Tarot – The Wheel of Fortune

When we decided we wanted to move back to Canberra, ACT, it felt simple in theory: sell the house, pack up, and go. In reality, it has been anything but simple. Our house has been on the market since October 2025, and all we want is for it to sell so we can begin the next chapter of our lives. I am a big believer in “things happen when they are supposed to, not when we want them to” my wife on the other hand wants it all to happen very quickly. I keep saying “something is not ready for us yet, the house will sell when things are all lined up”. I also said “when we hit road blocks or we are slowed down, I believe it is for a reason”.

Earlier this year, I bought my first deck of Tarot cards. I did all the “right” beginner things—yes, including sleeping with them under my pillow—but despite my excitement, I never actually started using them. I had a whole stack of excuses ready: I was too busy, I didn’t know enough yet, and my favourite one of all, “I don’t have a proper space to keep everything.”

So, I solved that excuse by creating myself a little tarot table—my own small altar space—and finally brought the cards out.

Still very much learning on the fly, I asked my first question: “are we were moving back to Canberra”
Looking back, I realise it wasn’t the most specific question, but it was honest, and it carried all the hope and frustration I had been feeling.

The card I drew was the Wheel of Fortune.

For a first real reading, it felt strangely fitting—a card of cycles, timing, and change, appearing at a moment in life when everything feels paused, yet ready to turn. In that instant, it felt as though the cards were reminding me that even when life seems stuck, movement can still be happening beneath the surface.

The Wheel of Fortune — Turning Points & the Rhythm of Life

The Wheel of Fortune represents turning points. Life is always moving, whether we’re ready for it or not.

• Turning point – something in my life is shifting
• Cycles – What goes up can come down (and vice versa)
• Fate/Destiny – events may feel “meant to be” or out of my control
• Luck – can signal good fortune, but also remind me that it can change
• Nothing stays the same forever
• There is a bigger rhythm at play beyond my control

This card speaks to luck, destiny, and timing — those moments where things seem to just happen or suddenly fall into place… or fall apart just as quickly.

It feels like life saying: things are moving now.

Upright Meaning

When the Wheel of Fortune appears upright, it often signals movement after stillness.

• Positive change or shift in circumstances
• A stroke of luck or unexpected opportunity
• Alignment with your life path or purpose
• A sense that things are finally beginning to move again after feeling stuck

It can feel like the universe is giving things a gentle (or not-so-gentle) push forward.

Reversed Meaning

When reversed, the energy can feel heavier or more resistant.

• Resistance to change
• Feeling stuck in cycles or repeating patterns
• Unexpected setbacks or delays
• A sense of being “out of sync”

This position often brings a reflective question:

Am I trying to control something that needs to flow?

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From here on it’s a brain dump about what I see, what I’ve heard and what I’ve read about the Wheel of fortune card and its symbols.

CARD SYMBOLS

When I look at this card I see

• The Wheel (centre, inner, outer and the symbols)
• The number 10
• 3 figures directly around the wheel
  • Sphynx with a sword
  • Snake moving
  • Anubis rising
• 4 figures reading books in clouds
• Sphynx on top of the wheel with a sword

The Number 10

The Wheel of Fortune is card number 10 in the major arcana representing turning points, fate and karmic movement.

The Wheel

The wheel carries multiple layers of symbolism:

• The outer wheel with its shifting symbols
• The inner wheel holding symbols of Mercury, Sulphur, Water, and Salt

Even when things appear chaotic from the outside, there is structure underneath it all.

Wheels Core (the very centre)

The very centre of the wheel.. that tiny dot.  That part of me that remains aware through all of it. 

• Higher self
• The soul behind the personality

Inner Circle of the Wheel – Purpose

Hidden Spiritual Order

• Karma
• Divine timing
• Soul lessons
• Universal patterns guiding growth

Even when life looks chaotic externally, there is invisible order underneath Symbols for Mercury, Sulphur, Water & Salt. Alchemy in Tarot means “life’s changes are meant to transform consciousness” — not just physical change, but the evolution of consciousness itself

Outer Circle of the Wheel – Fate

Where you  begin your interpretation, determines what you see.  Truth is cyclical, not linear. The words rotate and transform depending on where you start reading.

• Meaning changes depending on the perspective
• Truth is not linear
• Life can be read in multiple ways
• “where you begin your interpretation determines what you see”

• ROTA – Life is a wheel (existence cycles)
• TARO – Tarot reveals those cycles (awareness)
• TORA – There is divine order within them (law)
• ATOR – creation and renewal are always present (life force)

Between the latin letters are Hebrew letters YHVH Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh) – the sacred divine name represents

• The presence of divine intelligence
• The unseen force governing cosmic order

The four figures

Around the wheel sit four figures/creatures:

• Angel (Aquarius)
• Eagle (Scorpio)
• Bull (Taurus)
• Lion (Leo)

Each represents the fixed signs of the zodiac — stability, endurance, and consistency amid movement. Their presence suggests:

• Stability during change – when life feels uncertain, some truths remain fixed
• Higher perspective beyond emotional reaction  – see beyond the termporary ups, downs and chaos.
• Spiritual witnessing rather than fear-based response  – observe life’s cycles with wisdom rather than panic.

A reminder that even as life spins, something within it remains steady.Beneath all change, there is a sacred order.

The book/reading

The figures/creatures around the wheel hold books — symbols of divine knowledge and eternal wisdom.
This suggests that life’s changes are not random chaos.
They are part of a larger pattern that can be understood, even if not immediately seen.

The Snake — Descent & Release

The snake represents necessary change. It speaks to descent, endings, and shedding what no longer serves. Without descent, there is no rise.

• What must I shed in order to move forward?
• What am I holding onto that keeps the wheel stuck?

Anubis — Transition & Guidance

At the base of the wheel is Anubis, rising upward.
In Ancient Egyptian symbolism, Anubis is known as:

• Guardian of thresholds
• Guide between worlds
• Protector during transitions

He represents movement through endings into beginnings. Even when change feels uncertain, there is guidance present within it.

• Rise of new fortune
• Movement through transformation
• Trust in unseen direction

The Sphinx — Wisdom Above the Wheel

At the top sits the Sphinx, calm and unmoved.
The Sphinx represents:

• Hidden truths behind life events
• Wisdom gained through experience
• Balance and mastery over change

While the wheel turns beneath it, the Sphinx remains still — suggesting that awareness is what allows us to remain steady within change.

Can I remain centred while life turns beneath me?

Down the rabbit hole…

The Paradox of the Wheel

Everything moves — but something within me does not.

• ‘Without’ the centre, the wheel becomes chaos.
• ‘With’ the centre, movement becomes meaningful.

Stability does not come from stopping the wheel — it comes from anchoring into the centre while it turns.

Karma, Destiny & Free Will

This card often opens up a deeper reflection on timing and patterns.

• Destiny = what changes
• Karma = the patterns that repeat
• Free Will = how awake I am within it

Karma is not punishment — it is pattern recognition.

The question becomes: Do I repeat, or do I evolve?

We cannot stop the wheel from turning. But we can choose how we meet it.