Tarot del Fuego - The Wheel of Fortune - 10
The eyes, which are ubiquitous throughout the deck, show us that, even as Consciousness descends further and further into the sphere of Matter and diversity, Unity-in-diversity persists as an underlying fact. The creature at the top of the wheel is a harpy, which is a personification of the storm winds. The Norse god Thor, is a storm god and corresponds to Jupiter. The dagger in its mouth reinforces the storm association (storm=wind=Air) and invites us to consider the connection of the Air Element to this card. The fact that fourth kañchuka of the Tantrik teachings on the Principles of manifestation is represented by this card makes the Air association an apt one, as Air is the element of the mind, the body's prāna (vital life-force), and the astral realm and body. This too is the realm of the kañchukas, which are regarded as psychic or mental in terms of their sphere of operation.
In a macrocosmic sense, the wheel symbolizes the alternating cycle of Involution and Evolution, Consciousness' descent into the sphere of Matter, symbolized by the monkey mermaid, and its rise back to the status of god and undifferentiated Consciousness-absolute. At the level of the microcosm, it represents the ever-turning tides of fortune. The Hebrew letter associated with the Wheel of Fortune is kaph, a closed or grasping hand. The bunny octopus and monkey mermaid grasping at the Wheel of Fortune as they attempt to gratify their various desires in the world of name and form are in for a wild ride. The monkey octopus is riding the down turn of the wheel. The glass of spilled milk and the exploding tower below and behind him indicate that he's been dealt a bad hand in life. Usually mermaids have the torsos of beautiful women, hence the "maid" in "mermaid." How's he going to lure unsuspecting sailors to their deaths with the torso of a monkey and no seductive siren song? The rabbit octopus on the right correlates to the full glass of milk and the intact house and castle. Rabbits are symbols of fertility and abundance. People carry their feet for good luck. Octopi are capable of incredible feats of ingenuity and intelligence. Their powers of deception are also much more keen than those of monkey mermaids. The monkey, with its opposable thumbs, and the octopus, with its suction-cupped tentacles, are both very good at grasping. To grasp also means to comprehend, a faculty possessed by both of these clever animals.
Returning to the subject of the kañchukas, of which this Principle is the fourth (Time [kāla]). A fundamental part of the experience of the embodied individual is sequence, as implied by the cyclical nature of the wheel. Where unbounded Consciousness experiences itself as all-pervasive and unchanging, when it becomes fragmented for the sake of manifestation, this experience is shifted and characterized by chronology. One event now seques into the next in a continuous process of change. Since this perception is at odds with the highest order of reality, karma and suffering are engendered unless we endeavor to shift our perspective. This is the primary focus of many spiritual teachers like Alan Watts and Eckhart Tolle. Namely that the only moment is NOW. When we can meet it with radical acceptance and gratitude, then we are that much closer to the Divine. We are much more closely approximating our own true nature. When we can say, "Yes!" to the moment, no matter what it brings, we are in the flow of reality. We can transcend the shackles of Time that we see binding the monkey fish to the Wheel. When we are pulled strongly to live in the past (whether in a nostalgic sense or dwelling in fear or trauma) and/or the future (whether that means anticipation/fantasy or apprehension/anxiety), we are living in our heads. We aren't fully experiencing what is happening in the moment and we are projecting the content of our preoccupation onto the limited amount of real-time content we are showing up for. Whether we are attempting to pull an experience in, or to push it away, we are grasping. We have two options here. The first is that we can continue this trend and be pulled further and further into entrapment within the sphere of Matter exclusively. Alternatively we can exercise and improve our ability to let go of the past, of triggers, and of expectations. With this practice, we grow in Consciousness. Our sense of self expands. Maybe little-by-little, but progress is progress. As we trend toward expansion, we also grow in equanimity and contentment.
Comments
Post a Comment