Catspur Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 So I recently got the Ethereal Visions Illuminated deck, and I love it. Really beautiful images that speak to me, overall. It's a RWS system deck, and mostly follows that. There are, as expected, a few cards which feel a little bit different than their traditional RWS counterparts. The five of swords, for example, lacks the sneering superiority of the RWS card, and instead feels sadder. Generally I incorporate those feelings into my readings. Some cards are a bit tricky, like the four of pentacles, which is so much more sensual than the RWS image - it's a very different love of money kind of card, but I think I can work with it fine. The Moon just takes a completely different approach, but I feel like I know how to read it. But there's one card that I'm really struggling with. The Wheel of Fortune. I don't think I'm allowed to post links yet (too new!) but if you google "Ethereal Visions Illuminated Wheel of Fortune" you'll see it. It's got the traditional wheel, but it's being held by a hooded figure whose face is lost in shadow. It feels SUPER dark to me - one of the darkest cards in the deck, if not the darkest. And that's strange because that card is one, with my RWS deck, that I tend to read very positively - it's a "the world turning in your favor" kind of card. But it's hard to square that with the darkness of the figure holding the wheel, so ... ... I'm not quite sure how I should read it. I'd love it if anyone could take a look at the card on google and tell me how they would read it. Also, how do you approach this situation, in general, when the card has different emotional connotations than the traditional meaning?
ali3n Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 i looked it up, (is it the art nouveau one? ;D) i really liked it! xD the colors are very soft and pastel, and the hooded figure doesnt look too dark to me, it acts as a replacement of the sphinx doesnt it? then i would still see it as the "stability amid movement" element of the card, but also as the mistery that it holds, as you never know when will the wheel spin ^-^
Avalon Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 I looked it up too and I like it very much. I don't think it's dark at all, very "Destiny" personification. The wheel, the rod and the thread. The white lines that looks kind of like a "D" for Destiny and a "P" for the Parcae. I really like it. <3
Arch Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 I guess what one projects under that hood is a personal subjective thing. It is dark under there, but so is the the shadow behind you when you are facing the sun. If you want to go with dark, one could imagine that the character in death have been given responsibility of turning the wheel. He does after all have the same cloak and such in that deck... I have always viewed the death card as representing time personally, so that is what makes sense to me. But as Avalon[/member] said, it makes sense as a personification of destiny too. It is up to you to interpret it as you wish.
EmpyreanKnight Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 I looked at it and it's great! It's just one card, so I'll post it here: If it helps, I think that she is one of the Moirai. They are the Greek goddesses of inevitable fate, and they're usually depicted shrouded. They are the ones who control the threads of one's life, with Clotho as the "spinner", Lachesis as the "disposer" (determines how long the thread of a man's life is), and Atropos as the "inevitable" (snips the thread when the time's up).
EmpyreanKnight Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 Also, welcome to the forum, Catspur. ^-^
EmpyreanKnight Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 I looked it up too and I like it very much. I don't think it's dark at all, very "Destiny" personification. The wheel, the rod and the thread. The white lines that looks kind of like a "D" for Destiny and a "P" for the Parcae. I really like it. <3 Avalon's right, the Parcae are like the Roman Moirai. Didn't even notice the thread, it's the shroud that caught me.
Arch Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 EmpyreanKnight[/member] I like the spinners of fate interpretation :)
Hedera Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 I love that card! It doesn't feel dark to me, but such things are very personal. The hooded figure reminds me a lot of Destiny of the Endless, from Gaiman's Sandman books.
ali3n Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 EmpyreanKnight[/member] thats very interesting! nice interpretation·▽·)
Wanderer Posted September 22, 2018 Posted September 22, 2018 I can see why you call it dark, Catspur, but I'd read it more as solemn. There's a lot in this that differs from other versions I've seen, so it's an interesting card, and I think the comments about the weavers are probably very close. This is why... The figure is human, and living, but faceless. The shadow under the hood takes away their individuality; this is not so much a single person, but a process. His/her name doesn't matter. Their identity is the role they play. He/she is holding the wheel, signifying power over it, or at least guardianship. It is a secure grip, with both arms, as if it were delicate, heavy, or just plain vital to the future of the universe. The 'window' in the background reminds me of a keyhole, so that this figure with the wheel can symbolically unlock the futures of the figures behind: the lion, hawk, bull and woman. Their futures are dependent on the guardianship of the wheel. All this points to the figure being one of the weavers, or some other instrument through which the wheel turns, and lives are lived. His/her role is serious, solemn and vital to everything else, even if we know nothing of the person within the shroud. So, the messages I get from this are that the wheel turns, and everything (good or ill) is dependent on it being allowed to do so. Stopping the wheel leads to disaster. Dropping the wheel is the end. Those who help the wheel to turn, or who draw out the threads as it happens, devote their existence to keeping the cycles going, and this is as it must be... I can imagine this signifying (in a reading) a situation where dedication is needed to a single purpose that must not be allowed to falter. I can also see the card as a whole being about the fact that changes are not only inevitable, but crucial to everything. Sometimes the changes are good, and sometimes not. The bearer of the Wheel is not joyful, because s/he has seen it all before, and will see it all again. Good or bad, it is all part of the necessary cycle. Knowledge of change is enough.
Catspur Posted September 22, 2018 Author Posted September 22, 2018 Wow! Thank you all so much! This is exactly the sort of answer I was hoping for - I'm already shifting how I think and feel about the card! Y'all are great! I'm so glad I posted the question here.
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