The four living creatures in tarot
The prophet Ezekiel saw four living creatures with the faces of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle, and the Book of Revelation places four such beasts around the throne of God. Christian art made them the symbols of the four evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Astrologers matched them to the four fixed signs, Aquarius, Leo, Taurus and Scorpio. In the Waite-Smith deck they sit in the corners of the Wheel of Fortune, winged and reading books, and of the World. They stand for the stable order and the four elements that hold the turning world together.
Cards that show the four living creatures
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Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune: The four living creatures
An angel, an eagle, a bull and a lion sit on clouds in the corners, each with an open book. They are the creatures of Ezekiel's vision and Revelation, later the emblems of the four Evangelists, and are often linked to the fixed signs of the zodiac. They return on the World.
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The World
The World: The four living creatures
A man's head (top left), an eagle (top right), a bull (bottom left) and a lion (bottom right) appear in clouds at the corners. They come from Ezekiel and Revelation and later became the symbols of the four Evangelists. The same creatures surround the Wheel of Fortune.