Fortune’s Wheelhouse

Episode 39: Four of Cups

In this week's episode, we look at the super-lunar 4 of Cups, where the moon presides over the final decan of Cancer, waning and waxing to the full.  A high tide of luxury washes into shore, amplified and reflected by its silver mirror.  Yet there are also "seeds of decay in the fruit of pleasure" - the grit that causes the pearl to form, layer by layer. Here we consider blue nuns and vehicles of conveyance, emotional peaks and troughs, the sea as nurturer and destroyer.  We consider First World Problems, and the contest of dissatisfaction and adequacy.  We consider crabs and camels, lotuses and waves.  And we wonder, some of us not for the first time, what on earth a 'celhafe' could be. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, 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 38: Three of Cups

Themes of enclosure reflect and refract in the abundant 3 of Cups, where the messenger god brings his quicksilver tongue to the world of emotions.  Mercury rules this second decan of Cancer; festivities and games preside over the hour, and all good things. Yet there is an undercurrent of danger; the most tempting fruits may be those that are forbidden. In this episode we also speak of Demeter and Persephone, Mercury as psychopomp, Dionysus, the threefold nature of women - the three Graces and the nine Muses.  We consider grapes and pomegranates, grains and gourds, journeys of safe and unsafe passage.  We consider the armor of the Chariot and the confinements of Binah, and the layered protection of eggs and walled gardens. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, 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 37: Two of Cups

Ah, the 2 of Cups!  The most welcome of sights in readings on many subjects, particularly romance.  But the so-called Lord of Love is more than just a pretty face.  Associated with Venus and the second decan of Cancer, it is the beginning of a story of passion, sacrifice, and surrender. In this episode we speak of many kinds of love: maternal love, love under will, divine love, romantic love.  We speak of the Chariot and the Empress, the mirror of Venus in which we catch the gaze of the Other, the red lion of alchemy, crabs and doors, and, last but certainly not least, the mysteries of dolphins. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, 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 36: Ace of Cups

Here we begin the suit of Cups, watery and full of feeling.  The Ace of Cups is the complement of the Ace of Wands: the Grail to its Lance, the Form to its Force, the lunar yoni to its solar phallus.   It is Kether, the Crown, in Briah, the world of Creation.  It is the West, white brilliance, and the second letter or primal Heh of the divine name, the ה of יהוה.   In this episode we speak of holy water, the power To Dare or To Love, the mysteries of the Holy Spirit, the "unmoved mover" and the Cup of Stolistes.  We consider the Ace of Hearts, visions and dreams, the desire to connect, and the continuity of one life and the next. To learn more about the suit of Cups, the world of Briah, 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.

Episode 35: Page or Princess of Wands / Page-Princess Overview

In this episode we begin with an overview of one of the best kept secrets of the Western esoteric tradition: the power of the Daughter, the final letter of the Tetragrammaton or Divine Name. We then move on to the Page or Princess of Wands:  Make way for the Rose of the Palace of Fire!  the princess disguised as a humble page.  Is she the beginning or the culmination of the suit?  Is she sleeping in potential or established in might?  She is the "throne of the Ace," the lowest in the highest, Kether in Malkuth.  Here we find her Highness (or her Lowness) on fire, in the heart of Leo the lion as the sun rounds its northernmost position relative to the equator. We discuss her relationship to death and rebirth and her altar to the rite of spring, the geomantic figure Cauda Draconis, I Ching hexagram 27 (Yí, "Nourishing"), to salamanders, roses, and the ferocious tiger of the spatial quadrant of Asia Pacific.   She is a force of nature who is not to be denied! To learn more about the suit of Wands, the world of Atziluth, the earthly magnificence of Rider Waite Smith  Pages or Thoth Princesses, 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 34: Knight or Prince of Wands

Whether you call him the Knight of Wands (RWS) or the Prince of Wands (Thoth), he is as bright as the sun and as bold as the lion!  A creature of the last decan of Cancer and the first two decans of Leo, he is the heart of fire, fixed yet on the move.  We consider his relationship to the 4 of Cups, the 5 of Wands and the 6 of Wands - how he glories in strife and victory, reveling in the spotlight, passionate in his voice, carried away by his own charisma!  We speak also of the geomantic figure Fortuna Major, and I Ching hexagram 42 ("Augmenting").  He is the airy part of fire, so hold on tight as gusts of wind feed and fuel the leaping flames! To learn more about the suit of Wands, the world of Atziluth, the airy willpower of Rider Waite Smith  Knights or Thoth Princes, the sephira 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 33: Queen of Wands

Welcome to the Queen of Wands, a palace of mirrors in which flames leap and multiply! Forthright and frank, sensual and feline, she possesses a magnetism that makes her the center of attention wherever she goes.  We release this episode just as the Sun rounds through her domain, the last decan of Pisces and the first two decans of Aries.  We consider her relationship with the 10 of Cups, 2 of Wands and 3 of Wands -  her quest to dominate and her yearning to surrender.  We speak of war queens and the thyrsus wand of Bacchus, the pine cone and the sunflower.  We speak of salamanders, cougars, leopards, lions, and...of course...Snuffles the Black Cat! To learn more about the suit of Wands, the world of Atziluth, the watery mysteries of the Queens, the sephira 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 32: King or Knight of Wands / Overview of the Courts

Welcome to the courts! the most complex, enigmatic, and at times maddening cards in tarot.  But here at Fortune's Wheelhouse we love the court cards in all their hard-to-grasp humanity, and we hope our discussion will help you in your own quest to come to terms with them.  In this episode we discuss the esoteric structure of the court card system and its relationship to the face cards of the familiar poker deck. We talk about the ever-so-unfortunate divergence in nomenclature between RWS courts and Thoth courts, and about all the fourfold systems represented in the courts. For the King of Wands (RWS) or Knight of Wands (Thoth) we come within scorching distance of the fiery part of fire! We consider his relationship to the 7 of Cups and the 8 and 9 of Wands, as well as to the majors Death and Temperance/Art.  We talk of thunder and lightning, Hercules and Caesar, the mysteries of salamanders and black stallions and how His Speedy Swiftness makes us "Click to Buy"! To learn more about the suit of Wands, the world of Atziluth, the fiery powers of Thoth Knights/Rider Waite Smith Kings, the sephira 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 31: Ten of Wands

Feeling tired?  overburdened? weighted down and leaden-limbed?  welcome to the Lord of Oppression! In the 10 of Wands, cold, dry Saturn governs the final decan of the fire sign Sagittarius.  The embers are fading here at the northern Hemisphere's winter solstice; a mere pinpoint of southern light at the darkest time of the year.  Here the associated majors, Temperance and the World or Universe, combine in an uneasy duet of aspiration and enclosure. In this episode we speak of the burden, the barrier, and the weight; the perils of "lust of result," and the 99% perspiration that goes into all creative acts.  We find Hephaistos and Ananke, and a surfeit of ambition which can only be cured by compassion, when the 10 of Wands gives way to the Ace of Cups.  To learn more about the suit of Wands, the world of Atziluth, the ripe transformation of the number Ten, 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.

BONUS EPISODE: The Occulture podcast interviews Mel and Susie

Mel and Susie get interviewed for the first time! about the Fortune's Wheelhouse podcast.  Our host is Ryan Peverly of the Occulture podcast, which is - as you might guess - a show about the culture of esotericism.  It's a wildly diverse production that includes magicians, alchemists, writers, bloggers, creatives and practitioners of all stripes. Ryan's style is probing yet irreverent, and you'll see that he has a gift for asking questions that draw out thoughtful answers. If you've ever wondered about how we got started in tarot, or how Fortune's Wheelhouse began, our theories about what's going on in the oracular moment, or what it sounds like when we use esoterics in a reading, you won't want to miss this one!