X – The Wheel of Fortune
“the cycles of life and acceptance of fate”
symbol: metamorphosis, re-/birth, faith, the perspective of time
planet: Jupiter
ritual: fortune telling, questioning the oracle
archetype: Fortuna, the Norns, all Trinities
path of Kaph: Chesed – Netzach
Arranged on the wheel, we find the three conditions of being. They refer to the trinity of the creator – Brahma – (the person in its embryonic, developing state), the sustainer – Vishnu – (the person meditating) and the destroyer – Shiva (symbolized by the falling person). This cycle repeats itself over and over again, through the constant of time. The hands are a symbol of conscious acting. The transition from one state to another is not random or automated, but has to be initiated by a greater cycle or catalyst.
Some thoughts on the metaphysics of this symbol:
This wheel is (much like the scheme of the Sephirot) only one symbolic gear wheel in a cosmic clockwork. In an incarnation, we can only observe our own wheel or cycle, we focus on. We will never know all of those other cycles which are influential to our lives. Therefore, the future is not predictable from our point of view, because our observation is limited to the observation from inside our own wheels within the borders of time. It is exceedingly difficult to define in which Yuga, Aeon, or period we are, in context to the rest of the clockwork.
Regarding the main trinity theme: The creator is represented by the spark of a nascent star. He is born from particles which derive from destroyed compounds, which are thrown together. One of the meanings of Crowley’s ”every man and woman is a star” is that we can only exist because of the elements within us. Sometimes, physics does sound a little like magic – we carry elements from destroyed stars in our own bodies. Evolution or creation is only possible through destruction. In the birth of the star, every potential is already present in a passive state. It will develop in relation to its environment and a new unique cycle begins (the rising sun). The second state represents the sustainer (the midday sun). His protective hand is guarding a balanced and stable society, a single being, or the order of things. This state is the goal of every collective that ever existed. But like all things it must perish eventually. Environmental and economic transformations are often the initiators of imminent change. In a cascadic reaction, the once stable condition begins to decay, often accompanied by problems like the avoidance of conflicts, pollution, corruption, and indolence, which leads to more and more imbalance. The moment before the fall can be described as a state of debauchery, delights, and exaggeration (compare XV – The Devil). This period is reflected in nature by the season of autumn.
A decaying society or person is predestined to fall and get destroyed, symbolized by the crushing hand. Usually some help from outside is needed to spark this change. A society may be overtaken, or worn down by war against a stronger, more advanced party. A falling person may be surprised by an accident, a disease, a dismissal, betrayal, or any other sudden change in life. Often the stages of falling are followed by a period of rotting (alchemical putrefaction) and rest. Only time can heal these wounds. We fall and rise again, because this state is followed by a collection of the remaining resources and slow recovery before the cycle starts again.
The card is confined by the four cherubim in the corners, which represent the alchemical elements – the lion (fire), the taurus (earth), the eagle (water) and aquarius (air). Their fluids are circulating into one another. The borders in between them are not defined but fluent by nature. The recurring seasons “spring – summer – autumn – winter” would be a physical expression of these main elements of this card.
The wheel promises transformation, but also certitude, that no condition lasts forever. After all, the only constant in the cosmos is change. Every component of the cycle is preserved within the wheel. It only changes appearance and form but cannot be lost.
