My mother taught me Tarot. She was taught by the Gypsies - back in the old world. ALL cards are drawn at random from the deck. I will explain no more about me and cut to the chase.

President George's Bush's tarot for the rest of 2004.

First look at the Cards Bush will be playing with and their positions.

The Significator, this is what the Tarot reading speaks to: The Two of Wands is the Lord of Dominion. The picture says it all. The world in his hands, the two poles (wands) suggest a weighing of alternatives. Two factions within the administration are fighting to get his ear on where to take matters in the remaining days of his existing administration.

Covering Card, this covers him: The Three of Cups. Celebration to be sure what with the victory and the inaugural coming up. Yet, President Bush would be wise to be wary of his insiders. They may appear in harmony in front of him, but behind the scenes some of them are not pleased and have reservations about policy.

Crossing Card, behind the scenes - everything has a secret side: Queen of Swords. This is a powerful woman who wields the sword. Though she is a queen, she is old school and works to the benefit of conservative forces. She is deep in this mix of cards and working behind the scenes and she has as much to celebrate as Bush himself. Is this Condoleezza Rice? Whoever she is, she is far more powerful and central than even the President suspects.

The Foundation, this is below him on which he stands: Seven of Cups. Sometimes called Megalomania, this card is particularly troublesome, especially in this spot. This is not Bush himself, necessarily. It is the atmosphere around him as well. It verges on the Crime of Hubris. All things are possible, or so it seems, but after Hubris comes Nemesis and the President should be on guard against getting carried away.

Behind, this is finished business: Ten of Swords. Almost sacrificially, the figure lays on a lonely beach, stabbed in the back. The figure serves as an example to others. Kerry is out of the way as is Sadam. So is Colin Powell. The new Bush administration is truly going to go in new directions. Bush is sincere when he says he believes he has a mandate and he intends to make his second Presidency more vital than his first. The Queen of Swords survives while others are no longer part of the inner circle.

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Above, what is hanging in the air: Five of Wands. A quarrel, an argument, a feud. Remember the crossing card? The inner circle's possible disaffection. Well, it may break out openly that the power struggle will erupt openly and the President may have trouble keeping the lid on. Certain factions within the administration are pushing for the President to act now, while he can, and rid himself of certain individuals who are a liability. Now's the time to do it as later it will be more obvious. What better time than during the appointments for the new administration - and it may be more than Donald Rumsfeld who is under fire.

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In Front, this is right in front. Queen of Cups. The Queen of Hearts, as it were - an important woman, but not like the Queen of Swords. My take is that Laura Bush will be more important in this than people realize. The President found she was a valuable ally during the election, not only in getting votes, but also in thinking things through. The President and First Lady are discussing developments and those who do not take Laura into account are misunderestimating her influence.

The Outcome, the future: The High Priestess. Hidden forces at work. This goes well beyond the inner jockying for power within the administration. Notice the two pillars of power that we saw in the Significator - the two wands. The wood turns to marble. The woman holds the Torah. The B stands for Bereishith, the beginning, Genesis, J for the Prophets, Joshua being the first of them. Prophecy is being fulfilled. The crescent moon of Islam is also in the picture. The only card in this reading that is not a sword, wand, or cup. In Tarot this is called a "Higher Arcana" card. The week's events are minor, but they add up to something major for the future.

The Meanings

The President is feeling very upbeat and feels boundless optimism as the year ends. He is making the decisions he feels will assure his place in history and he is surrounding himself with like minded people. Laura Bush is his closest confidant in this and he believes he owes his re-election to her guidance.

The President wishes to consolidate his power and he knows that with the right team, his second term will assure his place in history.

The mid-East, obviously, is much on his mind, but it is so central to him that it crowds out most other things. For example, the reading drew no pentacles - coins, as it were - and so his concerns about money are in the background. The issues Bush wants to grapple with are those of Realpolitik. Like his father, international politics are far closer to his heart than those of the American economy and he is thinking that the American economy is best served by expanding America's might and influence overseas.

His Achilles heel is pictorialized in the Seven of Cups, the Foundation Card. The infinite possibilities are not as infinite as the President may believe. With the election over, the opposition is laying low and licking its wounds. Inauguration is always a time of celebration. All things seem possible.

And yet, the President does have his eyes square on the mid-East and he sees himself in prophesy and his political appointments also fulfill his religious vision of the future. Look to the last books of the New Testament if you want to understand what the President may be thinking. He is not going to force the end times, but his plan is to have the machinery in place if that should turn out to be so. But this is a minor note in this reading at this time.

This week will have longterm consequences and there will be some shifts of power, but the President at this moment is supremely confident and has every right to feel that way.

And the strange insight? For a President who is not for ERA, this man is very influenced by women and he trusts them more than he trusts men.