X Wheel of Fortune

Mateo06

This is my favorite card out of the deck so far. So I'll start with a proverb I wrote for it.

"The Wheel of Fortune only turns on the the river of time. If you wish to regain the luck that was lost you must wait for another turn of the Wheel. Only the forceful waters of time can move the wheel. To try and move it yourself would be a fools end."

The Wheel is suspended in the clouds with the letters T A R O written on it. Hebrew letters are written everyother english letter. I am not sure of the hebrew letters or what they mean. The four alchemical sigils of mercury, sulphur,water and salt mark four of the spokes. Four biblical creatures at each corner of the card are reading a book. The sphynx keeps the balance of the wheel and the Snake is falling down into misfortune while the Egyptian Jackyl rides up. (I always thought the wheel should go clockwise) The same four creatures appear on XXI The World card in the same corners. The four creatures also represent the four elements. The eagle is water, the bull earth, lion fire, and angel air.

I believe the books represent the knowledge gained as you work through the cycle of the wheel. I was also told this card can represent your karma debt, be it credit or debit. The sphinx looks like it is daring you to touch the wheel. I don't think it would be a good idea to do so. I noticed the passive elements are kitty corner to eachother same with the others. The card seems to be more about truth than fortune. Is the cycle of fortune a way to truth?

The Sphinx was a keeper of a riddle in Greek mythology. In egyptian was a protector of pharoahs. The riddle the sphyinx asked was the four stages of man. "What walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at mid-day, and three in the evening?" The jackyl is a symbol of Anubis, or the god that judged the dead in Egyptian mythology.

Any thoughts?
 

cSpaceDiva

In the RWS deck, the four creatures are all winged and represent the evangelists: Luke is the Ox/Bull, Mark is the Lion, John is the Eagle, and Matthew is the Winged Human. In this deck, the bull and the lion do not have wings. Why not?

The Hebrew letters are Yod Heh Vav Heh which represent the unspeakable name of God and much, much more.

I'm wondering why the serpent has a head at each end of it's body?
 

Mateo06

I haven't studied all the aspects of the tarot. It seems I have much to learn, but I see (with your added insight) that the wheel may not turn one way. It can reverse itself perhaps. If the wheel is suppose to fall with the serpent. Maybe it can change course? The jackyl, or anubis is suppose to fall with the sun into the underworld. The natural course of things may need the reverse of the wheel every so often.
 

cSpaceDiva

I'm also considering that as number 10 the Wheel of Fortune contains both 0 the Fool and 1 The Magician. How appropriate the the first double digit card depicts a wheel, showing that we continually go through cycles, each time hopefully with a little more knowledge (the books--as stated in post 1) and a different set of tools. The worldly tools on the Magician's table representing the four elements are now represented as more divine tools (the four creatures--spiritual growth, spiritual knowledge).

Still thinking about that snake too. The Magician's belt is a snake swallowing it's tail (infinity, cyclicality) but as I noted before, the snake on the Wheel of Fortune is a double headed serpent. The heads also spiral in, a different depiction of infinity. Instead of just being a repeating cycle, there are changes with every turning. I think I like the word revolution to describe the turning of the wheel (revolution also meaning change) vs. cycle. With a head at each end of it's body, every ending is also a beginning.

I like what you've said about the wheel reversing direction, it can be the "fate" aspect of the wheel of fortune, that which is beyond our control. Also think about the letters on the wheel, going in one direction they read TORA (printed on the High Priestess' scroll in the RWS pack) in the other direction they read TARO (printed on our High Priestess' scroll).
 

Mateo06

I tried to look up the symbolism behind the double headed serpent. Couldn't find anything.

The two heads may be there to make us doubt which way is up. Does the wheel even have an axis? Alot to think about.

I think all the the backwardness is suppose to make us wonder which way is up.
 

FallynRaiyn

the double headed serpent reminds me of the fool card in the fantastical creatures deck. It's called an Amphisbaena, and when doing a google search of it, I found that they are real creatures and also mythological. The real ones don't have heads at both ends but can move as easily backwards as forwards......really creepy lizard/worms. Gave me shudders looking at them.