TAROT - Biden/Obama. Blagojevich.

At the suggestion of astro-blogging colleague Robert Phoenix I'm trying 3-card tarot readings on the question of how Joe Biden and Rahm Emmanuel will influence President-elect Barack Obama in coming years. I suspect Robert has some misgivings on this score. A reading on Biden/Obama follows. (One on Emmanuel to be done at a later date). When the drama involving Rod Blagojevich blew in I asked a second question - a brief explanation is in the last paragraphs of this post.

So, concentrating hard on VP Designate Joe Biden, I asked: "How will Biden affect Obama in his coming years of power?"

In the following order, I drew 3 cards:

Knight of Swords
Judgement
Ace of Wands

The tricky part of tarot reading, with a question like this, can be adjusting the archetype of the 3 cards to fit the context of the question. It's not too difficult this time. Once again I am flabbergasted that three randomly drawn cards from 78 can be even vaguely appropriate to the question asked.

Knight of Swords definitely represents Joe Biden. He is Knight to Obama's Kingly position. Swords represent the element of Air , the Knights relate to the element of Fire - so here we have Fire and Air blended: intellectuality, directness, verging on rudeness (how very appropriate for Biden), passion, commitment. Also, here we have the archetypal warrior both actually and metaphorically. This is the source of my colleague Robert's misgivings, I suspect, along with the thought that Biden is part of "the old guard" in Washington. Will Biden be inclined to push for conflict rather than conciliation and compromise? Will his inner warrior affect and infect Obama? Will he influence Obama to fall back on "old ways", so that the mantra of "CHANGE" disappears without trace?

Judgement - a card of the Major Arcana, so the most significant of the three drawn. This card relates to Pluto and the element of Fire, so blends well with the previous card. The illustration shows a mythical Day of Judgement, but that is metaphorical only - it's meant to give an overall feel of the card indicating re-birth, renewal, new directions, big changes, letting go of the past. In this context I'd say that the card indicates Biden's transformation from independent Senator to Vice President, a second-in-command position from which, though offering advice based on past experience, he will, in the end have to be led rather than lead. This is a positive card, telling us that Biden will need to undergo a certain transformation, so what we know of his past will no longer be relevant in his new situation. In other words, he will not be able to influence Obama to follow "old ways", instead Obama will influence him to follow new ones.

Ace of Wands - the suit of Wands relates to the element of Fire, so once again it blends with the other cards in the spread. Aces represent beginnings and the purest emanation of the suit's element - here Fire : creativity, courage, enthusiasm, energy. In this context the card relates to Biden's new position in the coming adminstration. It's a very positive indication that he'll approach the change of lifestyle and attitudes with vigour and courage, his advice to his President will be creative, almost visionary.

The three cards together indicate nothing negative, other than that first "warrior" archeype, but we must note that the following cards indicate an ending followed by a beginning, a change of direction and new creative energy going forward. We might extract from this that President Obama, who will always have "the last say" on issues appertaining to war and policies, will bring his influence to bear on Biden - the new direction - rather than the other way around, as might be feared by some.

That's how I read it anyway. And at the very least - the cards are positive, energetic and show courage to face whatever events emerge. In my own view, we should feel incredibly lucky to have these two men at the helm at this particular time in history.

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On the day the drama about Rod Blagojevich blew up, I decided to ask the question, "Is here anything seriously negative due to emerge with regard to Obama?" I did shuffle the cards extra well, using three different methods, and was "gobsmacked" as we used to say in Yorkshire, to see two of the same cards which appeared in my reading posted 6 December (No Drama Obama)
The new set of 3 is:
6 Swords
Temperance
8 Coins/Pentacles.

It's quite odd, too, that the 6 Swords came up in an earlier reading - just before Obama's grandmother died, and he travelled to Hawaii (I failed to pick up the exact message at the time, but recognised it later). Perhaps then, the first card indicates a journey during the Holidays, alternatively, a moving away from danger and stress. The 2nd and 3rd cards could be interpreted exactly as in "No Drama Obama". So I think I can extract from the reading that the cards are (kind of) saying - "we've already told you this - stop worrying!"

Nothing negative is likely to emerge on the Obama front any time soon, say the cards. I think we can exhale!