Welcome to Tarot for Scholars, a resource that helps you weave the deep wisdom of tarot into your daily life and work. In each post, we offer reflections and prompts for exploring your own inner world and unlocking the unique creative power of your scholarship.
Wheel of Fortune
About this card
A vision of the whole cosmos, an intricate design of interrelated pieces, spinning according to the invisible laws of the universe. The cycle of a year, with its pattern of seasons repeated at predictable intervals but never in the exact same way twice. A riddle offered by a sphinx to a hero on their journey. Stepping outside a project to design an outline, gather feedback, or relate the work to the wider world.
Other interpretations
Margy’s cards, clockwise from top left: Radiant Tarot; New Chapter Tarot; Cosmic Slumber Tarot; Shining Tribe Tarot; Elemental Tarot; Navigators Tarot of the Mystic Sea; Spolia Tarot; Tarot of the Spirit.
Helen’s cards, clockwise from top left: Moon & Stars Tarot; Light Seer’s Tarot; Japaridze Tarot; Canes Arcanae; Star Spinner Tarot; Muse Tarot; Tarot of Mystical Moments; Forest of Enchantment Tarot.
Questions and prompts
Reflect on your annual rhythm as a scholar. What are the key qualities and activities of each season? What repeats every year, and what tends to vary? How can this seasonal awareness help you navigate your process?
Think of a time when a “sphinx” has offered you a riddle on your hero’s journey as a scholar. What insight was unlocked by your puzzling over this riddle?
If it feels right, step outside your project to work on the design of the whole, whether by creating an outline, gathering feedback, or reconceptualizing its significance. How might the image of the Wheel of Fortune help you put boundaries around this large-scale task?
Thanks for joining us for Tarot for Scholars! Your hearts, restacks, and comments brighten our day. 💫
Yours in scholarship,
HELEN SWORD is a poet, scholar, award-winning teacher, and founder of the WriteSPACE, an international writing community with members in 30+ countries. Her research-based books, articles, and online tools empower scholarly writers to write more clearly, confidently, prolifically, and with greater pleasure.
Visit Helen’s website here.
MARGY THOMAS is the creator of ScholarShape, a body of work dedicated to elucidating the patterns of Story-Argument across genres, disciplines, and life itself. Through services and DIY resources, Margy helps scholars use Story-Argument patterns to design their work — and to find its deeper meaning and higher purpose.
Visit Margy’s website here.
If this free collaborative resource adds value to your life and work, please consider contributing to our “Helen & Margy IRL fund” so that the two of us (who live on opposite sides of the globe) can meet up In Real Life one day. An annual subscription costs just $1 per tarot card and earns you our eternal gratitude!
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