understanding of the wheels movement and the sphinx at the top. Even as life transforms and our situations alternate, could we not also stand strong as a sphinx, using our inner power and inner peace to remain intact and unaltered by lifes sometimes challenging situations ? Could we root ourselves in our strength and use our will to steer ourselves where we want to go, honoring our own unique spirit and being firm with our convictions, despite what others may say or think about us? Are we not guardians of our own truth? The sword is held over the heart, could it not be seen as a shield of protection? Do we not also need to sometimes protect ourselves from chaos - both outer and inner? And embrace our convictions when problems arise? The sphinx adds breathed to the cards illumination.
Lets turn our attention to the other figures, there are four winged figures in the card, each a different character. We see a bird, a lion, a bull and a woman or what looks to be an angel. All signs of the Zodiac. They each sit in the clouds and each seem to be reading a book or writing something. Could they intuitively each be symbols of our inner characteristics? Do we sometimes need to be gentle like the angel or powerful like a lion? Situations arise in our life as the cycles of life unfold before us. What if we embraced the qualities of a bird, what would it feel like to fly above the disarray and gain a new perspective? Might we need to actually be like a bull and stand firm, not allowing ourselves to be diminished or shaken by miserable energy that might want to aggravate us?
I see these figures as different aspects of the self and of life. They form my experiences in life and each to me represents an aspect of an energy within myself, I may need to embrace as I flow forth through life. Tapping into my truth as my outer wheel and inner wheel turn in constant motion. These four figures appear to be reading or writing. As we examine this isn't it ourselves who write our own life story? Can we pick up the pen at anytime and change our fortunes?