politics – True Tarot Tales

In the glass Darkly. The India Elections 2024

flag hanging on pole — Photo by Naveed Ahmed on Unsplash

We had the results yesterday of the India election, greatest democratic election on earth, the Lok Sabha, held once every five years. I saw the news and was reminded of a reading I did back in April, in a conversation on twitter with a friend, journalist, author, and previous client who shall, for reasons of her personal privacy, remain anonymous for the purposes of this post. I’ll call her D.

Apr 24

D. “Elections have just begun here. We’re hoping against hope, I wonder if your cards had anything to say?”

I said I would be taking a look.

D. “That would be great. Re astrologer X’s post, I don’t see the bit about women rising happening anytime soon. Not this election certainly…”

I looked into this over the next few days and drew the cards illustrated below. The reply went as follows:

Apr 28

My REPLY You may not like this, my friend. Treat it as an exercise in Tarot-style analysis. The question as stated to the Tarot was, do we see a third term as PM for Narendra Modi?

Cards from the Legacy of The Divine Tarot

See that 3 Cups tarot card and the 3 Hearts at the end of the 2 rows? Two threes are indicative of a third term for Modi and he draws a victory card on the future timeline (6 Wands). But there are “buts.”

That King Wands card drawn reversed/upside down is talking about Modi’s ambition to win the south. (King Wands = “king of the south” and the suit of Wands is the suit of politics) But, though he may gain more seats, even in Kerala, this does not look likely to go his way. Though nor does it suggest a victory for Rahul Gandhi. He may still do well in the south but as a prospective PM, it seems the global times are not favourable to his proposed reforms, however excellent in intention. Women’s issues may not be a priority at this election. 2029 might be different. But, see that central Queen of Pentacles? Women/a woman politician may emerge more powerfully from this process. Working against Modi -agriculture issues (7 Pentacles) unemployment-jobs for young people (Jack Diamonds) Why will he win, if he wins? Strength card. National security on the international stage. Lack of confidence in cohesion of other parties. Dangerous times globally, Modi may currently be seen as India’s strongest arm and best bet should there be confrontation with, say, China or Russia. (Despite govt failures to stop/contain the horrors in Manipur.) But as ever, only time will tell.

Apr 29

D. Thank you for taking a look. Disappointing to me for sure because if he has his way, elections don’t seem to be in his plans at all in 2029 and too much damage may have been done by then.

Apr 29

REPLY He doesn’t seem to be getting things all his way, even if he does win a third term. And winning it and completing it are not the same thing. But the cards that are drawn, I share without fear or favour. Another poss scenario…at least as shown here in this card spread – 3 party coalition. Re Astrologer X and the rise of women’s issues. That Queen of Pentacles, who is she? As a principle this card says the critical issue is the India economy. Tis Queen reps Capricorn. India’s future is looking increasingly strong overall. Despite economic demographic challenges. But this “queen” is also likely a real person, rising on the political scene.

Let’s wait and see. Not very long to go now. Again, thank you for reading.

5 June 2024: What has the Tarot reader seen/interpreted correctly?

The reader has correctly forecast the overall outcome in answer to the question as stated. Modi seems likely to secure that third term. But, also as detected in the cards, Modi is indeed weakened, and he and the BJP will not be having things all is/their own way. Continue reading HERE

Re: women’s issues

D. “Re: astrologer X, I don’t see the bit about women rising happening anytime soon. Not this election certainly…”

REPLY “Women’s issues may not be a priority at this election. 2029 might be different. But, see that central Queen of Pentacles? Women in India /a woman politician may emerge more powerfully from this process.”

My understanding via the cards was somewhat ambivalent on this point, indicating both a yes and a no answer. One thing is clear. That Capricornian Queen of Pentacles card is clearly NOT depicting Mayawati of The Bahujan Samaj Party.

The BSP, “which contested 424 seats across the country and 79 in Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, could not win a single seat.”

More HERE

As to the value of the BJP manifesto pledges for women in India, I do not feel qualified to judge. Their pledges as follows:

1/ “The BJP will extend the “lakhpati Didi” scheme that empowers women to have an income of more than Rs 1 lakh per annum. “We have empowered one crore rural women to become Lakhpati Didis (prosperous sisters). We will now empower three crore rural women to become Lakhpati Didis” (Is this a big enough deal? What is the current baseline? )

2/”We will empower women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with the skills and tools in key service sectors like IT, healthcare, education, retail and tourism with an aim to increase their income.”

3/”We will integrate women Self-Help Groups (SHGs) with ongoing initiatives such as One District One Product (ODOP), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Ekta Mall, ONDC, GEM, One Station One Product, enhancing better market access for their products.”

4/ “The BJP will also facilitate participation of women in the workforce through various means. “We will ensure development of infrastructure such as working women’s hostels, creches etc. with the specific focus on locations near industrial and commercial centres to facilitate increased participation of women in the workforce.”

5/ “Our women sports persons have brought honours to our country. We will encourage greater participation of women in sports by launching women sportsperson focused programmes and facilities.”

6/ Public toilets for women (OMG, this requires a manifesto pledge?) “We have provided dignified lives to women by constructing public and individual toilets under Swachh Bharat Mission. We are further committed to upholding the dignity of women by continuing to construct and maintain public toilets.”

7/”We will expand the existing health services focussed on the prevention and reduction of Anaemia, Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer and Osteoporosis, ensuring a healthy life for women. We will launch a focussed initiative to eliminate cervical cancer.”

8/ Low down the list-Women in Parliament—to constitute 1/3 The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam seeks to reserve one-third of the total number of seats for women in Lok Sabha, State Legislative Assemblies and Delhi Assembly.

9/ Shakti desk. Women help desks at police stations “for their safety”.

These pledges, which may seem conservative or long overdue to many readers outside India ARE personified in that central Queen of Pentacles. Is it enough, soon enough?

But that powerful, grounded, fiscal card; te Queen of Pentacles is followed by the Six Wands. This is undeniably a card of progress…and it is fast moving.

I surmise the next 5 years will show that Astrologer X (Jessica Adams) was not wrong.

“India will be truly successful only when women occupy equal space in our society. They must take their rightful place in politics and shape India’s destiny.”

-Rahul Gandhi

What has the Tarot reader not seen/interpreted correctly?

The identity of the powerful female politician represented by the Queen of Pentacles card remains unclear. I surmise she is Sonia Gandhi, although she did not stand for election herself.

“Sonia Gandhi‘s sharpest weapon, it is often said, has been her silence. It was so this election as well when the once reluctant politician and Congress leader helped forge the opposition INDIA bloc, speaking little and seldom in public but wielding enormous power. The 77-year-old didn’t campaign this time, possibly because she has been unwell, and chose her words and moments carefully.” – Economic Times of India

I understated the success of her son, Rahul Gandi in this election.

“Though nor does it (Tarot) suggest a victory for Rahul Gandhi. He may still do well in the south but as a prospective PM, it seems the global times are not favourable to his proposed reforms, however excellent in intention.”

The prediction was correct both in respect of saying Rahul would not be PM and the rising strength of the opposition. But still, I, the reader, underestimated the strength of his performance in this election. He has done WELL. The opposition overall has done much better than Modi seems to have anticipated.

“NEW DELHI, June 4 (Reuters) – Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, mocked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his supporters for a decade as an entitled dynast, marked a stunning comeback on Tuesday, emerging at the centre of an alliance that made deep inroads into ruling party strongholds.

The scion of India’s fabled Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, he embarked on two cross-country marches against what he called Modi’s politics of hate and fear, giving a jolt of enthusiasm to his Congress party and rehabilitating his own image.”

More HERE

UPDATE

Since I started writing up this tarot reading, the opposition has conceded defeat, but with defiance. This from Al- Jazeera…

“Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in his opening remarks at the continuing opposition INDIA alliance meeting says the coalition “fought well, fought unitedly, fought resolutely. The mandate is decisively against Mr. Modi, against him and the substance and style of his politics,” he said in a post on X. “It is a huge political loss for him personally apart from being a clear moral defeat as well.”

Ouch.

blue peacock in close up photography — Photo by Michaela Filipcikova on Unsplash

And this from US President Joe Biden:-

“Congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the National Democratic Alliance on their victory, and the nearly 650 million voters in this historic election. The friendship between our nations is only growing as we unlock a shared future of unlimited potential.” 3:40 PM · Jun 5, 2024

In Summary

Psychic Tarot Card LED light — Photo by Sean Hudson on Unsplash

“Looking in the glass darkly”. That’s what the reader is doing. The act of divination is one thing. It can take us a long, long way, far extending our reach, and it is a mystery how this happens. But context is key when delving deeper. Having either a clear brief or instruction, or having access to at least some basic knowledge of the situation under investigation is what enables a deeper analysis of the cards.

Thank you for reading. Until next time.

The Ides of March and all that -Astrology, Prediction and Politics

The use of astrology and other forms of divination is nothing new in politics. Over many centuries leaders and politicians, both in the West and East, the most highly educated people of their times, and, notwithstanding progress and all the discoveries of science since, they would still be regarded as more generally and highly educated than many people even today, have used the services of astrologers in an advisory capacity.

This brings us to the question, why do people in general use such services?

Well, why do they watch weather forecasts, or conduct polls, buy Lottery tickets, play guessing games, or follow the Stock Exchange?

Forecasting in an activity as old as humankind. It is about coping, control, risk assessment and preparation, and ultimately, survival. The human race has always exercised its wits in trying to sense the future, preparing to meet opportunities, challenges, or even downright threats.

But sometimes decisions need to be taken when we don’t have all the facts we ideally need. This is where an astrological or other divinatory perspective may offer a fresh view of the situation, and a sense of the options, the stakes and the odds.

“Astrology is like a weather report; it tells you what conditions you’re likely to face in the future. If the weatherman says it’s probably going to rain, you bring an umbrella. If you follow that advice, you won’t get wet.”– Lee Goldberg, Meteorologist

Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava on Pexels.com

Julius Caesar

“Beware the Ides of March,” is a famous line from Shakespeare’s play ‘Julius Caesar,’ and is associated with 15 March, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.

Below, The Emperor from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot deck. Looking very Julius Caesar, though Julius was never actually Emperor, despite lending his name to the later titles of Czar and Kaiser. The Emperor is the card of Aries the Ram, cardinal sign of spring and lambing season, authority, organizations, rulership, fire, daring, and fatherhood and all things masculine.

The truth: there was a bit more to it, but Shakespeare relied solely on Plutarch for his sources. A seer called Spurinna, a haruspex who read animal entrails as a system of divination, had examined the entrails of a bull on 15 February, and had read a bad omen there; some problem with the heart of the bull, we don’t know what exactly, whether it was malformed, or not quite where it should have been.

Spurinna, alarmed at the condition or ‘absence’ of the bull’s heart and possibly also by a few things he had heard, joined these dots and warned Caesar of a serious threat to his life during the coming 30 days, by or on The Ides (15 March)

Caesar heeded the warning and mostly stayed home for the next few weeks, partly because his wife Calpurnia was very worried. Spurinna had a good reputation for accuracy. Not only was he from Etruria, and Etruscan seers were highly regarded for their skill in divination, he was well connected with the elite of Rome, and had no doubt read the mood there.

Caesar was due to depart Rome again on the 18 March, on military campaign in Spain. The conspirators were running out of time.

But on the 15 March, he disregarded Calpurnia’s fears after a bad dream she had the previous night, and was persuaded to go to the Senate by a friend, Decimus, his closest friend or so he thought, but Decimus had aligned himself with the conspirators. Any betrayal by Brutus, with whom he had quite a mixed history, was nothing compared to the betrayal by Decimus.

On his way to the Portico of Pompey (Caesar’s former friend, ally, one time son in law and later enemy) where the assassins waited forewarned and ready, every eventuality planned for, Caesar passed the seer and joked, “The Ides of March are come,” and Spurinna is said to have replied “Aye, Caesar; but they are not gone.” Caesar here was referring back to the fact that on 15 February, Spurinna had warned him of a threat to his life during the next 30 days on or by the Ideas of March.

Caesar was no lamb to the slaughter. He was a soldier. He defended himself. Tried to escape. Tried to fight back and when he finally went down, touchingly, he covered his face with his robe, in an effort, it is thought, to preserve his privacy and dignity at the very end,or in the hope of avoiding facial mutilation.

The political consequences of this assassination were profound. Caesar’s death backfired on the conspirators, largely for big money reasons, and actually brought about the end of the Roman Republic, and the rise of the Emperors, the tragic irony here being, the assassins killed Caesar because they were afraid he was planning to overthrow the republic and become Emperor.

But could Caesar have avoided this fate?

This is the big question, one of those eternal questions, and of course we can never know. Astrologers today would argue our fate is not fixed, and that Caesar might have escaped, and thereby proven the seer wrong, if he had chosen to act on the warning, or “astrological intel,” as some astrologers describe it – astrological intelligence.

John Dee was a 16th century British mathematician, astronomer, geographer, and astrologer to Queen Elizabeth 1. He was briefly imprisoned at one time, on charges of sorcery during the reign of Mary 1 (“Bloody Mary”) but luckily for him, he had powerful friends and was released. and once Elizabeth became queen, he became her trusted astrological advisor and was appointed to choose an auspicious date for her coronation – an application of what is termed today event astrology electional astrology.

What ended the use of astrology as an accepted practice close to the centres of political power?

The Enlightenment during the 17^th century brought new discoveries in astronomy, chiefly and most significantly that Copernicus was right, and the Earth went round the sun, and not the other way round, and they had imprisoned Galileo and burned Giordano Bruno for stating a fact, though in Bruno’s case he had gone rather further than this.

But this threw a new light on astrology, and brought its basis into question.

The German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, famed for his improvements to the telescope and his work on the laws of interplanetary motion, was also a renownedastrologer, and he urged fellow scientists not to ‘throw out any baby with the bathwater.’

They were forgetting or overlooking a key point; that western astrology is an arithmetic symbol system based on a vast, ancient collection of psychological and natural observations and data. Discoveries in astronomy changed the science, expanded its range but did not render this arithmetic model invalid.

But his warnings were not heeded. Astrology was now relegated by mainstream academia to the realm of mere superstition, where it largely languishes to this day, yet while thriving as a Humanities subject, with an MA in Cultural Astronomy and Astrology currently taught at the University of Wales

Meanwhile in China too, the disciplines of astrology and astronomy had drifted ever further apart, and the use of astrology in the Imperial courts was in decline by the end of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD).

Astrology and Politics Today

Politicians today are unlikely to admit employing the services of an astrologer, especially after the excitement of 1998 when the former White House Chief of Staff, Donald Regan, stated that Nancy Reagan used astrologers to help plan the president’s schedule of activities.

Source: Timeline

“Donald Regan, Reagan’s chief of staff until he was ousted amid the Iran-Contra scandal, spilled in his 1988 book, For The Record, what he viewed as “the most closely guarded domestic secret of the Reagan White House.” He wrote that “Virtually every major move and decision the Reagans made during my time as White House Chief of Staff was cleared in advance with a woman in San Francisco who drew up horoscopes to make certain that the planets were in a favorable alignment for the enterprise.”

Before long, the astrologer who was advising the White House was identified as Joan Quigley.

The New York Post ran a story with the headline, “Astrologer Runs The White House” and the disclosure became fodder for jokes in Washington. On Capitol Hill, Representative Tony Coelho, the Democratic whip from California, blamed astrology for Republicans backing out of a revised trade bill. “Maybe an astrologer is telling them to object today.” Speaker of the House Jim Wright shot back, “It’s all right with me. I’m glad he consults somebody.”

The Reagans denied this but Joan Quigley herself later wrote that she had been actively involved in activities involving the President’s international relations.

Perhaps they still do. Perhaps they don’t. Astrologers are publicly at least, consigned to the realms of entertainment, but at least they are free to practice their skills and publicly discuss their findings without fear of persecution, imprisonment or execution for heresy or sorcery, while politicians, like anyone else, can consult in private or access free astrological commentary and forecasts via a thriving online and other publishing market.

But politics aside, some might still be surprised to learn who today uses astrology, Tarot and other such services, not for entertainment, not for fortune telling, but for analysis and forecasting, for an extra inside track, using such readings as a sounding board, weighing the odds, exploring the most likely outcomes in respect of a choice from their range of available options.

Black cats are lucky.

Lucky.

But sometimes even luck can use a little help, if only to warn where the cracks are, or potholes on the road ahead.