Wheel of Fortune Reversed Meaning
The Wheel of Fortune reversed means you're either resisting inevitable changes or blaming everything on circumstances beyond your control. You're either fighting against natural cycles that need to happen, or you've abdicated all responsibility by claiming nothing is your fault. This card signals either stubborn resistance or victim mentality.
Deck featured: Eastern Arcana Tarot
Core Reversed Meaning
When the Wheel of Fortune reverses, the natural cycles and turning points shown upright become either stuck patterns or chaos you refuse to take responsibility for. You're either trying to stop time, or you're claiming you're helpless in the face of "bad luck."
This reversal represents either resistance to necessary change, or using fate as an excuse to avoid accountability. You're either the person who won't accept that seasons change, or the one who blames the universe for consequences of their own choices.
The Wheel of Fortune reversed shows you're either fighting against the flow of life, or you've given up all agency and decided you're just a victim of circumstance.
In Love & Relationships
In love readings, this reversal signals either refusing to accept that a relationship has run its natural course, or blaming "bad timing" and "fate" for relationship failures you contributed to.
For singles, The Wheel of Fortune reversed can indicate either staying emotionally attached to ex-partners because you can't accept that chapter is over, or claiming "the universe just hasn't sent me my person yet" while doing nothing to actually meet anyone.
In relationships, this card shows either one partner resisting natural relationship evolution, or both partners blaming external circumstances instead of addressing actual relationship problems.
In Career & Money
Professionally, The Wheel of Fortune reversed indicates either refusing to adapt when your industry is clearly changing, or blaming "the economy" or "bad luck" for career problems that stem from your choices.
This card can show staying in dying industries while pretending everything will magically return to how it was, or claiming you're just unlucky when you consistently make poor professional decisions.
Financially, this reversal suggests either refusing to adjust spending when circumstances change, or blaming "bad luck" for money problems while ignoring your actual financial behavior.
Shadow Work Insights
The Wheel of Fortune reversed forces you to examine where you're fighting reality or avoiding responsibility. Are you so attached to how things were that you can't accept how things are? Or are you using "fate" as permission to never examine your own role in your circumstances?
This card asks: What does resisting change protect you from - uncertainty, the grief of endings, or admitting your old strategies don't work anymore? What does claiming victimhood give you - absolution from responsibility, permission to stay passive, or sympathy without having to change?
The Wheel of Fortune reversed demands you either accept that change is constant, or take responsibility for how you respond to it.
Common Misconceptions
Some readers interpret this reversal as simply "bad luck" or "unfortunate timing." While difficult periods can appear, more often this card signals your response to change is the actual problem.
The Wheel of Fortune reversed isn't about external bad luck - it's about either resisting inevitable change or refusing to acknowledge your role in your circumstances. Struggling with change? Our guide to The Hermit reversed explores withdrawal versus engagement.
This reversed card brings the message of examining your relationship with change. Let it guide your next reading toward acceptance or accountability.
Stop Googling Card Meanings - Start Reading with Confidence
Get my beginner-friendly $22 course and learn to trust your intuition instead of memorizing meanings. Practice with simple spreads and build confidence without constantly looking things up
