Today 22 July (or 23rd depending where we are in the world) we leave the zodiac sign of Cancer; mysterious and elusive Crab in the Starry zodiac sea and the sign of the zenith of the summer, and we move into the astrological sign of Leo the celestial lion. Most of us know our zodiac or sun sign, but what does it actually look like in the night sky, and what’s the story behind it? It’s time to roll out the red carpet for the star-lion, royal Leo…
The Lady and the Lion. Perhaps it is Una. Or perhaps her name is Leona or Leonora, for the lion is also the lioness. Her hold on the leash could not be lighter. She is controlling the lion, but only because it is allowing it, not fighting her restraint, signifying that the lion is also a part of herself. This is just as one would imagine, a welcome card of better health, signifying recovery if someone has been ill.
Astronomy
Leo is one of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd-century astronomer Ptolemy, and one of the 88 modern constellations recognised by NASA today, between the neighbouring constellations of Cancer to the west and Virgo to the east.
Leo is the 12th largest constellations, and one of the most easily recognizable due to its many bright stars, and a distinctive shape suggesting a crouching lion, apparently facing right.
The bright light in the sky beneath Leo as seen in the photo below is Jupiter.
Wiki
The best time to see the Lion is in Spring in the northern hemisphere, from around the March equinox. In early April, the constellation Leo reaches its high point for the night around 10 p.m. By around May 1, Leo reaches his high point for the night around 8 p.m. local time In early May, the Lion begins to set in the west around 2 a.m. local time and by June, Leo is descending in the west in the evening, drifting progressively westward.
By late July and into early August, the Lion is beginning to fade into the sunset, returning to the eastern sky and visible before dawn around late September or October.
Look out for the Big Dipper, Leo is below it. You are looking for a backwards question mark pattern called the Sickle; and you can see its curve outlines the Lion’s mane.
Leo’s brightest star, Regulus, or Alpha Leonis, ‘The King Star,’ is the heart of the celestial lion, a sparkling blue-white star at the bottom of the backwards question mark pattern. Regulus means “little king” or “prince” in Latin. The star’s Greek name, Basiliscos, has the same meaning, while the Arabic name is Qalb al-Asad, meaning literally “the heart of the lion.”
Coeur de Lion.
Leo’s fifth largest star, Epsilon Leonis, 247 light years from Earth, is 288 times more luminous than the Sun, four times as massive and has 21 times the solar radius.
A triangle of stars in eastern Leo represents the Lion’s hindquarters and tail. The brightest star of the triangle is named Denebola, Arabic, meaning the Lion’s Tail.
There are 15 stars in Leo with 18 known planets between them, but none of the planets is in a habitable zone.
The Leonids are meteor showers associated with the constellation of Leo. They peak around November 17-18 every year, and there is another minor shower, the January Leonids, peaking January 1 – 7.
History & Mythology
Leo the Lion has since ancient times been associated with the sun and royalty, ruled by the sun in astrology and is one of the oldest constellations collectively recognized with many ancient civilizations agreeing on perceiving it as a lion.
Archaeological evidence suggests that Mesopotamians recognized a constellation similar to Leo as early as 4000 BC. The Persians knew the constellation as Shir or Ser, Babylonians called it UR.GU.LA (“the great lion”), Syrians knew it as Aryo, and the Turks as Artan.
The Lions of The Nile
The story goes that the ancient Egyptians venerated Leo because the overhead appearance of Leo once upon a time coincided with the annual flooding of the Nile River, the lifeblood of their agriculture- and therefore the nation entire.
Why once upon a time? The constellations as seen from Earth have moved over the millennia due to a 26 000 year cycle known as the precession of the equinoxes.
By the end of the drought, the desert lions were getting desperate and would come within sight of the city walls seeking water but this low point in the life of the lions was welcomed as a certain sign that the Nile floods were now shortly on their way. The Egyptians accordingly honoured the lion with festivals, and statues of lions can still be seen along the course of the Nile River, proof of their reverence.
It’s thought that the lion-headed fountains commonly designed by Greek and Roman architects equally symbolized the life-giving waters released by the sun’s presence in Leo.
Herakles and the Lion of Nemea
In Greek mythology, Herakles’ first labour was the killing of the Nemean Lion. This man eating lion lived in a cave just outside Nemea, a town south-west of Corinth. There had been a number of failed attempts to kill it, but these intrepid hunters had discovered- to their (terminal) horror- that nothing could pierce the lion’s hide, it was so preternaturally tough.
But someone must have survived to tell this tale, for Herakles was forewarned of this additional teensy problem, and sneaked up on the lion when it was asleep in his cave, where they fought and he strangled to death the uber-kitty.
Herakles then (rather disrespectfully, I can’t help feeling, if undeniably pragmatically) skinned the lion with its own claws, and wore its skin as a cloak, making himself even more ferocious in appearance, and more importantly, arrow-proof.
Tarot cards: Strength and the Five, Six and Seven of Wands.
This fixed fire sign is known for its pride, ambition and determination, warmth and generosity of spirit, not to mention, charisma, but above all, Leo is known for bravery; the lionhearted one, the divine expression of physical, mental, and emotional fortitude, which is a very great virtue. Leo parents are typically devoted, but they rule their households, no question about it.
Courage takes many forms. There is the courage of initiative, the will to advance, engage and attack. There is moral courage, proceeding in the face of fear, “feeling the fear and doing it anyway.”
And there is the courage to endure, to withstand, and the fortitude that quietly says to itself, “I will keep smiling, and tomorrow I will try again”. No banners and no accolades.
Leo can be its own worst enemy; hasty, arrogant, reckless, self-centred, headstrong and careless, and for these reasons, unless these subjects learn patience, consideration and self-control, they are not necessarily always as lucky in life as they could be, or as the great-hearted Leo truly deserves, proud and thirsty children of the sun.
The living animal with such a very beautiful, and somehow sad and wistful face.
Incredible Putin Tarot prediction from Sun Sign School tutor Katie-Ellen Hazeldine at @truetarottales naming June 2023 and showing the ‘stab in the back’ Putin mentions in her cards.
The discussion on Twitter was in reference to Putin’s speech in the immediate aftermath of the Wagner mutiny and Prigozhin’s subsequent hasty relocation to Belarus, and the image in question was the Ten of Swords as shown below, from The Illuminati Tarot.
This card has been turning up for Vladimir Putin again and again since March 2022, and its work, one suspects, has only just begun.
Classically, the Ten of Swords signifies the end of the road; ruin, collapse, betrayal, (stab in the back) The Ten of Swords may also, in my own reading experience, denote health problems, including, but not limited to, migraines, strokes, neck problems, spinal issues and colo-rectal problems. I am not suggesting that Putin himself is dealing with such health issues. But I have seen this connection validated sufficiently often in real life, to be aware of the very real possibilities.
Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin. They go back a long way, these two, since the mid-nineties. But Mr Putin does not “do” sentiment. And as for loyalty, since when has this been a question of honour, or an reciprocal, equitable two-way street in the corridors of absolute power, any place, any time?
Tweeted 28 June @truetarottales
#Tarot What are Mr P’s plans in respect of Prigozhin? Or Lukashenko’s? 5 Wands (post tumult/mutiny) Temperance & Death card. No window/funny tea for Prigozhin. Or at least not yet. Too useful still as a threat, symbol of prowess of terror. A weapon in hand. Legacy Divine Tarot.
Tweeted 29 June @truetarottales
#Tarot 7 Swords=diplomacy/stealth…while I am not convinced all this was some carefully worked out master plan. 10 Wands=consequence of massive Wagner frustration with Russian high command but perhaps Putin/+Lukashenko see another use for Prigozhin based in Belarus-closer to Kyiv.
Here is another curiosity about the Seven of Swords for tarot students and aficionados. The suit of Swords represents the element of Air and of all things airborne. Here we have the seven of that suit, and Wagner’s forces have shot down six Russian military helicopters plus one military reconnaissance plane and killed their crews.
But why did Prigozhin launch this “protest march” as he called it? I asked the tarot and drew the Nine of Swords (also from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot deck.)
There is a sense here that the mutiny was genuine, at least at the beginning, and at ground level, and was born of Prigozhin’s exhaustion and frustration with the top brass in the Russian military. The Nine of Wands is classically soldier like, but here,it shows someone who is stuck in a rut and metaphorically (or literally as may have been the case here, “running out of ammo,” while the Seven of Swords suggests a situation in which Prigozhin no longer had a direct line of communication with Putin.
Perhaps he believed that his communications were being blocked or kicked into the long grass (or were being actively sabotaged?) by his supposed colleagues, comrades- or are they his rivals and “gatekeepers”- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov.
Putin meeting with Shoigu in April 2022, after Russia’s defeat at the Battle of Kyiv (Wiki)Putin meeting with Shoigu and Gerasimov 2012
It has emerged since the mutiny and since these tweets that Prigozhin was planning to kidnap Shoigu and Gerasimov as they were travelling south (and do what with them exactly?) But then someone leaked his plot to the FSB. They changed their travel plans pronto, and Prigozhin changed tack and started the “protest march” towards Moscow
The Seven of Swords refers in particular to the arts of diplomacy, and to intelligence, strategies of stealth, surveillance, sabotage and the pre-emptive strike.
In a personal reading, it may be alerting you to watch out for a stalker or a scammer. Guard your personal intel. Change your passwords. Vary your routes and your routines.
Here, the Seven of Swords was also be picking up on the involvement of the FSB…former KGB.
But what threat from these two might Prigozhin have thought he was pre-empting by planning to abduct them? Telling lies about him to Putin? Telling truths about him to Putin, truths Putin would not like? Prigozhin said, apparently, that he “had scores to settle.”
It won’t be surprising to anyone, no cards needed, if there is another major development here in respect of Putin and Prigozhin and the Wagner situation during the first decan of Leo Season (because of that fiery – and imminent-Five of Wands) and if then there is a further follow up late October-late December 2023 (Death card =Scorpio, late Oct-late Nov and Temperance =Sagittarius, late November until 21 December.)
Meanwhile, people in Belarus are not happy to have the murderous Prigozhin there, at the potential beck and call of the execrable Lukashenko, even if it is true that Prigozhin is at this moment most miserably sequestered in a (windowless) hotel room, as reports suggest.
It is important to remember for students of Tarot, looking deeply into our cards may extend the reader’s “line of sight in extraordinary ways”. But the reader is only human and fallible. We are seeking to DIVINE what is hidden or obscure, but the variables are many and complex, and tarot deals in the detected/divined possibilities or probabilities, and not in certainties.
Do my cards show that Putin leaves power in Russia before Christmas 2023, whether by his own choice or by other means?
My cards are not clear on that point. Other tarot readers may feel differently and some eminent Western astrologers have divined the months of July-August 2023 as a very tricky time indeed for Putin in terms of internal power politics. We are all agreed there.
But Prigozhin’s rebellion, however short lived (and quietly supported by what shadowy figures in Putin’s orbit?) has exposed “something rotten” in the state of Putin’s empire. The events of June 2023 have unleashed a genie that is not going to fit back in the bottle.
One vedic astrologer has said that Putin will stay in power until 2030. I can’t see that, but have tended to feel that Putin could stay in power at least until the autumn months of 2024.
I have never written this up before, but one afternoon late last year, 2022, I was chatting online with a friend, astrologer Patrick Arundell, and he wondered what my cards had to say about the departure of Putin. He had his own analysis of course, and you can find a number of videos Patrick has made about Putin. But it is always interesting to talk to other practitioners, not just in our own disciplines, but in other disciplines. and while I am not an astrologer, still, there is a lot of astrology embedded in tarot cards.
I pulled cards one by one and laid them out in a line, each card representing a month of the year until eventually I saw the signal I was looking for and drew the Death card and the Ace of Swords.
These two cards are undeniably and clearly indicative of an ENDING, and no bones about it. But because of all the cards I had to draw before I got to this point, I have felt slightly more inclined to anticipate Putin’s final departure from power as likely later than sooner, between Scorpio season Oct 2024-Aquarius Season 2025 (based on that same stealthy Seven of Swords we talked about earlier.) This does not mean events won’t happen sooner. Maybe Scorpio 2023-Aquarius 2024.
The Ace of Swords has a suddenness about it. Putin’s departure may be very sudden when it finally comes to it, even if the situation has been a long time coming down the line. The Ace of Swords could be detecting a coup. But this card is also legal, military, and could be signifying the end of the war with Ukraine.
Timing with Tarot is a subtle business, generally less precise in terms of timing than astrology, and as ever, only time will tell.
Maybe he will indeed survive this summer, and this is going to play out in Scorpionic slower time. But whatever the actual weather in Russia (and at his place in Sochi) Putin is clearly in for a hot and sticky summer, says the Five of Wands, the first decan card of Leo, and the ultimate card of in-fighting.
And the Ten of Swords says, whatever happens about Prigozhin, Putin has made a lot of enemies and he had better not keep his back turned…on anyone.
This of course, he already knows, which is why he is so cloistered away, deeply hidden away in his security bubble. But that brings its own problems and there is such a thing as a self fulfilling prophecy, and how did it happen, what happened to Indira Gandhi?
And cruel as Putin is, and desperate as we are, not only for the sake of the people of Ukraine- and Russia- but for the sake of all Europe, for the war to end in Ukraine, who would come after him? The likes of Alexei Navalny? How likely does that seem right now, even if Putin departs tomorrow? Especially if Putin departs tomorrow? But for now there seems good reason to be mindful of that wise old saying, be careful what you wish for.
#Tarot Ukraine Question. When does war end? Possibilities. Neptunian Hanged Man Rev (even looks like Zelenskyy!) suggests March 7, 2023-May 24, 2025 during Saturn in Pisces. Pisces=breach of boundaries. Saturn=redrawing/restoration of boundaries. But this tsunami leaves a long and turbulent wake.
Saturn in Pisces
A Saturn in Pisces transit lasts 2-2 1/5 years. This one we are currently experiencing, March 7, 2023-May 24, 2025 is still not over then, and will be back again September 1, 2025 to February 13, 2026.
Saturn takes about 28-29 years to come full circle and weaves in and out of its present zodiac sign due to retrograde cycles.
So what?
These are deepest waters we are navigating right now, deeply unsettled times. Deep and dreamy Neptunian Pisces blurs boundaries of all kinds; physical, mental, emotional, social, legal, technological. Saturn imposes boundaries, borders, regulations, oversight, containment, structure. Pisces is all about inspiration – and illusions and delusions. Saturn strips away illusions, forcing us to face realities – and our duties and responsibilities head on.
Robin is Pisces, Batman is Saturn with a whole lot more slapping still to come.
Putin dreams of a new Russian Empire and the Emperor is himself. And he is ready to spill a lot of blood to make that a reality. But history has moved on while others are also dreaming of rebuilding former empires. Or are utterly determined never to be be subsumed ever again. Meanwhile, there are others waiting in the wings, even worse than Putin.
The Hanged Man
This card is associated with the planet Neptune and also with the zodiac sign of Pisces (as is The Moon card.)
This card is saying, what would Zelenskyy sacrifice for peace? But here the card has been drawn reversed or upside down, and this is the Tarot’s way of saying what we already know, that Zelenskyy is not ready to negotiate or to make any sacrifice for such an unreliable and short lived peace as this would inevitably prove.
Why should the government of Ukraine sacrifice anything to an enemy who has proved so utterly ruthless, and who will be back for more, until they’ve got the lot, no matter what? How CAN they?
It is startling, how like the real Zelenskyy he looks, the figure in this version of The Hanged Man (deck is the Tarot Illuminati)
This card is associated with the zodiac sign of Pisces and the 12 House, although Zelenskyy himself is an Aquarius subject (King of Swords) while so far as we know Putin is a Libra subject (Queen of Swords.) I say so far as we know because the birth data is not considered 100% reliable though it is the year that is open to question and not the date.
Putin’s birthday is officially 7 October 1952 but some have suggested it is actually 7 October 1950. Either way, the Queen of Swords remains Putin’s natal court card.
This is Nemesis at work. These two, Zelenskyy and Putin, the King and Queen of Swords are locked in some long fated duel.
Putin had every reason to think he could do this. Russia has succeeded in its previous territorial invasions during his regime. In Georgia. In Crimea and with a real and present threat to the territory of Moldova.
This time, the cards show Putin will not win, meaning, Russia may succeed in tearing further chunks out of Ukraine and hanging on to some of them at least, though Ukraine is now taking back some lands, but Putin will not succeed in re-integrating Ukraine under Russian control. A horrible stalemate seems the most likely outcome.
Whatever stops Putin now, with the stakes so high for himself, personally, it seems to be the fear of losing this war, and a Ukrainian counter offensive that takes back Crimea. But it may also come down to the interests of Turkey and the machinations of Xi and the West’s responses to China.
Xi has made food security a top priority but seems to be facing difficulties with his agricultural policies. This article makes no mention of crackdowns by ‘rural enforcers’ against people growing their own fruits or veg in their own back yards. Covid restrictions were partly to do with it, but there is something more to this, and Xi has now faced a pushback, and had to rein in the ‘rural enforcers.’
Putin must reckon with, in a way Zelenskyy perhaps does not, with China’s own ambitions and the growing tensions between China and India, Taiwan, Japan- the entire Indo-Pacific, and the West.
Money talks loudest, and though Ukraine says it took the precaution of not over-planting wheat close to the fighting zones, Russia’s destruction of the Kakhovka Dam has rendered some wheat silos inoperable, with a resulting jump in the price of wheat and other grains with implications for Turkey and the developing world far beyond the Black Sea.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Global prices for wheat and corn soared Tuesday after a major dam in Ukraine collapsed, renewing market fears about the fragility of the country’s ability to ship food to Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia as it fights a war with Russia.
Wheat prices gained 2.4% in early trading Tuesday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, to $6.39 a bushel. The cost of corn rose more than 1%, to $6.04 a bushel, and oats gained 0.73%, to $3.46 per unit. Prices were higher earlier in the day but faded.
The destruction of the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station, which sits in a Russian-controlled area on the Dnieper River, raised concerns about disruption to Ukraine’s affordable supplies of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil getting to developing nations where people are struggling with hunger and high food prices.
“Anytime this war shows signs of getting further escalated, there’s a lot of concern,” said Joseph Glauber, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute. “Markets react to that.”-SOURCE
Some have questioned whether it was Russia’s doing. It was Russia. I don’t doubt it. Russia has used this tactic before, during WW2 when it blew up the Dnieper Dam to hold back the German advance.
The Moon
Back in December 2021, in a piece first published at Ask Astrology, and then again in December 2022, The Moon card (Pisces again) figured ominously in the general predictions for 2022 and then again for 2023.
The Moon card, among its many other meaning in tarot, represents danger, contagion- and flooding. A sweeping away of boundaries. Chaos, muddle and mess.
The Moon can mean cancer. It can mean Poison. The floodwaters of the broken Kakhovka dam are contaminated with pesticides. This water is undrinkable. Poisonous. This is a man-made ecological tragedy, as well as a human disaster.
Here is Pisces at its fathomless worst before Saturn can get a grip on it again and reimpose order, though what kind of order will it be?
#Tarot Moon card showed higher risk major flooding 2022. Then landslide in Peru March 2022. Pakistan monsoon floods June-August. Australia severe flooding Feb-late April and again from Oct. Posted 20 Dec 2022 unease re 2023 Saturn (STRUCTURE/dam?) in Pisces (fresh water flood)
The Ten of Swords
Time and time again since the invasion in February 2022, asking about the prospects for Vladimir Putin, and the outcome of this war for him personally, the Tarot has shown me the 10 Swords. This card classically means ruin. The end. It is time for a new dawn. It also traditionally signifies betrayal, as in a “stab in the back”. (UPDATE. This is particularly interesting in light of today’s news 24/6/2023 and the unfolding situation with the head of the Wagner group Prigozhin The 10 Swords says no matter what happens next, this is the start of the end for Putin as Russian leader.)
Image: Rider Waite.
In terms of health, I have known this card to flag up issues to do the neck, spine, colo-rectal issues and nervous system issues. I am not suggesting that Putin is dealing with any of these health problems. I am simply pointing out that this card has come up time and time again, and these are lesser known card meanings for the 10 Swords.
Reading this card purely in terms of timing, the 10 Swords traditionally correlates with the third decan of Gemini and the dates 11 June -20 June.
Which is where we are right now at the time of writing. But are we looking at 2023, 2024 or 2025? Slow Saturn in chaotic Pisces suggests a culmination during this transit, by or before the end of June 2025. Saturn, planet of old Father Time, reintroduces and re-establishes order, structure and boundaries before it leaves Pisces.
Here is the end of a “tsunami”- the end of a cycle, though we’ll all be hoping it comes before we reach that point in the astrology. I wouldn’t be surprised, based on the cards, if we will look back and see that Putin left office or stood down before Christmas 2024.
I need to look at Navalny and Kara-Mirza next time.
Gemini the sign of the Heavenly Twins is a mutable air sign, and the third sign of the western or Tropical zodiac, representing late spring/early summer in the northern hemisphere.
The word ‘zodiac’ comes from the Greek meaning ‘circle of animals.’
The only zodiac sign that is non-representative of a living creature is Libra, representing the Scales of Justice. But even the scales of Libra are borrowed from the stars of neighbouring Scorpio, the heavenly scorpion.
See the Scales of Libra, doing double duty as the claws of the Scorpion.
Gemini Associations
Dates: May 21- June 20
Astrological symbol:
Ruling planet: Mercury
Element: Air
Quality: Mutable
Affirmation: ‘I think, I inquire.’
Birth Stone: For Gemini born in May, Emerald. For Gemini born in June, Pearl (although it is not a stone, and it is a product of the sea it is classically ruled by Mercury)
Lucky stone, The Tiger’s Eye. Why? Grounding of ‘flighty’ Gemini energy, brings focus
Colour: Yellow
Tree: all kinds of nut trees
Flower: Lily of the Valley, Lavender
Astronomy of Gemini
The Gemini constellation was listed as one of the 48 ancient constellations by the Greek astronomer Ptolemy in the second century, though Ptolemy referred to it in terms, not of the constellation as a whole, but of its two brightest stars, Castor ‘ The Star of Apollo,’ and Pollux ‘The Star of Heracles’.
Gemini is the northernmost constellation in the zodiac, in size the 30th largest. To see Gemini with the naked eye, we need to look north east of the constellation Orion between the Taurus and Cancer constellations.
Best viewing is during February. By April and May, the constellation is visible in the west soon after sunset.
Castor and Pollux, the brightest stars in the Gemini constellation, represent the heads of the twins from Greek mythology. Fainter stars are the outlines their bodies. Pollux, the westerly twin, is a red giant star, 33 light-years from Earth while Castor is about 51 light-years away.
(One light-year is the distance that light travels in a year – approx 6 trillion miles/9.6 trillion KM.)
Pollux is the brighter of the two stars, orbited by a massive planet orbiting it, Beta Genorium B, 1.6 times bigger than Jupiter.
Castor is actually not a single star, but a star system made of up six stars not visible to the naked eye.
Ancient History
Gemini represents the key principle of duality or polarity, similarities and opposites, life and death, light and dark, night and day, hot and cold.
We see this principle in active operation in spring, in the climax of splitting or cloning. Pollen flies free. Eggs hatch. Butterflies and dragonflies hatch out of their chrysalis. The mythology of twins goes back at least as far as the so-called Age of Gemini, during the Palaeolithic, 6, 500 BCE, arising from our understanding of the duality fundamental to the nature of reality.
There are countless stories of the twins in world myth, representing dualities and polarities; night and day, light and dark, heat and cold, male and female, war and peace, good and bad, life and death. The creation myths of ancient cultures across the world reflect this eternal battle of seeming opposites. Many surviving objects feature twin gods and goddesses. But there is a shadow side. In some cultures twins have been feared
In Egyptian astrology the stars of Gemini were twin goats, or else they were the two gods, Horus the Elder and Horus the Younger, while classical Greek mythology identified them as the twin brothers, Castor and Pollux, The Gemini.
Gemini is the first sign of the western tropical zodiac year that has a human representation rather than an animal one, following Aries the Ram and Taurus the Bull.
Castor and Pollux
Gemini is the name by which the constellation is known today throughout the western world. Gemini is Latin for “twins,” and Gemini is The Hellenistic names of the Heavenly Twins, Castor and Pollux.
Castor comes from the Greek Καστωρ (Kastor) and means “to excel, to shine.” In Greek myth Castor was a son of Zeus and the twin brother of Pollux.
Pollux comes from the Roman form of Greek Πολυδευκης (Polydeukes) and means “very sweet”.
The circumstances of their birth were unusual, to say the least. Queen Leda of Sparta was seduced by Zeus who had disguised himself as a swan. ‘Seduced’ is putting it rather too politely. She was bathing in the river. He glided about pretending to peck at things and then pounced on her while she was looking the other way, minding her own business. Later that evening, notwithstanding this shock, or perhaps, who knows, because of it, Leda also slept with her husband King Tyndareus and went on to produce four children; Castor, Pollux and their sisters Helen (later Helen of Troy) and Clytemnestra (later married to Agamemnon as queen of Mycenae.)
Pollux and Helen were fathered by Zeus, and were immortal, while Castor and Clytemnestra, fathered by Tyndareus,were mortal.
Source: Public Domain, the young Castor and Pollux (Meissen)
The brothers, known as the Dioscuri, meaning ‘Sons of Zeus’, were handsome, curious and always up to something. The mortal Castor was a renowned horseman and a master at fencing, while the immortal Pollux was known for his great strength and skill at boxing.
But then Castor was killed, possibly in a quarrel over dividing the spoils after a cattle raid. Pollux was distraught. He didn’t want immortality, not if it meant being without his brother, he said, and he begged his father, Zeus to make him mortal, and then kill him so he could be with his brother. Zeus couldn’t bring himself to do that, scratching his head, wondering how to fix this, and decided to place them both in the stars, to be immortal together forever as the constellation of the Gemini.
The Greeks, in particular the Spartans, though the twins had a temple in Athens, worshipped the twins as horsemen, and also as patron saints of shipwrecked sailors. Sacrifices were offered to the Dioscuri before a voyage, with a request for favourable winds.
The Romans later developed a cult around Castor and Pollux, dating back to 484 B.C. They built a temple to the twins in the Roman Forum in 414 BC in thanks for their help in defeating their old enemy The Latins, in the battle of Regillus.
Castor and Pollux were the patron gods of the Roman cavalry, the mounted knights or equites, and appear in this role on many early Roman coins.
The Zodiac Archetype
Mercury by Hendrick Goltzius, 1611, Public Domain
The planetary ruler of Gemini is Mercury, the planet nearest the Sun, representing the winged god Mercury or Hermes; patron deity of all forms of communication, media, trade, global commerce and travel, medicine, research and analytics.
But Mercury has a lesser known role as a psychopomp; one who can go between the realms of the living and the dead, a go-between and safe escort to the dead. It was Hermes who escorted the souls of the newly dead to the banks of the Acheron or The Styx, where they waited for Charon to come in this boat and ferry them across to the Underworld.
It was Hermes who escorted Persephone out of the dominion of Hades to be reunited with her mother Demeter, not knowing that despite his instructions that she was not to eat anything, or the deal was off, Hades had tricked Persephone into eating six seeds of her favourite pomegranate fruit. Seeds don’t count, Hades told her, and she believed him, but now she was bound to his side for six months of the year.
Painting by Frederick Leighton
All the zodiac signs represent archetypes; meaning something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing.
A zodiac sign paints a poetic portrait of a person born at a particular time of year, in a particular season. A baby born in summer arrives into a different physical environment from a winter baby; differences of temperature, hours of daylight, maternal diet during pregnancy and so on, with potentially different effects on the baby’s physical makeup and constitution.
As a mutable sign, Gemini rules a borderline between seasons, in this case late spring into early summer. The other mutable signs are Virgo and Pisces, and all three mutable signs are considered the most changeable and agile of the signs, inquiring, analytical, logical and restless.
Mid- May is the start of grass pollen season which then builds to a peak in mid July:-
“May is quite the roller-coaster when it comes to tracking pollen. Dock and lime pollen start triggering hay fever in May as they begin their season, while both pine and oil seed rape peak and end within the month. Oak and plane end their peak – but grass pollen begins hitting its high notes.“
The Gemini temperament is friendly yet watchful, generous but changeable -mercurial as personified by Hermes with his winged sandals and his staff, caduceus- emblem of messages and trade. The well-known delivery company of the same name clearly chose its name for this same reason.
In medical astrology, Gemini rules the arms and hands. The typical Gemini native is of above average personal appearance, personable, attractive, usually slim and of average height or taller and with neat, tidy facial features. The Gemini is socially gifted, cheerful, humorous, witty, capable and quick to learn.
Limbourg, Anatomy of The Zodiac, Wiki via Photo. R.M.N. / R.-G. OjŽda
At the same time, Gemini can also be surprisingly dogmatic, attaching themselves to causes, even inclining towards fundamentalism, whether it is to do with religion or an entirely secular creed or manifesto, or to do with lifestyle, for example, exercise or diet choices.
Gemini can be, not insincere, at least, not in that moment, but quick to lose interest, fluttering like butterflies, looking for the next new thing, looking for some better, brighter flower. This can apply to the way they interact with other people, here today and gone tomorrow, even though once mature, and once committed, they make dutiful and devoted partners and parents.
Gemini in the Tarot
The Tarot cards associated with Gemini are The Lovers, The Knight of Swords and the 8, 9 and 10 Swords.
Every suit in the Tarot has its own court with a king and queen, a knight and a page. The principle Court card associated with Gemini is the Knight of Swords.
Smith-Waite
Card Meanings: speed, action, forward movement, sudden developments, attack, assertiveness, intelligence, sudden news, cunning, calculation, good timing, a pre-emptive strike, a confident, forceful young person, windy weather, east wind, motorbike
The Decans of Gemini
The word ‘Decan’ comes from the Latin meaning ‘ten.’ Each zodiac sign lasts about 30 days and is further divided into three blocks of roughly 10 days each. These are the decans or as they’re sometimes called, the ‘thirty-six faces of astrology,’ bringing added depth to the psychological profile associated with your zodiac sign/sun sign.
The minor arcana cards associated with Gemini are the Eight, Nine and Ten of Swords, correlating with the dates of the decans.
If you don’t feel like you are a ‘typical’ Gemini, well, we’re all unique, but perhaps you are also a second or third decan Gemini native, rather than a ‘most typical’ first decan Gemini.
Gemini is still Gemini, whatever the decan and this holds true for all the zodiac signs. But an early born Gemini is born under a slightly different planetary influence than a later born Gemini. It’s all still Gemini, the same heavenly recipe, but with varying amounts of classic ingredients.
First Decan Gemini
(0-10 degrees of the sign)
21-31 May
Eight of Swords
Legacy of The Divine Tarot
Card Meanings: Entrapment, uncertainty, a sense of helplessness, waiting for rescue, there is a way out if only you will open your eyes, look around and take a step forward. I have personally also come to associate this card with plumbing, drainage issues.
This decan gets a double dose of the planetary influence of inquisitive, rational, Mercury. This is an alert, perceptive, intellectual and forceful personality. The acumen is sharp. The negative side of this coin is a Gemini native who is just as inquisitive but careless, flighty, forgetful, restless and unreliable.
First decan Gemini is a multi-talented juggler, light on their feet, graceful and agile. But at the same time they tend to develop a strong point of view on a wide range of subjects, and they have a clearly defined belief system. For all their apparent flightiness they are also tough and resilient- even stubborn, a quality more usually associated with Taurus, its next door neighbour and predecessor in the zodiac.
Gemini make devoted partners, contrary to whatever people might assume. They will hang on in there when the going gets tough, though they are prone to boredom, can quickly tire of routine quickly; and have considerable charisma or sex appeal. But they know when they have a good thing so long as there is plenty of social interaction and short distance travel to keep their restlessness under control.
Second Decan Gemini
(10-20 degrees of the sign)
June 1-10
Nine of Swords
The Golden Tarot
Card Meanings: The Nightmare card. Worry, ‘the black dog’ anxiety, stress, grief, insomnia, things that keep us awake at night.
The personal planet of this decan is Venus, planet of love, beauty- and money. This Gemini has charm, and a generous and giving spirit. The sub-ruler is Libra, ruled by Venus, the natural ruler of the seventh house of marriage, partnerships, close associates, associations, and legal matters. This Gemini is more of a “me-too” person, rather than an “I-am” person when compared with a first decan Gemini.
This Gemini native needs to be especially careful in the selection of companions/associates. The choice of a mate is, of course, of the utmost importance. This Gemini especially needs to avoid making big decisions about a choice of partner when they are too young to fully understand what they are doing.
These are easy going and pleasant people. Gemini strives on change while Libra works to establish equilibrium. Their Venus/Libra influence is their salvation, because it makes them artful in their judgments and full of affection for those they do judge.
Gemini 2nd decan is drawn to quiet, reserved people. Not only do opposites attract, but the secrecy fascinates Gemini-Libra, ans they also match up well with reliable, practical types who can get the job done with little fuss or excitement. A person that will ground, refine and implement the Gemini-Libra.
People respond well to the Second Decan Gemini warm and effusive nature. They also have a sense of adventure, same as the other Gemini decans, and they enjoy travel for the sake of new experiences. Sharing is part of the Gemini-Libra life; they are generous with their time and friendship and also with possessions.
Gemini-Libra is great company, with a great deal of magnetism. They are kindly, sharp and witty. Just cut your cloth to suit and don’t be too surprised or upset if they disappear as suddenly as they appear or go quiet on you without warning. It’s not personal. It’s just the way they are.
Third Decan Gemini
(20-30 degrees of the sign)
11-20 June
Ten of Swords
Tarot Illuminati
Card meanings: Destruction, despair, betrayal, ruin, dark night of the soul, darkness before dawn, the only way is up, illness, comatose, a fall, spinal injury, head injury.
Incidental perhaps, but this card has come up repeatedly in respect of events and outcomes affecting the personal destiny Vladimir Putin since the invasion of Ukraine, 24 February. We shall see what occurs during these forthcoming decan dates, June 11-June 2020.
The personal planets of the third decan Gemini are Saturn and Uranus, painting a portrait full of contradictions. Sometimes this person is ultra-careful, dutiful, responsible, serious, at other times carefree or even careless. Uranus combined with the planet Mercury suggests an unusually active or even brilliant mind possibly even verging on genius. This person may be a thinker who is ahead of their times. Or maybe they are just zany.
Aquarius – natural ruler of the eleventh house of friends, hopes, and wishes-makes this Gemini a social type, a friend-oriented individual interested in social causes. This Gemini is an optimist, always interested in trying out what is new, and never happier than when they are on the move.
Life is rarely dull with a cheerful Decan 3 Gemini around, but they are the most independent- natured Gemini decan. They need plenty of space and freedom, with a partner who makes few demands on their time and attention. They are very hard working when they put their mind to it. But keeping promises, fulfilling obligations and routines are not their strongest suit. It is a mistake for this Gemini native to marry early or settle too soon. Adventure, exploration and experimentation with ideas, people and places- this is what they are about. This is what makes them tick.
Famous Gemini people
Carl Linnaeus, Peter the Great, Adam Smith, Richard Wagner, Arthur Conan Doyle, John Maynard Keynes, John F Kennedy, Frank Lloyd Wright, Boris Johnson. Johnny Depp, Queen Victoria, Charles 11, George 111,George V, Donald Trump, Muammar Gaddafi, Angelina Jolie, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Happy birthday, Gemini 2023
What is the advice for Gemini in 2023?
Astro-dice Casting
We have drawn The Sun in Gemini in the Second House.
Here is the mystery of synchronicity at work in real time. I throw 3 dice, asking, what is the keynote message for Gemini in 2023, and, blow me down, we have drawn the Sun in Gemini, reflecting an exact mirror image of the question as stated, and then the Second House, ruled by Taurus, represents the answer.
And here is more real time astrology. The astro-dice are picking up on the current transit of Mercury (ruler of Gemini) in the second house of Taurus.
These die have already been cast. What we have been dealing with since April and May may start to bear fruit (or deliver further baggage) from June onwards in 2023.
The focus this year is on material and financial security, and also perhaps wining and dining and other earthy luxuries. The money sign of Taurus, ruled by Venus, planet of beauty AND money, as the best things in life may be free, but the basics cost money, and beautiful things cost more money. Taurus also refers to agriculture and food- all good things.
The second House is also to do with our values and priorities, and these can change over time.
This is a year for cautious rather than exuberant optimism. New opportunities and adventures are coming this year, and new relationships, though these may be slow to start with.
Taurus gets things done, sharpened by the wit of Mercury. But you may find yourself making slower progress than you are used to. Gently does it.
There is a sense of needing to make peace with the past, letting go of griefs or grudges to do with past disappointments in relationships and business.
Health wise, though butter for instance is a real food, where margarine is not, and Taurus is all about real, rather than processed foods, rich heavy foods may not suit the slightly slower Gemini digestion, or the Gemini mood this year.
There is a new First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf, and his first order of business, or so he has announced, is to sever Scotland from its historically hard won Union with England; a union forged at a great human cost on both sides after three hundred years of lawlessness both sides of the border.
Is this what the people of Scotland want? Outside of the cities too? And do we see the end of this historic Union on his watch?
There is plenty of commentary. But what does the tarot show us?
The cards show that it is possible. But the signs are not strong.
Carry on scrolling for the analysis.
From The Illuminati Tarot, Kim Huggens and Erik K Dunne
Top King of Cups-benchmark card. A key person/situation. Scorpio timing but may also refer to Cancer or Pisces. Element Water.
Left 10 Cups- The stakes/history of the Issue. Pisces. Element Water.
Bottom 3 Wands- Hopes/fears. Deciding factor/s. Aries timing. Element Fire.
Right 4 Swords- Near future/outcome/comment. Libra timing. Element Air.
#Tarot Humza Yousaf. Cards re: detected consequences of this selection. King Cups (HY) deep, secretive but is he ‘adrift at sea’? Lovers (the Party’s choice) Scotland’s choice? 10 Cups says Scotland prefers Union at least for now. Ending Union=4 Swords=retreat/tomb/stagnation
#Tarot#SNP What do cards show re new First Minister Humza Yousaf? King Cups, joy at selection but haunted by ‘water=’ Issues: Health, Overseas & Islands. The Lovers=Party’s Choice. Union? 10 Cups=staying ‘home’. Indy ref 2=4 Swords. Stalls. 3 Wands= Ferries=a key test.
The Cards in Close-Up
The King of Cups
The suit of Cups is about feelings, in this case, feelings of pleasure. This first card reflects the joy of being selected as First Minister astrologically correlates with a mature man belonging to the water signs of the zodiac, Pisces, Cancer or Scorpio. Astrologically, Humza Yousaf is an Aries sun sign, born in Glasgow 7 April 1985. His grandparents came to the UK from the Punjab in 1962.
Astrologically Mr Yousaf is not a water sign king, though his chart may reveal key water sign houses, transits and aspects. He is a second decan Aries sun sign native, an archetype known for drive and ambition. Leading is the thing. Teamwork, not so much. And the minor arcana card representing this decan astrologically is the ambitious, adventurous and restless Three of Wands, and coincidentally this card was also drawn in this reading. Ideas, not a problem. Starting things, not a problem. Seeing things through is the challenge for him.
So why has the King of Cups turned up in this benchmark position? Tarot does not limit itself to any one single meaning. We are all far more complex than the archetypal storyboard attached to our sun sign, while reading the cards astrologically is only one approach.
The King of Cups classically denotes a man of faith, a man of authority, a man of good intelligence who may give good advice. He may also be a good administrator at least on paper. But he is somewhat remote and not easy to approach. See him sitting on his throne in the middle of the sea? He has a good theoretical understanding, and he has ideals, but how to ‘land’ them? And He likes to give advice but not receive it. Hubris. Here is his challenge or Achilles heel.
There is usually kindness, but there can be a certain intransigence. ‘I am the chosen one. I am the keeper of the faith. Who are you to question me?’
More specifically, the King of Cups is picking up on two arenas in which he has not yet won his crown. Health and Transport. The NHS in Scotland is still facing big problems with ambulance delays and the critical Caledonian MacBrayne ferry issue is still ongoing after years of delay on the state commissioned delivery of two new hulls. The sea is his challenge. More about that later.
But what this card is showing is that Humza Yousaf is ‘all at sea.’ He is a popular choice in his Party and the vote was overwhelming. But still, the track record in office is not anything to show off. The King of Cups shows a lot going on inside, but without there anything of consequence being show for it, and this is the perception of his critics.
There is a greater Scotland beyond the mainland, and the cities. Perhaps Humza Yousaf feels that the economy and the welfare of Highlands and Islands need not be his priority, and that for his own objectives and purposes, his power base is reliably and numerically sufficient in the cities.
Readers must beware personal bias. Like many of the English- and I identify as English, though strictly speaking I am Anglo-Irish, I can understand and respect why Scotland might ultimately choose Independence. I have Scottish family too; close family ties with Scotland in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Brechin, Montrose and Helmsdale.
But I feel it would prove to be a very great mis-stepand a loss for both countries. This great Union began in 1603 with the coronation of the first king of a new kingdom called Great Britain, and this king was James 1 of England, James 6 of Scotland, a Scottish king on the English throne.
The history here goes deep, and ‘Braveheart’ with its several inaccuracies is only the tip of an iceberg in this epic story, not forgetting the later tragedies of Culloden, Glencoe and the Highland Clearances. Also not forgetting the horrors of the things William Wallace did to his own people, to those men he deemed were too slow to enlist, and to unarmed civilians in Guisborough and six other towns in the north. A capable and brave soldier, absolutely. A traitor, no, though he was betrayed by a fellow Scot. And his death was truly appalling and shameful. Edward 1 always was a hideous person.
But we need to beware hubris. The fixed stars in the second decan of Aries carry a warning for Humza Yousaf. They are in the constellation of Cetus the Whale. and these fixed stars absolutely reflect this card, the King of Cups, the man on his throne ‘on the sea’.
Eta Cetus, Theta Cetus and Tau Cetus are stars in the constellation of Cetus the Whale or Sea Monster. Cetus shares a word root with Cetacean, the word for whales and dolphins. The Cetus of myth was more monster than whale, like the Kraken that was sent to devour Andromeda only to be turned to stone by Perseus who rode in on Pegasus to rescue Andromeda, brandishing the deadly severed head of the tragic Gorgon, the poor Medusa, hunted to death in her own sanctuary.
The constellation Cetus is the fourth largest in our visible skies and is said to have qualities of the planet Saturn. There is an authoritarian feel about this individual King of Cups in the wider world.
The Lovers
The SNP has made its choice of a new leader and perhaps it was more difficult behind the scenes than the final vote suggests. The Lovers does just what it says on the tin, and signifies lovers, friends, allies, but also difficult choices.
It may indicate critical developments to come in Gemini season, late May-late June.
10 of Cups
The question while shuffling was, do we see Indy Ref 2 or do we see the end of the Union during the leadership of Humza Yousaf?
The 10 of Cups is a stable card. It talks about home and family. It is the card of Home Sweet Home. But this is a card of completion. It is about being settled. It is not a card of movement or change.
4 of Swords
This card is nicknamed ‘the hospital card,’ and it speaks of sickness, retreat and delay. This card may be reflected a personal health issue for Humza Yousaf, but is likely detecting his track record as Health Minister and ongoing issues in the NHS in Scotland during his time as First Minister. It seems likely that these issues will continue to dog or even overshadow his premiership.
This future card is not indicative of a change in the state of the Union. For this, I would be looking out for the appearance of any one of a number of other cards, including but not limited to, The 3 Swords, Judgement or The World.
3 of Wands
I have mentioned that this card is astrologically limked to Humza Yousaf in terms of his person horoscope.
Traditionally this card signifies foreign travel and trade; opportunity, growth and expansion. What is the vision and strategy of the SNP for this, beyond Independence?
It starts with Scotland’s own islands.
“The ships, known as hulls 801 and 802, were ordered by the state ferry procurement agency CMAL in October 2015 at a cost of £97 million and set to sail in 2018.
The cost is now around £300m and the boats are due in late 2023 and 2024.
From the outset, the contract was burdened by disagreements between the shipyard and CMAL over design changes and money.
Ferguson Marine went bankrupt and was nationalized in late 2019.
For more than half the time between the award of the contract and the public ownership of Ferguson, Mr. Yousaf served as Minister for Transport and Islands.”
The Highlands and the Islands of Scotland do not have anything like the population of the cities. They do not have the electoral clout. But the Scottish people are careful, prudent, and this card shows that they are looking for a bold, brave vision that goes far beyond identity politics, looking out on an international horizon, as shown by the international Three of Wands.
If the new First Minister still cannot deliver the first new ferry before the end of 2023, serving Scotland’s own islands, what would this signify for Scotland’s future on the world stage on his watch?
Author’s Own image. The approach to Mull taken on board the Caledonia MacBrayne
There’s a greater England beyond London and Westminster and the cities. There’s a greater Scotland beyond Edinburgh and Holyrood and the mighty Glasgow. England and Scotland have fought many cruel and terrible battles. We have also done great things together. Often we are literally, English and Scottish in the same family.
I am English, though technically I’m Anglo-Irish. My father’s family came from County Kildare to London in the 1920’s, and later my father came north, one of many poor boys who were in some ways actually saved by the War. He would never have gone to University had he not been evacuated out of Greater London to a family in Sevenoaks in Kent, and to a school, and in particular, one Head teacher, who encouraged my father with his education in a way his mother did not do, either with him or her five other children. My father never set foot overseas until he was 18 and he went to Austria to do his year of National Service, working in the map room because he knew French and German- largely thanks to that same Head Teacher.
I also have direct family ties with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Montrose, and going back further, there is a close connection to Sutherland, and to the families who were moved out during the Highland clearances to the fishing village of Helmsdale. Such family stories are nothing unusual. I love England. And I love Scotland. I see no reason in principle why Scotland should be denied full autonomy if that is the democratic will of the people.
But the story of Scotland is still also England’s story, and our nations have done great things together. On Sword Beach in northern France, there is a memorial to the Normandy landings on D- Day and to the Scots Commando Brigade under Lord Lovat who took heavy casualties, storming the beaches under fire on a mission to relieve the airborne troops holding the critical Pegasus Bridge
(And what a beautiful spot it is, and here again, how curious is this, we have yet another connection to the legend of Perseus.)
It was once rather grimly said of Lovat that he was “the handsomest man to ever slit a throat.”
Hitler offered 100,000 marks for his capture, alive or dead.
Simon Fraser, 15th Lord Lovat, Sword Beach statue. Photo Ian Rank-Broadley
The memorial on Sword Beach says, “Leur histoire est notre histoire. Respectez les.”
Their story is our story. You are to respect them.
Nothing worthwhile ever came easy. It always costs dear.
We could say the same of the Union. It is an entity greater than any of us, greater the sum of its parts. And as such it deserves utmost respect.
Question: what is the dynamic between President Putin and President Xi as shown in the cards, and what will be the consequences of this recent meeting in Moscow for the outcome of the war in Ukraine and beyond?
#Tarot#Ukraine STANDS. President Xi twitchy, non enthusiastic, doesn’t want China bogged down by Putin. But wants to give P just enough to defy western hegemony yet without alienating western business. Tricky tightrope for Xi. Turkey & Japan tense. Aries season will be LOUD.
2/ But if Xi is careful, canny, Water Rabbit year, carefully does it, he is quids in. He will have Putin/Russia over an (oil and gas) barrel, literally, and even though that particular pipeline is years off completion- Xi is securing others. Hierophant. Taurus Money king. #Tarot
TOP ROW: PUTIN 7 Pentacles- THE LOVERS- 7 Wands
MIDDLE ROW: XI 2 Swords -TOWER – 2 Pentacles
BOTTOM ROW King Wands-Ace Wands-Princess Wands-King Pentacles-4 Swords- comments, short term developments
It is striking to notice the symmetry of the sevens cards either side of the central card The Lovers, especially as it is mirrored by symmetry of the twos cards either side of The Tower on Xi’s row of cards.
7 Pentacles classically signifies great efforts with little to show for it.
The Lovers signifies Putin’s hopes of a partnership with Xi on equal terms. Russia, after all has the gas and oil that China needs. Additionally it may signify discussions that focus on ideas or decisions to be put into action during Gemini season-late May-late June 2023. Gemini can mean intel, surveillance,drones or weapons deployed for air attack.
7 Wands classically indicates defiance, determination, a sense of moral righteousness and can be detecting critical events to occur during the third decan of Leo season. This decan is ruled by active or downright aggressive Mars, and correlates with dates 12-22 August
The 7’s in tarot are laborious. They are slow. Heavy going. The fact that Putin’s row of cards both starts and ends with a 7 card suggests that he will get the minimum support from President Xi, for all the helpful noises Xi may be making as shown by The Lovers card. Empty words. Help may be forthcoming, and it may include military technology or hardware but if so, it doesn’t seem to do much if anything to accelerate Russia’s military progress or advantage in Ukraine.
The clear suggestion here is that the meeting between Putin and Xi will have little direct effect on Russia’s ability to escalate the war against Ukraine. That slow 7 does not speed up. We start with a 7 and we end with a 7. It speeds up a little. The earth suit card, the 7 Pentacles (Taurus) is slow. The 7 Wands (Leo) is fiery, somewhat faster. But this is no real uptick in tempo. Whatever Putin might be hoping for, he seems unlikely to get it from Xi based on this lack of change in pace or scope across the tarot storyboard, for all the friendly words between them, at least in public.
The inference. Xi does not NEED Russia to win in order for China to get what it wants from Russia. Cheapest oil and gas. Whether China helps Russia or not. Whether Russia wins or loses- however victory or defeat is to be defined in this situation- China will have a strong bargaining hand in trade with Russia, and Xi knows it.
Xi can afford to stand by-that 2 Swords and the 2 Pentacles. He is no hurry to see a Russian victory. He reckons that this disastrous war may actually buy China both leverage and a breathing space of time to build back its own economy post- covid, as represented by The Tower card (correlating with Mars=War and the Pandemic )
Does Putin see this? Surely he does. But he sees that he simply does not have the luxury of choice in this partnership, or certainly not at this juncture, to strain this ‘partnership without limits’ by bringing pressure to bear upon Xi.
Others close to Putin will obviously know it, too, and they don’t like it at all.
That final Four of Swords is a card of stalemate and retreat. A knight is in his tomb.
This the card of hospitals, while the 10 Swords (ruin, sometimes sickness) has made countless appearances in readings since February 2022, saying this will not end well for President Putin, personally.
The 10 Swords correlates with the third decan of Gemini. We may find that the dates June 11-June 21 may prove pivotal for Putin, though it might well be late in 2024 before this card manifests in terms of concrete developments in respect of Putin position in power.
The ‘Final’ outcome of this war of Russian territorial conquest : no one can say, and the future is mutable. But the cards have been consistent since February 2022 that Russia fails to take Kyiv. Ukraine survives as a sovereign territory. The territorial integrity of the entire Baltic region is at stake, even if this is a prospect way beyond Russia’s present capability, and is a direct threat only in principle. Finally, Ukraine is receiving the fighter jets it has been asking for- Migs supplied by Poland and Slovakia. Can Ukraine take back Crimea? The cards indicate that this might be possible if it was a question of Ukraine’s will to do it. But they won’t get the support. Ukraine is not only smaller but very angry that promises have been broken and betrayed.
“Three decades ago, the newly independent country of Ukraine was briefly the third-largest nuclear power in the world.
Thousands of nuclear arms had been left on Ukrainian soil by Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. But in the years that followed, Ukraine made the decision to completely denuclearize.
In exchange, the U.S., the U.K. and Russia would guarantee Ukraine’s security in a 1994 agreement known as the Budapest Memorandum.not only by Russia which then broke 2 peace treaties, but by the West, which promised Ukraine protection in exchange for their agreement to surrender of their own nuclear weapons capability.”
The tarot has not shown either an ultimate Russian or a Ukrainian victory. There are only losers here. Except that the signs all point to the survival of Ukraine as an entity in its own right. Russia fails to take Kyiv and for Putin, that means failure- that Ten of Swords.
This is only one reader’s interpretation, and of course, it needs no saying, tarot card readers are not omniscient. But tarot is what I know. And what I see, or do not see, is what I can share.
Thank you for reading. Back soon. In the meantime I’ll leave you with a video demo of the deck that we’ve been looking at today; the Tarot Illuminati.
Given the long rumbling tensions, and in the wake of recent further air incursions by China into Taiwanese air space, what does the Tarot and what does cartomancy with playing cards detect in respect of the likeliness of an attempted land invasion by China of Taiwan, 2023, 2024 and 2025?
#Tarot China. Invasion of #Taiwan 2023, 2024, 2025? CARDS The Hanged Man, Ace Swords REV, 6 Cups. Air ‘threat’-Fighter jets, yes. Likelihood of attempted land invasion LOW. Pres Xi doesn’t NEED to. Other finance/tech strategies already highly effective+Covid/economy/US/Ukraine.
Card One: The Hanging Man
The Hanged Man steps back, hangs back, takes time to think, weighs the cost. President Xi may personally yearn to make a decisive move, but deduces it is not a logical move at this time, and perhaps, while desirable, the cost may outweigh any future benefits, and is it even necessary?
Astrologically The Hanging Man or Hanged Man depending on the deck corresponds with the planet Neptune, watery, fathomless-lacking boundaries. It deals in dreams. The planetary rulers of the water sign Pisces are fiery Mars, its traditional ruler, but Neptune is its modern ruler. Where is the limit of our domain?
The Hanging Man does not indicate readiness for action. But should hostilities commence in the Strait of Taiwan in 2023, then a couple of timings to watch out could be during Pisces. Another window to watch could be during the transit of Mars in Cancer.
This starts right at the end of Pisces season, 25 March 2023-20 May 2023. Why might this be significant in real life events? Mars in Cancer symbolically translates as Mars/initiation/war/action) in Cancer/sea/early summer.
This may also refer to events in the Black Sea. ‘Fire at Sea.’
Card 2: The Ace of Swords reversed
The Ace of Swords is a card of decision, decisive action- or attack. This is an air suit card suitable to describe aircraft or aerial invasion or bombardment. It is also a card of stress, strife and issues to do with authority and control, as well as Information technology.
Drawn reversed, as it has been here, it appears to be reflecting the fact that President Xi has a lot on his plate at this time. Not least covid, civil unrest and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine which seems to be more of a nuisance for Xi than a green light to make any further moves on Taiwan.
In addition, while Europe has not so far put on a measured, carefully calibrated, costly but still, not particularly impressive show of unity or strength in supporting Ukraine against Putin’s total war- neither has the US- President Xi-despite his extensive intelligence networks- seems unsure as to the likely strength of military response from the US should China escalate aggression against Taiwan. Has the US really not got more Patriot missile systems to spare for Ukraine? Or is it doling them out sparingly, measured just sufficiently so as to prevent a Russian takeover in Ukraine, forcing Putin to expend evermore resources, while keeping its powder dry with a weather eye on China?
The Ace Swords, drawn in the central position, clearly reflects the stakes, and is confirming the issue under discussion. If we wre looking at the Ace Swords in the third, future position, the Tarot would be flagging up a possible yes answer, especially if it had been drawn upright.
Card 3: The Six of Cups
This is generally a peaceable card, but it does suggest that President Xi looks at Taiwan with a kind of nostalgia. That he genuinely believes it is a part of China, and is an asset that should come within China’s direct control. But he does not need to take this risk. China is consolidating its sphere of influence hegemony through ‘soft strategies,’ makings itself ‘local’ pretty much everywhere. Quietly. Barely noticed. The number 6 is a number of health, service, community and heritage.
This card of childhood seems to reflect an awareness of the youngest generation. China seems to be planning for a future in which there are fewer ‘young people.’
The population of China has more than doubled since the 1950s. The country was the first in the world to hit one billion people in 1980.
However, in 1979, in an attempt to control the burgeoning population, the infamous one-child policy was introduced, putting controls on how many children Chinese citizens could have.
While the government eventually recognized the negative implications of this policy, it appeared to be too little, too late. The two-child policy was introduced in 2016, but it has not yet reversed the current slowdown in population growth.
Nonetheless. The population of China currently stands c 1.44 billion, more than the populations of the US, Canada, South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand-and then some. And population growth is slowing in these other regions. Read more HERE
The Six of Cups is usually anything but a warlike card. It has all the ease of a long summer afternoon.
However, it may be worth noting, the beautiful Six of Cups corresponds with the elemental quality of fixed water, and with the second decan of Scorpio 2-11 November. Mighty Scorpio, ruled by Mars and Pluto. The major cards that correlate with this minor card are The Sun and Death. The lower the sun, the longer the shadow, however golden the sunset.
This Sun card connection prompts me to observe that China, in watching Taiwan, does not forget its history with Japan. The United Kingdom, this day, has signed an historic Defence agreement with Japan, also a former ruler in Taiwan.
The playing cards below represent three spreads -three ‘Lines of Five’. The reader is asking, what is the likelihood of China invading Taiwan in 2023, 2024 and 2025?
The reader notes the overall balance of the red suits/black suit cards, then notes the order of the cards, paying particular attention to the central card and the final/prediction card, and then considers the individual card meanings.
A dominance of red suit cards generally indicate a yes answer. A dominance of black suit cards generally indicates a no answer. Why is that? How does that work? Well, it works on self-programming. The reader establishes the ‘code’, telling ourselves that this is the drill, these are the meanings, this is how we’re doing it. With time and practice-or even right away, this instruction to the self starts to function as an inner algorithm.
Row 1 -2023
5 Diamonds/7 Clubs/8 Clubs/ Jack Clubs/ 6 Spades
China’s current priority, as it is being shown here is Business. The economy. This is shown by the central card,the 8 of Clubs. It’s doing well and will only do better in the near future, despite the problems of covid. Why does it seem to get better in 2023? The 98 of Clubs is followed by the Jack of Clubs. NEW business. The 6 Spades signifies progress, recovery fro covid, economic recovery, and boosts in tech and space tech later in 2023. The 6 Spades correlates with the last decan of Aquarius. China has plenty else to be getting on with.
There are 2 King cards in this row. Do they represent Xi himself? The King of Business and Government is looking back at the 9 Diamond of 2023 with a degree of satisfaction. He has chalked up some economic success despite the challenges of covid. But then he hits a rock. Maybe it is a personal health issue. The 8 Spades can mean a hospital. Or maybe it is the public health bill in the aftermath of covid and now it is coming home to roost. Unless, God forbid, it is yet another covid lock-down in 2024.
The final card in the row, the 7 Spades, signifies temptation,frustration,surveillance, and sometimes espionage.
The 7 Spades is also the card that talks about diplomacy and national security. China may find during 2024 that there is a push back from other countries, who have become increasingly anxious that they have allowed China to invest too great a stake in their own national infrastructure.
2 red suit (yes) cards, 3 black suit (no) cards. Likelihood of Taiwan invasion detected as unlikely but possible. That 7 Spades could be provocative. Twitchy.
The first card on this row, the 8 Diamonds denotes power, and a greater economic and social stability. China is rising. But will it be the same China we know right now? The central card, the 3 Spades denotes separation, loss, departure, sometimes death, suggesting that China may see a new leader before the end of 2025.
The second card, the 2 Clubs says it can unify business with Taiwan and in time, this will become a form of mutual governance.
This is the row with the most red suit cards. 3 red suit (yes) cards 2 black suit (no) cards. Likelihood of invasion of Taiwan detected as not highly likely, but somewhat more likely than in either 2023 or 2024.
What cards would most clearly indicate an outright military conflict? I am looking at the central card and also the last card on each of these 3 rows, to see the Ace Spades, Ace Wands, 2 Spades, 10 Spades or even The Joker drawn in either of these positions. None of these have appeared. The closes we’ve come is with the 3 Spades drawn in 2025.
None of which is to say there will be no invasion of Taiwan now or ever. But the signs are not there, indicative that China is ready or prepared to mount such an effort, and nor may it feel the need to, based on the way it sees the wheel turning. And what is its actual military capacity, actually, at this time? Even if it not averse to being seen to flex its muscles in a public invasion of Taiwan’s airspace.
Tarot readers don’t claim to ‘know’ what the future holds. They use their cards to access and articulate their feelings and intuition, and to take soundings in any given context with a weather eye on the ‘so what?’ That is all.
That said, what are the prevailing tides and currents “in the affairs of Men” in 2023 as suggested by the Tarot and in astrology?
Forecasts need a context. Let’s take a quick look back on some of the predictions made by my Tarot at the beginning of 2022, published here and at Ask Astrology.com
Review of 2022- and an ‘otherworldly’ manifestation
The study of great events in history has revealed something fascinating- that astrology is really on to something that is concretely observable on the ground, and always has been, even before science and astronomy caught up.
Large planetary cycles correlate and reflect changing patterns in human behaviour when studies as a collective whole. Empires have risen and fallen, revolutions, wars, mass movements of people, epidemics, technological and medical breakthroughs. You name it. They have been tracked and mapped in time against the ancient meanings of the major planetary movements.
Predictions need a background- a context for interpretation. We have been living through especially turbulent times since the spring of 2020, when the planetary giants Saturn in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus formed a tight, unfriendly square, and the covid 19 pandemic took hold on much of the world.
I had a peculiar and unpleasant vision or encounter one night in the first week of January 2020. I had woken and was reaching for a glass of water when a movement drew my eye, and saw a thing that with the benefit of hindsight, and for lack of a better word I could only describe as a djinn, standing in the doorway of the room where I was sleeping.
It was tall, humanoid, but the arms were too thin and long. It came closer. The head angled towards me, as if thoughtfully, but the face was hidden. It was horribly unpleasant. I sharply ordered it gone and it disappeared.
I took this vision as a warning that I needed to prepare myself for bad news to come in the next few days, and sure enough, there was some extremely concerning family news.
And then the covid thing hit, and a previously healthy young man, a friend of one of my daughters died of it, after ‘flu’ became septic shock, and he was placed into an induced coma, and several days later died.
The ‘djinn’ was a visual manifestation of some as yet unaccounted for deep state of unease, I feel.
2022
2022 has been a tsunami of a year, dominated by war, civil unrest, mass migration by land and sea, catastrophic flooding, and all things to do with the breaching of boundaries and borders. This has included the travel and spread of new variants of the coronavirus, travelling by land, sea and air, breaching our auto-immune defences.
We predicted major upheavals to do with the blurring and breaching of boundaries and borders. These were predicted in the Tarot by the appearance of the Hanged Man. This card is ruled by the zodiac sign of Pisces, with a powerful Jupiter, Neptune and Mars influence. What will we let go of, to go where we need to go?
Rider Smith Waite Tarot
Jupiter= ambition
Neptune =water, dreams, lack of borders
Mars = aggression, fire, war
Ukraine
My cards predicted major issues to do with the blurring of borders and boundaries, with a Neptunian ‘watery’ theme. The Russian invasion of Ukraine 24 February happened in Pisces season. The maritime city of Mariupol was devastated. Then Russia blockaded maritime grain shipments for a short period, threatening food supplies to many parts of the world including Africa and the Middle East.
Queen Elizabeth the Second
From The Gilded Tarot
The Three of Swords card showed the passing of a much loved national figurehead to come in Leo season or after (Leo is late July-late August. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 11 passed away 8 September in Virgo Season.)
I did not name the person. That would not be right or ethical, but it was the Queen of Pentacles who was seen in the reading. This card rules the Earth signs, Capricorn, Virgo and Taurus. Her Majesty, RIP, was a Taurus subject, while Leo represents the concept of a ruler or royalty.
But the Queen was not only a national figurehead. She was a global figurehead; the Head of The Commonwealth.
“The Commonwealth is made up of 54 member states from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific. The member states are home to a total of over 2.4 billion people.”
The Queen represented a link with Britain’s past, domestically and globally after the end of Empire, a link to the generations who lived through the Second World War.
That emotionally powerful symbolic link is broken now. Here again, was the message of the World card, signifying the completion of a cycle, the end of an era. I was surprised at my own grief.
Floods
We predicted a higher than usual risk of major flooding in 2022. Heavy rains caused a disastrous landslide in Peru in March 2022. Pakistan experienced unprecedented monsoon flooding June-August affecting millions of people. Australia has also experienced unusually severe flooding in 2022, from February to late April and then again from October onwards and is experiencing more flooding at the time of writing.
China and Taiwan
We predicted an escalation of tensions in the Strait of Taiwan in the second half of the year. This later manifested in the wake of Nancy Pelosi’s official US visit to Taiwan, 2 August 2022. This was seen as a formal recognition of Taiwan’s independent sovereign status, subsequent to China’s signing of the China- Solomon Islands Security Pact signed in April 2022.
This agreement has been viewed as a significant potential threat to the US and allies including Australia, paving the way for the presence of Chinese military installations in the Solomon Islands.
So what about 2023?
2023 –Broad Overview
Change is the only thing that is constant, but there are quieter periods of change, and then there are dramatic or traumatic periods of change. It is clear that we are not going back to ‘normal’ any time soon, taking January 2019 as a benchmark of the previous ‘normal’.
We talk about history in terms of ages and eras- The Greeks, the Romans, The Ming Dynasty, the Renaissance and so on. We are on the threshold of an era for which we do not yet have the name.
The big story in the astrology of 2023 is Pluto in Aquarius. We are leaving an age of Capricorn and entering a new Age of Aquarius. It starts in spring 2023 when Pluto leaves Capricorn and goes into Aquarius. It will only stay there for three months, and then we go back into Pluto in Capricorn for a while. But it will go back into Aquarius in 2024, and this time it will stay there until 2044.
This 20 year planetary transit means big changes to the organization of society, to the global economy, to the mining industries (this means not only fossil fuels, but lithium and cobalt) to crypto-currency, to science and digital, space and medical technology.
A new age of sci-fi is here, as in previous transits of Aquarius in Pluto when there was the Industrial Revolution- and also the French Revolution, and also the American War of Independence.
Pluto in Aquarius can unseat plutocrats, rulers whose power is based primarily in personal wealth/plutocracy. This will include Putin and his prime ally Lukashenko, the dictatorial president of Belarus.)
Pluto was last in Aquarius in 1778-1798. This was a period of revolutions. It brought sweeping changes-sometimes with a great deal of violence. It brought the Industrial Revolution in Britain. It brought the French Revolution. It brought American Independence. It brought the start of the movement for women’s rights.The next twenty years will be bringing social changes on this kind of scale.
Natural Events 2023
The risk of severe flooding in 2023 is looking lower this year when compared with the risk of flooding we detected at the beginning of 2022. I’m not seeing flooding so clearly in the cards. The astrology, however, is not reassuring when Saturn arrives in Pisces 7 March 2023 and stays there until May 2025. Saturn describes structure. Pisces is the ancient sign of fresh water flooding in particular. Especially spring melt downriver of mountainous regions.
We may notice more solar flares, with possible effects on the earth’s magnetic shield and satellite technologies.
Uranus in Taurus which began 15 May 2018 and continues until 17 April 2026 continues bringing an upheaval of what was ‘normal’ in global health and the economy. Uranus in Taurus rules the throat- the point of entry for the disease. This problem is not going away although the incidence seems to to ease on a global scale March- August 2023.
No, the covid pandemic is not over yet. In our local hospital at the time of writing, three people are in the ICU- not with covid, but with Flu A.
All manner of rather peculiar viruses are about, at a time when more questions being raised than can yet be answered, about the action and effects of certain covid vaccinations, as discussed in a book ‘Viral,’ by Alina Chan and Matt Ridley. There is no definitive proof of a Wuhan lab leak, but they demonstrate why it cannot be discounted either, as the origin of the pandemic, with US involvement too, and with grave implications for future risk management in public health.
I am not ‘anti-vax’ as such. The zoonotic explanation struck me as entirely plausible, though I had questions. But it is becoming increasingly clear that the story here goes back some way in time, to the illness, treatment, and some deaths of miners who became ill after entering caves in South east China, inhabited by a certain species of horseshoe bat.
The risk of a there being a nuclear accident or attack instigated by Vladimir Putin cannot be discounted, but is not looking likely to happen as viewed through the lens of the Tarot, and the risk diminishes further after the end of March. There will no asteroid striking Earth.
Readers look for the cards and the card combinations which do not appear, as well as those that do. For example, there was no Star combined with the Devil or The Tower and Judgment or The World. It would take a combination of cards like this to suggest an apocalypse level event.
Technology
Aquarius is the sign of technology. Pluto in Aquarius will mean exciting new developments in mining technologies, digital technologies, crypto-currencies or space tech. Some of this we will see in 2023. There may be an event or an accident involving a satellite or something similar. But we will not be hit by any asteroid.
Pluto is the planet of death and regeneration. This includes genetics. Pluto in Aquarius says that there will be exciting discoveries in medical science. We have recently seen the first cloning of red blood cells in a lab setting. There will be more like this in 2023.
Manufacturing will enter a new phase in those countries which closed down their manufacturing in favour of globalism, choosing instead to rely on cheap imports of goods manufactured elsewhere.
The war in Ukraine and China’s attitude towards Taiwan (which happens to be the world’s biggest manufacturer of computer chips) has shown those developed nations that this was a serious mistake. They must rebuild their own manufacturing capabilities back again as fast as possible, and in 2023 they will be using new, robotic technology to do it.
Globalism has failed to ensure the maintenance of an international rules based order.
Mass migration
Rider Smith-Waite Tarot
We will see more urgent issues in 2023 to do with mass migration, particularly in the spring. This is not only in Europe, though it is partly in consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is also the aftermath of extreme weather events, such as the floods in Pakistan in 2022. There will also likely be issues to do with shortages in food production, at east in the first quarter of 2023.
Attached to these events, exacerbated by them, there will be ever greater numbers of people on the move in early 2023, (esp during Aquarius) as shown by the people in the boats in The Six of Swords card, with critical legal and political developments in respect of uncontrolled channel migration in the UK, possibly taking effect by mid-late spring when Saturn (law and order) goes into Pisces (the sea).
The growing scale of migration is an emergency, not only for genuine refugees, but for those destination countries, and the strain on their infrastructure and their own populations, trying to accommodate the needs of unprecedented numbers of new arrivals.
Mars, planet of action goes into watery Cancer, zodiac sign of the family home and homeland security, Mar 25, 2023 – May 20, 2023. We could see key events to do with traffic at sea in the English Channel, or to do with events at sea in the Black Sea, the Strait of Hormuz or the Strait of Taiwan. This action, if taken, is Mars action that is defensive in motivation.
The fall of the Roman Empire saw mass migration on this scale.
The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman kingdoms. The term refers to the important role played by the migration, invasion, and settlement of various tribes, notably the Franks, Goths, Alemanni, Alans, Huns, early Slavs, Pannonian Avars, Magyars, and Bulgars within or into the former Western Empire and Eastern Europe. The period is traditionally taken to have begun in AD 375 (possibly as early as 300) and ended in 568.[2] Various factors contributed to this phenomenon of migration and invasion, and their role and significance are still widely discussed -(Wiki)
Historians differ as to the dates for the beginning and ending of the Migration Period. The beginning of the period is widely regarded as the invasion of Europe by the Huns from Asia in about 375 and the ending with the conquest of Italy by the Lombards in 568
Mass migration always creates turbulence, at least initially. Social unrest or outright violence.
China and Taiwan
The reader is seeing heated words and gestures, with possible further Chinese naval incursions or illegal entry of Taiwanese air space. What is not being shown is an attempt to launch an actual land invasion in 2023.
The reader drew the Eight of Diamonds for China. Eight represents stability, Diamonds is money and government. President Xi is looking cautious this year, and seems anxious to maintain economic stability. He seems likely to avoid taking risks on anything that will seriously destabilize the prosperity of China. Putin’s actions in Ukraine, by shrinking western economies are indirectly threatening China’s economic interests at a time when it is seeking to recover from the effects of the covid pandemic, just as China experiences a whole new wave, relaxing its zero covid policy in the wake of public unrest.
Mars in Gemini is retrograde until 12 January, when its effects may ease, and its effects include airborne warfare -including missiles and also including aerosol/germ warfare. After this date Mars turns direct, though it stays in volatile Gemini until 15 March.
The US
2023 could mean a political change in the United States which is currently experiencing its first Pluto return; a time when many empires and dynasties have risen or fallen. President Biden has come through the mid-term US Elections, not strongly, but secure enough for now. The reader is not ‘pro-Biden’ but is not detecting a return for Donald Trump 2024, and is not detecting Kamala Harris as a future US President.
The UK
The Conservative government is having a tough time in January and February but Labour has also alienated its own electorate and has hard lessons to learn. The UK will carry on supporting Ukraine in 2023. The coronation of King Charles 111 is planned for May but there could be changes to this date. King Charles continues to have worries to do with “a child who is living overseas,” shown by The Sun card drawn reversed and the Three of Wands.
The UK could have a good year in terms of inward foreign investment in the second quarter (Jupiter in Taurus.) There could be ambitious long term plans for improvements to our waterways after growing concerns about pollution (Pluto in Aquarius, Saturn in Pisces, Mars in Cancer.)
The national mood improves later in the year during a more buoyant optimistic Jupiter-Pluto alignment around August-September, possibly due to more popular government initiatives.
Russia and Ukraine
The Star card of Aquarius has made multiple appearances. Late Feb onward looks critical for the war in Ukraine, bringing big changes for President Putin, whose natal ascendant is in Capricorn, while President Zelensky is an Aquarius subject. This is likely to represent a key juncture, and possibly a hopeful opportunity for the ending of hostilities with Ukraine in a strong negotiating position. It may be there will be disappointment for Zelensky, -Pluto (wealth, power, death) -the price of peace, as Putin seeks to redraw the border at the Dnipro river. For all the superb courage of Ukraine, there are no clear winners here that the Tarot has been able to detect. Much depends on the vision of the US but my cards are showing that if Europe does not lose its nerve, it is not out of the question that Ukraine will take back Mariupol- and the Crimea.
Putin does not win. Ukraine survives as a sovereign entity. He has chosen to respond to Ukraine’s resistance and military counter challenge by waging a total war against unarmed civilians and civilian infrastructure, and now Eastern Europe is a hive in uproar. We need no cards to see this is a war with a very long tail of consequences in geo-politics, with major implications for the future direction of NATO.
A number of Vedic astrologers have said it looks possible that Putin will remain in power in Russia until 2030. On the other hand, UK/Australian Astrologer Jessica Adams predicted on her website 13 March 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that Pluto’s temporary departure from Capricorn 24 March 2023 will mark the beginning of the end for Vladimir Putin as the man in power in Russia.
The Tarot concurs more closely with Jessica than with those Vedic astrologers. The cards rightly or wrongly do not show that Putin stays in power until 2030. March –May does look like a critical time in the course of this war, as represented by repeated appearances of The Hanged Man (Pisces.) The cards for Putin himself, on a personallevel, do not look encouraging in the second half of 2023 and into 2024.
The Ace of Swords and the Death card were drawn, suggesting his possible departure from power by or before autumn of 2024. (The Death card often does not mean physical death- although it certainly can mean exactly that. But it can correlate with Scorpio dates, late Oct-late Nov in respect of timings.)
Russia seems destined to undergo another upheaval from Feb 2026, triggered by a Neptune-Saturn conjunction, based on previous such conjunctions tracked in the history of Russia, eg; the assassination of Alexander 11, and the death of Stalin. But there are previews of this coming upheaval in 2023
The writer does not see any clear sign that there will be a lasting ceasefire sooner than the end of March. By summer (Queen of Cups-Cancer- Strength -Leo season) is looking more hopeful. But things may start to calm during this period by a series of steps and stages.
Russia has already failed to annex Ukraine in entirety. Will Russia be able to hang on to all four of those illegally annexed territories in Ukraine? It seems probable that Ukraine will very slowly reclaim much if not all of this territory, with the possible exception of Donetsk. Russia will now remain a permanent threat to Ukraine, and therefore the stability in the rest of Eastern Europe.
Europe
The political solidarity of Europe could be tested this year, particularly around April and August, but there could be new ideas and proposals for reorganization within the European Union in May/June. Germany seems to be doing better after February 2023, going into economic recovery. But as previously mentioned, this war in Ukraine has major implications for the future mission statement and changing remit of NATO.
The US
2023 could mean a political change in the United States which is currently experiencing its first Pluto return. This is a time when empires and dynasties have risen or fallen. President Biden has come through the mid-term US Elections slightly better than predicted, not strongly, but securely enough for now. Rightly or wrongly, the reader is not detecting a second term for Donald Trump after 2024, and is not detecting Kamala Harris as a future US President. Ron DeSantis, currently governor of Florida, is said to be a man to watch in 2023 as a possible future contender for another Republic presidency in 2024.
The Chinese Year of the Black/Water Rabbit (兔年 tùnián)
In 2023 we enter the Year of the Rabbit. This is a year of the black rabbit- black represents the element of water in Chinese astrology. The Year of the Rabbit, as with all the animal signs in the Chinese zodiac, comes round once every twelve years.
2023 Chinese New Year Day is on Sunday, 22 January 2023, although I have read that technically speaking the first day of the 2023 Chinese Astrology Year is 4 February 2023. This date is different from the Chinese New Year Day for reasons based on the lunar calendar.
If a baby was born before 4 February then the baby’s Chinese Zodiac sign is the Tiger, not the Rabbit.
You are a Rabbit if you were born in the following years: 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, and 2011
Be aware, the dates vary depending on the date of the February new moon. If your birthday is in February you need to check the dates in February for that particular year.
The Year of the Black (Water) Rabbit ends 9 February 2024 when we will enter a new Dragon year.
The rabbit is traditionally regarded as one of the happiest Chinese zodiac signs. People born in a Rabbit year are known for kindness, reliability, loyalty and also elegance and a certain air of mystery. People born in a year of the Rabbit are quick-witted, sociable, careful and inventive – occasionally ingenious. But cautious.
The Rabbit is a prey animal. A buck/jack rabbit may indeed be aggressive, but in general the rabbit is not confrontational. This may prove good news in 2023 in geo-politics. This year is expected to be a little quieter overall than 2022, the year of the Water Tiger which represents outward, expansive – and maritime Yang energy.
The Rabbit is creative. Spring is rime Rabbit power season. March, the Chinese Month of the Rabbit is therefore looking like the key month for launching new jobs, plans, projects and enterprises.
Xi has recently been ramping up aggression in Taiwanese air space, but he is aware he needs to be very careful, and he will likely have Covid to contend with, and all the attendant economic implications at least until the end of the first quarter of 2023.
The Mars in Cancer transit (war at sea?) may be tense from late March-late May-
In the Black Sea too.
President Erdogan, a Pisces native, turning up in my cards as the King of Cups, will most assuredly not want to see Russia succeed in taking the Ukrainian port of Odessa. This would be a challenge to Turkey’s maritime hegemony in the Black Sea. But President Erdogan does not want to fall out with Moscow, for reasons of trade, and has a tricky balancing act, with a general election to fight in June 2023.
Foe the rest of us in general, the rabbit is at its prime in the spring, saying March-April 2023 is the optimal time for new opportunities. This is the time to make a push and to persist. “The early bird catches the worm”.
The diplomatic Rabbit again, brings hope of a ceasefire in Ukraine in 2023, and an easing of tensions in other areas, despite some much gloomier forecasts from security analysts. While the gloom is realistic, and while Putin is ruthless and very determined, the wider stakes are too high for him to be allowed to annexe Ukraine, but the more attacks Ukraine can absorb or repel, the more of everything Putin too, must spend. As ever, only time will tell.
Meanwhile astrologers in India are predicting a boom year of economic growth for India.
The last Rabbit year, 2011, signified positive news for the economy, curbing inflation. But the last Water Rabbit year was in 1963. What events or themes of 1963 may be coming round again then, this year, echoed, recycled or followed up with a related new chapter? What karma?
In 1963
French president Charles de Gaulle prevents Great Britain’s entry into the Common Market.
Nuclear test ban treaty is signed by the U.S., Great Britain, and USSR.
Buddhist-led military group overthrows the government of South Vietnam.
Kenya becomes an independent republic.
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
Lucky colours in a Rabbit year
These colours are lucky for everyone but especially lucky for rabbit natives: green, blue, black, beige, white, and silver, gold.
In Summary
Buckle up for another eventful, sometimes bumpy ride in 2023, particularly until the end of March. World economics are definitely bumpy. But constructive Jupiter in Taurus from 16 May onward could mean a boost to the global economy, a more ‘bullish’ Stock Exchange, and smoothie Venus in diplomatic Libra from November is reason for hope, suggesting that a conflict quietens by the end of the year, starting after we pass mid-summer.
This arrival of Venus in Putin’s own sun sign in November 2023 may prove with hindsight to be significant for Putin as a Libra native. This war seems to quieten in stages after the first quarter of 2023, but it does not seem to end on any one single clear event. The Ace of Swords and Death card have come into sight though, for Vladimir Putin himself. These cards cannot be clearer in their meaning. They mean The End. It seems possible, there will be a ceasefire or a brokered peace late in 2023, and Putin may leave power, if not then, then in the following year in 2024.
Both Taurus and Libra are ruled by Venus, the celestial antidote to the sporadically retrograde, aggressive Mars energy that has been ruling the roost since early 2022.
How do we best navigate this year at a personal level?
From The Legacy of The Divine Tarot
The Two of Coins
You have got a lot on your plate, rushing to and fro. But you are coping, just about. Drop any spare baggage if you must, and travel light, but take your time. Don’t force the issue. Do not “throw the baby out with the bathwater.”
Delay making big decisions until you feel more sure of the ground.
The Ace of Coins is a powerful and positive card of new beginnings to do with money, work and career. It can also be a new home. It can be a garden. This is about keeping at it, working steadily to build, to grow and to accumulate your resources. Its colour is green; a bright beautiful springtime green, like fresh new leaves on a tree.
The Ten of Cups is the card of a happy home and happy relations between family members. But there will be times early in the New Year when we might be feeling more irritable than usual.
The Ten of Cups is ruled by the zodiac sign of Pisces, and by the planets Jupiter and Mars. Gently does it round family members this year, especially with siblings. 2023 is likely to be personally demanding at an individual level, especially in the first half of the year. But we are helped along the way by generous Jupiter in Taurus and diplomatic Venus in Libra.
Jupiter in Taurus is also great news for agriculture after May 2023 when food supply issues should ease, as well as in the fields of finance, training, business, higher education and publishing, while Venus in Libra is good news for legal situations and for partnerships both personal and professional; creative and artistic pursuits, especially in the second half of the year.
Determined efforts will likely pay off, starting or culminating 16 May 2023- 25 May 2024.
Wishing you the very best for a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year, 2023.
True Tarot Tales 