THE WHEEL of FORTUNE

Back in late September, my sisters in the dance and I were planning to be the 7th Caravan of Zott for the Fisher's Renaissance Faire . The three dancing goddesses had designed dance routines and woven beautiful, period costumes. We were attending rehearsals when we realized we needed to develop more shtick. Out of no where, I decided we needed a Rom Flag and proceed research and design one. I hand painted the design and then stitched the fabric by hand to be SCA accurate. So, as part of my shtick I began to wave the flag in front of people and chant "When the Wheel of Fate Pass a in Front of you, everything a changes" in between my Crazy Spider Lady bits. At that time I did not know how accurate this prophecy would be...

According to Diane Neufer, one of the Faire directors, measured by the number people asking for the Gypsies all weekend we were a Hugh success . We had found our niche. Safiya bint Davud read Tarot Cards, Parvaneh Ravan handed out blessing from her decorative bottles of rosewater, and I a practice my chiromancy. We were joined by our dance sister Zafirah who was learning to read Runes. The heat and humidity was horrid, but the goddesses wove excitement into each fortune they told. I felt very alive teaching the myths that native Hoosier's had not heard.

In my first pieces dated November 2, I described my fate when I returned back to my 'normal" life. (Ha-Ha.)

In a turn of fate found myself sitting in the parlor where I had been designing and stitching for months. So, I began to sort things out (literally and figuratively .) That's when I discovered a deck of Tarot cards given to me by my sister. (When she got married years ago, her husband, who was raised very Catholic said she couldn't keep them. I knew nothing of the cards at the time, and pack them neatly away. ) I carefully untied the ribbon and unwrapped the fabric they were neatly folded in to discover "THE MYTHIC TAROT" designed by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Green. I squealed out loud to discover I held more mythology in my hand.

Yes, just another coincidence that unfolds.

As I shuffled the deck, I though about "The Fragile Web" and how sometimes the hand of fate appears to come from nowhere. I decided I would be open to the cards. I shuffled once more and drew a card. Now, this is no surprise to some, and others have already guessed the card I held. In my hand was a card that read "THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE."

On the face of this card was three aging Moirai goddesses of fate in a cave weaving human life. Some decks depict them as the maiden, mother and crone. According to Sharman-Burke and Green, the weaving is linked to the growth that takes place in the womb. They suggest that fate is bound up in heredity. If the individual tried to challenges fate or take too much of his apportioned share of life, a the hero sometimes does, they were afflicted with hubris, or too much pride. This would anger the gods. (What had I been saying about my sister Achene being turned into a spider because she suffer a too much hubris?)

Though this card seems to indicate random forces. The Wheel indicates a necessary change. This change represents our consciousness evolving. This may appear to be a turn of events, but signals a new phase of life. We are shaken from complacency when we meet a part of ourselves over which we have no control. We must be willing to allow the wheel to carry us forward. It is a total breach with the previously established identify. It always means movement and evolution.

This event appears to be random chance or coming from out of the blue. But, it brings with it prosperity, joy, happiness and abundance. Some say it represnts Karma.