Wheel of Fortune

All posts tagged Wheel of Fortune

This is the Fourth of a series of articles examining the Major Arcana using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves,
our talent, intelligence, experience and gifts.
An introduction is found in First Resonance.

The Grand Spread

Next to the Empress is the Fourth card:

The Emperor

The Emperor
Aries

The Emperor
From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of Memory: personal and ancestral);
to the Empress
(the ability to visualize the future)
manifests the Emperor:
comprehension of process provides the power of logic and reason
(the ability to see from past to future)
knowing how things are and how they work he then sets things in motion.

In the second line underneath the Emperor we find

Justice

Justice
Libra

Justice:
the Law
as it applies to the individual and to all of creation.
Again, this is not human Justice,
rather the interaction we have with the laws of physics: Karma.
Karma in it’s literal sense means doing:
the result of a basic physical reaction to one’s actions;
Karma is the result of what one does.
“Good” Karma (in the classical sense)
is when one learns from one’s mistakes:
one recognizes how the situation manifests
and understand the process of cause and effect on one’s life.

In the third row under Justice is the

The Moon

The Moon
Pisces

Moon: One’s Life Path.
It’s source is where we climb out of the primordial soup,
evolve beyond the most basic drives of sex and dominance,
territory and narcissism to a better understanding of one’s self and the world.
We learn how at times the path is clear and we rejoice;
other times the path is obscured and we must rely on our understanding
of what Is and keep our faith in the path we walk.

The first level reveals the position
(the Emperor) for the personal,
the second position (Justice) reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position (the Moon)
demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.

Unlike the previous Resonance,

The Fool

The Fool
Baptismal Air

this one includes the Fool.

Aligned with the Emperor,
Justice and the Moon,
the Fool is placed directly above them.
This is no accident.
It infers the necessary open mind this column requires.
The Emperor need to see “truly” in order for him to function at his optimum.
Justice must not lean too heavily on unrelated concepts to offer a balanced result.
The path offered by the Moon requires a clear head
and no misconceptions or prejudice
in order to move forward in one’s life.

The Fourth Resonance of the Fool’s Journey is:

Fourth Resonance

Tarot Casters
Fourth Resonance

Fool,The Emperor, Justice, The Moon

Now that we know the process of cause and effect,
understand the parameters of how to manifest the future,
we activate our Will to make it so.
Tending and carefully monitoring our progress
we develop fail-safes to keep things in motion
and avoid the mistakes of short-sightedness.
Each action and response creates another step on our path of life.
This resonance holds all three together into one triad,
each supporting the other.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket
or wear the combination as amulets.

This is the Third of a series of articles
examining the Major Arcana using the Grand Spread
(three groups of seven, the Fool being separate)
to better understand and harness ourselves, our talent,
intelligence, experience and gifts.
An introduction is found in First Resonance.

The Empress

Next to the High Priestess is the third card:

The Empress

The Empress
Venus

The Empress

From the single point of consciousness of The Magician
(the ability to focus on the Now)
to The High Priestess
(the depth of the Past, Memory: personal and ancestral);
manifests the Empress combining the single pointed consciousness with the depth of memory:
the ability to visualize the future.

In the second line underneath the Empress we find

Wheel of Fortune

Wheel of Fortune
Jupiter

The Wheel of Fortune: the Law.

This is not human law,
rather it is the framework on how reality manifests.
The image is that of a wheel turning amid the elements,
causing a blending of all of it’s permutation.
In the center I have placed an eye,
giving the wheel a steady point in which one may be able to examine the process
without being caught up in it.
Most of us are on the edge of the wheel experiencing the ups and downs of material possession,
mood, health and so on.
By centering one’s Self ( a meditation often taught in Martial arts)
one may calm the heart and mind
and allow one’s perception to reveal things as they are
rather than how one wants it to be.

The Star

The Star
Aquarius

In the third row we find the Star:
the process of meditation itself.
Tzaddi is a pictorial representation of a fish hook:
the single point of consciousness we drop into the pool of the “great unconsciousness”
to see what is down there.
Like fishing,
we suspend ourselves in the great waters of the unconsciousness,
allowing the Akashic waters to surround us and flow through.
This concept is a reflection from the center of the Wheel,
only this time the boundaries of chaos are no longer there.
It is replaced by unlimited possibilities that reach beyond perception.

The first level reveals the position (the Empress) for the personal,
the second position (the Wheel) reveals the environment in which we work
and the third position demonstrates how we may apply what we have learned.

The Third Resonance of the Fool’s Journey is:

The Empress, The Wheel of Fortune, The Star

Tarot Casters ~ Third Resonance

Tarot Casters
Third Resonance

Knowing the present and past,
now visualize the future (the Empress).
The Wheel of Fortune defines the parameters of what is possible and what is not.
The Star aides us with inspiration
and the ability to think beyond the parameters of normal thought.
The resonance between these three levels
provide a Visionary with the tools needed to imagine the future:
knowing what is appropriate and how to stretch boundaries.
Place these three cards together and observe the delicate balance produced.
Set these cards on your alter,
use them as meditations,
place them in your pocket
or wear the combination as amulets.

The classic image is that of an eight-spoaked wheel turning amidst mythological creatures.
The Name of the Tarot is spelled at the “points of the compass”
with the Tetragrammaton or the “holy unspeakable name of God”.
This has roots in the ancient Hebrew concept:
deity unspoken refers to an unfathomable power,
silence shows respect.
The power of the Wheel has set in motion
all things within the Universe.

The Wheel of Fortune Amulet
Wheel of Fortune Amulet

In the four corners are animals representing four realms of the Elements;
each examining books representing the Law.
All things even the elements themselves are reliant on the Law:
gravity works, every action has a reaction and so on.
The elemental beings reading books illustrates:
not all is understood,
that which seem to defy the laws of nature may only be responding
to a set of patterns that have not yet been understood.

The image I chose to represent this is the cyclone,
at the four points are the classical symbols of the elements,
in the center is an eye.
Above it the Hebrew letter Caph or the “grasping hand”. Jupiter:
that which stabilizes.
The hand that grasps: stabilizes oneself.
The eye symbolizes the act of Centering:
an important part of martial arts.
In Aikido,
Centering is one of the first things taught:
one learns to move about an area and never loose position within the center of combat.
By Centering we bring our minds to focus on the center of the body,
and in turn recall the center of one’s spirit and purpose.
When we Center we find ourselves within
what was once perceived chaotic
and we can then recognize the elements of the cyclone.

The Wheel of Fortune Amulet would be a good tool
for one who has lost direction and feels jumbled in life.
The Amulet would assist in Centering one’s self and others:
a team leader,
someone who is in combat or in an ER; Centering and stabilizing one self,
one’s family, community and world.