For this series, I am exploring the choices of animals made by various deck creators to correspond to traditional Tarot cards. My initial goal is to get through the Major Arcana using cards from seven different decks:
- Animal Tarot Cards by Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine (Hay House)
- The Animal Totem Tarot by Leeza Robertson; illustrated by Eugene Smith (Llewellyn Publications)
- The Animal Wisdom Tarot by Dawn Brunke; illustrated by
Ola Liola (CICO Books)
- The Animal-Wise Tarot by Ted Andrews (Dragonhawk
Publishing)
- The Animals Divine Tarot by Lisa Hunt (Llewellyn Worldwide)
- Tarot of the Animal Lords with artwork by Angelo Giannini (Lo Scarabeo)
To read my previous posts in this series, enter “Animal Tarot Time” in the search field on the main page of the blog or scroll down and click on Animal Tarot Time under CATEGORIES.
Today I’m exploring the Wheel of Fortune (Key 10) in my animal-themed decks.
Animal Tarot Cards by Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine (Hay House)
(“Expect a sudden positive change in your life.
You can now move forward and make great progress.”)
This interpretation of the Wheel of Fortune card focuses on opportunity and blessings, forward movement, and new directions. In an interesting “aside,” the booklet accompanying this deck describes the difference between reindeer and caribou, pointing out that caribou are found in the wild and are somewhat larger than reindeer, who tend to be domesticated and raised in herds. Caribou do cover large distances during migration, in a cyclical manner, which corresponds with the idea of the Wheel constantly turning around, going through stages or phases of our lives.
The Animal Totem Tarot by Leeza Robertson; illustrated by Eugene Smith (Llewellyn Publications)
The creator of this deck emphasizes that the Wheel “reminds
us that nothing stays the same. . . Everything has a cycle to it and what comes
around goes around, again and again, although it may not always come back the
exact way you last saw it – and that is rather the point.” In keeping with the
idea of “fortune,” we see a lady bug on the card. Lady bugs have long been
associated with luck and good fortune.
The Animal Wisdom Tarot by Dawn Brunke; illustrated by Ola Liola (CICO Books)
(Fate, Karma, Luck, Cycles, Change)
In the Animal Wisdom Tarot, the Spider “anchors us in a
net of timeless wisdom while revealing the many directions our journey may
take.” At the same time, “we weave reality by our thoughts and actions.” Just
as a spider sits patiently in the center of its web, we can sit still and
centered, “watching life’s drama spin around us,” taking a long-range view and
adopting an expanded perspective.
The Animal-Wise Tarot by Ted Andrews (Dragonhawk Publishing)
(Heeding Inner Voice and Cycles)
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Ted Andrews writes that “bears teach us to follow our
inner voice and to follow a new and more natural rhythm.” Certainly the bear’s
cyclical behavior of hibernating every year reinforces this idea. In keeping
with the natural cycles of life, we need to move naturally through these cycles,
from period of high activity to periods of low activity, through changes and
familiar patterns or circumstances. Bears “teach us that a new cycle is at play
within our life. For the greatest success, we must adapt to that new cycle. The
wheels are turning anew for us. It is time to change our patterns.”
The Animals Divine Tarot by Lisa Hunt (Llewellyn Worldwide)
(cycle of change, the opportunity for growth due to change in fortune)
In The Animals Divine Tarot, Lisa Hunt’s Wheel incorporates a large assortment of animals “rotating together in a confluence of elements (fire, air, water, earth). In addition, we see illuminated orbs representing the phases of the moon, reminding us that life is cyclical. It is important that we experience and understand the rhythm of life, as seen in nature and symbolized by all of the different animals in our world.
The Animism Tarot by Joanna Cheung (Self-Published)
(fate, wisdom, rebirth, balance, creativity, design)
Joanna Cheung tells us: “This is the weaver of time and fate. Every thread has a destination. Every connection has a purpose. Every movement causes a ripple throughout. The weaver understands balance: threads that fall can rise up again, and though some may come undone, they can be rebuilt once more, better and stronger than ever before.”
Tarot of the Animal Lords with artwork by Angelo Giannini (Lo Scarabeo)
(the natural cycle of things, fortune, love, return of enemies)
The artist offers a “wheel” reference by depicting the
man-butterfly completing a circle formed by tree branches. The butterfly’s metamorphosis
from stage to stage -- egg, larva
(caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult butterfly – is appropriate for a
card that represents cycles and changes. It is easy to imagine how we might see
ourselves as being in one “stage” or another of the butterfly’s progress, on
our way to an accomplishment or completion of an aspect of our life.
To summarize, we have
- Reindeer/Caribou - 1
- Lady Bug – 1
- Spider – 2
- Bear – 1
- All Animals – 1
- Butterfly - 1
The Spider probably resonates strongest with me for the Wheel of Fortune. A spider web often has a circular pattern to it, and I really like the idea of the spider remaining still, watching and waiting, and then making its move based on what is happening around it – as opposed to scurrying all over the web, frantically trying to control every detail of what’s happening. I often interpret the Wheel of Fortune in a reading as expressing the importance of remaining centered and stable in the midst of change as the wheel turns around and around, up and down. What do you think?
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