TRUMP 10 - THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE
In stark contrast to the previous two cards, which have almost no symbolism at all, in terms of the icons and images on the cards themselves, the Wheel of Fortune is absolutely stuffed full of very great symbolic detail. Simply by looking card #10, one immediately notices that it is very different from the others that we have seen. The others have featured a human figure in the center of the card with the exception of the Lovers, who have one angel and then two humans. On all of the rest, we have one central human being with different icons and images around him or her. Obviously the Wheel of Fortune is very, very different.
What is this card all about? We are dealing here with a powerful concept. As we discussed in previous cards, everything is a cycle. Everything within the realms of creation vibrates. The densest rock, the most rarefied air, the farthest star vibrate. Rest is a mere idea. It has no reality. That vibration, that cycle, exists not only in physical matter, but in animate objects--the cycle of breathing, the cycle of waking and sleeping, the cycle of being born, living and dying. The Wheel of Fortune encompasses all cycles of manifestation and expresses the notion that no matter what occurs within the physical creation, it is all (1) a part of the divine plan, and (2) a part of the divine revelation. In other words, the Wheel of Fortune card says there is no such thing as chance.
A wheel of fortune exists in many different forms. For instance in gambling halls, we have roulette wheels, we have slot machines, which are a combination of three or more Wheels of Fortune, and we have the big wheels which spin much in the manner depicted on this card. There are different numbers or images on the wheel. You place your bet on a number on which you think the wheel will stop. If your number comes up you win; if not, you lose.
To the uneducated eye, it appears that a wheel of fortune is chance. However, this is not entirely true. A Wheel of Fortune, if it is even, works according to law. What do I mean by even? Let us assume that there are ten numbers on the wheel, 1 through 10. And, let us assume that the wheel is perfectly balanced and each number is mathematically as likely to come up as any other number. What then are the odds of picking the right number? Obviously the odds are 10 to 1 or 1 in 10. If you bet $1 and your number does not come up, you lose your dollar. If your number comes up, then you should receive exactly $10. The element of chance pertains to any individual single event. It is in fact, in a wheel of fortune such as we are describing, not possible to predict what any given spin will be. It is a random chance event. So in that respect, individual moments within time are chance.
However, in the larger picture, that wheel will work according to absolute law. If you spin that wheel an infinite number of times, exactly 1/10th of those spins will be landing in each of those ten numbers.
So while individual events may be unpredictable, the larger picture is 100% predictable. This is how gambling institutions in Las Vegas make their money. They do not need to cheat. The game, as it is presented to the player or the gambler, is already fixed. If the player picks the wrong number, the player loses the dollar. However, if he picks the right number, he does not get $10 dollars the way he should. He gets $9. As a result, if you begin with an infinite amount of money and play this game for an infinite number of spins, you wind up with absolutely no money. This is the law.
In terms of the Wheel of Fortune, we actually have three different manifestations in this game of life. This first one that we've talked about is random, wherein each individual event is completely unpredictable, but the totality of the process is 100% governed by law. There are two others.
We also have deterministic relationships. Deterministic relationships are very common to us. Those relationships are where, given the current state of things, we are able to determine absolutely, at any given time frame, what the status of the system will be in the future. A simple example is a automobile driving along the road. If we know where the car is now and we know exactly how fast it is traveling, then at any given point in time we will know where the car will be. If the car is traveling at 30 mph, we know that in exactly 15 minutes the car will be 7 1/2 miles away. This is completely deterministic. The deterministic universe is the realm of what we have traditionally called science. Science is discovering that there are other realms which it must attend to, but for the most part, the Newtonian revolution was when humanity began to discover the deterministic nature of the world.
In addition to random relationships and deterministic relationships we have the third manifestation, known as chaotic relationships. This is a brand new field of science which is revolutionizing biology, physics, chemistry, sociology, just as the Newtonian revolution did hundreds of years ago. A chaotic relationship is 100% deterministic and absolutely unpredictable. What do I mean by that? That means given any current state, the next step or the next cycle is 100% deterministic. And, there is a one to one relationship. Any particular initial state will generate one and only one next step, however the relationship is so complex that it is impossible to determine what cycle 10 will be until we experience cycle 9.
This would be like having a automobile, to refer to the previous analogy, that we know is traveling at 30 mph and we know absolutely that in one minute it will be so many feet away, but we will not know how many feet it is away in 15 minutes until we get to the 14-minute mark.
These chaotic relationships are wondrous creatures and seem to be built into the very essence of nature. Let me give you an example. Take a number sequence. Start with a number--any number at all. If that number is even, divide it in half. If the number is odd, multiply it by three and add one to it. Take the result and perform the operation again. Eventually the number will return to 1. Notice that each and every single number cycles in the next iteration to one and only one number. The number 26 will only go to number 13. The number 27 will only go to 84. It cannot ever go anywhere else. But, there are no fields of mathematics that enable us to determine how many iterations it will take any particular number to return to one.
The relationship is cycle by cycle deterministic and yet completely unpredictable. Why have I taken you along this discussion?
These 3 relationships--random, deterministic and chaotic--are symbolized by the three wheels in the Wheel of Fortune. We have the tiniest innermost circle, a larger circle, and then the outer circle. These circles will spin, not just clockwise and counter-clockwise, but will also rotate around their axis much like a globe. And, they will spin top to bottom, like an earth spinning around itself.
These wheels are the interplay of God with his creation. These are the laws which have been laid down for existence. This is the moral dance that plays throughout our lives. And, the proclamation of this card is that regardless of which way the wheels spin, whether for "good" or "bad," for we are still here in the realm of duality, whether we are experiencing a random, deterministic or chaotic relationship at this time, everything echoes with the name of God, and everything is perfect.
We see from the wheel that all manifestations are a direct outpouring of God because of the letters surrounding the outer wheel. We see the T O R A. Read counter-clockwise it's Torah; read clockwise it's Tarot. What do those funny little symbols between the T A R O mean? Well, between the “T” and the “A,” that little squiggle thing is a Yod, that is a "Y". Between the “T” and the “O,” we have a Heh. Between the “O” and the “R,” there is a Vav. And, between the “A” and the “R,” there is another Heh. That spells YHWH. That is Yahweh. That is the holy Tetragrammaton. That is the infinite limitless name of God. That is God's name. “God” is not God's name. God is what God is. Yod Heh Vav Heh is God's name.
If we read counter-clockwise, what do we have? We have YHWH. If we read clockwise, what do we have? YHWH. This is not a coincidence. If you start with the “R” and read clockwise, it's Rota, which is the wheel. We discussed this way back with the High Priestess. Rota is the wheel. Torah is the revelation of God's holy mind in scripture. Tarot is the unveiling. The Tarot is the hidden wisdom which we are attempting to unveil, all be it ever so slightly. And what the wheel says is that the Wheel of Fortune, both the Tarot and the Torah, are Yahweh.
It does not matter if the wheels spin left or right or up or down. It does not matter if you are dwelling in a deterministic or a random or a chaotic world. It does not matter, the individual moments. It does not matter how confused or how puzzling or how bizarre life may seem. There is always a law. There is always a connection. There is always a purpose. There is always a direction. There is always a focus. That focus is the Wheel, the Wheel of Life. And that Wheel of Life is the holy word of God. That Wheel of Life is the Torah, and the Torah is revealed through the Tarot. The Tarot, the Torah, and Wheel of Life are all Yod Heh Vav Heh. That is a very powerful statement.
The Wheel of Fortune also pertains to the idea of success and prosperity. We as human beings become obsessed with material possessions. When I graduated from college, in order to have my own self respect, I spent several years cleaning houses. This was a decent solid honest job. I was the black sheep of the family, because at that time on both my father's side and mother's side, I was the only one of any of the grandchildren to have ever graduated from a four year college. And, yet the college graduate was scrubbing toilets. I was an object of shame at family gatherings. The Wheel of Fortune started to turn differently, and I entered a new profession and started to make a lot of money. All of a sudden, I was someone who mattered to the family. I actually had people call me to say that they had never understood what I was doing, but they were really proud of me now. This is a horrid burden to put on anyone.
The proclamation of Jesus is that riches do not matter. Wealth and fortune, as they pertain to the material plane of money and commerce, are the lowest shells in the cosmic dance. Your divine limitless spirit does not care if you have a lot of money or hardly any money at all. The Wheel of Fortune will make some poor and some rich. Some will begin poor and become rich; some will begin rich and become poor. As we attach ourselves to the hub of the wheel then, we spin up and down. As we attach our consciousness to the rim of the Wheel of Fortune, when we make more money we are happier, and when we lose money we are sadder.
We have given over dominion of our lives. The strength that we have seen in other cards--the power of the divine light inside of us--we have given over to the whims of the Wheel of Fortune. What we should recognize is not the outer most rim, but the axis. We should recognize the truth of the Wheel--that whether we are rich or poor, whether we are successful or a material failure, whether we are healthy or sick in our bodies--it is all still a part of the cycle of God. It is all a part of the breath of God. It is all an unfolding of the divine plan. That is what the Wheel seeks to teach us.
Inside of the Wheel, there are 8 spokes. These 8 spokes refer to the 8 normal cardinal points on the compass: north, east, south, and west; northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest. On the axis, we see some symbols. Those are symbols for chemical elements: salt, sulfur, mercury and water. I will leave it to you to meditate upon the importance and value of these symbols. Their chemical structure can, in fact, reveal aspects of the Wheel of Fortune to us.
Sitting atop the Wheel of Fortune is the sphinx. We have discussed in great length in the Chariot card the symbolism of the sphinx. The sphinx is reiterated here because the cycle of life, which the sphinx held as its secret, is the central focus of this card.
To the left hand side of the wheel, there is a yellow snake, and under the right hand side of the wheel, there is this red strange creature. These are obscure references to Greek mythology. The snake is Typhon; the red bizarre creature is Hermanubis. Without going into great detail, they symbolize transformation, blessing, and decay. The sphinx is the stabilizing image. The snake is the transforming image. The Hermanubis is the decay image. God is the creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe. All three manifestations are necessary for existence--creation, preservation and destruction--birth, life and death. They are all surrounding the wheel.
The last images we see are in the four corners, these angelic beings holding books. The beings, reading counter-clockwise from upper left, are an angel, a bull, a cow, and a eagle. These creatures come from two places in the Bible. The book of Ezekiel is intimately related to this card. Ezekiel has a vision of the throne of God. God's throne is sitting upon these different wheels, which have wheels within wheels within wheels. Attached to these wheels are four living creatures. The book of Revelation chapter 4 reiterates this vision where John in his heavenly vision sees the throne of God and sees the living creatures--the angel, the bull, the ox, and the eagle. They are there to help reveal God's word.
Notice that on the card, they are all holding a book. This is to indicate that these creatures of divine special revelation stand around the throne of God. They contain within themselves, and they control the unveiling of God's divine infinite mind. These beings are attached to the Wheel of Fortune. Once again, the Tarot is telling us that all cycles of natural manifestation--earth, life and death, creation, preservation and destruction--are a simultaneously natural unfolding of the creation and a divine revelation of supernatural importance.
Every day that you wake up to brush your teeth, the full revelation of God is there screaming at you. Every time a bird flies through the sky and lands upon a tree branch, God is singing to you sermons so loud that the only reason you do not hear them is because you have had to cut them out. Or else, because of their glorious refrain, you would not be able to function in the day to day world. The glorious celestial choir, which is singing through every moment of this random, chaotic and deterministic world, so overwhelms our human soul, that we block out the light in order to be able to function and worry about our egos and our money and our conquest of other human beings.
The Wheel of Fortune says it need not be so. Through the Wheel of Fortune, we recognize that we can quite literally have our cake and eat it too. We can live in the normal world and suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. We can become richer and poorer. We can live as normal mortal human beings. But, we can recognize that every moment is the Torah, the Tarot, and Yod Heh Vav Heh.
This is a card of great conflux, bringing together all aspects of religious revelation and natural science, bringing together all aspects of our lives into one central point. That point is the axis.
