The Wheel Is Turning

I often describe The Wheel as being The Wild Card of the tarot deck. Like a carnival barker from the Victorian age, I can’t help but hear the cry of ’round and ’round she goes, and where she stops, nobody knows! Given The Wheel’s theme of change, fate, destiny, cycles, and movement, it’s not difficult to imagine it as a game of chance, especially for those of us who don’t ascribe to the concept of a pre-determined fate.

Blindfolded, but with a foot on the wheel – The Red Deck

The Wheel as a Universal Symbol

The form of the wheel is ancient, and immersive in terms of human culture. Ever since it’s invention circa 3,500 BC, clever concepts have thier attributes weighed against the usefulness of the wheel, as exemplified by sayings such as “the greatest invention/innovation/breakthrough since the wheel!” It’s since gone on to function as source of power and means of mobility, to being a tool for refining grains and natural fibers, to representing spiritual concepts and the natural ebb and flow of the seasonal year, to even serving as entertainment for those who have a penchant for trying thier luck. From the minute to the massive, the micro to the macro, we are all part and parcel of the overlapping and ever circling cycles as represented by the wheel!

The Wild Card

My reasoning behind giving the moniker of “The Wild Card” to The Wheel is that when it appears, it lets us know that things are already in motion. It serves as a reminder of the need to go with the flow, and that there is universal karma at work. Rather than leaving things to so-called fate, I prefer to empower seekers with the idea that even though things are already underway, they still have a choice in the matter, even if it is only to be happy and accepting of events as they unfold.

The 8-spoked Dharma Wheel as a weaving – The Wildwood Tarot

Weaving Our Own Reality

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that I have a particular affinity to the Wildwood’s Wheel. The card is depicted with the Wheel of Dharma as part of a weaving that is in-progress on a bronze age loom. It speaks of our “fate” being that of our own making, our own handiwork. Every moment of every day, every season, we are weaving our own reality and experience by the choices we make. We are works in progress, and our life is something we wear. The Wheel of Dharma reminds us of the laws of universal karma – what goes around will come around, so it is best to choose our course of thought and action wisely.

The Wheel and the Winter Solstice

The Winter Solstice seems to be a time of year where The Wheel is especially apparent, as the long dark days of winter make way for the return of the light, and with it, the Northern Hemisphere’s growing season. As The Wheel turns in it’s constant albeit sometimes imperceptible movement, I like to take a moment to feel my own place in the flow of its rhythm – even as it spins, I remember that I have choices to make, and control the hands that are responsible for weaving my reality into being. Even when the Wheel seems to be turning against our favour, we have the choice as to how we are going to respond, and that response, like the Wheel itself, has the power to put good things into motion.

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