The Wheel of Fortune aligns harmoniously with the Tarot World card. The primary alignment deals with the four winged angels in each corner.
Starting in the upper right there is an eagle, winged lion, winged ox, and finally an angel - all are seated in the clouds. In the four corners of The World the same pattern repeats but it is a close up of their faces. These divine creatures in the four corners are influenced by the mysterious creatures described in the biblical book of Ezekiel.
In the Wheel of Fortune the four angels are
each studying a book. But in the The World they have abandoned their books and convey a regal dominance over their studies in their assigned corner.The Wheel of Fortune is popularly known as a game show hosted by Pat Sajak and Vanna White. But the concept of a wheel of fortune or wheel of fate goes back thousands of years before the rise of the Roman Empire. This seemingly random fate of ones fortune has been associated with a spinning wheel.
This Tarot Wheel of Fortune interestingly has Hebrew written upon it. Starting from Hebrew Letter Yod and going either clockwise or counterclockwise it spells the Hebrew Word for God. The wheel also has English letters upon it. Starting from the Letter T and going clockwise it spells out TAROT, but from the same starting position and going counterclockwise it spells out TORA. There are also some alchemical symbols that have a coded meaning.
The card for The World conserves the circular shape of the Wheel of Fortune with a green wreath. It is tied with two red ribbon at the 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock positions. The mythical red and blue creatures of the Wheel of Fortune are gone. Rather a women suspended in the air apparently by her own will, holds two wands and is wearing a purple sash. She rests at the center of her world - confident, cool, and collected.
In the New Testament the four creatures were often associated with the four Gospels - the winged lion is associated with St. Mark, the winged bull is tied to St. Luke, the Eagle is linked to St. John and finally the angel is represented by St. Matthew. This Gospel-majestic creature association was evident in the 7th century Lindisfarne Gospels - see below.
LINK TO PART 10
LINK TO PART 10
(click the picture below for a more clear image)
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