What rises, must fall. What falls, must rise.
Some cards carry an energy so strong, it ripples off the deck — and The Wheel of Fortune is one of them.
At first glance, it may look like a strange old wheel surrounded by symbols and creatures — but make no mistake: this card is a powerhouse of universal movement, divine timing, and the mystery of fate.
When The Wheel turns up in a reading, something is shifting.
Cycles are completing. Doors are opening. And the Universe is at work in ways you might not fully see — yet.
🔄 The Wheel Itself – The Ever-Turning Cycle
At the centre of the card is the wheel — symbolic of life’s cycles: birth, death, rebirth. Fortune and loss. Expansion and contraction. It reminds us that:
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Nothing is permanent
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What’s down will rise again
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There’s always a bigger picture in motion
The Wheel doesn’t ask for control — it asks for trust.
When this symbol appears, you may be:
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In a moment of karmic return
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At the end or beginning of a major cycle
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Being asked to surrender to divine timing
✨ The Creatures – Wisdom, Guidance & the Four Elements
Look to the corners of the traditional Rider-Waite card and you’ll see four winged beings — representing the four fixed signs of the zodiac:
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🦁 Leo (Fire) – Strength, creativity
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🐂 Taurus (Earth) – Stability, embodiment
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🦅 Scorpio (Water) – Transformation, depth
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👼 Aquarius (Air) – Intellect, clarity
They’re also echoes of the four evangelists, the four elements, and the four suits of tarot — suggesting balance, protection, and sacred design.
These figures read from open books — symbolising that even amidst chaos, wisdom is always available.
🐍🦓 The Side Figures – The Rise, The Fall & The Mystery
Around the wheel, you may find three key figures (depending on the deck):
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The Sphinx – Crowned with a sword, symbolising mystery, riddle, and higher knowledge
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Anubis or a similar figure rising – Evolution, growth, the soul ascending
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A serpent descending – Shedding, descent, transformation
Together, they show the motion of fate — what ascends, what descends, and what holds the centre. It’s not about right or wrong — it’s about movement, rhythm, and sacred unfolding.
🌀 Keywords Behind the Symbols
When The Wheel or its related symbols show up in your reading, they may carry messages of:
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Timing – Something is about to shift
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Karma – You’re reaping what’s been sown (good or otherwise)
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Cycles – What chapter is closing or opening?
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Trust – Even if things feel chaotic, something larger is holding it all
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Destiny – You’re in the right place at the right moment — even if it doesn’t look like it yet
Working With the Wheel in Readings
When this card or its symbology (wheels, spinning, serpents, rising/falling, zodiac signs) appears, ask:
✨ Am I clinging to control — or willing to flow with change?
✨ What cycle is repeating — and what’s my role in it now?
✨ Can I trust the timing, even if I don’t understand the plan?
The Wheel doesn’t promise comfort.
But it does promise movement, evolution, and ultimately — alignment.
Because even when the wheel spins wildly…
You are the still point at its centre.
With deep roots and an open heart,
Sarah x