Wheel of Change Tarot
created by Alexandra Gennetti
Published by Destiny Books, 1997
ISBN #0-89281-609-0

The Book says: In this version of the Wheel we see the planets of our solar system, with inner planets separated from the outer by the band of the wheel. The inner rocky planets represent all that is internal to us – our bodies, feelings, and perceptions – and the out planets embody the spirit and what is external to us: our common ground such as religion and law. The sun in the center is symbolic of the individual will and ego. The traditional planet associated with the Wheel of Fortune is the solar system’s largest: Jupiter. In astrology it represents expansiveness and higher learning and is said to bring good fortune to the individual when favorably placed in the chart. Jupiter is shown at the top of this card ( and in its natural ninth-house position), showing that its influence over the wheel is supreme. The influence of Saturn falling at the bottom of the wheel shows us the judgments we make about value and intrinsic worth in the world. Saturn is a symbol of our limited vision of our individual role in creating a new vision of the future. When the Wheel appears in a reading, it symbolizes a change in one’s individual fortunes. This is the simplest meaning of this card. Beyond this, the card indicates a time when your concerns are with yourself and your own fortunes and future. You are in a period of selfish development when your needs are primary, and you find it easier to fulfill your own needs than to cater to others. The Wheel of Fortune indicates that you find yourself drawn to practices that help you see the out world of nature mirrored inside yourself, such as Tarot and astrology. The Wheel of Fortune indicates and opportunity for self-understanding and self-growth through the mirror of the outer world.

TarotBroad’s Buzz: When I first saw this card my first reaction was that it looked like the Big Bang in action. The Sun’s radiant glory swirling out to embrace the Universe. Looking deeper I note the twelve spokes on the wheel symbolizing the years or the zodiac signs. The planets floating in space each exert their influence in our lives. This card reminds me that there is a cosmic plan in our lives – our horoscope might be one way to explain and examine this plan. I don’t see it as something which sets our every move in stone but more as a guideline, a roadmap or our options and possibilities. I remember a psychology teacher once telling me that humans are often born with the potential for something (we were discussing illnesses and behavior patterns) but he pointed out that our environment and what experiences we are exposed to will determine whether these predispositions manifest themselves. That is how I see our astrological charts. They are guideposts, potentials and possibilities but not our only options. This Wheel of Fortune reminds me of the song Circle of Life from The Lion King. In this image Jupiter’s influence is supreme and Saturn’s is waning. But we all know that eventually Saturn will have its return. Just as we know that Mercury will eventually go retrograde. But at the same time I see the Sun at the center of this marvelous cosmos representing us – after all aren’t we always the center of our own lives. Our radiance and light shines on all those around us, and we influence them as much as we are influenced by them. This Wheel of Fortune is a reminder that we are not alone when we goes through these cycles in our lives. There are others around us who can help guide us and assist us in handling these phases. And hopefully we will be there for them in turn. Maybe the Wheel is our plans, our goals and our dreams, with the influences of the Universe flowing underneath.