A “Bypass and Detour” Example Reading: The Ukraine Dilemma

Here is the first test of my “Bypass and Detour” Situational Spread; I currently have no personal circumstances that are complex enough to fully exercise this spread, so I chose a situation unfolding on the world stage. The deck is the Waite-Smith “Centennial in a Tin” mini edition.

I asked the question “What will be the outcome of US President Joe Biden’s “fencing match” with Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine situation?” I got the Knight of Cups rx; the 5 of Pentacles rx; the 3 of Swords; the 5 of Cups; the 6 of Cups rx; the Hermit rx; the 7 of Wands rx and the 8 of Cups. Note that there are no position meanings in this spread, so it is read as a narrative flow. The layout is at the end. In retrospect, I could not have created a more dismal forecast if I had picked the cards intentionally.

Knight of Cups rx — It’s doubtful that Biden has the horsepower to cross swords with Putin, and is probably out of his depth. He’s just too conciliatory and could be outmaneuvered (see the Devil below.)

5 of Pentacles rx — He will be lucky to escape with the shirt on his back, and will wind up figuratively “out in the cold” as far as realizing his objectives. The word that comes to mind regarding his strategy is “threadbare.”

3 of Swords — He will be traumatized by the experience and will have little appetite or incentive for fighting back. This might also indicate an impotent “war of words.”

5 of Cups — He will try to convince his constituents that he gained more than he lost, but it will be a hard sell.

6 of Cups rx — He will wish he was back in Kansas . . . uh, Washington, where he’s not expected to take a strong position and stand by it.

Hermit rx — He will likely be deserted by his international peers and will have to go it alone.

The Devil — This can only be Putin, a capable tactician, intransigent and Machiavellian.

7 of Wands rx — Biden is at risk of forfeiting the moral high ground and any slight advantage he may have gone in with.

8 of Cups — It looks like a bitter draught that sends him slouching for the exit.

This is not an encouraging outlook for Biden’s chances of success in cajoling, threatening or intimidating Putin in any way. Five out of nine cards reversed suggest an uphill battle. Seven of the nine cards are passive (Earth and Water) and the two unpromising active cards provide no positive reinforcement. I sense a foreign-policy debacle in the making. Whether it paves the way for Putin’s next move remains to be seen, but this reading makes Biden look more like a whipped puppy than the bulwark of the West. This could be his first international trial-by-fire. I’m no great admirer of Putin, but I fear he will eat Biden alive face-to-face.