Western Tarot symbolism
Wheel of Fortune
The wheel combines a sphinx, a serpent, sacred lettering, and four living creatures. The commentary interprets it through the flux of human life and stability amid movement. Its use of Egyptian images is explicitly separated from a claim of Egyptian origin. Divinatory meanings emphasize destiny, success, elevation, and fortune.
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In the sources
Principal account
LiteraryThe wheel combines a sphinx, a serpent, sacred lettering, and four living creatures. The commentary interprets it through the flux of human life and stability amid movement.
Further detail
LiteraryIts use of Egyptian images is explicitly separated from a claim of Egyptian origin. Divinatory meanings emphasize destiny, success, elevation, and fortune.
Context & interpretation
The active library scan carries L. W. de Laurence’s name and reproduces material associated with A. E. Waite’s Tarot exposition. Its symbolic descriptions and divinatory lists are distinct registers, and neither provides a guaranteed prediction.
Original passages
Source 1
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
by stultifying the essential idea of stability amidst movement. Behind the general notion expressed in the symbol there lies the denial of chanceOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Western Tarot symbolism; active reader leaf 61
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0061
- Original scan leaf
- 66
- Recorded leaf number
- 66
- Current Reader position
- 61
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Source 2
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination
fear, unreasoned caution. 10. Wheel of Fortune.—Destiny, fortune, success, elevation, luck, felicity. Reversed: Increase, abundance, superfluity. 11. Justice.—Equity, rightness, probity, executive; triumph ofOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Western Tarot symbolism; active reader leaf 148
Exact passage checked against active scan text and original-leaf mapping; scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0149-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0149-E001-P0148
- Original scan leaf
- 154
- Recorded leaf number
- 154
- Current Reader position
- 148
- Reader verification
- Matches the reviewed Reader
Continue exploring
Justice
Accountability according to deeds, distinguished from spiritual election.
Shared source pageStrength
A woman’s gentle mastery of the lion rather than a contest of force.
Shared source pageThe Chariot
Triumph and directed power whose external victories have limits.
Shared source pageThe Emperor
Seated sovereignty as executive power, reason, and realization.