Tarot

Now with the election over, the United States Supreme Court is the next area where major changes will take place - in that arcane branch of government that no one knows all that much about. But we do know that there are changes in the offing and George Walker Bush will be sending names to Congress for confirmation and the cards suggest three new Justices will take their places on the bench before all is said and done and The Court once again will shift its voting patterns.

All signs point to the Supreme Court reasserting itself as a strong branch of the government.

The Significator, this is what the Tarot reading speaks to: The Three of Wands is the Lord of Established Strength. Unlike the Two of Wands which dominated the President's tarot for the rest of the year, the three shows the figure in command and looking over the land, sea, and sky. Three - the third branch of the government. This card is usually associated with courage of conviction and thoughts turning into reality. The robed figure holds the wand of power.

Covering Card, this covers him: The Seven of Pentacles. Concern for the Harvest. This sometimes is the card called "resting on your laurels." As the Court ages, some of the Justices are starting to think about retirement and all have also started to question themselves and reflect on what their time on the court has meant. Hardly an activist Court - a term that would be anathema to most of them - yet they wonder if they have made any difference at all and if, in fact, The Court has lost some of its stature and the Justices may be realizing that a Conservative President, Conservative Congress, and Conservative Court may not be a good recipe. The figure leans on the staff. Read no further than historynet.com, "Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist has just turned 80 and is in failing health, and senior Associate Justice John Paul Stevens is 84 -- virtually ensures that the president will be able to nominate at least two new justices during the four-year term that commences on January 20, 2005."

Crossing Card, behind the scenes - everything has a secret side: The Five of Cups, Despair and the Six of Cups Childhood. When two cards come (stuck) together during a "pull," the two cards are mean to be read together. This is a significant outcome. I see the Five of Cups being the Justices that rather consistently vote as a bloc. Three Justices will leave the Court during Bush's term - the three overturned cups that the figure in the black robe looks at. The two upright cups indicate that two of the appointments made during the next four years will be consistent with the bloc, but the third, as signified by the Six of Cups indicates a Justice who will be surprisingly independent and may end up swinging the court in leadership, not just votes. The Six of Cups does not mean that this third Justice is young in years as much as it means the Justice will be fresh in thought and not tied to old or set ways of thinking - and the President and the conservatives may be in for a surprise when The Court reasserts itself.

The Foundation, this is below him on which he stands: The Ace of Wands. Virility, fire, vitality. The Court is ready to be revitalized. The hand holds the staff - the same one in the Three of Wands, the Significator, and Seven of Pentacles, the Crossing Card. The Court's decisions have seemed ever more perfunctory, at least to the Justices, themselves. Reasserting itself as the third branch of the government will take more than a different voting pattern - it will take exciting the public's imagination - for better or worse.

Behind, this is finished business: The Hanged Man. Suspension of Progress. Yet again, a card that speaks to the perception of stagnation. The Court will be moving past this perception. The Court was put in place based on ideological litmus tests - left and right - and the Court is ready to start thinking for itself. It will be taking a less conservative stance on religion and also will rule more favorably, in aggregate, on the rights of privacy.

Above, what is hanging in the air: Queen of Cups. A Good Woman. In Bush's weekly tarot, this was Laura Bush, but in this case it may well be Sandra Day O'Connor. With two of the nine Justices, women, if either of the two female Justices steps down (O'Connor is 74 and Ginsberg is 71) there will be strong pressure on the Administration to keep at least two women Justices on the Court, if not three.

In Front, this is right in front. Six of Wands. The Conqueror's Triumph. This card is one of public acclaim. It is one of victory. It is a card of glory born of bold action. The laurel crown now hangs from the staff - no longer resting on the laurels, but wearing them, again.

The Outcome, the future: Eight of Cups. Continuation. The card shows the figure, still carrying the staff, moving on. The moon usually represents blockage, but the blockage has been broken and the old ways of doing things no longer work. The ideas that the Court has firmy held will begin to give way.
The Meaning

Unlike the President's tarot (through the end of the year) where swords predominated, the Court's tarot is one of wands and cups. The only pentacle that appears is the one having to do with concern about the harvest - meaning that the emotional capital is wasting away. And not one sword appears. This suggests that the battle won't be waged openly. but in a more gentle and subdued way, which will make it very effective.

The Higher Arcana cards do not appear, save for The Hanged Man. This is significant in that the Higher Arcana indicate more profound trends at work. My hunch is that this card represents the possibility that the Bush Court, even to his consternation, will be going away from the strict constructionist court. Less time will be spent reviewing what the founding fathers were thinking in 1789 (and after) and more time will be spent looking at what the words of the constitution mean to the Justices.

Before we get excited about this turning into another Warren Court, this probably won't happen - at least the cards aren't shouting that. What may happen is that Scalia my be counterbalanced in some way.

For some time, now, the Court has been somewhat narrow if not ideological. The Conservatives are feeling strong and with control of two branches of the government, the Bush legislative agenda may be rather vigorous. If we look back to the New Deal and Franklin D. Roosevelt, FDR, especially in the first term, Roosevelt's legislation sailed through Congress but faced a roadblock with the Court that said the legislation went too far and stepped on certain fundamental rights. New Deal programs were struck down to FDR's annoyance, prompting him to consider packing the Court- that is, increasing the number of Justices. That is not in the cards for Bush, but he may find that the Court will be less in his camp as the ideological legislation, especially over religion and privacy, if Congress goes too far, at least too far in the Court's view.

The Court may be sympathetic to conservatism, but at the same time they do not wish to be emasculated - as we saw with the Ace of Wands - and they are determined to be more than a perfunctory body.

Ironically, if the Congress and President put forth a wide range of conservative legislation, the Court may become the central branch of the next several years - even after Bush - as it determines which laws will be the law of the land and what legislation, for constitutional issues, they will in effect, veto.

Stay tuned!

First let's get the gender role deconstruction out of the way. One of the things that was interesting about Star Wars IV (the original movie) was that the ostensible leader of the rebellion was Princess Leia, who ruled not by imperial decree but by no-nonsense take-charge authority. She was small, but she stood taller than any of the boys.

Or so it seemed. In Empire she fell down a notch, to the love-sick matriarch with little more to do than notice bad things happening and hearing Luke's telepathic plea for help. By the time we got to the teddy bear movie, she was a bondage sex slave in a skimpy outfit, and peacemaker with the teddybears themselves.

Flash back a generation and we get the two female figures of Queen Amidala as a powerless figurehead, and Anakin's insightful mother. Amidala befriends a child and otherwise plays tag-along. Anakin's mother is around just enough for us to care just enough when she dies in Episode II: The Boredom Wars. In that overlong yawn, Amidala becomes like a star in a really bad soap opera. How did Lucas manage to get Natalie Portman to turn in such a wooden performance?

In the Sith installment, suddenly all the actors seem to perform better -- especially Portman, whose reaction to Anakin's turn to the dark side really gives the sequence impact. But the big disappointment, in terms of any hint at female heroes, is that once she gets pregnant, she's relegated to helpless waif status. The only other apparent females in the show are the Chancellor's silent bald aide, and a lithe Jedi who manages to wear a skimpy midriff top for her shot-in-the-back betrayal. (Where were the women who kick ass? Why didn't someone like Queen Latifah get cast as a Jedi? Samuel Jackson's a great actor, but let's face it, he's done better, and someone else might have thrived in the role of head of the Jedi Council.)

Now that that's out of the way, I can say that I really enjoyed the movie. To be honest, I didn't expect much, especially after that mess of a movie with 45 minutes of action that ran about 35 minutes too long. Sith opens with action, but it seems Lucas has been a quiet fan of Battlestar Galactica, for the action sequences are much more intense for their lack of overt intensity. Explosions don't need close-ups and ear-splitting effects. In fact, the space battles look more like distant fireworks spectaculars. Somehow they're all the more horrifying for it. At one point, the film seems more like Master and Commander than a space epic.

The relationship between Palpatine and Anakin is quite interesting. Hayden Christensen learned some acting chops since the previous movie, so his presence carries much more weight now -- which is important, because with this film in place, we truly realize that Star Wars is really the tale of Anakin's rise, descent and redemption, and Luke and Leia and even Obi-Wan are really just side players.

Yoda and the Emperor get to do star turns in a battle that tops any Jedi-Sith duel to that point. We also get to see Wookies, including Chewbacca, and enough battle droids of various designs and weaponry to fill up an entire fictional issue of Jane's The Galaxy's Fighting Droids.

But the real star of this picture is Obi-Wan. Ewan McGregor carries the film with his charm, smile and intensity. I've never found a man with a thick beard to be so attractive. And the easy way he faces situations is quite engaging. Think of an amiable James Bond.

The heart of the story, however, lies with Anakin's turn to the dark side. It's not an easy path for him -- nor for the Republic itself, which transforms from democracy to fascism, all to the sound of applause. Many of those he kills have it coming. His decisiveness is undeniable. One can see why the conservatives in America might get a little hot and bothered about things in the film: many of the characteristics of the Dark Side of the Force are traits the conservatives like to praise these days -- black-and-white thinking, impatience, reacting emotionally, letting rage and hate determine one's actions, all with a genuine frustration with the quaint niceties that are an integral part of democracy.

But in watching the movie, one isn't thinking about George W. Bush. If the conservatives are serious about making a Sith-like move on Washington, Darth Cheney would have to develop some more in-Sidious powers than a smirk and a fat bank balance. The movie is an adventure, scored by John Williams -- and blissfully free of Frists and DeLays and other dark figures with little cinematic appeal.

It will be interesting to see what Lucas does next. He's making noises about more experimental films. At least he finished this series showing that he can, when pressed, make a halfway decent blockbuster. Since he (along with Spielberg) practically invented the summer phenomenon, it's nice to see that the dark side hasn't destroyed his storytelling talents. It's been a wild ride, but now I'm even more interested in what he'll do next.

I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It's a depression. Everybody's out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel's worth; banks are going bust; shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter; punks are running wild in the streets, and there's nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there's no end to it.

We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat. And we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that's the way it's supposed to be!

We all know things are bad -- worse than bad -- they're crazy.

It's like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don't go out any more. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we're living is getting smaller, and all we say is, "Please, at least leave us alone in our own living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my my steel-belted radials, and I won't say anything. Just leave us alone."

Well I'm not going to leave you alone.

I want you to get mad!

I don't want you to protest. I don't want you to riot. I don't want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street.

All I know is that first, you've got to get mad.

You've gotta say, "I'm a human being! My life has value!"

So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell,

"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!!"

It's a great speech. One of those great moments in cinema where you're just caught up in the authenticity, the audacity, the rage. Yes! Yes! you say. I am as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this any more!

But is that enough? Is getting mad as hell enough?

Mohammed Ali had a patter he did in the ring. He goaded his opponent. He provoked him. He wanted to get his opponent mad. Meanwhile, he kept his own cool. He provoked, and then did his rope-a-dope. I'm not a big boxing fan, but that much I know about Ali. He knew how to fight the mental game.

You see, when you get mad, you start to make mistakes. You aren't thinking. You may feel good for a moment, raging. It may even feel empowering. You're expressing yourself! That feels so much better than keeping everything inside, all pent up. But when you rage, you're also reacting emotionally. You aren't thinking. And that's the mistake. When you get mad, your opponent can outmaneuver you.

That's what's happening in our politics. We're raging, and we're being outmaneuvered. The conservatives are so outrageous, so offensive, so evil, we almost can't help but get outraged. They're good at it. They're pushing our buttons. And we rage.

Is that effective?

Oh sure, it makes us feel good to spew venom. After keeping it all pent up, it's downright purifying. But is it going to change things? Is that vitriol going to make a difference in our political war?

Probably not much.

We have to be smart. We have to wake up. We have to keep our heads. We can't be going off half-cocked at every provocation that the wingnuts offer. They're going to keep doing it. We should not be baited.

So what should we do? We talk about our values. We talk about our agenda. We frame the debate so that they are the ones on the defensive, they are the ones on the fringes.

It shouldn't be that hard. After all, they really are on the fringes.

And for those of you who prefer to continue raging, consider this: Howard Beale, who made the above speech in "Network" ended up blowing out his brains on national television, and the network enjoyed huge ratings. His rage became part of the show. His rage was co-opted by the media. That is what's happening to us!

If it seems so easy to rage, it's because we're supposed to rage. We're supposed to bellow and make fools of ourselves and fight and attack. Conflict is drama. Drama is entertainment. Entertainment is ratings. We have become part of the show. We are the monkeys now.

I expressed a similar sentiment on DKos the other day in a comment, and got blasted by this tidbit of wisdom:

Being nice aint gonna do it. These people don't play nice. If you think sitting around waiting for them to have a change of heart is the answer, well, your already fucked. These guys have spent 40 plus years trying to wrestle control of the goverment. They are not about to give that up any time soon. Let me say that a different way. Your fucking dreaming.

This is my response.

It's time to wake up. It's time to get smart. It's time to stop playing right into the hands of the game masters. It's time to stop being the monkeys.

Monkeys?

Yes. We've been getting our collective asses handed to us time and again. It's obvious that "being nice" doesn't work. No fucking shit. Thanks for that fucking insight.

But screeching like a monkey isn't going to achieve much of anything.

It's time to get smart. --And not just us progressives. It's time for the whole country to get smart, because the world isn't waiting for us to get our shit together.

But that's something for another post.

What has been going on in the Bush White House with its seeming anti-gay rhetoric? It would appear there are gay links. For example, gay male prostitute James Guckert may have used a phony name to gain access to the White House Press Room where he tossed easy questions to the President. That Guckert is gay is not so much the issue as is the fact he was able to gain access and work in the White House under an assumed name. You would think that the Secret Service, FBI, and those types would have uncovered this quickly, so it begs the question--are there gays who are closely connected to the White House, but who are still closeted?

I am not out to "out" anyone, but rather just to get a basic read on the extent of the gay network at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It seems that his gay advisers are among his most able.

The Significator, this is what the Tarot reading speaks to: Page of Swords which the tarot calls the conservative youth. This concept of "youth" does not necessarily mean they are young in years. It could merely mean they are not in the top posts, but they certainly buy into conservative values. Their gayness is not political and, in fact, they are against an agenda that advances gay political rights. They see themselves as having advanced without gay consciousness and see gayness as diminishing their influence and power. They'll leave that to the progressives who will be weighed down by any "gay agenda."

The Significator feels bound to the system.

Covering Card, this covers him: The Chariot, a higher Arcana card associated with Will Power which means that there is great will power being shown by those who are at the core of this. Those who are gay are not letting it be known.

Crossing Card, behind the scenes - everything has a secret side Six of Wands This means A leader arises. The crown of laurels. Victory. Coupled with the chariot, these two cards suggest that the influence is from the military or something akin to it, and it would seem they are capable people.

The Foundation, this is below him on which he stands: The High Priestess Another Higher Arcana card which means Hidden influences at work. This is suggesting hidden powers.

Behind, this is finished business: The Wheel of Fortune Another Higher Arcana card, the one of karmic law. The laws of the world have propelled this situation. The gay people around Bush are there in spite of their gayness, not because of it.

Above, what is hanging in the air: The Lovers Another Higher Arcana card. This is an interesting card in this position, because those who are around Bush are not the hypocrites we might imagine. They truly do believe marriage is between man and woman, and their reasoning is complex. These are men who want to have sex with other men, yet want to have children and family, and in many ways the ban keeps these men on the path they have followed so far.

In Front, this is right in front. The Magician, and yet another Higher Arcana card. Deep power where the figure had all suits available, sword, cup, wand, and pentacle. These individuals are capable and are in important positions.

The Outcome, What is the outcome of all this? King of Wands The gay man who will work his way up in the ranks of the powerful.

The tarot says that gays are in powerful positions. Perhaps they have always been. Those in this case are not politically gay, only sexually gay and they do not see gay politics as having any real bearing on their political careers. They try to keep these aspects separate.

It would seem that the people who are currently in the highest positions of power are not gay, but those who report to them may well be and at least one is going to be put into a very important position.

Bush may be publicly anti-gay, as are some of the gay people themselves, but with all the Higher Arcana cards, the future is following its own course, outside of the power of humans. Even Arnold, in California, has gotten out of the way of that freight train.

Some time back there was a Tarot of this issue. We knew this would be an issue in the years to come. Neo-cons have been against "judicial activism." Progressive might now wish to guard against "judicial re-activism"--as in reactionaries.

We'll see what the next 20 years holds.

People are really worried about the future of Social Security. To listen to the talking heads, you'd think it's an episode of "Fear Factor." Should people be afraid? Is Social Security really going to run out of money? Has it already? If it is failing, who will save the system, and if it cannot be saved, what does that mean for the average family, growing ever more gray at the temples?

So, I put it to the cards in the manner handed down to me from my mother who learned Tarot from the Gypsies.

The Significator, this is what the Tarot reading speaks to: The Knight of Swords. "Hasty action." The knight charges, sword drawn. The hothead. Emotionalism. Not thinking things through. The established order acts in haste. If we think about the Bush Administration and their record on the Weapons of Mass Destruction, they acted hastily and the Knight of Swords showed up there. In this case, we see hotheaded action once again and not well thought through. The watchword here is "Chicken Little."

The Administration is alarming the "silent majority" right on the heels of the election

Covering Card, this covers him: Ace of Wands. In this case, it is "the gift," or that which is promised. Wands are cards of the land - wood, forest, earth, the working people. This is something that has been promised.

It will be hard to tell people they will not get what they were promised and what they have paid into. It is one thing for some corporation to not make good. It is another thing for the government to "default."

Crossing Card, behind the scenes - everything has a secret side: Two of Pentacles "The Manipulator" The "operator," the guy who plays the "shell game." He plays by the rules, even if the rules are heavily in his favor and lines his pockets, and if someone ends up losing, that's the way the cookie crumbles. No matter how this goes, he is going to win because, like any broker, he gets a commission regardless of who wins and who loses.

The money men around Bush are doing their thing. They are out of touch with the people who put them in the seats of power.

The Foundation, this is below him on which he stands: Ten of Cups. This is "family." These are the people who believe in "family values." These are the people who "focus on the family." This issue gets Americans where they live and where they eat. The Administration is telling the American people it will prevent terror, but the social security issue is closer to them than terror or Iraq.

The Administration is now smack in America's heartland and this is probably the first bread-and-butter issue to capture the national consciousness in a long time. Social Security might not be much, but it was always the bedrock and fallback. If all else failed, there was always social security - what Reagan called the "safety net."

Behind, this is finished business: Six of Cups. "Childhood; things of the past." These are the things of childhood. The promises. The dreams of youth. This is the relationship of younger people to older people.

The baby boomers are beginning to get gray. Their own parents made out well enough and part of America's promise was that the next generation would also do well. It would seem the Administration, as it does away with the New Deal programs, thinks it has a mandate to Republicanize New Deal promises, but dreams of even a modest retirement run deep with this group. Moreover, the vast majority of Americans have been paying into this program for years - since childhood.

Bush misunderestimates the bedrock he has encountered.

Above, what is hanging in the air: Ace of Cups "The Gift of Self." Individuality. The Heart. The Ace of Hearts. A very good outcome hovers in the air, but it may not happen.

So far the Administration has not been able to find that lever they have always found to rally people around their programs. There is no good news in anything that the administration is saying.

People believe this is an answer. What does this cup hold?

In Front, this is right in front. Death "Change. An end to the status quo." The change that is come effects all. An end of stagnation. Karmic forces are at work.

It would seem the Administration has set the wheels into motion. The king, the commoner, the children, the cleric - none will be spared. It would seem that events are now moving on their own and not entirely in the control of the neo-cons or progressives. The genie is out of the bottle.

The Outcome, What is the outcome of all this? Page of Cups, Seven of Pentacles, Nine of Swords. One card came out with two cards seemingly refusing to let go, so in the Old World way, this is read as a basic card with two modifiers, leading to a richer meaning.

The Page of Cups is a "New Message." A fish in a cup? It is the intuitive taking form. It is self-examination. It is a card of secrets. Is this the same cup that hovered over us in "what hangs in the air?" That cup is now examined - the cup that runneth over. Once cup of plenty. The American Dream according to Bush.

Modifying this card is the Seven of Pentacles which is "Concern for the Harvest; anxiety about produce." The harvest was planted, but its fruits are in doubt. It is not that the farmer has not worked hard. Notice the staff he leans on, the same one we saw in the covering card - the Ace of Wands. This is no "welfare shirker." He is someone who believes in the story of the "Ant and the Grasshopper." He has been a good "ant." Now, as he looks in the cup, it dawns on him that he shares much with those "grasshoppers" who he once believed fell on hard times due to their own laziness and lack of planning.

We worries that despite his best effort, he will share the same fate. It isn't fair!

Nine of Swords which means "Nightmare. Despair." A card of bad omen - the death card of the Tarot deck. With the concern for the harvest and the card of bad omen, the outcome is about as bad as it gets if we are talking about harvesting seeds that were planted.

The Meanings: The Social Security situation could be a debacle all the way around. This issue touches every voter directly or indirectly and for once in a long time, "guns or butter" will resurface as an issue. In Economics 101, the student is confronted with the idea that resources are limited. A society can make weapons or it can produce food and if a lot goes into weapons, less can go into food.

Will the electorate get savvy and connect the money spent in Iraq with the Social Security shortfall? Will there be resentment in that a war uncovered no weapons of mass destruction?

The Administration's money men are chomping to get their hands on the Social Security funds, yet the Administration has not offered a plan that seems to have ignited the rank and file. Social Security was never meant to be speculative. And how good are the neo-cons at managing money? It is not exactly great news for the Administration to come in and say the fund is bankrupt when the previous party left a balanced budget and the current Administration has gone trillions into debt.

All the cards are very interesting, but I find the story in the Significator, Foundation, Behind, and In Front spread: that is, Knight of Swords, Ten of Cups, Six of Cups, Death. All, but the Knight, are cards having to do with family - childhood, growth, and death. The Social Security fund, for all the grumbling, is an emotional "given," and to take it away, or curtail it, or put at risk when people have paid in will be seen as a major failure of the Administration.

The Administration will bring good news of how benefits will not be affected. Perhaps. However, the great Democratic bloc has always taken this for granted.

The Administration has not shown much fiscal responsibility and is vulnerable to charges of being poor money managers who rush into things, only to be proven wrong in the end. Yet, the Democrats seem to not be doing any better.

The issue is not so much about money here, but about heart. The Two of Pentacles and the Seven of Pentacles are the only money cards. The predominant suit is cups - matters of the heart and family. "Family Values."

The Administration may be paying lip service to family values, but it will not be forgotten if income checks look like they may head south, or if Wall Street makes windfall profits and here the Bush Administration is truly vulnerable for they do not have a strong, clear, believable, message that is playing in Middle America.

Maybe what the voters sense is that the politicians don't know what to do and maybe the voters hear (the fish and) the message.

Trickle down economics was sold to Democratic voters, who have been steadily and increasingly supporting neo-cons, because all yachts will rise.

In the 1980's we saw hostile takeovers and the likes of Milliken and Boesky and the words "junk bond," "greenmail" and "hostile takeover" came into our language. Buccaneer capitalists took over corporations and got a hold of their pension funds, which they stripped out.

Any of this sound familiar?

We have a group that is privatizing government. There is a hostile take-over under way. We have seen this before and now it is happening on a grand scale.

I suggest, if this is a bit hazy, rent "Wall Street" on DVD and see just what the cards hold in store.

With the Democratic National Committee seat up for grabs and the party looking for a direction, I threw a tarot reading on the next four years and alas it is not that good. But as the saying goes, "you lie about the cards and they'll start lying to you."

Ok, so here goes:

The Significator this is what the Tarot reading speaks to: The Knight of Swords. Hasty action. The knight charges, sword drawn. The hothead. Emotionalism. Not thinking things through.

The Democrats are on the run and flailing and will continue in that mode.

Covering Card, this covers him: The Empress. A higher arcana card, again signifying a turn of the wheel of karma. She sits next to the Emperor - in this case the Bush Administration, playing a subordinate role, and not challenging his power or authority let alone the legitimacy of his decisions. Her power comes from his. To oppose him is to undercut herself. She feels as long as she is his mate, she can get something out of it. She does not question the power structure.

The Democrats see themselves as subordinate to the Republicans and will continue in that role.

Crossing Card, behind the scenes - everything has a secret side: The Knight of Wands. Not so secret a side for it is the mirror of the Knight of Swords. Hasty action. Emotionalism. Not thinking things through. Two knights in the center spot of the tarot means this will be fast and big. Jealousy and narrow mindedness are the traditional meanings.

The strategy of not having a strategy. If this had been the tarot for the US invasion of Iraq, I would have said "right."

The Foundation, this is below him on which he stands:The World. Another karmic card of the higher arcana. This is the foundation and this card means completion. It might even mean capitulation - a worrisome thing to progressives, or it may mean a long-term strategy or of retrenchment. More on this at the end.

The Democrats are approaching a watershed.

Behind, this is finished business:The Nine of Pentacles, sometimes meaning an independent woman. The meaning is highly shaded by the Empress who is the dependent woman - even though she has great power. That coupled with the World in the foundation position suggests that the Democrats are going to wholesale split from their roots and become "soft" Republicans - kinder, gentler, Republicans.

The Democrats will abandon their historic vision.

Above, what is hanging in the air: Queen of Cups. The woman of heart. The party leadership may have no strategy of its own, but there are people in the party who do have a vision and they will be coalescing. not now and not even in 2006, but by 2008 the Democratic regulars will be different Issues outside the United States and outside of US hegemony will change the United States and the course the Republicans have taken will not speak to the electorate - but since the Democrats look like kinder, gentler, Republicans, they will not have the clout or vision to set a new agenda.

There will be a shift away from the Democratic party, but not toward Republicans.

In Front, this is right in front. Ace of Wands. New beginnings. This will sound absurd, but there will be a new political party, you heard it here first, folks, and I don't believe my ears, but the cards are saying that. The names may stay the same for a while, but a new sweep akin to FDR and Reagan is brewing and it will not be international issues as much as monetary issues. I see this coming largely out of the Generation X-ers who will be entering the public arena not just as votes, but in positions of power.

Even if the Democrats become "neo-Republicans," the Progressives will walk and form something much more than a splinter party. It may well look like a Ross Perot deal played full volume.

The Outcome, the future: The Seven of Pentacles. Concern for the Harvest. The Ace of Wands, the power left untapped is what the figures leans upon as the crops grow. Once again, the people who are no longer represented by the main political party (parties?) will build their own party (formal or informal) and like in 1992, they will force the rightward looking politicians back toward the center, even as the Democrats shift rightward.

In short, the Democrat leadership will lead to the right and end up looking back over their collective shoulders only to see they are walking off by themselves.

Meaning: This tarot is very unexpected and I had no idea it would take this turn. The leadership of the party is unable to articulate a vision. Too much power would be lost and the interest groups have all the politicians in their pockets and they are running scared.

The electorate has shown it is willing to go, en mass, for a viable third party candidate. If we look to the election on 1912 and 1992, the third party pushed the Democrats into power, but in both cases, for better or worse, the Democrats were distinguishable from their opposition.

If the Chairman of the DNC drives the party rightward or does not have a clear and compelling vision, there will be a power vacuum that a third party, in name or flying the banner of an existing party, will hoist.

Who those leaders are, the tarot does not say, but they will be a decidedly younger and less conservative crowd.

The 2006 election will not go the way the Democrats want, but by 2008 and 2112, the political landscape will be unrecognizable and these two parties may well be as outdated as the Whigs.

Matsu

The New Year begins, but what will happen in Iraq? Looking at the cards, it seems things will be more complex than the United States thought and the second Bush Presidency will be trying different things than it has tried so far.

The Significator, this is what the Tarot reading speaks to: Ace of Swords The Sword of Power. Excalibur. The force upholding the crown Laurels and the olive branch hang from the crown. The President's foreign policy has been based on military strength and it is no secret he believes this. He also believes he won re-election, unlike his father, because he managed to topple the leadership in Iraq. The US enjoys clear military superiority. Comparisons to Vietnam, though tempting, are not apt. There is no strong opposition or leadership from a "North Vietnam" type of regime nor is Iraq split the way Vietnam was. This gives the US forces an easier time and this card shows that will be the case at least until spring, for the Ace of Swords is also the card signifying winter.

Covering Card, this covers him: The Lovers. Eden. I break here with the "book" on Tarot reading and go with what this card means in this spread. Adam and Eve, the apple, the serpent, an angel. Which angel? The traditional meanings are: choices between head and heart; the conscious versus subconscious; having unexpected things happen; having to make choices. Certainly that's in there. However, this card suggests that issues of the Holy Lands will determine a great deal about how the United States uses its might in the Persian Gulf. This will be a time when the President will truly be torn between his faith in God (which remains unshakable) and the best interests of the United States. He will have to balance these and try to make the two work together and there will be a great deal of pressure from the Department of State and the "Old Hands" to act in ways that might not square with his personal views.

Crossing Card, behind the scenes - everything has a secret side: The Magician, The Magus Perhaps one of the best and most powerful cards in the deck. This card means Mastery. All four of the Tarot's suits are before him to use - cups, wands, swords, and pentacles. The President has every resource at his disposal and so far he has relied primarily on the sword, but that may soon change, but not for the worse. The President will be riding high and there are powerful individuals who want to make sure that the Middle East is not destabilized by the presence of US forces.

The Foundation, this is below him on which he stands: Knight of Pentacles. Spending Money. This card suggests that the United States will increase its financial investments in Iraq, perhaps encouraging many business to invest there and not only those from the US. The figure is ready to ride and holds the coin - a knight of money, not a sword - his weapon is different from what has been used up to now. The nature of the investment will be broader than it has been in the past. There is a recognition in the administration that if money is spent on building/rebuilding an infrastructure, that it will be more effective and less costly than an extended military presence in that country. Often this card is associated with first-time spending. If it were a person's Tarot, it might indicate a teen spending his/her money and perhaps not foolishly, but certainly not with maturity - that would have to be the King of Pentacles, but this will mark a basic change in policy that will begin in the second term of the Bush Presidency.

Behind, this is finished business: The Eight of Swords. Isolation. Part of America's isolation has been its sole reliance on military power which has not endeared the nation to very many outside the United States. The aid that will be flowing to Iraq, in addition to other moves by the United States, will help to blunt foreign criticism, although not completely. The figure has been blind as to what to do until now. The President has not been able to see his way out of this until now, but that is behind him. President Bush may have felt immobilized until now, but that is changing.

Above, what is hanging in the air: Queen of Wands. A Wise Woman. Another excellent card for the President. Can this guy go wrong! He is charmed. He has a woman of high intelligence helping him and say what you will about Condoleezza Rice, she is going to see him through this, at least in the short term. That she is above rather than in front suggests not that she is a "maybe," which is the usual sense of the placement in the spread. In this case, she is pulling strings from above. There are those in the Administration who do not like what she is thinking and saying, but she has the President's ear and they can do little to stop her.

In Front, this is right in front. Two of Swords. A dilemma. The President for all the luck he is having is not out of the woods, yet. Remember the blindfolded woman behind him - the Eight of Swords? Well, she's still there and she's going to pop up again - right in front! The President's difficulties with America's allies will get better, but they are not going to completely disappear. The moon of Islam hangs in the sky, so my guess is that although European allies and those outside the Islamic world may soften, his toughest task will be to solidify support for what the United States is doing in a neighboring country. For example, if the US is building Iraq's economy and infrastructure, what will nearby nations bordering Iraq be thinking? Iran, a nation which not long ago was at war with Iraq may have reservations about what a secular and rebuilt Iraq might mean - and Iran is not alone.

The Outcome, the future: Six of Sword. Pulling Up Stakes. The woman and child head across the water carrying six swords with them. Well These six swords plus the two of the Two of Swords add up to Eight - which we saw was the card in "past" position in this spread. What this suggests is that while the President will enjoy more success in handling Iraq than critics fear, there will be longterm difficulties with the Islamic nations in the region that cannot be handled given the new strategy of rebuilding Iraq. Once the United States leaves, it will not erase its presence or influence. The economic ties may in fact alienate the other nations in the Middle East whose institutions are not democratic and who might see a rearmed and democratic Iraq as a negative example to their way of thinking

The Meaning Bush is a President of many Swords. Four of the eight cards are swords except for the Queen of Wands and the Knight of Pentacles which means that the President will continue to deal militarily with the Middle East and not because he wants to, necessarily. It's just how he got into the situation and so it will continue based on the existing momentum.

The two Higher Arcana cards - the Lovers and The Magician - represent the karmic forces. As before, these are the longterm aspects which will continue over the long haul. The "Old Hands" at the State Department are planning a policy many years beyond the Bush Presidency and are mindful of the emotions that run high in the region.

The United States is now more intimately involved in the Middle East than ever. With Israel still an ally and with Iraq now under US sway, the Two of Swords shows us that the balancing act must not only be between the President's own religious and secular view, but in balancing two nations in the tinderbox of the new millennium.

The United States has not been so powerful in the Middle East as it is today. Administering this region while not toppling any regimes will be the difficult task for the United States. The President's religious views are not those of most people in the Middle East nor of the the rulers and this will pose a challenge in forming a stable coalition of interests.

However, these issues will not surface until later and for now the President's approval rating will improve on his handling of Iraq. Rice will steer him right, at least for the short term.

Now with the election over, the United States Supreme Court is the next area where major changes will take place - in that arcane branch of government that no one knows all that much about. But we do know that there are changes in the offing and George Walker Bush will be sending names to Congress for confirmation and the cards suggest three new Justices will take their places on the bench before all is said and done and The Court once again will shift its voting patterns.

All signs point to the Supreme Court reasserting itself as a strong branch of the government.

The Significator, this is what the Tarot reading speaks to: The Three of Wands is the Lord of Established Strength. Unlike the Two of Wands which dominated the President's tarot for the rest of the year, the three shows the figure in command and looking over the land, sea, and sky. Three - the third branch of the government. This card is usually associated with courage of conviction and thoughts turning into reality. The robed figure holds the wand of power.

Covering Card, this covers him: The Seven of Pentacles. Concern for the Harvest. This sometimes is the card called "resting on your laurels." As the Court ages, some of the Justices are starting to think about retirement and all have also started to question themselves and reflect on what their time on the court has meant. Hardly an activist Court - a term that would be anathema to most of them - yet they wonder if they have made any difference at all and if, in fact, The Court has lost some of its stature and the Justices may be realizing that a Conservative President, Conservative Congress, and Conservative Court may not be a good recipe. The figure leans on the staff. Read no further than historynet.com, "Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist has just turned 80 and is in failing health, and senior Associate Justice John Paul Stevens is 84 -- virtually ensures that the president will be able to nominate at least two new justices during the four-year term that commences on January 20, 2005."

Crossing Card, behind the scenes - everything has a secret side: The Five of Cups, Despair and the Six of Cups Childhood. When two cards come (stuck) together during a "pull," the two cards are mean to be read together. This is a significant outcome. I see the Five of Cups being the Justices that rather consistently vote as a bloc. Three Justices will leave the Court during Bush's term - the three overturned cups that the figure in the black robe looks at. The two upright cups indicate that two of the appointments made during the next four years will be consistent with the bloc, but the third, as signified by the Six of Cups indicates a Justice who will be surprisingly independent and may end up swinging the court in leadership, not just votes. The Six of Cups does not mean that this third Justice is young in years as much as it means the Justice will be fresh in thought and not tied to old or set ways of thinking - and the President and the conservatives may be in for a surprise when The Court reasserts itself.

The Foundation, this is below him on which he stands: The Ace of Wands. Virility, fire, vitality. The Court is ready to be revitalized. The hand holds the staff - the same one in the Three of Wands, the Significator, and Seven of Pentacles, the Crossing Card. The Court's decisions have seemed ever more perfunctory, at least to the Justices, themselves. Reasserting itself as the third branch of the government will take more than a different voting pattern - it will take exciting the public's imagination - for better or worse.

Behind, this is finished business:The Hanged Man. Suspension of Progress. Yet again, a card that speaks to the perception of stagnation. The Court will be moving past this perception. The Court was put in place based on ideological litmus tests - left and right - and the Court is ready to start thinking for itself. It will be taking a less conservative stance on religion and also will rule more favorably, in aggregate, on the rights of privacy.

Above, what is hanging in the air: Queen of Cups. A Good Woman. In Bush's weekly tarot, this was Laura Bush, but in this case it may well be Sandra Day O'Connor. With two of the nine Justices, women, if either of the two female Justices steps down (O'Connor is 74 and Ginsberg is 71) there will be strong pressure on the Administration to keep at least two women Justices on the Court, if not three.

In Front, this is right in front. Six of Wands. The Conqueror's Triumph. This card is one of public acclaim. It is one of victory. It is a card of glory born of bold action. The laurel crown now hangs from the staff - no longer resting on the laurels, but wearing them, again.

The Outcome, the future: Eight of Cups. Continuation. The card shows the figure, still carrying the staff, moving on. The moon usually represents blockage, but the blockage has been broken and the old ways of doing things no longer work. The ideas that the Court has firmy held will begin to give way.

The Meaning

Unlike the President's tarot (through the end of the year) where swords predominated, the Court's tarot is one of wands and cups. The only pentacle that appears is the one having to do with concern about the harvest - meaning that the emotional capital is wasting away. And not one sword appears. This suggests that the battle won't be waged openly. but in a more gentle and subdued way, which will make it very effective.

The Higher Arcana cards do not appear, save for The Hanged Man. This is significant in that the Higher Arcana indicate more profound trends at work. My hunch is that this card represents the possibility that the Bush Court, even to his consternation, will be going away from the strict constructionist court. Less time will be spent reviewing what the founding fathers were thinking in 1789 (and after) and more time will be spent looking at what the words of the constitution mean to the Justices.

Before we get excited about this turning into another Warren Court, this probably won't happen - at least the cards aren't shouting that. What may happen is that Scalia my be counterbalanced in some way.

For some time, now, the Court has been somewhat narrow if not ideological. The Conservatives are feeling strong and with control of two branches of the government, the Bush legislative agenda may be rather vigorous. If we look back to the New Deal and Franklin D. Roosevelt, FDR, especially in the first term, Roosevelt's legislation sailed through Congress but faced a roadblock with the Court that said the legislation went too far and stepped on certain fundamental rights. New Deal programs were struck down to FDR's annoyance, prompting him to consider packing the Court- that is, increasing the number of Justices. That is not in the cards for Bush, but he may find that the Court will be less in his camp as the ideological legislation, especially over religion and privacy, if Congress goes too far, at least too far in the Court's view.

The Court may be sympathetic to conservatism, but at the same time they do not wish to be emasculated - as we saw with the Ace of Wands - and they are determined to be more than a perfunctory body.

Ironically, if the Congress and President put forth a wide range of conservative legislation, the Court may become the central branch of the next several years - even after Bush - as it determines which laws will be the law of the land and what legislation, for constitutional issues, they will in effect, veto.

Stay tuned!

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.

.

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.

.

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.