Just a year ago today we were on tenterhooks in the USA to discover who would be our new President.
President Obama won't actually have served a full year until January 2010, but this was the day when, late in the evening, we knew he'd been successful in his challenge for the presidency.
Many are critical of the progress the President has been able to make thus far.
Some overly optimistic supporters expected him to perform miracles. He hasn't done so, nor should we have expected it of him. What he has done, in a comparatively short time, is to raise the status of the United States in the eyes of much of the rest of the world. No longer is America the world's brutal despot. At least we're a few notches above that - seen now as a nation whose leader is compassionate, highly intelligent and level headed. He's moderate though. We ain't gonna see no revolutionary changes on his watch. But then, we wouldn't have seen any if a miracle had happened and my own first choice last year, Dennis Kucinich were made president.
People conveniently forget two things when belly-aching about the President's lack of dramatic progress in some important areas. 1) That around 46% of voters cast their vote for John McCain and (Gawd help us) Sarah Palin. There was no landslide of support, even though some commentators talked-up Obama's win into one. 2) That the US government is made up of three levels, legislative, executive and judicial. Congress, the legislative branch contains sharp thorny obstacles, which are no more easy to deal with by a revolutionary far-left president than by a moderate one. In fact, a moderate president has a better chance of achieving some level of progress through compromise.
Next year is thought by many astrologers to have all the signs of an especially difficult year. As long ago as 1996, in his book "Horoscope for the New Millennium", E. Alan Meese wrote of a "titanic T-square" in 2010, involving Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto as they enter cardinal signs (a similar formation to that during the Great Depression of the 1930s). Actually, much of what the author predicted for 2010 has already happened in the financial world. While I don't dispute that there could be more shocks ahead, on any front, I don't think the year will be as dire as is being foretold by some doom-ridden astrologers.
I decided to ask the tarot cards "what do I need to know about Obama's 2nd year in office?".
Now, I was a bit naughty because the first three cards I drew didn't seem to be very interesting. I waited 24 hours then asked again - and a weird thing happened - it has happened before - two of the 3 cards drawn the previous day appeared again, in the same order, plus one different card.
And one card fell out of the deck as I shuffled.
First day's draw
4 of Cups/Page of Swords/8 of Coins
2nd day's draw
4 of Cups/Page of Swords/3 of Rods (& 5 of Rods fell out of deck as I shuffled; when this happens it's thought that the card ought to be taken into account.)
From those cards, in a nutshell, it seems that the President might enter his second year in office feeling a little depressed, or let down, leading to some introspection, which will, in turn, lead to a more energised period, with a will to tackle obstacles and there's a distinctly positive trend showing towards the end of the year.
The card which fell out of the deck - 5 Rods indicates struggles and dissension - no change there then!
I'm glad that no Major Arcana cards with negative connections appeared. This gives me confidence that 2010 is unlikely to be the bugaboo some astrologers predict - at least as far as the President of the USA is concerned. Some of the doom-laden predictions out there could relate to another part of the world, I guess. At any given time, there are going to be bad things happening somewhere. I don't remember a period in my lifetime when everything, everywhere, was sweetness and light. 2010 will be no different - that's my prediction.
President Obama won't actually have served a full year until January 2010, but this was the day when, late in the evening, we knew he'd been successful in his challenge for the presidency.
Many are critical of the progress the President has been able to make thus far.
Some overly optimistic supporters expected him to perform miracles. He hasn't done so, nor should we have expected it of him. What he has done, in a comparatively short time, is to raise the status of the United States in the eyes of much of the rest of the world. No longer is America the world's brutal despot. At least we're a few notches above that - seen now as a nation whose leader is compassionate, highly intelligent and level headed. He's moderate though. We ain't gonna see no revolutionary changes on his watch. But then, we wouldn't have seen any if a miracle had happened and my own first choice last year, Dennis Kucinich were made president.
People conveniently forget two things when belly-aching about the President's lack of dramatic progress in some important areas. 1) That around 46% of voters cast their vote for John McCain and (Gawd help us) Sarah Palin. There was no landslide of support, even though some commentators talked-up Obama's win into one. 2) That the US government is made up of three levels, legislative, executive and judicial. Congress, the legislative branch contains sharp thorny obstacles, which are no more easy to deal with by a revolutionary far-left president than by a moderate one. In fact, a moderate president has a better chance of achieving some level of progress through compromise.
Next year is thought by many astrologers to have all the signs of an especially difficult year. As long ago as 1996, in his book "Horoscope for the New Millennium", E. Alan Meese wrote of a "titanic T-square" in 2010, involving Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Pluto as they enter cardinal signs (a similar formation to that during the Great Depression of the 1930s). Actually, much of what the author predicted for 2010 has already happened in the financial world. While I don't dispute that there could be more shocks ahead, on any front, I don't think the year will be as dire as is being foretold by some doom-ridden astrologers.I decided to ask the tarot cards "what do I need to know about Obama's 2nd year in office?".
Now, I was a bit naughty because the first three cards I drew didn't seem to be very interesting. I waited 24 hours then asked again - and a weird thing happened - it has happened before - two of the 3 cards drawn the previous day appeared again, in the same order, plus one different card.
And one card fell out of the deck as I shuffled.
First day's draw
4 of Cups/Page of Swords/8 of Coins
2nd day's draw
4 of Cups/Page of Swords/3 of Rods (& 5 of Rods fell out of deck as I shuffled; when this happens it's thought that the card ought to be taken into account.)
4 of Cups is fairly clear: it represents a kind of apathy, withdrawal, introspection, a feeling of being disengaged.
Page of Swords - Swords belong to the element of Air, so is mentally centered - if the card represents a situation = analysis of a problem, renewed enthusiasm, clearing up confusion. Court cards can represent a person too, either the one who is subject of the question or another important to the response. The Page usually represents a young-ish person of either sex. I needed a little confirmation to interpret the card in this context, so sought assistance from a tarot website. This was the first I looked at, by Juniper Russo Tarascio:
When the Page of Swords is drawn, it refers to a situation that is rocky and tumultuous, but the person in the situation remains calm and in-control Despite obstacles, the subject of the tarot reading will prevail and be successful. That describes Obama, I reckon!
Like all Court Cards, the Page of Swords can indicate a person, rather than just a state of being...... When the Page of Swords symbolizes an individual, the person is almost always a woman or a feminine man. She is steadfast and confident, sometimes to a fault, and acts quickly and knowledgeably without second-guessing decisions.
But is it Obama himself? Or a woman important in his administration stepping in to provide assistance at some troublesome and significant time?
8 of Coins Dedicated approach, the approach of a craftsman getting steady material results.
3 of Rods Having foresight, providing direction, being visionary.
From those cards, in a nutshell, it seems that the President might enter his second year in office feeling a little depressed, or let down, leading to some introspection, which will, in turn, lead to a more energised period, with a will to tackle obstacles and there's a distinctly positive trend showing towards the end of the year.The card which fell out of the deck - 5 Rods indicates struggles and dissension - no change there then!
I'm glad that no Major Arcana cards with negative connections appeared. This gives me confidence that 2010 is unlikely to be the bugaboo some astrologers predict - at least as far as the President of the USA is concerned. Some of the doom-laden predictions out there could relate to another part of the world, I guess. At any given time, there are going to be bad things happening somewhere. I don't remember a period in my lifetime when everything, everywhere, was sweetness and light. 2010 will be no different - that's my prediction.
12 comments:
Following the loops and rolls of the oft-mystifying, ever-annoying American political system has been quite an experience for you. Hang on, it can get better or worse depending on one's point of view.
I'm in slight, respectful disagreement with your prediction.
With the Cardinal Signs coming into play next year, I do anticipate the patience of the American People to wear thin -- we see evidence of this already -- and to move into Action, indicated clearly by the 5 of Wands which fell out as you were shuffling. There's no clearer indication of people "raising arms" than five guys going at it with sticks!
The Mutable energy of Saturn in Virgo -- which lent it's hand to the "wait-and-see" approach to Obama's First Year -- is now giving way to the more impatient "ok, let's get something DONE and done NOW!" Cardinal energy of Saturn in Libra. Add the square he's making to Pluto in Capricorn and, yep, there will be an Event and/or Action taken.
Of course this may be softened by Jupiter's entry into Pisces, but whatever escape we, the American People, seek will be shortlived, as most Jupiter events are.
One thing about the Page of Swords is he's usually bearing a message. And, being Swords and, therefore, logical, astute and sometimes blunt, the message he has may not be so great and may be the buzzkill which deflates Jupiter in Pisces' balloon.
Of course, adding Uranus to the mix and then pairing him with Jupiter in a Cardinal Sign -- Aries -- adds a whole different element of potentially overblown, shocking events (marches? violence borne out of desperation and impatience?) which challenge authority (opposition to Saturn) as well as challenge or draw on one's power (square to Pluto).
I don't know if 2010 will be as quiet as you hope.
anyjazz ~~ Indeed! We'll hope for better then! Pessimism gets into the atmosphere and feeds on itself!
Duse ~~~ Hello, and thanks for your input. I realise that there's more than one way of seeing the situation.
Interpretation of the cards is bound to be colored by feelings already present in the reader, to some extent. We see what we want to see, I guess.
The cards themselves have a fairly narrow range and shade of meaning though, and the few cards I drew are not, to my mind, in any way "dire" enough to represent any kind of serious uprising, more than we've already seen in 2009. I get a definite feel of "more of the same" from these cards. It hasn't been exactly quiet in 2009!
As for the astrological side - I've just been drafting a brief post for tomorrow on that score.
;-)
A realistic view ? Nothing really drastic doesn't have to happen for it to be a hard year. I say this based to my direct experience from a previous financial crisis. I'm actually amazed of how little talk there has been internationally about the financial crises that shook the Nordic countries in the early 90's and how that was coped with. Many things that happened here then have now happened in the Global scale. And I can tell you that the hardest part for the common people came well after the initial collapse. We really had to rethink our own, personal relationship to posession, money and spending. I personally rather have very little than go into debt, because I saw what that did to people then.
Given the T-square will affect the US Venus, I just have the feeling this will be the case in the US too. I have a feeling that for the past year, both the governments and citizens have been in some kind of a shock, trying to save the savable. Most really haven't had time to think about the future beyond the next month or next year. Now it's time to adjust. Rethinking public spending is inevitable. Not just the budget next year, but possibly the whole idea to base budget to endless and steady growth. And in a country like US, where this has been basicly the ideology shared by the nation, that could be quite a struggle. This could go either way for Obama in terms of his immediate popularity in the US, but can see that in either way, in 10 or 15 years many people will come to see that the austere measures he'll likely propose, were needed.
You make a very good point about the cards themselves and I certainly look forward to your astrological take on this.
Focusing on the cards -- and having already covered the Page of Swords --, they do seem to accurately reflect where we are as a Nation.
Looking at the story the cards tell -- as no one card sits alone, being preceded and followed by a cyclical energy in the Suit --, the 4 of Cups makes sense. Having come from the jubilation of the 3 of Cups (the Campaign and Election), we now find ourselves in the more serene 4, but not yet at the Opportunities Lost/Have to Move On 5.
And what is the 4 telling us? Are we being offered something we're unaware of because we're focused on what we already have? Or is what we're being offered something of a mirage and, sensing this, we focus on what's already before us, knowing it's solid even if it is unsatisfying and disappointing?
This 4 isn't an "action card". To me, in light of the 3 of Cups, it kind of feels like the day after the party where we wonder why we got so crazy the night before. We're still in that post-celebratory fog and not yet realizing we may have lost something (which we do in the 5).
But the Page of Swords is gonna wake us up, that's for sure. He's that knock at the door which presents us with the facts. Unable to ignore, unimpeachable, plain as day facts.
Now, the 8 of Pentacles suggests there will be work to be done. Having paused and reflected on what we've built before with the 7 of Pentacles, we've rolled up our sleeves and dug back in.
But why are we working? Has something (perhaps the Page's message?) forced us into it and it's become a job we have to do in order to avert disaster? Or is it a job we're happy to do? One we're committed to and eager to finish.
Then, in the second reading, we have the 3 of Wands.
Threes are always interesting. I see them as the icebreakers which interrupt and move forward the inertia often found in the 2s. But, in the Wands Suit, both the 2 and the 3 are looking off into the distance waiting for something! I suspect both are hoping for the celebration of the 4, but, in still waiting for it, it's obviously not quite there yet.
With his back turned to us, the figure in the 3 feels a bit more defensive and not as hopeful as the figure in the 2. Almost as if, having been promised and promised something, he's beginning to doubt it'll ever come. He's turned his back on us and resolutely looks away, sure that what "it" is he's looking for will surely show up ...won't it?
So, in agreement with you, the cards aren't showing Crisis, per se. It really is more of the same which, in this divisive political climate and the coming energy of the Cardinal Square, could easily tip over into shocking, surprising action.
Thank you for so generously allowing me to share my thoughts.
Candela ~~~ thank you for your comment. You put things nicely into perspective for us!
It'll be a long haul to get back to any semblance of normality as we used to know it (if we ever really did), and next year won't offer any miracles, that's for sure. In the words of Churchill though. 2010 might just see "the end of the beginning".
Duse ~~ Oh thank you! That is yet another way to look at these cards.
I looked at them with the President as central - and his feelings; but yes, they can be seen from our (the population's) vantage point too, and still tell a lot which does fit. The basic story is the same, of course. :-)
I am always gobsmacked at the aptness of randomly drawn cards!
I feel happier with even your slightly 'harder' translation of these cards than most astrologers' assessments of the situation I've read so far. In fact I got very annoyed with the last one, so much so that you might not enjoy my tomorrow's post. LOL!~
Thanks again for you valuable and interesting input.
I don't know if you've ever watched Spooks, the Brit spy series, but it has an amazing ability to ape the current political world. One central story to last night's opener for the new series was a change of personnel in the CIA in London. Hard-headed Texan was swapped for more cooperative liberal. Plot delved into a conspiracy involving Texan and MI6 operative. Liberal helped MI5 bug Texan. Great new world of cooperation - so WE did the dirty on the liberal.
It's a strange world.
"In the words of Churchill though. 2010 might just see 'the end of the beginning'."
Interestingly, thinking about the situation brought another Churchill quote in my mind. There will definitely be "blood, sweat and tears". Somehow I think that politicians who won't promise anything else will win respect and even approval. With Obama going through a hard Saturn transit on Venus I somehow think he'll be on the "blood, sweat and tears" camp in the coming months.
anthonynorth ~~~ No, I haven't ever seen "Spooks". It sounds interesting! I'm rather glad we don't know exactly what goes on in those circles in real life - it'd probably (as Brits say) "do our 'eds in"
;-)
Candela ~~~ Yes. He has intimated as much in the past, but he hasn't emphasised it, he has glossed over it quickly. The time may be here when he has to drum it into us. I hope that "blood" doesn't figure to prominently though - "sweat and tears" are doable. ;-)
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