2017 - The Wheel of Fortune
As we approach 2017, I wanted to take a look ahead at what is in store for us next year. Numerologically speaking, 2017 is a 10 year (2+0+1+7), and the 10th Major Arcana card is The Wheel of Fortune...so what does that mean for us through the year ahead?
As always, each card is open to its own interpretation, and each deck gives a different focus for us to pick up on and provide opportunity for insight and introspection.
The Roll of the Dice
The Wheel of Fortune can talk to us very simply about needing to take a chance, to literally spin the wheel, and let the results speak for themselves.
Whether it's a calculated risk, or a moment of pure chance or luck, the Wheel of Fortune can talk to us about the necessity to relinquish control of the moment, and simply take that chance, embrace the now, and step into it, allowing fate to guide us, and deliver us to, or from, the situation at hand.
For some, the challenge here will be 'letting go', and trusting to the process, where "fortune favours the bold"; for others, it may be finding some kind of way to incorporate a measure of planning and removal of 'incidental mishaps', as "statistics favour the prepared".
An Upturn or Downturn in Fortune
The Wheel can be a marker to identify that a run of good or bad luck might be coming to an end, and that we should prepare ourselves accordingly. Where fortune or misfortune has been the way of things, almost to the point of becoming 'entrenched', or encouraging a knee-jerk response in situations, the Wheel of Fortune is a reminder that those things are in flux and can be something that we need to adjust to moving forwards. If things have been going well, the Wheel can mark a need to be more prepared and less 'gung-ho', trusting to other abilities rather than relying on luck.
If things have been going badly, with the wheel coming off the cart no matter how well things are planned and organised, then it can indicate an upturn, and some blessed relief from those situations that drive us to distraction.
On a macro scale, usually we see some relief from misfortune, or a 'run of bad luck', allowing a more even keel to be restored to a situation, or to life in general.
The Cyclical Nature of Things
Sometimes things can feel as if they're in a constant state of flux, and the Wheel reminds us that the situation, currently balanced on a knife edge, will finally move in one direction or another, for good or ill, but at least allowing us to gain traction once more, rather than feeling as if we're in suspended animation.
It can also remind us that situations don't stay constant for very long, despite our best efforts - the wheel will continue to turn, seasons flow naturally from Spring through Summer and Autumn and on to Winter, then looping back around to Spring again once more, and the only thing that remains constant is change.
We can sometimes become entrenched into our positions, allowing our valuable personal resources to be tied up into a futile battle to keep things 'just so', and the Wheel reminds us that these are situations that cannot be maintained for very long, and that by accepting change, and moving with it, we may well find that our favoured position or situations roll back around again much quicker than if we tried to resist the process and hang on, spinning ourselves out of control, or turning our world upside down by trying to exist at only one point on the wheel, rather than allowing it to turn around us.
Our Response to Things Beyond Our Control
Oftentimes the Wheel of Fortune is a reminder that things are simply beyond our control, and that it's less about the situation itself, and more about our response to them. How we handle the Wheel turning can be as much about our response as it is about the process or the experience itself - the Wheel isn't inherently 'good' or 'bad', it just 'is'.
If things move out of favour for us, do we weep and wail about how life is so cruel to us, or do we push back, shore up our current situation and ensure that we're better prepared in the future when things don't go how we'd like them to? If we fall down, do we pick ourselves up and try again, or do we give up and move on to other things? Do we cut our losses and remove ourselves from situations, or do we attempt to rebuild, to mend, to repair?
If, instead, things are very much in our favour, how do we deal with that success? Do we make hay while the sun shines, and make no plans for the future, instead choosing to spend as quickly as we earn, whether it's money, favour or good fortune; or do we save, setting aside a portion of that good fortune for use to offset potential lows in the future - do we ride the highs and lows of our life, or do we aim to soften the lows by sacrificing some of the high?
A Move Away from the Status Quo
Alternatively, the Wheel of Fortune can be a moment of shift - away from those things that we're familiar with, away from the security of the known, and a thrust of momentum that adjusts our expectations and makes us pay more attention to the situation.
When things need movement or progression, but not a serious shake-up like the Tower would deliver, or the essence of immediate change that Death would usher in, then the Wheel can provide that sense of momentum, allowing us to roll with those adjustments, without feeling as if we're losing control of the situation.
The Wheel can signal a moment of conscious thought, a realisation or a shift in direction that encourages us to take hold of the Wheel again, to guide ourselves through the rough waters and to act, consciously, to guide that momentum; to be more aware of the situation and the nuances that can influence direction and energy and the flow that the Wheel embodies.
Whichever version of the Wheel of Fortune we get, 2017 promises to be filled with changing and changeable energies, with a need for adjustments and planning, positive reactions and perhaps a recognition that sometimes there are greater forces at work than those that we can personally bring to bear on a situation.
The Urban Tarot deck is created and self-published by the immensely talented Robin Scott, and the deck is available from her website...image is © and used with kind permission. The deck is available directly from the author.
The Revelations Tarot decks is by the amazing artist Zach Wong - he's been quiet in recent years, but his Tarot deck remains a unique addition to my collection! Image is © and used with kind permission. The deck is available from his website, or from Amazon.
The Raven's Prophecy Tarot is by author Maggie Stiefvater, and is published by Llewellyn Publications. The deck is available from Amazon. Image is © and used with kind permission.
The Night Sun Tarot is by Fabio Listrani, and published by Lo Scarabeo. The deck is available from Amazon, and the image is © and used with kind permission of Lo Scarabeo s.r.l..
The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit deck is by artist Kim Krans, and is available via her website. Image is © and used with kind permission.
