I have been working on a book that details how to activate the magic within tarot cards. As 2026 is a Wheel of Fortune Year, here are a few snippets from my section on The Wheel of Fortune card:
Devotions to Fortuna: Although different tarot decks’ graphics emphasize
the turning wheel, the card also invokes Fortuna, who is the goddess presence
behind the tarot. Some older decks
portray the goddess at the center of the wheel, while in classical art she
might be portrayed carrying a cornucopia or a rudder, or standing on a
ball. The ancient Romans believed that
each person could have an individual Fortuna as a spirit of good luck, (though,
obviously, some people were better served than others), and so made offerings
to her. Fortuna also had many
manifestations, including Fortuna Muliebris (luck of women), Fortuna Virilis
(luck of young men, though invoked by women seeking a virile mate), Fortuna
Publica (fortune of the greater public), and Fortuna Redux (invoking a safe
return from travel). As a way of
nurturing your own good fortune, you might want to rise in the morning to greet
Fortuna Huiusqce Diei” the “Fortune of this Day.” Ask yourself, “How is my Fortune doing today? What can I do to advance my Fortune
today?” Then, open your door wide to
activate the magic of opening, while saying, “Fero Fortuna! Fortuna Abundia!”
Spinning the Wheel: Part of the magical mindset is being game for new things. This includes taking some chances by making some changes in your routines, pushing beyond some of your normal boundaries, and bringing some randomizers into your plans as a way of playfully spinning the wheel. This is an area where divination can help. For example, if planning a vacation, instead of following your usual inclinations, you could ask the tarot for advice on where to go for a magically delightful trip, then pull a card and consider what its images and meanings might suggest. When you are willing to act on the tarot’s advice, you put yourself out in the realm where marvelous synchronicities can more readily take place.
Wheel Turning Spell: One of the best known of magical charm formulas is the “Sator Arepo” word square shown here. It is a palindrome, meaning that it reads the same way forwards, backwards, and up and down. This formula was popular in the Roman world, (with the earliest known example from Pompeii), and spread through all of Europe, where it was engraved on doors and walls, or written on paper and carried on the person. Its amuletic uses ranged from promoting general well-being, to protecting from fire and other disasters. Though its origin and meaning are not clear, one loose translation suggests it reads, “The sower Arepo holds steady the wheel.” In this respect, it conveys the sense of steadily advancing one’s fortune. You can help direct its forward momentum by inscribing the Sator Arepo square on paper and setting The Wheel card on top of that.
Also, here is a six-day spell for symbolically turning the wheel: write the Sator Arepo square on a piece of paper, and set it out on an altar space. The next day, prepare another square, but with Sator shunted to the bottom, so it reads, “Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas Sator.” On the third day, write out another square with Arepo shunted to the bottom, so the square now starts with Tenet. Go through the same process every day, so on the sixth day, the word square is back to its original state, with Sator on the first line. This completes your rotations. Alternatively, you could get six candles, and inscribe the permutations of the word square on the subsequent days’ candles; when the last candle is burned down, a major change may be effected. Orange candles are most commonly used in spells to change one’s luck. (Note that this spell can also be used when you draw The Chariot card, as there is a similar sense of taking the wheel.)
