Wheel of Fortune - Tyldwick

[Bodhiseed]

Wheel of Fortune

What I notice in the Wheel of Fortune:

Outdoor garden with roses and ivy

Water fountain with wheel below

Four stone figures/faces

 

The garden has two types of plants - annuals that die each year (some of the flowers and herbs), perennials that will come back for several years before dying (such as the roses and ivy). In the perennial group there is also evergreens (like the ivy) and deciduous plants that lose their leaves each winter. The garden is a perfect analogy for the changes that occur over time. Some changes seem quick (annuals), some a little slower (perennials), and some we hardly notice (evergreen perennials).

The water drips downward to keep the wheel moving. It follows the flow of gravity and reminds me that all change is natural like the seasons; it is neither reward nor punishment (though sometimes it may feel that way!).

The four stone faces/figures confused me for quite a while, as I kept trying to fit them in with the usual RWS figures of the fixed astrological signs. But I think these may represent ancient Assyrian or Egyptian mythological figures (see attachments below):

Eagle - Nisroch was an Assyrian eagle-headed god of agriculture

Assyrian face/Lamassu - Lamassu was a protective Assyrian deity often portrayed with the face of a man and the body of a bull; his function was that of a gatekeeper.

Monkey/Ape - according to touregypt.net, ancient Egyptians believed the ape or monkey was a form their gods might take. The most familiar to us would probably be Thoth, who in his ape form was known as A'an. A few of his roles were the measurement of time and maintaining equilibrium.

Human face/Water spout - This face has a surprised look to me, so I assumed it represented humans as we tend to look this way when change comes.  But it also hints (since it is the water spout) that some of the changes that occur come not from some outside force, but through our own actions. The mythological figures represent the natural forces that we have no control over (like the changing seasons).