The Wheel of Fortune and Cycles of Fate

BY NICOLE LAU

Everything turns. Nothing stays.

The Wheel of Fortune spins eternally—what rises must fall, what falls must rise. This is not punishment or reward. This is the nature of reality itself: cyclical, rhythmic, ever-turning.

In Kabbalah, The Wheel of Fortune represents Path 21, connecting Chesed (Mercy/Expansion) to Netzach (Victory/Emotion). This is the path where the generous abundance of the universe flows into the realm of desire and manifestation through cycles—expansion and contraction, growth and decay, fortune and misfortune.

The Wheel is not random. The Wheel is karma—the law of cause and effect, the principle that what you set in motion returns to you, the cosmic justice that balances all accounts.

Understanding this transforms The Wheel of Fortune from a card about luck into a card about the fundamental structure of time and the law of eternal return.

Path 21: Kaph (כ) — The Palm That Grasps

The Wheel of Fortune corresponds to:

• Hebrew Letter: Kaph (כ) — Meaning "palm" or "grasp"
• Path: 21, connecting Chesed to Netzach
• Planet: Jupiter (expansion, growth, fortune, abundance, cycles)
• Meaning: The hand that grasps the turning wheel, the ability to hold on or let go as the cycle demands

Why Kaph = Palm?

Because The Wheel requires knowing when to grasp and when to release:

• The palm opens to receive when fortune rises
• The palm releases when fortune falls
• Kaph is the container—what you hold, what you possess
• But the wheel turns—what you grasp today may be gone tomorrow

The wisdom of Kaph is understanding: Everything is temporary. Hold lightly.

The Wheel of Fortune is the palm that learns to grasp the eternal pattern, not the temporary position.

Chesed to Netzach: Abundance Flows into Desire

This path reveals how fortune manifests:

Chesed (Mercy)

• Expansion, generosity, abundance
• Jupiter energy—growth, blessing, increase
• The universe's infinite giving
• "All things are possible"

Netzach (Victory)

• Emotion, desire, creative force
• Venus energy—attraction, passion, manifestation
• The realm where wishes become reality
• "I desire, therefore I create"

The Wheel of Fortune (Path 21):

• The cyclical flow from abundance to manifestation
• Fortune rises and falls in rhythmic patterns
• What you desire attracts what Chesed provides—but in cycles
• The wheel ensures balance: expansion must be followed by contraction

The Journey:

Chesed says: "Abundance is infinite."
The Wheel says: "But it flows in cycles—sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't."
Netzach says: "I will desire again when the wheel turns."

The Wheel teaches: Don't cling to the high point. Don't despair at the low point. Both will pass.

The Symbolism of The Wheel of Fortune Card

Every element encodes the law of cycles:

The Wheel Itself

• Constantly turning—motion, change, impermanence
• No beginning, no end—the eternal cycle
• Eight spokes—the eight phases of the cycle (like moon phases)
• The hub at center—the still point around which all turns

The Hebrew Letters: YHVH (יהוה)

• The Tetragrammaton—God's unpronounceable name
• Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh—the divine formula of creation
• The wheel spells God's name—the cycles ARE divine order
• Between the Hebrew letters: TORA (or TAROT)—the law, the teaching

The Alchemical Symbols

• Mercury (☿), Sulfur (🜍), Water (🜄), Salt (🜔)
• The four elements of transformation
• The wheel is alchemical—turning lead into gold, suffering into wisdom
• Every cycle transforms you

Anubis (Rising on the Left)

• Egyptian god of death and the underworld
• Ascending—what was dead rises
• The dark phase giving way to light
• Winter becoming spring

The Sphinx (At the Top)

• Crowned, holding a sword
• The riddle-keeper, the guardian of mysteries
• Stable at the top—the witness who doesn't turn with the wheel
• Represents consciousness that observes the cycles without being caught in them

Typhon/Set (Descending on the Right)

• Egyptian god of chaos and destruction
• Descending—what was high falls
• The light phase giving way to dark
• Summer becoming winter

The Four Fixed Signs in the Corners

• Angel (Aquarius) — Air, the mind, detachment
• Eagle (Scorpio) — Water, emotion, transformation
• Lion (Leo) — Fire, will, creative power
• Bull (Taurus) — Earth, stability, material form

These four are fixed—they don't turn with the wheel. They represent the eternal principles that remain constant while everything else changes. They read books—studying the law of cycles.

The Clouds

• The wheel turns in the heavens—this is cosmic law, not human invention
• Above the material world—the cycles govern all of manifestation

The Wheel of Fortune is not about luck. The Wheel is about understanding the pattern.

Jupiter: The Planet of Expansion and Cycles

The Wheel of Fortune is ruled by Jupiter:

Jupiter's Qualities:

• Expansion — Growth, increase, abundance
• Fortune — Luck, blessing, opportunity
• Cycles — Jupiter's 12-year orbit creates life cycles
• Wisdom — Understanding the bigger picture, the pattern
• Generosity — Giving freely, trusting abundance

Why Jupiter for The Wheel?

Because Jupiter governs the rhythm of fortune:

• Jupiter expands—fortune rises
• Jupiter contracts—fortune falls
• Jupiter's 12-year cycle mirrors life's major turning points
• Jupiter teaches: Trust the cycle. Abundance returns.

Jupiter energy says: "What goes around comes around. Plant good seeds."

The Wheel is Jupiter's teaching made visible—the eternal rhythm of expansion and contraction.

The Law of Karma: What You Set in Motion Returns

The Wheel reveals the mechanism of karma:

Karma is not punishment. Karma is physics.

The wheel turns according to what you've set in motion:

• Plant kindness → kindness returns (when the wheel turns)
• Plant cruelty → cruelty returns (when the wheel turns)
• Plant nothing → nothing returns

The Cycle:

1. Action — You do something (thought, word, deed)
2. The wheel turns — Time passes, the cycle unfolds
3. Return — The energy you sent out comes back to you
4. New action — You respond, creating new karma
5. The wheel turns again — The cycle continues

The Wisdom:

• You can't stop the wheel from turning
• But you can choose what you set in motion
• Good karma creates upward cycles
• Bad karma creates downward cycles
• Neutral karma (non-attachment) frees you from the wheel

The Sphinx at the top represents the one who has transcended karma—who watches the wheel turn without being bound by it.

The Eight Phases of the Wheel

The wheel has eight spokes, representing eight phases:

Phase 1: Planting (New Moon)

• New beginning, setting intention
• The seed goes into dark earth
• Nothing visible yet

Phase 2: Germination (Crescent)

• First signs of growth
• Hope, potential emerging
• Still fragile

Phase 3: Growth (First Quarter)

• Visible progress
• Effort required, challenges faced
• Building momentum

Phase 4: Expansion (Gibbous)

• Rapid growth, abundance increasing
• Fortune rising
• Almost at the peak

Phase 5: Peak (Full Moon)

• Maximum manifestation
• Success, achievement, fulfillment
• The high point—but the wheel will turn

Phase 6: Harvest (Disseminating)

• Gathering the fruits
• Sharing, teaching, giving back
• Gratitude for abundance

Phase 7: Decline (Last Quarter)

• Letting go, releasing
• Fortune waning
• Preparing for the dark phase

Phase 8: Death/Rest (Balsamic)

• Completion, ending
• The dark before the new beginning
• Composting, integration, wisdom

Then the cycle begins again.

Understanding which phase you're in helps you work with the wheel instead of against it.

The Wheel vs. The Chariot: Fate vs. Will

These cards represent different relationships to movement:

The Chariot (Path 18: Binah → Geburah)

• Directed will — You choose the direction
• Control — Mastering opposing forces
• Linear progress — Moving toward a goal
• Personal power — "I will make this happen"
• Cancer energy — Emotional direction

The Wheel of Fortune (Path 21: Chesed → Netzach)

• Cyclical fate — The pattern chooses the timing
• Surrender — Accepting what the cycle brings
• Circular rhythm — What goes up must come down
• Cosmic law — "This is how reality works"
• Jupiter energy — Expansion and contraction

Both are true:

• The Chariot teaches: You have agency
• The Wheel teaches: You are also subject to larger cycles

Wisdom is knowing when to drive the chariot (will) and when to ride the wheel (surrender).

The Wheel of Fortune in Readings: Accept the Cycle

When The Wheel appears:

Upright:

• A turning point — The cycle is shifting; change is coming
• Fortune rising — If you've been down, you're moving up
• Karma returning — What you planted is coming back to you
• Trust the cycle — This too shall pass (good or bad)
• Opportunity — The wheel brings new possibilities
• Divine timing — Things are unfolding as they should

Reversed:

• Resisting the cycle — Fighting against natural change
• Bad luck — The wheel is in a downward phase
• Karma catching up — Past actions returning (usually negative)
• Stuck — The wheel feels like it's not turning (but it always is)
• Missing the lesson — Not learning from the cycle
• Clinging — Trying to hold onto a phase that's ending

The Question The Wheel Asks:

"Can you accept that everything changes, and trust that the wheel will turn in your favor again?"

The Wheel doesn't promise you'll always be on top. The Wheel promises the cycle continues—and that's actually good news.

The Deeper Pattern: The Eternal Return

The Wheel reveals a profound truth:

Time is not linear. Time is cyclical.

Consider:

• Day and night cycle endlessly
• Seasons return every year
• The moon waxes and wanes
• Civilizations rise and fall
• You are born, you die, you are born again (in some traditions)

The wheel represents the eternal return—the idea that patterns repeat, that history rhymes, that what has been will be again.

The Wisdom:

• Nothing is permanent (not even suffering)
• Nothing is lost (it returns in a new form)
• Every ending is a beginning
• Every beginning contains an ending

The Sphinx knows this. That's why she sits still at the top, watching the wheel turn, smiling.

Practice: The Wheel of Fortune Cycle Meditation

This practice helps you align with the cycles:

Step 1: Identify Your Current Phase

• Where are you on the wheel right now?
• Rising? Peak? Falling? Bottom?
• Be honest—don't judge, just observe

Step 2: Accept the Phase

• If rising: Enjoy it, but don't cling
• If at peak: Celebrate, but prepare for change
• If falling: Let go gracefully
• If at bottom: Rest, knowing the wheel will turn

Step 3: Review Your Karma

• What have you set in motion?
• What seeds have you planted?
• What's returning to you now makes sense based on past actions

Step 4: Plant New Seeds

• What do you want to return when the wheel turns?
• Plant kindness, generosity, wisdom
• These will come back to you in future cycles

Step 5: Find the Still Point

• Visualize yourself as the Sphinx at the top
• You're not on the wheel—you're watching it
• The wheel turns, but your consciousness remains stable
• This is the beginning of transcendence

Step 6: Trust the Cycle

• Say: "The wheel turns. I trust the pattern."
• Release control over when things happen
• Focus on what you're creating
• The timing will take care of itself

Step 7: Ride the Wheel with Grace

• Open your palm (Kaph) when fortune comes
• Release your palm when fortune goes
• Hold lightly to everything
• The wheel keeps turning

The Operational Truth

Here's what The Wheel of Fortune and Cycles of Fate reveal:

• The Wheel is the palm (Kaph) that learns to grasp the pattern, not the position
• Path 21 (Chesed → Netzach) shows how abundance flows in cycles, not constant streams
• Jupiter energy governs the rhythm of expansion and contraction
• Karma is not punishment—it's physics: what you set in motion returns
• Time is cyclical, not linear—the eternal return
• The Sphinx represents consciousness that transcends the wheel

The Wheel of Fortune is not about luck.

The Wheel is about understanding that everything changes, that cycles are natural, that what goes around comes around—and that this is actually divine order, not chaos.

When fortune rises—

When fortune falls—

When the wheel turns and turns and turns—

You are learning to be the Sphinx.

The wheel spins beneath you.

The cycles continue.

You remain centered.

This is Part 2A.11 of the Astrology × Tarot × Kabbalah series, exploring The Wheel of Fortune as Cycles of Fate.