Wheel of Fortune

The 10th Key

Colour: Violet
Sound: A Sharp
Planet: Jupiter
DOUBLE LETTER: Riches / Poverty

This Path connects Victory with Mercy. To it is attributed the riches and poverty of the Soul itself which can be considered the natural fluctuation of Jupiter force on this path. Jupiter is also responsible for the circulation of blood. Also attributed to it is a fist, a closed hand symbolising grasping comprehension, the completion of an activity or the closing of a circle. The card preceding this card, the Hermit is the open hand.

What is important to note about this card is that the wheel is an ancient symbol of life itself. The turning a wheel in some of these ancient systems is a prayer. The wheel of birth, death and rebirth and the wheel of karma. What it is not, is a wheel of chance. There are no accidents in the Universe, a key point to this card. We are responsible for our own destinies and fortune gives to us that which we have earned. The words we use are the vibratory patterns of existence which turn the wheel.

These phases of energy which underlie manifestation appear in three forms, Salt, Sulphur and Mercury. They can also be expressed as Tama, Raja and Sattva or subconscious, activity and superconscious. The Golden Dawn attributes Salt to Chokmah, Sulphur to Binah and Mercury to Kether. The three principles of nature. Also, the three maternal letters.

The Wheel of Fortune is the interchange of energies between opposites - duality - which makes the wheel spin. The spinning wheel is the activity of all manifestation. It represents a state of universal equilibrium suggested by the counterpoised emblems. The eagle balances the man, and the roaring lion balances the laborious bull. It is reflecting a periodicity, a rhythm of activity, cause and effect.

The Sphinx being the equilibrium therein, the stable element in the midst of change and the guardian of the gateway. This can be related to the tale of Oedipus who encountered a sphinx on the road to Thebes. The sphinx asked him 'what walks on four legs in the morning, two during the day and three at night. Oedipus knew the answer was man. Man, crawls in childhood, walks up straight as an adult and uses a cane in old age. At hearing the correct answer, the sphinx threw himself into the sea of consciousness. An equal question would be the Greek axiom, know thyself.

The card depicts the synthesis of the elemental forces with the sphinx as the regulator, keeping the Personality from absorbing more than its system can handle. Once the question is answered correctly, the gate is open, and the sphinx is absorbed back into the high consciousness which created it. If not answered correctly, the sphinx slays those that are not ready to pass through restrictions such as time and space. This is the protection of the personality by the higher self. When the higher self brings the four elements under control, our words become like a faithful companion, and we are no longer bound by the wheel.