Curious Christian

If there is a tarot card that reasonates with my life this week  it surely must be the Wheel of Fortune.

In her book, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, Rachel Pollack writes, “With the Wheel, therefore, we come to the great question of how and why anything happens at all in the universe. What makes the sun shine? Burning elements, yes, but what makes them burn? How did atomic energy come into existance? Why should spring follow winter, after all? Why, and how, does gravity work? Going further, we find that fate is also an illusion, a dodge to cover up the fact that we, with our limited vision, cannot see the inner connection between all things. ‘Oh well,’ we say, ‘it’s fate’, a meaningless statement because we cannot understand the meaning. Things do not just happen, they are made to happen. The power to shape events, to give life and form and purpose to the universe, belongs, Malory tells us, to the Holy Ghost, dwelling in the physical world … we then come to the truth that both the random events of life and the so called ‘laws’ of the physical universe are mysteries leading us to an awareness of a spiritual force …”

The turning of the wheel represents the ups and downs of life, and the snake and Anubis can represent it’s darker aspects. But within the card are symbols, hints, of how to find the equilibrium we seek, represented by the sphinx.

Beginning at the periphery, the four living creatures – the man, the lion, the bull, and the eagle – direct our attention to the revelation of John, a vision of hope, of stormy seas calmed. But where do we find hope? Looking deeper we see they are guarding four books. Those familiar with the Book of Kells may recognize these books as the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, those sacred texts which record the acts and wisdom of Jesus. Within them we find wisdom and guidance for the ups and downs of life.

However, the deepest mystery is inscribed on the Wheel itself, the tetragrammaton, YHWH, the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Things do not just happen. As out of control as life may seem at times, the Spirit of God is with us through it all.