Insanity is the New Normal

The Wheel of Fortune: the 21st Path

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ALLIES OF JUPITER

"Mr. M, why are all those things floating in the sky. It looks kind of weird!" Claire exclaims.

“On this path, you see a wheel revolving around and around and feel the innumerable changes of the world and the soul. The life-force pours down through the planes, manifesting in uncountable forms, from angels to bacteria, and our experiences help us to expand and grow more knowledgeable until we feel the harmony and perfection of the wheel itself. We are like the golden snake of regeneration on the way down the wheel. We are like Anubis, moving from the subconscious to super-consciousness. We are like the sphinx at the top of the wheel, containing all of the elements within us. The higher self knows harmony and balance on all levels, the pure, incorruptible gold of spiritual principle.”

“The wheel of fortune, popularized in the middle ages, is the main symbol here. In a common version of the image, a king sits at the top and the destitute are at the bottom, but of course the wheel keeps turning, so the symbol suggests inevitable changes of fortune, the vicissitudes of life. You can be a king one moment and a beggar the next, and the wheel just keeps on turning. In esoteric terms, the wheel is suggesting something deeper: each soul throughout its evolution has an abundance of experiences, some good, some bad, and slowly develops until achieving the Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, who is really the 'daemon,' or higher self. The symbols on the Wheel evoke the alchemical process of dissolution and regeneration. The symbols of the snake, the God Anubis, and the sphinx also suggest the process of death and rebirth. The snake is associated with the God Set, who murdered Osiris; Anubis is the God of the Dead who helps souls transition to another dimension; and the Sphinx is associated with Horus, the symbol of the higher self manifested on the material plane, a God conceived by Isis after Osiris was resurrected. Associated also with Jupiter, The Wheel of Fortune, the Sphinx, and the golden symbols of the four elements reveal integration of the psyche, the spiritual harmony, abundance, and magnificence of the higher self.

“‘The Wheel of Fortune’ as a path connects the sphere of Venus with the sphere of Jupiter. This connecting path is also associated with Jupiter on the pillar of Mercy, the column on the Tree of Life representing force--and this path is all about the dance of the life-force within creation and within you. Jupiter, as you recall, is the great benefic in astrology, and symbolizes the up-building, creative power of the Source. Life issues forth in abundance and thrills through all of creation in forms too numerous to measure, but remember that the life-force flows through every level of your being as well, from your divine core to your bones, or, in other words, from the highest spiritual vibration to the densest physical matter. At each corner, we see again the symbols of the elements, which are essentially symbols not of the elements that science currently recognizes, but of the states of manifestation, the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical levels. The Emanation of Mercy, or Chesed, emanates from Binah, or Understanding, just as Jupiter was born of Saturn, and it might prove beneficial to compare ‘The World,’ the 32nd path associated with Saturn, with ‘The Wheel of Fortune,’ associated with Jupiter.
   “The most obvious similarity is that each path contains the same elemental symbols, but in ‘The Wheel of Fortune,’ each elemental figure is golden and each one is reading a book. Gold is associated with spirit because it is incorruptible, so this path is revealing the beginnings of concrete manifestation. Above, the spheres are primarily archetypal or abstract, at least to our way of thinking. As far as the books are concerned, everything that happens on every level exists in what might be called ‘The Book of Life,’ the mind of God, sometimes called the Akashic Records.
   “Another similarity is that the dancing woman in ‘The World’ is inside of a round figure, an oval. An oval is an elongated circle, essentially one line that goes around forever. The circle in ‘The Wheel of Fortune,’ though, symbolizes transformation, the innumerable transformations within eternity.

   “There is always the sense, as we move up the Tree, of evolution, of improving until the realization of the Great Work. But there is also a very deep lesson about attachment and desire here. There is nothing wrong with desire because it is an essential aspect of the life-force, but remember that the wheel keeps revolving. You keep realizing one goal and moving on to another, but if you become too attached to any particular result or outcome, you might end up disappointed. In a sense, lusting for a particular result is the worst thing you can do. It is a secret of magic that you should create a thought-form of what you desire, fill it with emotion, and release it into the universe--and then forget about it. If you lust for a result, you will inevitably focus on the lack of what you have, instead of the fulfillment of your desire. If you focus always on the lack of peace in the world, you will never have peace; you will always experience the lack of peace. Because the universe is always saying ‘yes,’ if you focus all day on what you don’t have, on whatever it is you’re lacking, the universe will just continue to give you the lack of what you want, not what you want.
   “At the center of the wheel is a symbol of the spirit containing alchemical symbols of transformation. In magic, whatever you desire is ideally based in spiritual principle and manifests down the planes as action or form of some kind in the physical world. At some point, the higher self becomes completely detached from the outcome of desire, becoming an open channel that allows the forces of the Source to manifest for the highest good. More and more, the self becomes refined, until the higher self desires the gold of spiritual principle, instead of the forms of illusion. The higher self simply becomes a co-creator with the Source, knowing that spirit will manifest in magnificent and stunning and befitting ways. Human consciousness, unfortunately, can distort and pervert creation in countless and sometimes even horrific ways. It is then the goal of the co-creator with the Source to neutralize evil and negativity and establish harmony.”

Two of Pentacles: Jupiter in Capricorn

"Look, Mr. M! There's the juggler again!" Claire exclaims.

"Yes, he is very entertaining, isn't he? But remember that the golden pentacles contain the energies of the basic elements and the zodiac and their ruling planets. He is juggling those energies within a green ribbon in the shape of an infinity symbol. As he juggles, he is balancing those energies in the eternal dance of being. He responds with skill and resilience, an eternal child, to the rhythms and vicissitudes of life, balancing powerful life forces as they manifest in all of their diversity."

"Wow, he's good. I wonder if he'll teach me how to juggle?"

"You never know. He just might!" Mr. M chuckles.

Eight of Swords: Jupiter in Gemini

"Mr. M, did that poor woman do something wrong?" Claire asks.

"She seems to be in a terrible predicament. Her bonds, however, are so loose that they seem about to fall off, and the swords, though long and sharp, do not actually imprison her. Behind her looms a castle on a cliff, but no one is guarding her. It appears that she could easily escape bondage. The castle in the distance suggests some authority that demands obedience, keeping people down by conditioning them to believe in their own powerlessness and limitations."

"Is somebody punishing her, Mr. M?"

"The eighth Emanation on the Tree of Life is associated with Mercury, a God who “shortens force” through thought. Thought-forms can establish splendor, but they can also create “mind-forged manacles” that bind us in unproductive and limiting--even self-destructive--behavior.

"However, the influences of Jupiter and Gemini can be felt here as well. Jupiter is the God of expansive, orderly, upbuilding force, and Gemini is a zodiac sign that symbolizes the dual nature of the mortal and immortal within us. The vast sea suggests the potential for expansiveness through contact with cosmic forces.

"The restrictions of the intellect in the material realm can blind a person to the creative expansiveness of the spirit, but for our friend, the bonds are loosening and the blindfold might be about to fall off. Whatever authority put her in that position is off in the distance on a cliff. The forces of Jupiter might eventually liberate her so that, aware of the infinitude and magnificence and harmony within, she frees herself and lives an abundant spiritual life."

Four of Swords: Jupiter in Libra

"Look, Mr. M. That man is still resting. He isn't dead, is he?" Claire whispers.

"Remember that we are seeing him again because he is an ally of Jupiter. He is, of course, also an ally of Libra. He is in a deep meditative state even though three swords are pointing straight down at him. The state of stillness suggests death, but the stained glass window suggests the vividness of his visions. This is a state of deep mental clarity associated with Jupiter and the fourth Emanation on the Tree of Life known as Mercy, a state that enables you to shape the future, clarify the past, envision symbols and internalize spiritual principle. This state is a rest from the usual strife of the conscious mind--it is in reality the lucid awareness of the higher self, a state of knowing linked to the level of spirit transcending the normal, limited awareness of the five senses. He has stilled his conscious mind to comprehend the magnificent patterns of creation and to establish balance in his own sphere of influence."

"Oh, good. I'm glad he's not dead, Mr. M."

Nine of Cups: Jupiter in Pisces

"This guy seems happy with himself, Mr. M."

"A table laden with golden cups forms a semicircle around him. To some, the smile on our friend's face and the abundance of golden cups might suggest happiness achieved through materialism and hedonism. Our friend is feeling the influences of the Moon and Jupiter in Pisces. Our friend is not surrounded by a banquet or emblems of wealth and power but by cups that, like the grail, represent spirit manifesting in matter. Our friend’s brand of hedonism, in other words, leads to joyful spiritual inebriation in the material realm. Our friend realizes that the physical senses are not evil but can be channels for spiritual enlightenment. The physical senses and the subtle senses can both be affected at the same time, the way a piece of music can ravish the ear and at the same time have a profound effect on the emotions to the point of awakening spiritual awareness. Jupiter represents expansive, orderly development, which, when associated with Pisces and the Moon, suggests the expansion of awareness through exploration of the subconscious and the imagination to achieve a higher state of spiritual understanding. In other words, the influence of Pisces and the Moon suggests that material happiness is not just linked to possessions but to an opening of the subtle senses that leads to an expansion of consciousness that occurs through the exploration of the senses, the emotions, the intellect, and the imagination together. Your ally is very much like a ritual magician who uses the imagination and engages the senses with incense and music and color and dance to concentrate the emotions and the intellect on the spiritual force of Jupiter in order to experience inner qualities such as magnificence and harmony, with the aim of living a more abundant life."

"I'm glad he's happy, Mr. M."

Six of Wands: Jupiter in Leo

"Has that man on the white horse won something?" Claire asks.

"Our friend has won a great battle. His wand and his head are both adorned with victory wreaths. In his moment of glory, our friend is feeling the influences of The Sun and Jupiter in Leo. In grandeur of manner, splendor of bearing and magnanimity of personality, the Leo type is a monarch, in attitude at least. Leo types are ambitious, courageous, dominant, strong-willed, positive, independent, and self-confident. These qualities are beneficial in many arenas, of course, but in terms of the Tree of Life, our friend is experiencing the spiritual will in the sixth Emanation known as Beauty. Together with the expansiveness and abundance characteristic of Jupiter, the qualities of Leo are beneficial on the spiritual level in the process known as the Great Work--the transformation from the "lower" or "conditioned" personality to the Higher Self. The unsung inner work of regeneration is often more difficult than any external battle could ever be, but the transformation often results in a victory for both the individual and the community, for when one person wins through to the knowledge of the harmony and light and love of the Higher Self, then others in the community, because of our basic connection at the spiritual level, find it easier to win through to higher awareness."

"Why, that is a beautiful victory, Mr. M."

Go on a different adventure with Mr. M.