Wheel of Fortune

The design on the Wheel at the center of this card is probably the only symbol I've ever seriously considered getting as a tattoo. When I was sixteen it was because it's mysterious and beautiful. Now it's because this card sums up my general worldview: that life is a constant circle of ups and downs, and we are called to both enjoy the good times and to remain steady in the face of adversity. To remember that even if the wheel has turned down and things look bleak, it's going to turn again.

This is one of the hardest lessons life teaches us, and it seems one I'm always learning.

Tons of symbolism in this card. Those on the inner wheel are from alchemy and represent the four elements in the form of mercury, sulphur, water and salt. The outer ring contains the Hebrew letters IHVH, the sacred name of God; TARO is also TORA when read counter-clockwise, which refers to the sacred Jewish text of the torah. The eight spokes of the wheel correspond to the eight points of the year. The snake of ill fortune descends; Hermes, messenger of good news, ascends. Atop the wheel sits the sphinx, poser of riddles. The corners of the card are guarded by the four fixed signs of the zodiac, Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo, and Taurus, those keepers of tradition and stability even in the midst of change.

As a Major Arcana card this also represents the external forces of the universe, rather than actions driven by our own agency. It can be difficult for a control freak such as myself to accept that forces outside my control are constantly affecting my path and that of the people around me.

It's good to be reminded of this, and that the challenge of life is less what happens to you than how you respond to it.