The Wheel of Fortune, the 10th card of the Tarot, is by far one of the most curious, but does contain some of the most defining portrayals of our Creator's Universal Life Force in action. At first glance one gets the impression that we are viewing some sort of heavenly zoological library guarded over and protected by a rather significant Egyptian overseer. What the Ancients were attempting to illustrate was the evolving, unending, spiral and cyclical nature of the Universal Life Force as it passionately prods and inspires us to pursue our karmic journey to evolve spiritually around life's Wheel of Incarnation.

The centerpiece of the card is a sort of roulette wheel bearing some mysterious letters and symbols (within its outer circle) that, to us, seem meaningless. Within the center core of the wheel are four veiled ancient alchemical symbols that appear to be arcane inscriptions denoting some process or ancient formula. What can all these mean ? Well, although these glyphs appear rather cryptic, they are really simple articulations of the one great universal process of life called INVOLUTION / EVOLUTION.

The Sages of Old tell us that in the beginning, God created each of our life sparks (souls) and designated the planet Earth as our Mother or the womb for our growth and development. It was God's plan that we descend from the Heaven Worlds and immerse ourselves into Earth's 3rd dimensional polarity so we could learn to individualize. In the Tarot that descent is portrayed in THE FOOL card. A youth (your inexperienced soul) newly arrived from the higher dimensions, touching down for a long INVOLUTIONARY sojourn to learn to cope with the opposing or contradictory polarities of this 3rd dimensional reality. As he progressed and individualized through subsequent incarnations, he became more spiritually aware and then began the upward spiral or process of EVOLUTION.

The letters and symbols within the wheel are simply heralding the significance of this process. Take a look at the letters and symbols in the outer wheel area... start with the "T" and read clockwise to the "A", then the "R", then the "O" and back to the "T". As you can see it spells TAROT which to the Ancients signified that body of knowledge (within the 22 cards) that teaches us how to evolve spiritually. Now read the letters backward... start again with the "T" and read counterclockwise to the "O", then the "R" and finally the "A". It spells TORA... the word root of Torah, the Hebrew book of law which contains the rules for proper spiritual evolution. There is still another word root built into this... start with the "R" and read clockwise to the "O", then the "T" and finally the "A". It spells ROTA which means "wheel" or ROTATION which signifies that life moves round and round, lifetime after lifetime in its INVOLUTIONARY/EVOLUTIONARY spirals and cycles. The alchemical glyphs surrounding the wheel's core are for the compounds... Mercury (above); Sulfur (right); Salt (left); and below is the alchemical symbol of dissolution or Water. The Ancients wanted us to understand that all growth processes in life bear the qualities of these compounds. Sulfur creates form (birth); Salt preserves form (maturation); Mercury modifies or changes established form (transformation); and Water dissolves or disintegrates form (death).

At the left of the wheel you see a golden serpent (snake) descending down into the sea of matter or cosmic space. This represents the arc of INVOLUTION that all souls follow. The serpent forms (10) loops with its body as it descends. This signifies it represents the (10) Emanations or aspects of GOD found on the Tree of Life portrayed in the Kabala. Kabala contains the Hebrew Doctrine that states there are (10) Emanations or outpourings of the One GOD Energy necessary in order to evolve the entirety of the Universe we see around us.

To the right of the wheel you see the jackal-headed figure of Anubis (ancient Egyptian guide to the underworld). He is shown on the EVOLUTIONARY side of the wheel illustrating that with his human body, he is evolving out his formerly animal nature into an evolved human being. He is, however, still work-in-progress and symbolizes that the human race is nearing its goal of total spiritual evolution.

The Sphinx at the top of the wheel symbolizes your Higher Self. He sits unmoved by the turning wheel below. He watches and evaluates your progress as you complete each incarnation on the wheel of karma below. With his sword he cuts out and stores the memories and life experiences valuable to your growth and understanding. He is your guide and your mentor... always quietly watching and assisting your growth.

The (4) archangels in each of the Four Corners signify not only the guardians of the four corners of the Universe, but also represent the (4) elements of the Earth and the (4) astrological fixed signs of the Zodiac. Aquarius (the man), Leo (the lion), Taurus (the bull) and Scorpio (the eagle). They are meant to signify the fixed "reality" of God and life... the understanding that they will remain constant throughout eternity as we, in our spinning evolution on the wheel, continue to grow and gain enlightenment.

The Wheel of Fortune was created to remind us of the circular nature of time and growth. It asks us all to continue to grow toward the Light through positive thought and action. It urges you to actively use your knowledge to grow and to continue to evolve.

copyright 2003-2004, Joe Ivory, all rights reserved