Animal Tarot Time: THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE

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)
• The Animism Tarot by Joanna Cheung (Self-Published)
• 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.

Animal Tarot Cards by Doreen Virtue and Radleigh Valentine (Hay House)

REINDEER (CARIBOU)

“Success through taking action. Opportunity and blessings. 

Travel or modes of transportation. Forward movement. New directions.”

The creators of this deck point out that we traditionally associate reindeer with Santa Claus, which reinforces the idea of this creature representing prosperity or change in a positive direction. It also makes sense to have reindeer represent the movement and transportation. As the authors state, the reindeer and caribou are basically the same animal, with the primary difference being domestication.

In tarot, the Wheel of Fortune is in constant motion, around and around, up and down, never standing still.

The Animal Totem Tarot by Leeza Robertson; illustrated by Eugene Smith (Llewellyn Publications)

LADY BUG

“How do you deal with change? Does planning for success 
seem foolish to you? What area of your life needs the most luck?”

The creators of this deck note that “Lady Bugs have long been associated with luck and good fortune.” Interestingly, Lady Bugs can be different colors. Most are red (connected to the first or root chakra and the material world). Some are orange, connecting to the second or sacral chakra, dealing with creative emotional energy. A yellow Lady Bug would be connected to the third or solar plexus chakra, the energy center of action or doing. Finally, a pink Lady Bug is associated with the fourth or heart chakra, urging you to “just allow what is happening to happen.”

The Animal Wisdom Tarot by Dawn Brunke; illustrated by Ola Liola (CICO Books)

SPIDER

Sacred Spinner (Fate, Karma, Luck, Cycles, Change)

I really like the way the creators of this deck placed a spider in a web that extends to the edges of a wheel. Think of how a spider just keeps spinning, and if the web is damaged or destroyed, the spider simply starts again. With this card we are encouraged to maintain “long-range views and an expanded perspective to find stability and truth in the midst of change.” When we sit still and center ourselves, we can watch life’s drama spin around us without being dragged up and down, around and around.

The Animal-Wise Tarot by Ted Andrews (Dragonhawk Publishing)

BEAR

Heeding Inner Voice and Cycles

Ted Andrews offers us the Bear on the Wheel of Fortune card in his Animal Wise Tarot. As Andrews notes, bears “teach us that there is a rhythm and flow to everything, and when we align with it, we are much less frustrated and more successful.” Certainly we see this as we observe the hibernation habits of bears. They adapt to each new cycle as the wheel of the year turns.

The Animals Divine Tarot by Lisa Hunt (Llewellyn Worldwide)

ALL ANIMALS

cycle of change, the opportunity for growth due to change in fortune

Lisa Hunt neatly sidesteps any arguments over “which animal” should represent this card by stating that The Wheel represents “All Animals.” She depicts the animals “rotating together in a confluence of elements,” incorporating symbolism for Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. With the animals as our guides and teachers, be can have a glimpse into the ways nature balances itself and become more active participants in the rhythm of life. From small to large, each creature shown on The Wheel has something valuable to share with us, if we will only pay attention.

The Animism Tarot by Joanna Cheung (Self-Published)

ORB WEAVER SPIDER

fate, wisdom, rebirth, balance, creativity, design

Here we see the “weaver of time and fate.” Every thread has a destination. Every connection has a purpose. Joanna Cheung echoes the comments I wrote above concerning what happens when a spider’s web is damaged or destroyed, writing “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)

BUTTERFLY

the natural cycle of things, fortune, love

A person with a butterfly’s head and wings flutters in the air next to a tree on which we see leaves, eggs, and caterpillars. In this way, this deck points to the butterfly as a symbol of the “natural cycle of things.” As we know, the butterfly follows a consistent pattern in its development, from egg to larva to pupa to adult. Similarly, we may go through stages of growth in our lives as we mature and gain understanding and wisdom.

TO SUMMARIZE we have:

Reindeer (Caribou) – 1
Lady Bug – 1
Spider – 2
Bear – 1
Butterfly – 1
All Animals – 1

I confess I’m quite partial to the Spider for The Wheel of Fortune card. What do you think?