Petite Reading
       We cannot control our fortune. Like last week’s note about “fear of change” — our pervasive lack of control, is a tough pill to swallow. If you have difficulty even beginning to accept change, start with the least you can do. The least of the positive steps you can take is simply accepting that change is coming (whatever it may be) — just basic acceptance. If you are able to muster more proactivity, the following is a step further: Which part of a wheel has the most variation (change)? Well, by sheer surface area, the outer part. Which part of a wheel has the least variation? The center. But the center of a wheel rotates faster and is a kind of a hum; the outside of a wheel rotates slower, and is more of a sequence. This week spend time musing on all aspects of The Wheel of Fortune, or The Wheel of Life — in this light. Do you want to be more toward the center or the outer edge of the wheel?

Complete Reading
        This week we pulled the Wheel of Fortune card, reversed. With this card it is first helpful to muse upon what it is not, that is, it is not the rock of fortune, or the bird of fortune or even the dice of fortune. It is a wheel of fortune; an implication that fortune rotates — sometimes you are on top, sometimes off to the side and sometimes at the bottom. But it is always turning; think of this card as rotating too. Since we pulled the card reversed there is an indication to focus on an acute misfortune. When facing this setback know that it is not permanent — even a terminal illness doesn’t last forever (#gallowshumor).
        Our first hexagram, which we partner with our tarot to describe (or further detail) the current situation, is #24, Return (The Turning Point). With this hexagram is the implication that a cycle is completing itself; darkness or decay will yield to young light and a refresh. Like-minded tendencies will begin to coalesce naturally “in full public knowledge” and will be “in harmony with the time” and “all selfish separatist tendencies” will be “excluded.” “The return of health after illness, the return of understanding after an estrangement: everything must be treated tenderly and with care at the beginning, so that the return may lead to a flowering.” There were three changes in this hexagram so expect variation this week. Some specifics regarding these changes are: “Return always calls for a decision and is an act of self-mastery.” Keep in “good company.” Put aside any pride. Look to great people to model yourself after.
        Our second hexagram, the one that suggests how best to meet the challenges (or the changes) is #5, Waiting (Nourishment). Here the notion of patience and anticipation is explored. Since much of life cannot be forced or willed — we have to wait to see what happens. But is waiting only impotence? “Waiting is not mere empty hoping.” “It is only when we have the courage to face things exactly as they are, without any sort of self-deception or illusion, that a light will develop out of events, by which the path to success may be recognized.” Waiting is a kind of preparation. If you can’t take the boat out, take the boat out of the water and prepare it for the journey when it eventually arises. You can do all sorts of great things when waiting — reduce the drag of the barnacles of the past, stock up on supplies, plan more deeply…