The Wheel of Fortune: the Secret of the Crank and the Alchemy of Destiny

1. From the Hermit’s Shadow to Movement

In the journey illustrated by the tarot cards, the Wheel of Fortune does not appear by chance. It follows the Hermit, an ascetic who has walked in silence and introspection. If the Hermit allowed us to reconnect with our inner light, it was so that we might now discern the invisible workings of our existence.

Without this passage through shadow and wisdom, the Wheel’s motion would be nothing but vain agitation. But with the Hermit’s lantern, we are no longer the victims of destiny: we become its alchemists.

2. The Secret of the Crank: the Art of Co-Creation

There is a subtle but crucial distinction between luck and destiny. In certain traditions, such as the Rider Waite Tarot, the Wheel is the very image of good or bad fortune: it turns, toying with us at the whim of its own caprice. This is passive luck — the kind we wait for.

The Tarot de Marseille, however, reveals a far more powerful secret: the presence of a crank. This iconographic element changes everything. It tells us that while the cycle is natural, the impulse itself is voluntary. Moving from one cycle to another requires an intention, a hand placed on the mechanism to initiate the rotation.

In practice, this passage from one cycle to another happens with a certain ease when it appears at the start of a reading, and with a certain difficulty when it appears at the end.

3. The Crucial Importance of Position: Decoding the Blockage

In tarot reading, the geography of the spread matters as much as the symbol itself. The Wheel of Fortune changes its face depending on its position:

4. The Philosophy of Impermanence: Aligning with the Celestial Cycles

Beyond mere divination, the Wheel of Fortune is an invitation to embrace a philosophy of acceptance. It becomes the mirror of the dance of the stars, of the moon’s phases, and of the more intimate cycles of life, death, and rebirth.

To understand the Wheel is to accept that nothing is permanent. When we touch the bottom of the cycle, we must remember that the movement itself, by its very nature, will carry us back toward brighter days.

5. Evolution or Repetition: Stepping Off the Carousel

There is a trap: that of mistaking the cycle for mere repetition. Are you turning in an upward spiral, or going in circles within the same limiting patterns? The Wheel urges us toward self-evaluation, so that we may break free from the inertia of habit.

To know whether you are ready to step into the next stage, I invite you to meditate on these questions:

• What must change today, in a way that is concrete and irreversible?
• Which cycle of my life has truly come to its end?
• What opportunities are presenting themselves to me, while my eyes remain fixed on the past?
• What pattern am I repeating out of fear of the unknown?

6. Conclusion: Toward a New Turn of the Wheel

The Wheel of Fortune is a promise. It assures us that life is movement, and that every ending carries within it the seeds of a new dawn. It is an invitation to remain attentive to synchronicities — those small winks from destiny that tell us the mechanism is ready.

To grasp the crank is to reclaim your power. It is to decide that we are no longer the passive passengers of our existence, but the pilots of our own trajectory.