The Wheel of Fortune & The Events of January 6, 2021

Pictured above is “Fortune” by Nino Japaridze

On January 6, 2021, after a nail-biter of an election, two men won seats in the United States Senate. One man, Raphael Warnock is Black, while the other, John Ossof is Jewish. After he won, Warnock remarked in an interview with Good Morning America, “Georgia is in such an incredible place when you think about the arc of our history. We are sending an African-American pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. served, and also Jon Ossoff, a young Jewish man, the son of an immigrant, to the U.S. Senate. This is the reversal of the old Southern strategy that sought to divide people. In this moment, we’ve got to bring people together in order to do the hard work.”

On the same day, a mob stormed the Capitol in Washington, D.C., terrorizing the lawmakers inside, including the Vice President. This resulted in five deaths and multiple injuries. As the world watched in horror, one man waved the Confederate flag in the hall - something that has never happened in U.S. history, even during the Civil War. As I write this, many of those responsible are still at large.

The Wheel of Fortune showing up in the world.

In the Japaridze Tarot deck, the tenth Major Arcana card, normally referred to as “The Wheel of Fortune” is entitled simply “Fortune.” Illustrated by a beautiful surrealist painting, we see a dark circle within a larger golden circle. Within the circles there are tiny squares of color collected inside a pattern of triangles. In the dark along the top of the card appear golden spheres, one with its light shining downwards, while under the wheel the same pattern of colorful squares seem to be simultaneously growing larger and disintegrating. Diamonds are floating topsy-turvy around the wheel with two more golden orbs settling towards the bottom of the card. The patterns of circles, triangles and cubes contrast the more random and chaotic environment they appear in. “Fortune” typically alludes to surprising events outside of us or beyond our control showing up in our lives.

Interestingly, we are not sure simply by observation whether the wheel is going up or down. Or perhaps, it is doing both at the same time. Here, our perspective is key, since really, our fortunes are always going up or down, depending on how we view events. No matter what your political beliefs are, you will have to admit that what seems like a “win” for one side feels like a horrible loss for the other. What is fascinating is that both events described above - enormous, incredible, historic wins and losses regardless of your perspective - happened on the same day!

This is the Wheel of Fortune, my friends.

Right now, like me, you may feel dizzy, out-of-balance and like the earth is spinning out of control. However, it is important that we realize we have more control than we think! We must remember that it is how we respond to events that determines whether they will be “fortunate” or “unfortunate.” Additionally, we must acknowledge that all situations hold both positive and negative within them. For example, I believe that the murder and mayhem in the The Capitol is absolutely unacceptable, but I’m glad so many have come forward (finally) to condemn these actions. Conversely, I’m saddened that it took so long for a Black man to be elected to the Senate from Georgia, but heartened to see that hard work and collaboration paid off.

Thus we have The Wheel of Fortune. Be ready to be surprised when it shows up!