Fortune’s Wheelhouse

Episode 59: Ten of Swords

The 10 of Swords! the Lord of Ruin! (We had to get there sometime.)  Who does not shudder to see this card, even in the cheeriest of readings?  Here at the end of thought and reason, the Sun rules over the final decan of Gemini.  The sky is black, but for a line of sunlight on the horizon. The contrasts of light and shadow are stark and brutal, and the consequences of choices made in the 8 and 9 of Swords are all too clear. Why does this Sun card contrasts so harshly with the others - Virtue, Pleasure, Prudence, and Power? In our discussion we look at the summer solstice, the dark hour before the dawn, Hexagram 43 ("Eliminating,") Phanes the light bringer, Praxidike the goddess of revenge, sthenic disease, Thomas Becket and his hair shirt, the head pierced by the sword, the prana mudra, the smashing of governments, the principles of terrorism, the Fall, exposure and nakedness, the crew of the Argo, the tragedies of Jason and Medea, many twins of dark and light - Dylan and Lleu; Horus and Set; Cain and Abel; Ahura Mazda and Ahriman; Castor and Pollux - the deprivation of sleep and the madness of a light that never turns off. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the crystallizations of the sephira Malkuth, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 58: Nine of Swords

Be afraid, be very afraid!  We have arrived at the Lord of Cruelty (or if you like your fear extra crunchy, the 'Lord of Cruelty and Despair'), the 9 of Swords.  In this swordsiest of swords cards, Mars governs the middle decan of Gemini.  The portentous moment we faced in the 8 has reached critical mass, and something must be cut away. One twin dies that the other may live, but oh how cruel the choice! In our discussion we look once again at Biblical and mythic twins, at the Tower and the Lovers cards, at stories of disastrous affairs and the fall from Eden.  We discuss psychopaths and fanatics, lunatics and philosophers, Romeo and Juliet, religious zealotry, sorrow's magnification into cruelty, the threefold law, resignation and courage, cutting cleverness, mockery, sleeping draughts, waking nightmares and guilty consciences, Yesod as the foundation and the blueprint for reality, and sympathetic magic. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the magic and power of the number Nine, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 57: Eight of Swords

With this episode we arrive at the three cards of Gemini: the 8, 9, and 10 of Swords: dreaded by many and relished by few!  Yet the cards of the twins are full of uniquely human dilemmas and insights.  The questions they ask, and the challenges they pose, offer answers to the riddle of the human condition. The 8 of Swords, the Lord of Interference or Shortened Force, poses perhaps the biggest one of all.  Its associated major arcana are the Wheel of Fortune and the Lovers - in other words, the potent confrontation of fate and free will. We discuss the story of the fall from Eden, as well as famous twins like Castor and Pollux, Cain and Abel.  The 8 of Swords corresponds to Jupiter ruling the first decan of Gemini, one of Mercury's signs, and we investigate the relationship of Zeus and Hermes, the father with his trickster son, the lords of Gemini and its opposite, Sagittarius.   We share our nicknames for the card - "the snagged bobbin," "the monkey wrench," "the push and pull".  Here, too, are decision paralysis, OCD, the proliferation of systems, a collection of multicultural daggers, and the "knowledge of numbers and arts in which there is no profit." To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah,the intelligences and systems of the number Eight, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 56: Seven of Swords

NEW THIS WEEK - Be sure to check out Susie's new website at www.tsusanchang.com ! In this week's episode we look at the 7 of Swords, the Lord of Futility or Unstable Effort - and oh, so much more! Here a divided mind brings both skill and sabotage; here dwell actors, diplomats, tricksters, politicians, and the spirit of wily Odysseus, beloved and scorned by the gods.  The moon's rulership of this final Aquarian decan brings flexibility, inconstancy and a familiarity with exile. In our discussion, we talk about the "accomplishing of will and giving of offense, Orpheus and the fatal look-back, the role of the shaman as a citizen of many realms, the "mutilated heads" of the Picatrix and the destruction of the ego, the tzaddiq's secret of a good deed done for its own sake, fairies and changelings,  Maupis d'Aigremont, journeys across the abyss with camel and tent, Osiris, the 49 days of the Bardo, improvisation, the monkey mind, distractions and multitasking, procrastination, games and the players who play them, rheumatic boxers, and kings in disguise. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the quests and desire goddesses of Netzach, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 55: Six of Swords

This week we arrive at a welcome point of harmony in the suit of the mind with the 6 of Swords, the Lord of Science or Earned Success.  Here are journeys of the spirit and the body, problems solved and refuges reached.  Mercury, world traveler and expert decoder, rules over this middle decan of starry Aquarius, interpreting its distant guidance and plotting a course toward its light. Along the way we encounter St. Brigid and the feast of Candlemas/Imbolc, and Nuit, weather divination, Aquarius rulers Saturn as discipline and Uranus as innovation, and swift Mercury exploiting the gifts of both.  We explore the rosy cross, invulnerable swordsmen, rivers as fresh starts, the harmony of things, music of spheres, the bridge of the conscious and unconscious minds, the conquest of Phobos, the rules of the road, the ferryman as Charon, and above all, the art of navigation. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the sacrificial gods of Tiphereth, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 54: Five of Swords

This week we confront the 5 of Swords, the Lord of Defeat - an uncomfortable place at best and a dangerous no man's land at worst.  Here Venus rules over the first decan of Aquarius, but the combined peaceful natures of that planet and that sign are no match for the harsh power of a 5.  The truce of the 4 of Swords has fallen; winners gloat and losers suffer. In our conversation we discuss the contrast of Venus' warm close opulence with the remote stylings of Aquarius, and the ways in which motion comes to the aid of matter and breaks up stasis. We consider the fall of Rome and Epicene cults, mutilated heads, the goddess , piracy, slaves of giants, swastikas and Germany, risks undertaken, ways navigated and found, the averse pentagram, respect for authority, and the tragic failure of good intentions. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the war gods of Geburah, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 53: Four of Swords

This week we explore the Lord of Truce or Peace Restored; the 4 of Swords represents a moment of sweet relief between the sorrows of the 3 and the Pyrrhic battles of the 5. Benevolent Jupiter rules over this decan of measured Libra, allowing cooler heads to win the day.  For a moment, all the forces of the Wheel are in alignment. All parties agree, though their détente may not be destined to last. In our episode we discuss what conflicts precede and follow this truce; what greatness of mind allows it.  We consider St. Andrew and the saltire cross, the loaves and fishes, the moment of inertia and the tightrope walker's pole, the refuge of structure,  Nemesis, Tyche, and Agathos Daimon, the knight's vigil, the vajra as thunderbolt, the rose of 49 petals, the isolation of the hermit and the religious retreat, compromises and diplomacy. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the sky gods of Chesed, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 52: Three of Swords

This week, as one must do eventually, we visit the Lord of Sorrow in his rainy palace.  The 3 of Swords is a card few rejoice to see, and yet in its depths lie jewels worth mining despite their cost. Here Saturn rules over the middle decan of Libra, in the sign if not the degree of its exaltation.  As he grinds the harvest of late September, the burden of his inevitability sits heavy on our hearts.  Even as we seek Justice in our lives, we carry the weight of the World. Here we discuss contracts and chains, heartbreaks and rejections; Saturn's power to crystallize, bind, and teach.  We visit the Queen of Swords, Binah in Yetzirah, the Dark Mother and the Bright Mother, the seven sorrows of Mary, and the womb of Chaos.  We consider the python and the Pythia, the enlightenment of the Buddha, the cracked heart jar, and the many purposes of rain. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the mother gods of Binah, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 51: Two of Swords

In this episode we welcome the 2 of Swords, the Lord of Peace or Peace Restored.  What is Peace doing in the suit of warfare, we ask?  What mental or intellectual capacities contribute to Peace? the 2 of Swords is the first of the three Libra cards in the minor arcana.  The Moon rules this decan of the Scales, lending her changefulness and resilience to the avatar of Justice. We consider the conflicted nature of the mind, restorative justice, equal and opposed points of view, and the uses of silence, the mind in motion, the wisdom of Chokmah.  We look at: silence and chastity, fair relationships, the mysteries of the numbers 2 and 11, the goddess Ma'at and feather of truth, the Erinyes, Athena, blindfolds, hoodwinks, veils, stages, dangerous rocks, angels, daggers, rapiers, and spiraling pinwheels. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the father gods of Chokmah, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.

Episode 50: Ace of Swords

With a crack of thunder and a whoosh of air, the Ace of Swords cuts through the clouds! In this episode we introduce the most turbulent suit in tarot, where geniuses and madmen reside and brilliance and doom go hand in hand.  Swords represent our own human minds: they solve puzzles, plan and organize, attack and defend; they govern thoughts, conflicts, and words. Of the four suits, Swords are the most profoundly dual in nature.  They cut both ways, for good and evil.  Why, how, and in what ways they do so are the subjects of our inquiry. We speak about the Ace of Swords' connection to Air and the Fool, as well as the air trumps Justice, the Star, and the Lovers.  We consider the sword as the Magician's weapon, which helps him open doors to other realms, and the manner in which the ideas of one realm become the reality of the next.  We talk about the letter vav of YHVH, as well as Yetzirah (the world of 'formation'), invoked vs. natural power, the North Pole, the nature of will and desire, crowns, symbols, serpents of knowledge, knights, errant, the concepts of thelema and agape, the many forms of love, the number 6 and the number 93 - and the mind itself as creation and destruction. To learn more about the suit of Swords, the world of Yetzirah, the creator gods of Kether, the color schemes of the cards, and so much else, be sure to visit us at www.patreon.com/fortuneswheelhouse. You can also shop for Fortune's Wheelhouse T-shirts, mugs, backpacks, stickers, and more! at our RedBubble shop.