The Druidic College

Yule is an Old Norse word, which literally mean “Wheel.” For the Norse, Celtic and Roman Pagans this was a time when the Goddess turned “The Wheel of the Year” to its beginning point, the “New Year.” The tarot card “Wheel of Fortune” is linked astrologically to the Tropic of Capricorn, when the sun reaches the lowest point of the year, Yule - the Winter Solstice. The Wheel represents a cyclic time, the year and its seasons.

Many decks show the Wheel of Fortune with a crank. It advocates that the turn of events in our lives and seasons do not just happen, but some unknown hand, the Goddess – God, universal law, or karma - spins the “Wheel.” The “Wheel” goes into motion, nothing exists, everything is becoming and everything is dying at the same time. Just as some of our body cells are dying, new ones are being born. A further thought of the Wheel is that it represents reincarnation. Life changes and new possibilities emerge. The Wheel turns constantly up or down, nothing stays the same, except for the center, the hub, and it remains constant. The center of the Wheel is the “core of our being.” As the Wheel is set into motion the events in our lives radiates from the center, our possibilities. The “Wheel” reminds us of the fruitful times and the barren times and it marks the movements between life and death.

The “Wheel of Fortune” is also associated with the planet Jupiter. Jupiter is regarded as the planet of growth and expansion, opportunities, innovative possibilities and the pursuit to expand and broaden our knowledge, vision, and understanding. We are all part of this Great Cosmic Round there is no escaping the Wheel. We are each born at a particular time, as complete and whole individuals and set apart from everyone else, within our own natal horoscope, the destiny or blueprint of life.

Let us reflect on the Wheel’s revolution from the perspective of the ancient Celtic pagan myth of the two Kings who fight for supremacy at Yule. The Holly King crowns the “Wheel”, while the Oak is placed at the bottom. The Oak King’s (King of the waxing year) irreconcilable force kills the Holly King (King of the waning year). The Oak King will reign until the midsummer when the two will battle again with the Holly King as the victor. The Oak King will, at this time, crown the “Wheel”, while the Holly is placed at the bottom. The Queen (Goddess) is the hub of the Wheel, “the land”, the Kings symbolize the year. In the spring and early summer the King is young, strong and healthy, the land is fertile and fruitful. However, in the autumn the King grows old and the land becomes barren. To restore a potent and strong consort for the Goddess, the King is sacrificed once again and a new successor is chosen.