The Wheel of Fortune

The Meaning of the Wheel of Fortune
Major Arcana Tarot Card in Readings

The Tarot Wheel of Fortune card meaning in a nutshell:
An uncertain outcome,
with an aftermath
to be carefully considered.

Archetype:
Chance — the unpredictable.

The Book Tarot Unfolded This book presents all the 78 Tarot card images and their allegorical symbols. Several divination spreads are also explained. The book will help you find your own intuitive way of making inspired Tarot card readings. Click the image to see the book at Amazon (paid link). More about the book here.

       The Wheel of Fortune Tarot card image looks like a roulette. The outcome is uncertain, no matter what you do, so you can only hope to be lucky. The one thing to be expected is surprise.

       Sometimes fate plays tricks on us. What can we do but wish for the best? You need to look beyond this point of time to get a glimpse of how the outcome will affect you — winning the lottery or losing a costly bet. If you worry, maybe you just shouldn't take this path.

       The powerful methods of divination (that's most of them) have no problem revealing the future. But sometimes it's like they just don't want to, as if that's against some master plan concealed from us. The Wheel of Fortune card of the Tarot deck is a reminder of this, whenever it appears in a reading. Don't try to know everything in advance. It's not allowed.

       At heart we have to agree with what the Wheel of Fortune Tarot card implies. What's the fun of living if there are no uncertainties and no surprises? We thrive by curiosity. Like any nutrition, it only keeps working if we keep feeding on it. What's hidden from us, even in divination, mainly has this function — keeping us awake and eager to meet tomorrow.

       As a personal characteristic, the Wheel of Fortune card indicates too much trust in chance. Happy-go-lucky. Some people are blessed with a multitude of joyous tidings, so it may work for them — mostly. Never always.

       Even the luckiest among us will be struck by misfortune, now and then. If they trusted luck too much, such a blow can be devastating to them and they may find that they lack any kind of insurance, any alternative by which to minimize the losses.

       So, the Wheel of Fortune can signal a formidable opportunity ahead, but always also a warning: Don't bet your whole fortune on the most fortunate outcome. Save something for a rainy day. Consider in advance what you can do if things don't go your way.

Illustration attributed to Albrecht Dürer, from the book Ship of Fools by Sebastian Brant, 1494. Though not exactly a wheel of fortune, when fools demand to steer the ship, everything is left to chance. The wheel of fortune concept existed already in Ancient Greece and Rome. According to Roman myth, the goddess Fortuna was at the wheel. She was no fool.

The Wheel of Fortune Card as a Person

If the Tarot Wheel of Fortune card refers to a person, which happens rarely, it is someone willing to risk it all on the hope to be lucky. You can't say what it will lead to, so be careful about how much you commit to that person. Are you also willing to take a chance? If you really are, then this person is your ticket.

The Wheel of Fortune Card as an Event

If the Tarot Wheel of Fortune card in your divination spread refers to an event, and that is most often the case, it means that the future is hidden regarding the issue at hand. Anything can happen. It is hard to prepare for anything, but you can at least be prepared for a surprise. What's most likely to happen is what you deemed very unlikely.

The Wheel of Fortune Card as You

If the Tarot Wheel of Fortune card has a position in the divination spread referring to you, it suggests that you have a tendency to risk too much with too little preparation. You want to wing it, whatever problem it is you are facing. That kind of improvisation can sometimes lead to really good solutions, but the opposite is just as possible. You should choose carefully when you want to leave things to chance.

A. E. Waite about the Tarot Wheel of Fortune Card

Click the header to read what A. E. Waite had to say about the Major Arcana Wheel of Fortune Tarot card symbolism and meaning in divination.

The Major Arcana Tarot Cards

1. The Magician

2. The High Priestess

3. The Empress

4. The Emperor

5. The Hierophant

6. The Lovers

7. The Chariot

8. Strength

9. The Hermit

10. Wheel of Fortune

11. Justice

12. The Hanged Man

13. Death

14. Temperance

15. The Devil

16. The Tower

17. The Star

18. The Moon

19. The Sun

20. Judgement

21. The World

22. The Fool

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Stefan Stenudd

About me

I'm a Swedish author. In addition to fiction, I've written books about the Tarot, Taoism, astrology and other metaphysical traditions. I'm also an historian of ideas, researching ancient mythology. Click the image to get to my personal website.

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