool thought he was beyond surprise, but it is as if the world is repaying all the good deeds he has done up until this point in his life. Luck is with him on this day.
Card Meaning
The story of The Wheel of Fortune is one of the constant cycles of destiny and fate. From our vantage point, we can’t really see how the wheel is turning, or what drives these forces. It’s the results of these cosmic powers that can be seen and felt. The Wheel of Fortune is a card of manifestation, and depending on where you are on the wheel, of creation and destruction, conclusions and new beginnings.
When this card appears, it is to symbolize the completion of one chapter in your life and the start of another. If you have been riding high on the wheel, expect a downturn. If you’ve been down on your luck, expect things to look up. Mostly, it is a reminder that on the wheel of life, there is no such thing as permanence, and no matter your situation, take advantage of where you are, because your situation will not last forever. If you don’t learn the lessons you are meant to take with you, you can expect to circle back to them at a later time.
Fate and destiny are excellent providers, although not every lesson they teach us are lessons of fortune, luck, and fame. Remember that all things that go up must come down, and all things that go down must come up. Such is the cycle.
Gambling, games of chance, contests, lotteries, and giveaways are all represented by The Wheel of Fortune, but take heed to where you are on the wheel.
Like all tens in the Tarot, The Wheel of Fortune is about fullness or completeness, but in the Major Arcana there are still many lessons to learn. This is just the first chapter, and the next page will bring with it sweeping changes that you can do nothing about. Be ready to let go and move forward. Roll with the wheel, or it will crush you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card
The Wheel of Fortune represents the constant cycles of destiny and fate. It signals the completion of one chapter and the start of another. Your situation will not last forever – take advantage of where you are right now.
Shadow/reversal themes include conclusions that feel like endings with no way forward, and circling back to unlearned lessons at a later time. Resisting the wheel’s turn can cause it to crush you rather than carry you.
The Fool walks through a dark night and emerges into a world of synchronicity. Gifts arrive unsolicited: a golden cup, a sword, a cash prize. The world seems to repay all the good he has done. Luck is simply with him on this day.
Tarot cards are too layered and contextual to reduce to yes or no. For that, try a pendulum or dowsing rods. The Wheel asks you to consider where you currently sit on the cycle and whether you are ready to move with it.
In love, the Wheel signals a change in relationship cycles. If things have been difficult, a positive turn is likely. If things are good, avoid complacency. There is no permanence – work with the cycle rather than against it.
Yes, directly. Gambling, contests, lotteries, and giveaways are all represented by this card. However, the card warns you to consider where you are on the wheel before taking a chance – luck depends on your current cycle.
The card states that sweeping changes will come that you can do nothing about. The advice is to let go and move forward. Roll with the wheel, or it will crush you – resistance only worsens the impact of the turning cycle.
In a career reading, the Wheel signals a major shift in your professional chapter. If things are going well, prepare for change. If you have struggled, a turn for the better is coming. Learn the lessons of the current phase or face them again.
