By Gary Meister, CTM
Before reading on, check the “Tree of Life” sigil on the right to reacquaint yourself with what we are doing here; how this represents the Kabbalah. Now: In this lesson, we have returned from Sphere VI, Beauty, back up to Sphere IV, Mercy. Now we are going to travel Path 10 down to Sphere VII, Victory. Path #10 is represented by the Tarot card 10, the Wheel Of Fortune.

On the Wheel Of Fortune, is a wheel of copper with two smaller circles inside it. The wheel has eight “spokes” within the two inner circles. The four “spokes” representing the cardinal directions (north, south, east and west) have esoteric symbols on them. Between the two outer circles, corresponding to the cardinal point, we see the letters, “T”, “A”, “R” and “O”. Since they are in a circle, we can start at any point and read them in a clockwise direction. Beginning at the bottom (south) it reads “ROTA” a Latin word for “circle”. Beginning in the North, we see TARO; coming back to the first T, that spells Tarot. Symbols within symbols.
Now: the yellow serpent, at the left of the wheel, symbolizes the ancient Egyptian god, Typhon. Here, he represents the Life Force descending down to the Earth. On the right is Hermes-Anubis, an Egyptian god of intelligence. Here, intelligence is rising to the surface in this world lighting up the darkness of ignorance. The sphinx-like figure at the top is a symbol of balance, which is always needed in life. The figures at the corners of the card represent the four alchemical elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water.
All-in-all, this card symbolizes the circular, or cyclical nature of life and virtually every experience in, not only the material world, but all levels of existence.
The Creative Force, Universal Intelligence, God, or whatever term you use for the Divinity, is now finding that all IT has made will function best if it is set-up to be circular in its operation. (actually, it is more of an upward spiral of material and spiritual growth.) He created a cycle of operation for His great Creation. Creative Mind saw that it was good! Since then, everything has occurred cyclically and the Universe operates smoothly.
As is the common situation in the teen years, our baby, now grown, is experiencing upsetting situations as we try to adapt to being nearly an adult. Often the emotions run rampant and we lose control and strike out at those who are close to us. We resent the control our parents exercise as they try to guide us in what they think is the right direction. This teenager experiences everything as if it were forever. We are probably dating by now and, if there is a breakup, the loneliness knows no bounds. This brings up feelings of anger, hopelessness, and, probably fear that we will be alone forever. We don’t recognize that all these same feelings happened the last time this occurred, and things turned out okay. At this point in life, it would be great if we were to learn the lesson of the Wheel of Fortune—everything occurs in cycles and if we’re “down” we need to realize that we will come back up again. If we’re “up” we should remember the previous cycle and prepare for whatever comes our way. ‘Round and ‘round we go. Unfortunately, the teenager probably doesn’t learn these lessons until much later in life—if they ever learn it at all.
So, let’s come up to the present… We will pretend you have just experienced a big loss in your life; perhaps you lost your job (that’s common these days), maybe your spouse left you; or maybe you have lost a loved-one through death. Whatever it may be, you are devastated. It is well-known that we must experience our feelings, but it isn’t necessary to dwell on them ‘til they take over our entire life. Try to remember that you have control over whether you have bad days or not.
One of the most positive people I have ever known once told me, “I don’t have bad days anymore. Oh, I have bad minutes like anybody else; I just don’t let them ruin my whole day!” What a wonderful piece of advice! It is something I try to remember, and put to use, every day of my life. Following this may not be easy, but it will be much easier if you bear in mind the lesson in the Wheel of Fortune. It may hurt really bad right now, but IT WILL GET BETTER! And again, ‘Round and ‘round we go.
IN A READING
If I were to draw this card in a reading, I might say...
Tarot indicates that things might be bad for you right now. To help you through this period it might be a good idea for you to remember that life occurs in a series of spirals. Like the Wheel of Fortune pictures, the wheel keeps going around and around. Sometimes you are up and sometimes you’re down. Just remember, no matter how for down you are right now, you will get back up again! The wheel just keeps on turning; it never stops. As the Christian/Judeo Bible says, “To every thing there is a season”. Remember—“This too shall pass.”
That’s what I might say. How would you read this card? After all—you’re the reader! See you next time.
Bright Blessings ~ Gary