The Wheel in the sky
Keeps on turning
A few years ago, I was asked to paint my version of the Wheel of Fortune Tarot card from the Tarot de Marseille. Below is the image from the tarot deck on the left along with the Rider-Waite-Smith deck that most people are familiar with on the right for comparison.
I recently listened to a podcast called Coffee & Divination with Peter Mark Adams and Christopher Poncet who went into great detail that the tarot, using the Sola Busca and the Marseille as examples, their respective specialties, has always been not only a game but a receptacle of esoteric knowledge. I can’t recommend their joint book highly enough. I can’t put it down. The Two Esoteric Tarots
But I digress.
The Wheel of Fortune in modern tarot is associated with the planet Jupiter, the Great Benefic, and there's the general idea that while things always change, something good is coming around the corner. Prior to the 19th century, before those associations were added to the tarot, the Wheel of Fortune referred to the whims and fancies of Fortuna, the Goddess of Fate.
THIS article is an incredible deep dive into the Wheel and its symbolism for any of you who would like to nerd out further.
The Wheel, which is a Catherine wheel or breaking wheel, a favorite torture device of the 16th century, was shown being spun by Fortuna or the Devil himself, bringing ideas of samsara to mind.
Here I depict the chimeras from the original Tarot de Marseille card in the process of becoming and dissolving, the ever-revolving process of life and death, of breathing in and out. At the very top, the creature is in full manifestation, a sphinx in full possession of Their intellect and unconscious, crowned with understanding.
At the very bottom of the wheel opposite, we see nothingness, the void of being from which everything goes and from which everything arises.
The snake at the very bottom of the painting leads the viewer into these mysteries, guiding us to see the Wheel's message: we die and are reborn every moment of every day. This life is fleeting. Live fully and know that you are alive.
I’ll be teaching my Alligator Lizards class, which I did a whole post on last week which you can read HERE in case you missed it, this Saturday at The Berkeley Alembic from 1-3pm. I hope to see you there if you are local!
You can get tickets via Eventbrite.