This article continues my series examining the trumps of the Tarot de Marseille, adapted from my unpublished manuscript, Tarot de Marseille: The Picturebook of Fate. As throughout this series, the emphasis is placed upon the traditional eikōn of the card, its historical context, and the practical significations I have found useful through divinatory practice. The interpretations presented here reflect my own experience of working with the Tarot de Marseille and should be understood as a working method rather than a definitive authority.

The Ones in Action:

Let us now turn to a practical example.

The following is a simple three-card spread intended to provide a clear answer to a specific question. After shuffling the Fool and twenty-one trumps and cutting the deck, three cards are drawn as follows:

01 – 03 – 02

• Position 1: The querent and their approach to the matter.
• Position 2: The question or situation itself.
• Position 3: The answer or outcome.

Sallie-Anne had been involved in an intermittent relationship with Dean for approximately two years. She worked as an emergency department nurse and led a busy, structured life. Dean, by contrast, struggled to maintain stable employment and drifted from one opportunity to another.

Following several months of separation, Dean had returned seeking reconciliation. He insisted that he had changed and asked for another chance. Sallie-Anne’s friends were unanimously opposed to the idea, believing she would be making a serious mistake by taking him back.

Her question was simple: “Would it be different this time?”

The cards drawn were:

• Position 1: The Empress
• Position 2: The Juggler
• Position 3: The Wheel of Fortune

The answer is a clear no.

The Empress describes Sallie-Anne’s role within the situation. Although we have not yet examined this trump in detail, it portrays a capable, open, and communicative individual. The card suggests someone who approaches others directly and seeks to build relationships through honesty and cooperation.

The Juggler describes the situation itself and, in relationship readings, will often represent the other party. Here the card paints a familiar picture. Dean is charming, persuasive, and highly skilled at telling people what they wish to hear. The Juggler’s essence is cunning and his function misdirection. He understands Sallie-Anne’s hopes and expectations and knows how to present himself in the most favourable light.

The outcome is shown by the Wheel of Fortune. Rather than indicating meaningful change, the Wheel suggests recurrence and repetition. Circumstances are destined to follow a familiar course. The same patterns that characterised the previous relationship are likely to emerge once more.

My conclusion was straightforward. Dean undoubtedly knew what Sallie-Anne wished to hear and was telling her precisely that. There would almost certainly be a honeymoon period in which matters appeared improved. Yet the Wheel of Fortune strongly suggested that, once the novelty wore off, the relationship would return to its former cycle of highs and lows. Whatever promises had been made, the underlying circumstances had not changed.

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Tarot Cards: Jean Dodal Tarot via Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain.

Featured Image: Ancient Tarot Major Arcana © BP Grimaud/John Waddington Ltd, Leeds & London, Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Noblet, 1650 © Editions «letarot.com» (2001 [hand stencilled trumps]). Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Dodal, 1701 et 1715 © Editions «letarot.com» (2002 [hand stencilled trumps])

This article continues my series examining the trumps of the Tarot de Marseille, adapted from my unpublished manuscript, Tarot de Marseille: The Picturebook of Fate. As throughout this series, the emphasis is placed upon the traditional eikōn of the card, its historical context, and the practical significations I have found useful through divinatory practice. The interpretations presented here reflect my own experience of working with the Tarot de Marseille and should be understood as a working method rather than a definitive authority.

The Ones: The Juggler, the Wheel of Fortune and the Sun

Trump XVIIII, Le Soleil, or the Sun, is one of the most beneficent trumps in the Marseille Tarot, yet its significance is often reduced to little more than success or happiness. Whilst it certainly promises both, the card possesses a depth that is easily overlooked. Why should it signify children and pregnancy? Does it merely indicate favourable circumstances, or does it promise something more substantial? The Sun speaks not simply of success, but of the conditions which make success possible.

The essence of the Sun is illumination; its function is warming. Illumination reveals what was previously hidden, bringing clarity, understanding, and certainty. Warming animates and nourishes. It encourages growth, vitality, and development. Together, these two principles make the Sun a card of openness, life, and constructive progress.

The traditional eikōn of the Sun depicts two figures, often interpreted as children, standing beneath a radiant sun whose benevolent rays descend upon them. Behind them there is frequently a wall, suggesting enclosure and protection, whilst also hinting at the cultivated space of a garden. Unlike the uncertain and mutable world of the Wheel of Fortune, the environment of the Sun appears safe, ordered, and life-giving.

Particularly striking is the relationship between the two figures. They stand together as equals. They are similarly dressed and embrace one another without any obvious distinction of rank or status. Their relationship is characterised by mutuality rather than hierarchy. For this reason, the Sun is one of the most favourable cards for relationships. It promises warmth, openness, sincerity, and mutual respect. Difficulties may still exist, but they are illuminated rather than concealed. People speak plainly, trust one another, and work together towards common aims. For those concerned with love and partnership, it is an encouraging sight.

The association with children follows naturally from the imagery. The youthful figures, the enclosed and protected setting, and the life-giving power of the Sun itself all point towards fertility, growth, and generation. Consequently, the card frequently appears in matters concerning pregnancy, childbirth, children, and family life. More generally, it signifies the successful development of something that has been carefully nurtured.

The Sun is also a card of vitality, confidence, and constructive energy. It supplies the warmth required for growth and the light required for clear action. When it appears, it often indicates that the querent possesses, or will soon possess, the resources needed to achieve their aims. Obstacles may remain, and effort is still required, but the conditions are favourable. In this respect, the Sun can indeed be a harbinger of good fortune, though not in the capricious manner of Fortuna’s wheel. Rather, it promises the steady and life-giving influence that allows people, relationships, and enterprises to flourish. However difficult matters may presently appear, the Sun assures us that a brighter horizon lies ahead.

General: The beginning of a period of progress and development. The energy, vitality, and favourable circumstances required for success. Clarity, truth, confidence, and the ability to see matters plainly. Illumination dispels confusion and brings certainty.

Love: The beginning of a new love affair or the reconciliation of estranged partners. Relationships characterised by genuine affection, mutual respect, openness, and trust. The card favours the creation of a home and family, and is strongly associated with faithfulness, fidelity, and long-term happiness.

Career: The Sun often signifies prominence, seniority, recognition, or public acclaim rather than a particular profession. When occupationally descriptive, it frequently points towards work involving children, education, childcare, or youth services. The card promises success in job searches and suggests that opportunities for advancement, promotion, and achievement are available.

Finance: A favourable card promising financial growth, security, and prosperity. Efforts are rewarded and opportunities for advancement are available. The card often indicates a period of stability and confidence.

Health: The Sun is the principal card of vitality, vigour, and recovery. It generally indicates robust health and a strong constitution. Anatomically, it is associated with the eyes and the central nervous system. As a card of fertility, pregnancy, and healthy development, it may also signify common conditions and concerns associated with pregnancy.

Essence: Illumination.
Function: Warming.
Polarity: Positive.
Astrological Association: The Sun.
Timing: Sunday. Within a year.

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Tarot Cards: Jean Dodal Tarot via Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain.

Featured Image: Ancient Tarot Major Arcana © BP Grimaud/John Waddington Ltd, Leeds & London, Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Noblet, 1650 © Editions «letarot.com» (2001 [hand stencilled trumps]). Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Dodal, 1701 et 1715 © Editions «letarot.com» (2002 [hand stencilled trumps])

This article continues my series examining the trumps of the Tarot de Marseille, adapted from my unpublished manuscript, Tarot de Marseille: The Picturebook of Fate. As throughout this series, the emphasis is placed upon the traditional eikōn of the card, its historical context, and the practical significations I have found useful through divinatory practice. The interpretations presented here reflect my own experience of working with the Tarot de Marseille and should be understood as a working method rather than a definitive authority.

The Ones: The Juggler, the Wheel of Fortune and the Sun

Trump X, La Roue de Fortune, or the Wheel of Fortune, is a fascinating yet often overlooked trump. Is it a symbol of chance? Does it speak of luck, whether good or ill? Or does it simply refer to change itself? Like many of the Marseille trumps, the Wheel resists simplistic interpretation. It does not merely describe movement, but a particular kind of movement: cyclical, repetitive, and ultimately beyond our control.

The essence of the Wheel of Fortune is rotation; its function is to pivot. These two principles encapsulate the card’s operation within a reading. Rotation is the perpetual turning of circumstances, whilst pivot is the point at which one condition gives way to another. Nothing remains fixed. Positions alter, fortunes rise and fall, and situations develop according to forces that often lie beyond the power of any individual to command.

The traditional eikōn of the Wheel of Fortune is a familiar one. We see a great wooden wheel upon which three creatures ride. One ascends, another descends, whilst the creature at the top wears a crown. The image was commonplace throughout medieval and early modern art. It expresses the ancient formula: regnabo, regno, regnavi — ‘I shall reign, I reign, I have reigned’. The crowned creature occupies the summit only temporarily, for Fortuna’s wheel never ceases its turning. Those who prosper today will eventually decline, whilst those below may in time be elevated. The card reminds us that the capricious turning of Fortune’s wheel is something against which we are largely impotent. Fallow times must follow times of plenty.

Many versions of the card also depict the wheel resting upon a wavy or uneven ground. This detail is easily overlooked, yet it serves an important purpose. The wheel stands upon uncertain foundations. Beneath all worldly affairs lies instability, unpredictability, and the possibility of sudden change. What appears secure today may prove transient tomorrow.

On a deeper level, the Wheel of Fortune signifies the sublunar sphere, the mutable realm of the physical world. It is the domain of generation and corruption, growth and decay, gain and loss. Here the four elements—fire, earth, air, and water—are in perpetual flux, endlessly combining, separating, and transforming. Nothing in this realm exists in a fixed state for long. Change is not an interruption of the natural order; it is the natural order.

For this reason, when the Wheel of Fortune appears in a reading, it often signifies the events and circumstances that have brought the querent to the cards. The accompanying cards describe the particular conditions, developments, and shifts that surround the matter at hand. These should not be confused with the underlying cause of events. In my system, the cause is revealed by Judgment, or the Angel card. The Wheel instead depicts the changing field of circumstances in which that cause manifests itself.

In practical divination, the Wheel of Fortune most commonly signifies circuitous change and repetition. Situations return, patterns recur, and familiar themes re-emerge in new forms. The card can indicate both favourable and unfavourable turns of fortune, although these qualities arise principally from the surrounding cards rather than from the Wheel itself. Fundamentally, the Wheel is neutral. It simply turns, raising some whilst lowering others, indifferent to both hope and fear. Its lesson is not luck, but change.

General: Circuitous change. Peaks and troughs, gain balanced by loss, and periods of advance followed by periods of decline. The card signifies the natural evolution of circumstances, recurring cycles, and the repetition of familiar patterns. Neither inherently fortunate nor unfortunate, it simply describes the turning of events.

Love: The Wheel of Fortune often signifies a relationship undergoing change as a result of external circumstances. A loss of employment, a relocation, financial pressures, illness, or altered family responsibilities may compel partners to adopt new roles and adjust established routines. Such changes can place a strain upon the relationship, particularly where one party struggles to adapt. In other cases, the card points towards monotony and recurring patterns which neither partner has yet addressed. For those who are single, the Wheel suggests that the present situation is likely to continue for the time being, although change is anticipated further down the road.

Career: The Wheel of Fortune is naturally associated with the gambling industry, but also with finance, investment, speculation, and the video games sector. It frequently appears in connection with seasonal employment, contract work, fixed-term appointments, and careers characterised by fluctuating fortunes. The card indicates changing circumstances rather than permanence.

Finance: Fluctuating income, changing financial circumstances, and cyclical patterns of gain and loss. The card may signify investments, speculation, gambling, or seasonal sources of income. Neither prosperity nor adversity should be assumed permanent.

Health: The Wheel of Fortune frequently points towards co-morbidity, whereby one or more conditions exist alongside a primary illness. With the Popess, it may indicate a condition concealed or masked by another. More generally, the card signifies illnesses characterised by cycles, periodic flare-ups, remission, recurrence, or seasonal variation.

Essence: Rotation.
Function: Pivot.
Polarity: Neutral.
Astrological Association: Gemini.
Timing: June. By the next equinox or solstice, whichever comes first.

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Tarot Cards: Jean Dodal Tarot via Wikipedia Commons. Public Domain.

Featured Image: Ancient Tarot Major Arcana © BP Grimaud/John Waddington Ltd, Leeds & London, Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Noblet, 1650 © Editions «letarot.com» (2001 [hand stencilled trumps]). Les Tarot de Marseille Jean Dodal, 1701 et 1715 © Editions «letarot.com» (2002 [hand stencilled trumps])