Pearls of Wisdom ~ Wheel of Fortune

6 Haunted Days

All the elements of this image combine to make me very happy and optimistic when I look at this card. The vibrant and bold primary colours. The symbols on the borders, I just love the angel and lion! :) I think of this as the rainbow card!

Looking head on, this card is striking and buoyant. The sun is shining bright, 5 rays shooting down, symbolizing the 5 elements? A crescent moon rests on it's side at the bottom of the bright sun. It shines down on a tent erected in a deep green verdant slope. Puffy clouds skirt across the blue sky. The tent has 4 pennants waving in the winds, symbolizing the 4 suits,which seems to be the overriding theme of this card. The flags each have the ancient symbol for the element on the corresponding colour. Blue=water, green=earth, purple=air, red=fire. The canopy is in a rainbow motif with colourful frill. Everything looks like it's waving in a strong breeze. The winds of change.

There is a beautiful wheel underneath the canopy, with each element in a portion of the circle. I think it's just stunning! I love the swirly depictions of each element. We have the rainbow colours again all around the wheel. A woman stands to the left her hands grasping the sides, ready to give it a whirl (anyone else get a flash of Price is Right? :laugh:). She wears a pearl necklace, a pretty blue fringed shirt and a striking multi-coloured skirt. Does this image imply we are the ones turning the wheel of fate in our lives? Beneath the wheel is a pretty and colourful tapestry rug.

To me the presence and focus of the symbols of all the elements and being on the wheel means the action and events of each suits daily happenings and situations. Implying that with the oft times random turn of the wheel they manifest in our lives.

The borders have the common RWS symbols of the Eagle, Lion, Bull and Angel along with the suit symbols. There is a cornucopia symbolizing plenty, abundance, harvest. The booklet also says "The fruit of the awakened ability to reflect all of the human faculties given by the Creator". And also a bouquet of flowers-tiger lilies, clover and hearther....meaning wealth and good luck.

The pearls of wisdom are twined around the Wand at the bottom, on the woman getting ready to turn the wheel and around the base of the bouquet. There are single pearls adoring all the symbols surrounding the borders.

This is a very positive depiction of the Wheel of Fortune, sometimes in other decks it can have a darker feel. While obviously with this arcana you can have bad luck/fate and events, this image focuses on the more joyful, sudden and unexpected turn of events and luck. I love it!

Miss 6 :love:
 

Rede Seeker

Things that flutter in the breeze

The flags, the scalloped trim on the tent, the tent itself, the fringe on the blouse, skirt, and rug - so many things in this card flutter in the breeze. The passing through of the winds of change are made visible.

This may be a female-thing, but there's nothing like walking around in fringed garments. There's a thrill to it that's hard to explain.
 

Sulis

Thanks 6 Haunted Days for yet another beautiful description of a beautiful card.

I've nothing to add really. This is by far my favourite depiction of The Wheel of Fortune in all of my decks (although I am partial to The World Spirit's Wheel too).

I think that the woman in the lovely fringed skirt could well be The Goddess Fortuna, spinning her wheel but I also like your take Miss 6 that she could represent us mere humans who are in more control of our own destinies than we often like to think.
 

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Hedera

I love how even the rug underneath the wheel has the elements in it: from out to in Air (the purple whorls), Water (the blue band), Fire and Earth.

I have to say though, I don't see this as an optimistic-only representation; something about that woman is very stern, she wouldn't be afraid to announce a bad turn if that's what's supposed to happen.

There is also something about the way the wheel and the tent are set up, that make me wonder what is *behind* the wheel...

With the clouds being blown by a stiff breeze, and the flags beating in the wind, and the puffy clouds (which also seem to move very fast to me) and the bright sunshine, it looks like one of those bright, early spring days when there is a lot of movement in the atmosphere, a sort of restlessness. The sunshine is already bright and hot, but when you're in the shadows, or under a passing cloud, it can still feel very cold because of the hard wind.