We all tend to view life as something that should be easy. Good things should just happen and bad things shouldn’t. Life should be simple. Life should be just full of good times. The sky should never rain on our lives. But rain waters the plants and makes them grow. It gives us water to drink. Without it we’d die. Maybe things we see as bad are equally valuable.
The Hermit is an example of something we don’t want – being alone. Loneliness is indeed a terrible thing and can blight your life. There is, however, another side to this solitude. The traditional hermit would by choice travel to some out of the way place and live alone for years. Why would they do this? To learn. Perhaps you live a very busy life constantly on the go, constantly striving and trying to juggle your responsibilities. Imagine then no noise, no hustle and bustle, just peace, quiet and time for yourself. Imagine what you could learn having taken the time to listen. Being alone isn’t so bad: it depends on your attitude to it.
The Tower indicates another example of something we don’t want - a crisis. Sometimes things happen and we know that we will never be the same again. The Tower shows people falling from a tower. They think that they can fly but they are going to discover that they can’t. It’s about seeing the truth. Sometimes this is painful. It always means that something significant has changed. We go on in life altered by this event. In the future, though, we are stronger because we had this moment of clarity: it focuses your mind, it shows you what can and can’t be achieved. The challenge of the Tower is to pick yourself up and rebuild. Without the lightning strike of the Tower we’d never get a chance to rebuild, bigger and better. Sometimes you have to tear it down in order to start again.
The Wheel of Fortune finishes our triptych of cards. Sometimes really bad people have very good luck. Really good people sometimes have very bad luck. They’re on the Wheel, as we all are. The Wheel turns and life gets wonderful, we are incredibly lucky and we get everything we want. It turns again and everything goes wrong, nothing seems to work out the way we want it to. It turns once more and luck and joy flows into our lives again. This is the truth of life. This is one of the most important lessons in life: everything changes, nothing stays the same.
If you are lonely, you won’t be forever. Try to use this time to grow and learn. If you are going through a crisis, it won’t last. Try to learn what you can and get through it. If you are happy with everything going your way, don’t become complacent. Try to cherish this upward turn of the wheel.
The Wheel of Fortune will continue to turn and we can fight it or we can work with it. Try to learn from everything that happens to you because then you are growing in wisdom no matter what life throws at you. Wisdom is the insulation from the harsher turns of the Wheel. Wisdom gives us the ability to appreciate love. Wisdom enables us the help others when the Wheel turns downwards for them.
'To everything – (turn, turn, turn) There is a season –( turn, turn, turn) And a time for every purpose under heaven' (The Byrds)
