Wheel of Fortune Flow: Circular Sequences and Cycles

BY NICOLE LAU

The Wheel of Fortune is the card of eternal cycles, constant change, and the understanding that what goes up must come down—and what goes down will rise again. The wheel turns endlessly: success follows failure, joy follows sorrow, expansion follows contraction. This is not random chaos but the natural rhythm of existence, the pulse of the universe itself.

In the traditional Rider-Waite imagery, the Wheel of Fortune shows a great wheel turning in the sky. At the top sits a sphinx representing wisdom and equilibrium. On the right, Anubis rises with the wheel. On the left, a serpent descends. In the four corners, the four fixed signs of the zodiac—Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius—represent the stable forces that witness the wheel's eternal turning. The wheel itself is inscribed with alchemical symbols and the Hebrew letters spelling YHVH (the divine name) and TORA (Torah/Tarot/Rota, meaning "wheel").

Yoga practice is itself a wheel. Sun Salutations are circular sequences—you begin standing, move through the poses, and return to standing. Vinyasa flows are wheels of breath and movement. Even a single practice session is a cycle: you arrive, you warm up, you peak, you cool down, you rest, you return to the world. And your entire yoga journey is a wheel: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and back to beginner's mind at a higher level.

This final article in our Yoga + Astrology/Tarot series explores the Wheel of Fortune through circular yoga sequences, teaching us to flow with life's cycles, embrace change, and find wisdom in the eternal turning of the wheel.

Understanding the Wheel of Fortune

Card Symbolism

Number: 10 (1+0=1, completion returning to beginning, the eternal cycle)

Key Symbols:

• The Wheel: Eternal cycles, constant change, fate, karma
• Sphinx at top: Wisdom, equilibrium, the witness consciousness
• Anubis rising: Ascent, evolution, what rises
• Serpent descending: Descent, devolution, what falls
• Four fixed signs: Stability within change, the eternal witnesses
• Alchemical symbols: Transformation, the work of turning lead to gold
• YHVH/TORA: Divine name, sacred law, the wheel itself

The Wheel's Wisdom

Everything changes: Nothing stays the same; the wheel always turns

What goes up must come down: Success is temporary; prepare for the descent

What goes down will rise again: Failure is temporary; trust the ascent

You are not the wheel: You are the witness, the sphinx, the stable center

Flow with the cycles: Resistance creates suffering; acceptance creates peace

Karma and fate: The wheel turns according to cosmic law

Circular Sequences as the Wheel

Every circular yoga sequence embodies the Wheel of Fortune:

Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar)

• Begin standing (top of wheel)
• Fold forward (descending)
• Plank and chaturanga (bottom of wheel)
• Upward dog (ascending)
• Downward dog (transition)
• Return to standing (top of wheel again)
• The wheel has turned once

Vinyasa Flow

• Continuous circular movement
• Breath and movement synchronized
• Each pose flows into the next
• The wheel never stops turning

Mandala Sequences

• Moving in a circle around your mat
• Facing all four directions
• Creating a mandala (sacred circle) with your practice
• Honoring the four fixed signs in the corners

The Wheel of Fortune Flow Sequence

This 75-minute practice embodies the Wheel of Fortune through circular sequences, teaching you to flow with change and find stability within cycles.

Opening: Honoring the Wheel (10 minutes)

1. Meditation with Wheel of Fortune Card

• Sit with the Wheel of Fortune card before you
• Gaze at the turning wheel
• Contemplate: Where am I on the wheel right now?
• Am I rising? Descending? At the top? At the bottom?
• Set intention: "I flow with the wheel. I trust the cycles."
• 5 minutes

2. Circular Breathing

• Visualize the breath as a wheel
• Inhale rises up the front of the body
• Exhale descends down the back
• Create a circular flow of breath
• 10 rounds

The Wheel Turns: Sun Salutation Cycles (20 minutes)

3. Sun Salutation A - 12 Rounds

• 12 rounds for the 12 signs of the zodiac
• Each round is one turn of the wheel
• Notice the cycle: up, down, up again
• Wheel wisdom: "The wheel turns. I flow with it."
• Count your rounds—this creates rhythm and awareness of cycles

4. Sun Salutation B - 6 Rounds

• 6 rounds for the 6 months of ascent and 6 of descent in the year
• Includes warrior I—strength on the wheel
• Chair pose—endurance through the turning
• Wheel wisdom: "I am strong through all phases of the cycle."

Mandala Flow: The Four Directions (25 minutes)

This sequence moves you in a circle around your mat, facing all four directions. Each direction corresponds to one of the four fixed signs in the corners of the Wheel of Fortune card.

5. East - Aquarius (Air, Innovation)

• Face east (or choose a direction as your east)
• Warrior II, right leg forward
• Extended side angle
• Triangle pose
• Half moon
• Hold each pose 5 breaths
• Aquarius energy: Innovation, vision, the future

6. South - Leo (Fire, Heart)

• Turn to face south (90 degrees clockwise)
• Warrior II, left leg forward now
• Reverse warrior
• Extended side angle
• Triangle pose
• Hold each pose 5 breaths
• Leo energy: Heart, courage, radiance

7. West - Scorpio (Water, Depth)

• Turn to face west (90 degrees clockwise)
• Warrior II, right leg forward
• Humble warrior (fold forward inside front leg)
• Lizard pose (low lunge, hands inside foot)
• Hold each pose 5 breaths
• Scorpio energy: Depth, transformation, intensity

8. North - Taurus (Earth, Stability)

• Turn to face north (90 degrees clockwise)
• Warrior II, left leg forward
• Goddess pose (wide squat)
• Wide-legged forward fold
• Hold each pose 5 breaths
• Taurus energy: Grounding, stability, endurance

9. Return to Center - The Sphinx

• Face east again (you've completed the circle)
• Mountain pose at center of mat
• You are the sphinx—stable, witnessing the wheel turn
• Hold for 10 breaths
• Sphinx wisdom: "I am not the wheel. I am the witness."

The Wheel's Rhythm: Ups and Downs (15 minutes)

10. Chair Pose to Standing Forward Fold Flow

• Inhale: Chair pose (rising on the wheel)
• Exhale: Standing forward fold (descending on the wheel)
• Repeat 10 times
• Feel the rhythm of rise and fall
• Wheel wisdom: "What goes up must come down. What goes down will rise again."

11. Plank to Upward Dog to Downward Dog Flow

• Plank (neutral)
• Upward dog (ascending)
• Downward dog (descending)
• Repeat 8 times
• Continuous circular flow
• Wheel wisdom: "The wheel never stops turning."

12. Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)

• Full backbend—you ARE the wheel
• Or bridge pose
• Hold for 5 breaths, repeat 3 times
• Your body creates the wheel shape
• Wheel wisdom: "I embody the eternal cycle."

Integration: Finding the Center (10 minutes)

13. Seated Spinal Twist - Both Sides

• Twist right, then left
• The wheel turns in both directions
• Hold each side 8 breaths

14. Seated Forward Fold

• Fold forward, surrender to the wheel
• You cannot control it, only flow with it
• Hold 10 breaths

15. Supine Twist - Both Sides

• Final release
• The wheel has turned, the cycle completes
• Hold each side 5 breaths

Closing: The Eternal Witness (15 minutes)

16. Savasana - The Sphinx Consciousness

• Lie in corpse pose for 15 minutes
• Visualize yourself as the sphinx at the top of the wheel
• The wheel turns below you, but you remain stable
• You witness the cycles without being caught in them
• Ups and downs happen, but you are the eternal witness
• Wheel contemplation:
• "Where am I on the wheel in my life right now?"
• "Am I resisting the wheel's turning?"
• "Can I trust that if I'm down, I will rise again?"
• "Can I stay humble when I'm up, knowing I will descend?"
• "Can I be the sphinx—stable, wise, witnessing?"

17. Closing Meditation

• Slowly return to seated
• Hands in prayer at heart
• Bow to the wheel, to the cycles, to change itself
• Chant "Om" 3 times
• Gratitude for the wisdom of the wheel

The Wheel's Teachings Through Practice

Lesson 1: Everything Changes

In your practice, no two days are the same. Some days you're strong, some days you're weak. Some days poses are easy, some days they're hard. This is the wheel turning.

Practice: Notice how your practice changes day to day. Don't judge it. Just witness the wheel turning.

Lesson 2: What Goes Up Must Come Down

In Sun Salutations, you rise up (arms overhead) and you fold down (forward fold). You cannot stay at the top. The wheel must turn.

Practice: When you're in a peak pose or having a great practice, remember: this too shall pass. Stay humble.

Lesson 3: What Goes Down Will Rise Again

In Sun Salutations, after you fold down, you rise back up. You cannot stay at the bottom. The wheel must turn.

Practice: When you're struggling or having a difficult practice, remember: this too shall pass. Stay hopeful.

Lesson 4: You Are Not the Wheel

You are not your practice. You are not your good days or bad days. You are the witness, the sphinx, the stable consciousness that observes the wheel turning.

Practice: In savasana, practice being the witness. Watch your thoughts, sensations, emotions like the sphinx watches the wheel.

Lesson 5: Flow with the Cycles

When you resist the wheel, you suffer. When you flow with it, you find peace. In vinyasa, when you fight the flow, it's hard. When you surrender to it, it's effortless.

Practice: In your next vinyasa flow, completely surrender to the rhythm. Let the wheel carry you.

Working with Wheel of Fortune Energy Off the Mat

When You're Rising (Success, Joy, Expansion)

• Enjoy it, but don't cling to it
• Remember: the wheel will turn
• Stay humble and grateful
• Prepare for the descent (not with fear, but with wisdom)
• Share your abundance—what goes around comes around

When You're Descending (Failure, Sorrow, Contraction)

• Don't despair—this is temporary
• Remember: the wheel will turn
• Trust that you will rise again
• Learn from the descent
• Rest and restore—the bottom of the wheel is where you gather strength for the rise

When You're at the Top

• Celebrate, but don't get attached
• The wheel is about to turn downward
• This is natural and necessary
• Enjoy the view, then prepare to descend with grace

When You're at the Bottom

• Rest, but don't give up
• The wheel is about to turn upward
• This is the darkest hour before dawn
• Gather your strength—you're about to rise

The Wheel of Fortune Affirmations

• "I flow with the wheel of life."
• "I trust the cycles of change."
• "What goes up must come down; what goes down will rise again."
• "I am not the wheel; I am the witness."
• "I embrace both the ups and the downs."
• "The wheel turns; I remain centered."
• "I am humble in success, hopeful in failure."
• "I surrender to the rhythm of life."
• "Change is the only constant; I embrace it."
• "I am the sphinx—stable, wise, eternal."

Completing the Circle: The End and the Beginning

This is the final article in our 20-part Yoga + Astrology/Tarot series. We began with the chakras, moved through the sun and moon, explored breath and death, journeyed through all 12 zodiac signs, walked the Fool's Journey through the Major Arcana, hung upside down with The Hanged Man, and now we complete the wheel with the Wheel of Fortune.

But completion is not an ending—it's a return to the beginning at a higher level. The wheel turns. You finish this series, and you begin again, practicing with new understanding, new depth, new wisdom.

The Complete Journey:

Foundation (Articles 1-5): Chakras, Sun, Moon, Breath, Death

Zodiac Wheel (Articles 6-17): All 12 signs, all 4 elements, the complete astrological cycle

Tarot Wisdom (Articles 18-20): The Fool's Journey, The Hanged Man, The Wheel of Fortune

You now have a complete system for integrating yoga, astrology, and tarot. You can practice with the current astrological season, work with specific tarot cards, or simply flow with the wheel, trusting that each practice is exactly what you need.

Final Wisdom

The Wheel of Fortune teaches us the ultimate truth: everything changes. Nothing stays the same. The wheel always turns. This is not a curse—it's a blessing. Because it means that no matter how dark things get, the light will return. And no matter how bright things are, we must stay humble because the wheel will turn.

Your yoga practice is a microcosm of this truth. Each practice is a complete cycle. Each breath is a wheel. Each Sun Salutation is a turn of the cosmic wheel. And your entire yoga journey—from beginner to advanced and back to beginner's mind—is the wheel turning at the grandest scale.

Practice this Wheel of Fortune flow when you need to remember that change is natural, that cycles are sacred, and that you are not the wheel—you are the eternal witness, the sphinx, the stable consciousness that remains centered while everything around you turns.

The wheel turns. The cycles continue. And you—you are the one who watches, who flows, who trusts, who remains.

The wheel turns. I flow with it. I am not the wheel. I am the witness. This is the wisdom of the Wheel of Fortune. This is the completion of the journey. This is the beginning again.

Namaste. The journey is complete. The wheel turns. Begin again.