Wheel! of! Fortune!

Queer Tarot series, I will get through the post-covid-recovery-brain-fog-exhaustion and finish writing you, I swear!

Um, I mean... hello. Welcome back to this series about LGBTQIA+ perspectives on the Tarot cards. If you're new to the series, a quick catch-up:

The Tarot is a series of symbols added to playing cards, depicting a spiritual journey, so the drawing of the cards from the deck can be used for meditation or fortune telling. The artist whose deck is most known as the "traditional" deck to modern knowledge, Pamela "Pixie" Colman Smith, was biracial and bisexual, and once you know that, it's hard to un-see the influence it had on her Tarot art. So I sought out Tarot readers in queer groups, and queer people in Tarot groups, online, to give me their perspectives to compile into this little series of blogs.

(to clarify: I use the word Queer, always, as a term of pride, never of shame)

Click on the links following to catch up completely: so far we've met the Fool; the Magician; the High Priestess; the Empress; the Emperor; the Hierophant; the Lovers; the Chariot; Strength; and the Hermit.

Now it's the turn (see what I did there) of The Wheel of Fortune!

The turning of the Wheel can point to new beginnings. As a general theme, that can mean an end to delays; but to queer readers, who have often chosen to to begin our lives again after discovering who we truly are - or have new beginnings forced on us because of the way our self discovery can affect our relationships, jobs, religious and political affiliations and points of reference, and what communities we are or are not part of, because of how we're seen by those around us once we come out - it can also tell us of a change of direction that offers happiness.

Changes can be frightening, or exciting - sometimes that's not up to us, and sometimes it is. Just like, when we come out, it's not "choosing" to be gay, trans, nonbinary, ace (despite what transphobes and homophobes say), but it is a moment to take ownership of how we're recognised, responded to, and respected. If you're gay, trans, nonbinary, ace, it's not up to them to say whether or not it's right, good, true or real to say that about yourself. It's for you to say. Choosing to accept what our lives and our loves have led us to discover about ourselves - rolling with the Wheel - can be empowering, life affirming and bring us new opportunity to prosper in our newly discovered, newly defined, lives.

If we've been finding it hard to get our plans off the ground, the Wheel's traditional meaning says, that will change now - sudden movement forwards is coming, whether we choose it or not. As queer people our fears are so often that the world will go backwards; we hear of a "rollback" of LGBTQIA+ rights and freedoms or a "backlash" against progress towards them. Or, we might fear staying where we are: stuck in an unwelcoming or unsafe family, job, school, religious or political group, or relationship with nowhere we can be ourselves. But the chance to choose to change it, is welcome; and the reassurance that Wheel card can bring when it comes up in our readings, is that it's safe to do it now.

Change is worrying. It's scary. But if this really is a universe where there are divine designs in play, then we are meant to change from a life where we can't be ourselves to a life where we can, and be happy. The unexpected events foretold by the appearance of the Wheel in our readings are meant to point us in a direction that can bring us to a joyful and fulfilling life. Closet doors so often stay closed because that's our way of feeling in control - once the closet door is open, the world will know, and how the world reacts to us will no longer be our choice - but the opening of the closet door is the courage of saying, come what may, I'm ready. A fresh start. Optimism for the future. Knowing we can stay the course of being our true selves, and adapt to what may come, without losing who we truly are.

The Wheel can be depicted with Archangels: these are high-seeing, far-seeing eyes that can help us see clearly who we are, so the decisions we make about changing circumstances can be made from a place of knowing, and being true to, our own selves. Forgive yourself for not being ready, willing and able to be your true, open, out-of-the-closet, proud self before now - let the view outside of the open closet door be a great and inspiring vision of the future, inspiration to successfully make that amazing change in your life.

(Edit to add: I realise as I read this back that I'm living a life quite privileged in that my surroundings are not ones in which my life maybe threatened by coming out. I can't speak for other countries, but I can point you in the direction of some help if you're in the UK or US. In the UK, click on this link to find Mermaids, a support charity for gender diverse children and their families; in the US, click on this link to find The Trevor Project, a LGBTQIA+ mental health and suicide helpline)

~*~

If you'd like to contact me through social media to have a reading with me online, using the perspectives I've shown above, you can click Here. If you'd like to join my LGBTQIA+ Tarot group on bookface, you can click Here.