Published 09/12/2025 • Updated 15/10/2026 by Joanne Jones

The Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card Meaning: Upright, Reversed, Love and Feelings

Written by Joanne Jones, Founder of Trusted Psychics | Psychic Medium, Astrologer & Tarot Reader | 35+ Years’ Experience

Discover the Wheel of Fortune’s meaning for love, feelings, career, money, and life changes, with interpretations from Psychic Tarot reader Joanne Jones.

The Wheel of Fortune is one of the clearest symbols of change in the Major Arcana, but it is also one of the easiest Tarot cards to oversimplify.

Numbered X (10), the Wheel of Fortune appears between The Hermit and Justice in the Rider-Waite-Smith sequence. Traditionally, it is associated with cycles, turning points, timing, fortune, and circumstances that are beginning to move.

For further information, read our Tarot Card Meanings: Complete Guide to All 78 Cards.

The Wheel of Fortune doesn't simply mean “good luck is coming.” Nor does it automatically mean that fate has already decided what will happen.

Its deeper theme is movement.

Circumstances change. Opportunities appear and disappear. Relationships enter new phases. Plans are affected by timing. Something that once seemed permanent can suddenly look very different.

Sometimes you influence that change; sometimes you don't.

For me, the more useful question when the Wheel of Fortune appears is: What is changing, and what part of your response is still within your control?

I founded Trusted Psychics in 1992, and after decades of studying Tarot, developing my own psychic abilities, and working alongside professional psychics, mediums, and tarot readers, I've learned that the same card can speak differently depending on the person, the question, its position, and the cards surrounding it.

I still enjoy being personally involved in vetting all our new readers who join the Trusted Psychics family. We have always maintained that the quality and knowledge of the reader is fundamental to what we do. Over the years, I’ve learned that knowing the traditional meaning of a Tarot card is only the beginning. A good reader first needs to listen, understand why someone is asking the question, and recognise the emotions they are experiencing.

When it comes to a card like the Wheel of Fortune, that is particularly important.

In a love tarot reading, the Wheel might highlight a changing dynamic between two people. In a career reading, it could draw attention to timing or circumstances beyond one person's control.

Reversed, it can raise another question altogether: Is life genuinely holding you back, or are you travelling around a familiar cycle again?

That distinction is where the Wheel of Fortune becomes far more interesting than a simple card of luck.

Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card Meaning at a Glance

Common upright Wheel of Fortune keywords include change, cycles, turning points, opportunity, movement, timing, fortune, adaptability, momentum, and unexpected developments.

Reversed keywords can include resistance, repeated cycles, poor timing, setbacks, frustration, instability, and difficulty adapting.

The simplest interpretation is:

Something is moving.

The more useful interpretation is:

What has changed, what is changing, and how should you respond now?

What Does the Wheel of Fortune Really Mean in Tarot?

The Wheel of Fortune represents something we all experience eventually: circumstances don't remain fixed forever people naturally make decisions using the information available to them at the time.

A relationship feels stable. A job appears secure. An opportunity seems unavailable. A particular problem looks permanent. Then something changes.

New information arrives. Another person's circumstances shift. An opportunity appears. A plan is delayed. Something that worked previously stops working. The Wheel of Fortune often appears when there is a shift in situations outside of your control.

These may be changes that are totally unexpected and may be inconvenient but should not be immediately interpreted as everything will turn out well just because the Wheel appears.

I'd be more inclined to read it as: “Don't assume the situation will remain exactly as it is.”

My Wheel of Fortune Control Test: Circumstance - Pattern - Response

One way I find particularly useful for interpreting the Wheel of Fortune is to separate three things that can easily become confused:

Circumstance – Pattern - Response.

Circumstance: What Changed Outside Your Control?

First, consider what has changed that you didn't completely control.

This might be another person's decision, timing, a new opportunity, workplace changes, distance, family responsibilities, or information you didn't previously have.

I think this is an important part of responsible Tarot card reading because not everything affecting somebody's life was caused by them.

If circumstances changed around you, acknowledging that can prevent unnecessary self-blame.

Pattern: Has This Happened Before?

Next, consider whether the situation feels familiar.

Some shifts in situations genuinely arrive unexpectedly. Others expose a cycle that has been operating for some time.

Perhaps the same difficulty keeps returning within a relationship or similar frustrations appear in different jobs. Opportunities repeatedly arrive, but the timing never feels perfect.

This question becomes particularly useful when the Wheel of Fortune appears reversed.

It isn't about deciding that somebody is responsible for everything that happens to them. It's about noticing whether the circumstances have changed while the underlying problem has remained surprisingly similar.

Response: What Can You Do From Here?

Finally, consider what you can do differently now that circumstances have changed.

You may not control the Wheel, but you can often influence how you respond to where it has placed you.

That's an important distinction.

It prevents the Wheel of Fortune from becoming a passive message about fate and turns it into a card that can encourage adaptation.

Circumstance → Pattern → Response

Therefore, one of the most useful ways I have found to explore this tarot card is to look at external developments, is there a pattern of events and how to follow a new direction.

What I Look at First When the Wheel of Fortune Appears

For me, one of the most useful ways to explore the Wheel is therefore to ask threse questions:

• What has changed around you?
• Is anything repeating?
• And what can you do differently from here?
• What is the question that has been asked?
• Where did the Wheel appear?
• Which cards are sitting around it?

One of my biggest skills I have learned as a reader is to listen to the person I am reading for and understand the situation from their experience.

There is a considerable difference between somebody saying:

“Everything was going well, but then this happened.”

and:

“Why does this always seem to happen to me?”

The first makes me look closely at their circumstances and explore whether something genuinely unexpected has happened.

The second makes me look more closely at whether a pattern is starting to form or is this expected behaviour.

That is why two people can receive the same Tarot card reading but yet have different interpretations.

The card hasn't changed. The context has.

This is also something I look for when vetting Tarot readers for Trusted Psychics. Knowing what a card traditionally means is crucial, but the best readers are those that listen, readers who can communicate with kindness and explain their interpretation of a particular card.

People often seek a reading when something feels emotionally important to them. In my experience, understanding people's emotions and showing that you genuinely care about the person and what they are experiencing is an important part of being a good reader.

“There are times in our lives when being truly listened to, understood and supported by someone who genuinely cares can make a real difference.” — Joanne Jones

Wheel of Fortune Symbolism

There is a lot of symbolism in the Rider-Waite-Smith Wheel of Fortune.

The first thing you will notice is the large wheel. The wheel gives us movement and cycle and movement around the wheel.

Things are going up. Things are going down. Things are at the top, and things are moving away from the top.

And the wheel just keeps spinning.

What Does the Wheel Symbolise?

The wheel, of course, represents a cycle or movement.

Something may be in motion. Or maybe things are starting to change. It could also mean that what you thought was certain is now not as certain.

Because you are on the wheel, you could be anywhere on that wheel. Which is why it can represent good and bad luck.

What Does the Sphinx Mean on the Wheel of Fortune?

A sphinx sits above the Wheel and can be interpreted as a symbol of mystery, knowledge, or stability within movement.

Everything around the mechanism changes position, while the sphinx remains above it.

What Do the Rising and Falling Figures Represent?

Figures appear around the Wheel moving upwards and downwards.

They provide another visual expression of changing fortune and position: circumstances can improve, decline, or simply enter another stage.

Which Zodiac Signs Appear on the Wheel of Fortune?

The four-winged figures in the corners are traditionally associated with the fixed signs of the zodiac:

Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo, and Taurus.

Their presence creates an interesting contrast with the moving Wheel. The Wheel turns, while the fixed signs introduce a sense of continuity and stability around it.

For readers interested in the relationship between Tarot and astrology, this is one of several Major Arcana cards where astrological correspondences add another layer to the traditional imagery.

What Do TARO and the Other Symbols Mean?

The Wheel contains letters and symbols connected with esoteric Tarot traditions. The letters can be interpreted differently within different teachings, while the additional markings reflect long-standing associations with cycles, cosmic order, transformation, and fortune.

You don't need to decode every individual symbol to understand the principal visual message.

The Wheel turns, positions change, and no single position is guaranteed to last forever.

Why Is the Wheel of Fortune Associated With Jupiter?

In Astrology, Jupiter is traditionally associated with expansion, new opportunities, growth, and financial freedom, so its connection with the Wheel of Fortune is understandable.

Just because there is an opportunity does not mean it's going to happen. Just because something can happen still means that you have to make a choice about what you are going to do about it.

Why Is the Wheel of Fortune Card Number 10?

The Wheel of Fortune is Major Arcana X — number 10.

Ten is interesting within Tarot because it can represent the completion of one numerical sequence before another stage begins. Its position within the Major Arcana also adds context.

The Wheel appears after The Hermit, traditionally associated with reflection and inner searching. The Hermit can represent stepping back to understand.

Then the Wheel introduces movement. Whether or not we feel ready, circumstances continue changing.

After the Wheel comes Justice, bringing themes of responsibility, fairness, decisions, and consequences.

One way of considering the sequence is:

The Hermit → understand.

Wheel of Fortune → circumstances move.

Justice → consider your response and its consequences.

It isn't the only way these cards can be interpreted, but it demonstrates why looking beyond an isolated Tarot keyword can produce a much richer reading.

Wheel of Fortune Upright Meaning

When the Wheel of Fortune appears upright, something may be entering a new phase.

Traditional meanings include new opportunities, a turning point, timing, movement, and events developing in an unexpected direction.

The card is also strongly associated with good fortune where an opportunity might appear unexpectedly, and the timing may suddenly become more favourable.

But I think reducing the upright Wheel to “good luck” misses an important part of the card. The Wheel doesn't only turn upwards; it keeps turning.

An upright Wheel can therefore be understood as movement becoming available, and new choices and directions can be taken.

If an opportunity appears, can they recognise it?

If new information changes the situation, are they willing to reconsider their original plan?

If something unexpected happens, are they responding to the situation as it is now rather than the situation they expected to have?

The upright Wheel encourages responsiveness rather than certainty.

Wheel of Fortune Reversed Meaning

The Wheel of Fortune reversed is sometimes reduced to two words:

Bad luck.

There are certainly situations where the reversed Wheel can reflect difficult timing. A plan may be delayed. An opportunity could disappear. External circumstances may make progress harder than expected.

But there is another interpretation I would always consider.

Repetition.

One thing I've learned from studying the meanings of Tarot over the last 30 years is not to assume every setback means somebody has made the wrong decision.

Sometimes timing genuinely isn't in our favour. Circumstances can change unexpectedly, and not everything that happens is within our control.

Where I would look more closely is when somebody tells me that essentially the same situation has happened several times.

Another relationship develops the same dynamic. Another workplace creates the same frustration. Another opportunity arrives, but the same hesitation prevents it from being taken.

The useful question then changes from:

“Why does this always happen to me?”

to:

“What part of this cycle is actually repeating?”

That doesn't mean blaming yourself for circumstances you didn't create.

Sometimes you are experiencing difficult timing. Sometimes you're resisting a necessary change. Sometimes a repeated decision is contributing to a repeated result.

The challenge is recognising which of those situations you're actually dealing with.

For me, that's one of the most useful messages of the reversed Wheel of Fortune: before assuming you're simply experiencing bad luck, look at what has changed, and what hasn't.

Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card Meaning in Love

Love and relationship readings are particularly interesting with the Wheel of Fortune because relationships rarely remain exactly the same.

A casual connection can become more serious. Work or family responsibilities may change how much time two people have together. Someone's priorities alter. A relationship reaches a decision point. Distance becomes relevant. An uncertain situation finally begins moving.

For an established couple, that could mean adapting together or for somebody dating, it might reflect a new romantic connection or for a relationship that has lost its excitement it can represent a situation beginning to move in a more positive direction.

A question I would consider here is:

Are you responding to the relationship you have now, or to the relationship as it used to be?

The Trusted Psychics 2026 customer survey revealed that 92% of clients contacted us about love and relationships, making relationship guidance our most requested type of reading.

Sometimes the questions concern one particular relationship, or maybe a relationship coming to an end, or others may be interested in understanding zodiac compatibility more broadly. If you are interested in approaching relationships from an astrological perspective, you can also read our Zodiac Compatibility Guide to understand how various signs are traditionally considered together.

Percentages are based on 1,622 voluntary customer responses. Some respondents selected more than one answer.

What Does the Wheel of Fortune Reversed Mean in Love?

Reversed, the Wheel can draw attention to a relationship that seems to keep returning to the same point; perhaps the same disagreement repeatedly resurfaces, or there are continual doubts about trust.

A partner may find themselves continually attracted to unavailable partners or wanting a reconciliation without addressing the reason it struggled previously.

However, I wouldn't assume every difficult relationship is evidence of an unhealthy personal pattern.

Distance, timings, work, families, and other responsibilities matter. Sometimes two people genuinely encounter difficult circumstances.

The important distinction is whether you're experiencing a difficult phase that is changing or a recurring dynamic that isn't.

Does the Wheel of Fortune Mean an Ex Will Come Back?

Because the Wheel of Fortune represents cycles, it is easy to see why somebody might interpret it as a sign that an ex will return.

An old connection resurfacing could certainly fit the symbolism of something coming back around the Wheel, but the card doesn't guarantee reconciliation.

When somebody asks whether an ex will return, I think there is often a more useful question hiding underneath it:

If this person did return, what would actually be different this time?

A reconciliation only becomes meaningfully different when something about the original situation has been addressed by both partners.

If the same people return to the same circumstances, with the same difficulties and the same responses, another turn of the Wheel can simply reproduce the previous cycle.

So, I wouldn't use the Wheel to promise that somebody is coming back.

I'd use it to explore whether anything has changed enough for another outcome to become possible.

Wheel of Fortune Meaning for Singles

For somebody who is single, the Wheel of Fortune can suggest that their romantic life is about to change even if someone may not be searching for romance.

When the Wheel appears in a tarot or love psychic reading, it is normally a positive indication that your emotions may change, and this is very often connected to your love life, especially if you have been single for some time. Often, when people are single, there can be pressure from friends and family to find a partner, as many people believe that there must be something wrong with being content with a single life, but when we stop searching for love, that is a time when unexpected new opportunities may often appear.

When I see the Wheel in a love tarot reading for someone who has been single for some time, one question I would consider is:

Has the person I am reading for taken on a new outlook for their life, which may include changing their job or finding new interests that have a social element with like-minded people or taking up a new form of exercise? All these things make becoming more open to a new connection far more likely, even if they were not consciously looking for a new partner.

Looking at the surrounding cards can often suggest a new connection or a new romantic relationship is about to start which initially may be as friendship with someone you have similar interests and then develop into a strong bond where romance just happens naturally and you find yourself on a new path in life.

Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card as Feelings

When interpreted as feelings, the Wheel of Fortune can suggest that someone's emotional position is changing or developing; they may sense that a connection has reached a turning point. Feelings could be becoming stronger, weaker, or simply different.

There can also be uncertainty because the person may not yet know where the changing situation will lead.

Upright, the card could describe openness to seeing how a connection develops.

Reversed, it might reflect frustration with timing, emotional inconsistency, or a sense that the same dynamic keeps returning.

However, I would never treat a Tarot card as independent proof of another person's private thoughts.

A responsible interpretation uses the card to explore the relationship dynamic rather than presenting it as factual evidence of what somebody secretly thinks or feels.

If you'd like to explore what the Wheel of Fortune could mean within your own Tarot reading, you can view our live readers and compare their individual experience, tools, and specialisms before choosing who feels right for you.

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Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card Meaning for Career

I find the Wheel particularly interesting in career readings because our professional circumstances are rarely entirely within our control.

Companies restructure. Managers change. Industries develop. Projects begin and end. Budgets alter. People leave. New positions become available.

An upright Wheel can therefore represent a career turning point or changing professional conditions.

That doesn't automatically mean:

“You're getting promoted.”

A more useful interpretation might be:

“Pay attention — the environment around your career is changing.”

Reversed, progress can feel frustratingly dependent on factors outside your control. A role might be delayed, a company could change direction, or a project might lose funding.

If the same career frustration has followed you through several different workplaces, however, the reversed Wheel might encourage a different type of reflection.

It is to identify which factors have actually changed before deciding what to do next.

Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card Meaning for Money

Despite its name, the Wheel of Fortune isn't a guarantee of financial fortune. Financial circumstances naturally fluctuate. Income changes. Unexpected expenses occur. Opportunities arise. Priorities shift.

In a money reading, the Wheel can therefore highlight financial movement or new opportunities and growth.

Upright, conditions may improve or an opportunity might become available.

Reversed, money may feel less predictable, or timing may be inconvenient.

Neither position should be treated as a prediction of guaranteed profit or loss.

One practical message I take from this card is not to assume today's financial circumstances will automatically continue forever.

Tarot readings are not a replacement for qualified financial advice or evidence-based financial decisions.

If you're considering having a reading for the first time, our guide to what to expect from a professional Tarot reading explains how the question, spread and reader's interpretation work together.

What Is the Spiritual Meaning of the Wheel of Fortune?

The spiritual interpretation of the Wheel is closely connected with cycles, fate, destiny, and the way people understand experiences that seem to return.

Something you've experienced before could come around again later in your life. Maybe you will learn more from the situation or see things differently.

It could just be something you've encountered on another side of the wheel.

When reversed you may feel as if your stuck in a cycle. Or trying to hold on to something you need to let go of.

I like to think of the wheel of fortune as something that we all experience. But that doesn't mean our fate is set.

Wheel of Fortune Compared With Other Major Arcana Cards

Several Major Arcana cards involve change, but they don't describe exactly the same kind of change.

Understanding those differences can stop every dramatic-looking Tarot card collapsing into the generic meaning of “something is changing.”

Wheel of Fortune Vs Death

The Death card tends to emphasise endings, transition, and transformation.

The Wheel is more concerned with changing circumstances and cycles.

Death can suggest:

Something has reached its end.

The Wheel might instead suggest:

The conditions have changed.

If you'd like to explore that distinction further, our complete guide to the Death Tarot card meaning explains why Death is much more closely associated with endings, transition, and transformation.

Wheel of Fortune Vs the Tower

The Tower tarot card tends towards disruption, revelation and unstable foundations being exposed.

The Wheel doesn't have to be dramatic.

Its change can be gradual, fortunate, inconvenient, or unexpected.

The Tower disrupts. The Wheel turns.

You can explore the symbolism behind sudden disruption in our guide to The Tower Tarot card meaning, another Major Arcana card that is frequently misunderstood.

Wheel of Fortune Vs Judgement

Judgement focuses more strongly on recognition, self-evaluation and responding differently because of what experience has taught you.

The Wheel can provide the changed circumstances.

Judgement asks what you understand because of them.

Wheel of Fortune Vs Justice

The Justice tarot card meaning places greater emphasis on fairness, accountability, decisions, and consequences.

The Wheel reminds us that not every circumstance was our choice.

Justice asks what responsibility we have within those circumstances.

Wheel of Fortune Vs the World

The World is associated with completion and integration.

The Wheel is still moving through the cycle.

The World reaches the end of one.

These distinctions are also why our Tarot readers consider the question and surrounding cards rather than simply matching each card to one memorised keyword.

What Does the Wheel of Fortune Mean in Different Tarot Spread Positions?

The position of the Wheel can significantly alter its emphasis within a Tarot spread.

Wheel of Fortune in the Past

A previous change or turning point may help explain how the current situation developed.

The useful question becomes:

What changed then that still affects things now?

Wheel of Fortune in the Present

Circumstances may currently be moving.

It can be a reminder not to make assumptions based entirely on how a situation looked several months ago.

Wheel of Fortune in the Future

The situation may not remain in its current form.

This doesn't establish exactly what will happen. It suggests future conditions could differ from present ones.

Wheel of Fortune as an Obstacle

Difficulty adapting, inconvenient timing or feeling unable to control events may be central to the problem.

Wheel of Fortune as an Advice

As advice, I would read the Wheel as an invitation to update your response when circumstances change.

Don't make today's decision entirely based on yesterday's information simply because you already planned.

Look again.

What has moved? What new information is available? What assumption is no longer true?

Wheel of Fortune as an Outcome

The situation may continue developing rather than immediately settling into a fixed conclusion.

Surrounding cards become particularly important because they can provide context for where that movement might be leading.

Is the Wheel of Fortune a Yes or No Card?

The Wheel of Fortune can move towards yes, but I wouldn't consider it a definite answer because its central theme is changing circumstances.

Upright, it can suggest opportunity, movement, or improving timing.

No if reversed. Not yet or bad timing or things need to change.

The question matters more than assigning the Wheel one permanent yes-or-no answer.

Is the Wheel of Fortune a Lucky Tarot Card?

Traditionally, yes. The Wheel of Fortune has strong associations with luck and fortune.

Its planetary correspondence with Jupiter also reinforces themes of expansion, opportunity, and good fortune in many Tarot traditions.

Being in a favourable position now doesn't guarantee staying there indefinitely.

Equally, finding yourself in a difficult position doesn't mean circumstances can never improve.

So rather than interpreting the Wheel simply as:

“You will be lucky,”

I prefer:

“Fortune changes.”

That is much closer to what we actually see happening within the imagery.

What the Wheel of Fortune Does Not Promise

Drawing the Wheel doesn't guarantee that you're about to win money, reconcile with an ex or meet a destined partner. Nor would I interpret a difficult turn of events as punishment or automatically label it “bad karma”.

Most importantly, the card doesn't remove your ability to make choices simply because fate and fortune are among its traditional associations.

The Wheel can certainly appear around fortunate opportunities and significant turning points, but Tarot is much more useful when its symbolism helps somebody explore their circumstances rather than being used to guarantee a future event.

Why Surrounding Tarot Cards Matter With the Wheel of Fortune

This is one of the differences between memorising Tarot keywords and actually interpreting a spread.

Imagine the Wheel of Fortune appears beside The Sun.

The changing circumstances might feel considerably more encouraging.

Place it beside The Tower, and the movement could be much more disruptive.

Beside Judgement, the change may create an opportunity to recognise something important about previous experience.

Beside The Hermit, there could be tension between somebody needing time for reflection and circumstances continuing to move around them.

The Wheel itself hasn't changed.

The surrounding cards have changed the story.

This is why I wouldn't interpret a professional Tarot spread by simply matching:

Wheel of fortune = luck.

Every card has a traditional range of meanings. The question, its position in the spread, the surrounding cards, and the circumstances the customer brings to the reading all help a reader explore which interpretation is most relevant.

That attention to relevant detail is something our own customers appear to value. In Trusted Psychics' 2026 Customer Recommendation Study, 45.1% of the 102 verified positive customer reviews we analysed referred to detail, specificity or a reader picking up information about the customer's circumstances.

The study looked at verified positive reviews across 21 Trusted Psychics reader profiles, published between 5 January and 27 July 2026. The figure describes that review sample rather than all Trusted Psychics customers or the wider UK population.

For me, this helps explain why good Tarot interpretation involves more than reciting a standard card definition. Two customers can draw the Wheel of Fortune and still get very different readings because their questions, circumstances, and surrounding cards differ.

What I Look for When Vetting a Trusted Psychics Reader

There are many things I look for besides psychic abilities when reviewing someone to be on Trusted Psychics, as I need to see how they communicate with people, some of whom may be facing difficult situations. Are they good listeners? Can they relay what they are picking up on without blowing things out of proportion? Are they compassionate, caring, and supportive about what the person asking may be feeling?

There are times when someone comes to you with more than just a question. They may come to you with anxiety, heartache, or something they have been thinking about for months.

Honesty is another one I appreciate. There will be times when you can't pick up on someone, and no reader can read every person who comes to them. I would rather a reader say that they aren't able to connect than try to make something up.

Those things matter because a professional psychic service should be about more than making predictions; it's about helping people emotionally and with genuine care.

A Tarot reading can offer another perspective on a situation. It shouldn't take control of the situation away from the person having the reading.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card

What Number Is the Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card?

The Wheel of Fortune is Major Arcana X, or number 10. In the Rider-Waite-Smith sequence, it appears after The Hermit (IX) and before Justice (XI).

Which Zodiac Signs Are Shown on the Wheel of Fortune Card?

The four-winged figures in the corners of the Rider-Waite-Smith Wheel of Fortune are traditionally associated with the four fixed zodiac signs: Aquarius, Scorpio, Leo, and Taurus.

What Planet Is Associated With the Wheel of Fortune?

The Wheel of Fortune is traditionally associated with Jupiter in widely used esoteric Tarot correspondence systems. Jupiter is commonly associated with expansion, opportunity, and fortune.

What Element Is Associated With the Wheel of Fortune?

Correspondence systems vary. The Wheel of Fortune is most consistently associated astrologically with Jupiter rather than being universally assigned one of the four Minor Arcana suit elements. Where a particular Tarot tradition uses an elemental correspondence, interpretation should follow that system.

What Card Comes Before the Wheel of Fortune?

The Hermit (IX) precedes the Wheel of Fortune in the Rider-Waite-Smith Major Arcana sequence. This creates an interesting progression from reflection and inner searching into movement and changing external circumstances.

What Card Comes After the Wheel of Fortune?

Justice (XI) follows the Wheel of Fortune in the Rider-Waite-Smith sequence. Some Tarot traditions number Strength and Justice differently, so numbering can vary between decks.

Why Are There Four Creatures in the Corners of the Wheel of Fortune?

The four-winged figures are associated with the four fixed zodiac signs and are also connected with longstanding religious and esoteric symbolism. Within the card, their fixed quality creates a striking visual contrast with the constantly turning Wheel at its centre.

Final Thoughts From Joanne Jones

I think the Wheel of Fortune is interesting because almost everybody eventually finds themselves somewhere they didn't expect to be.

Sometimes circumstances have changed around us. Sometimes an opportunity arrives at precisely the right moment. At other times we realise we've travelled around the same Wheel more than once.

The card can't tell us that every event was destined to happen, and I don't believe a responsible reader should use it to promise that your future has already been decided.

It can encourage us to look at where we are now rather than where we expected to be.

A thoughtful Tarot reading can offer another perspective on that position.

What you choose to do from there remains yours.

— Joanne Jones, Founder of Trusted Psychics

Previous card: The Hermit

Next card: Justice

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