What does our future hold? Only the Wheel of Fortune knows for certain. A card that rests strategically in the middle of the Major Arcana of Tarot, it speaks of how life to some degree often feels like a roulette wheel in a casino. Roulette (or “little wheel” in French) is a game in which a person’s prosperity rests in where a small ball stops after revolving within a wheel of red or black numbers. Where will the wheel stop? On which number will it land? Much like the risk of a casino game, so too does the Wheel of Fortune card indicate luck, chance, fate or change.
Interestingly, this card is remarkably similar to that of the World, the last and most enlightened card in the entire deck of Tarot. Both of these cards contain images which symbolize the four elements, the four fixed astrology signs and the four suits of Tarot. They include Taurus the Bull or Earth and Pentacles, Leo the Lion or Fire and Wands, Scorpio as the Eagle or Water and Cups, and Aquarius in the form of an Angel or Air and Swords. Each of these astrological figures is said to represent the Four Evangelists from the Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and they reflect the constant cycles of fate, destiny, and the universe's divine, ever-turning laws, from which they each read of the Book of Life to spread its wisdom amidst what may appear to us as meaningless chaos.
The yellow snake following the down turning of the wheel is Set, the Egyptian God of violence, disaster and turmoil, and leads the soul's descent into empty matter. Whereas the red, horned figure following the upturn of the wheel is Anubis, the ancient Egyptian jackal-headed god of the afterlife, leading the soul’s spiritual ascension into a higher consciousness. And above both figures rests the Sphinx. Sitting atop the wheel, it speaks to us of wisdom, divine intelligence, and stability amidst revolution. Together all these figures describe the chaotic and unpredictable journey that is life, where a querent’s fortune seems to rise or fall without rhyme or reason. However, look closer and the Roman letters on the wheel (TARO) as well as the Hebrew letters (YHWH) suggest God's will drives these changes.
We may think that the turning of the wheel is random and meaningless, but that is our narrow, Egoic rationalization of a process which we cannot fully understand any more than we can fully understand the size of the universe, the purpose behind the burning of the stars or the bond that connects us all into a Oneness we rarely see or feel but we live with throughout our lives. Occasionally we receive glimpses of the overwhelming beauty and unimaginable depth of our Oneness: at the birth of our children, on our own deathbeds, during the ecstatic climaxes of intercourse, while ingesting hallucinogenic drugs, when connecting with wild and untamed natural spaces. The awesome power of our Oneness whispers to us and we are deafened. It blinks and we are blinded. Our limited lives and our only partially evolved brains cannot fully comprehend how we are all connected. But even a glimpse of this awareness can change us deeply forever. That is what the Wheel of Fortune is – a taste of the Divine. Like the World card, it reminds us of our own infinity – of our own limitlessness.
An unlikely partner to the Wheel of Fortune is the Caraway plant (Carum carvi) which belongs to the Apiaceae family and is cousin to the carrot as well as parsley, celery, fennel, anise and dill. Caraway seeds are deeply linked to sowing and reaping cycles, traditionally gathered around late summer or early autumn during ancient pagan harvest festivals, symbolizing the completion of the agricultural year. Farmers historically baked caraway cakes or breads at these harvest times, connecting the plant's life cycle directly to the season of bounty and renewal. Today they are commonly used in rye breads, sauerkraut, and rich meats for their warm, peppery, pungent flavor that becomes more pronounced when toasted. They contain a wide variety of essential nutrients, several of which are lacking in Western diets including iron, zinc, calcium, and fiber. They are also a powerful digestive aid as they contain potent volatile oils – primarily carvone and limonene, which exhibit impressive anti-spasmodic effects by relaxing intestinal muscles as well as reducing inflammation in the gut related to Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease. They also offer carminative relief through the easing of gas, bloating, and intestinal cramps. Studies show that when combined with peppermint oil, Caraway seeds help calm digestive distress and have shown promise in managing inflammatory conditions related to digestion.
The Wheel of Fortune card teaches us that the uncontrollable external cycles of luck and destiny are actually the Divine showing us how all things are connected. And while these cycles can bring pain, loss, upheaval and confusion, as easily as they bare bounty, riches, prosperity and love, we must not forget to reach for Caraway seeds, which can help keep us grounded, clear headed, and protected. Standing in the eye of our personal storms is not for the faint of heart – but with the wisdom of the Wheel of Fortune and the nourishment of Caraway, we can withstand Life’s rollercoasters, become more adaptable and better understand how God’s will is ultimately our will interwoven in a fabric larger than any of us combined.
*Tarot reading is based on the Rider-Waite Tarot Card deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith
References
Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. San Francisco, Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC, 2007. P83-90
Gray, Travis and Dunn, Steven M. “Ancient Egyptian Gods: Set, the God of Confusion.” Springer Nature, 15 October 2025. https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-3-031-38971-9_1265-1
Keshavarz A., Minaiyan M., Ghannadi A., and Mahzouni P. “Effects of Carum carvi L. (Caraway) Extract and Essential Oil on TNBS-induced Colitis in Rats.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 8 March 2018. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3895295/
Hill, Ansley, RD, LD. “Everything You Need to Know About Caraway.” Healthline, 6 December 2019. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/caraway