A “Warring Factions” Political-Profile Spread
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This spread needs little explanation. It is intended to examine the key qualities of aspirants to public office. (I’m leaving age and infirmity off the table.) It is best to use a different deck for each contender so all cards are available to both (or all) of them. In the US political system the run for the highest elected position is limited to two finalists (although anyone can receive a “write-in” vote, which in my opinion is a waste of one’s ballot); however, the spread recognizes that in other situations there can be three or more parties to the chase (just add rows and decks for more participants). This multiplicity may occur with greater frequency during primaries and run-off votes. Reversals can be used if desired.
In I Ching terms, Benebell Wen’s commentary on Line 6 of Hexagram 15 (Modesty) observes that “In matters relating to statecraft, a challenger is favored by the people;” however, it assumes that the ideal candidates for this distinction are honorable (and humble) scholar-sages, a demographic that is in painfully short supply in modern politics, where most postulants become avaricious opportunists (even if they didn’t start out that way). I’m afraid that today Diogenes would be forced into early retirement in his quest for “an honest man.”
Let’s take two examples: President Biden vs. former President Trump on the American stage and incumbent Emmanuel Macron vs. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally Party in France. I will do my best to remain neutral in this analysis, although for the record I’m a proponent of small government and consider myself a “Libertarian sympathizer.” This is more of a character assessment (hopefully not an “assassination”) than a prediction, so I’m not going to project a winner in either race. Since I have three copies of the Retro-Thoth deck, I’m using two of them so each candidate has an equal opportunity to come across as a saint or a sinner.
In the area of “Honesty & Integrity,” Biden is currently being pilloried by his own party and the Liberal media, but the reversal of the Hanged Man suggests that he may yet rise above the disarray. He’s not quite “Teflon Ron” Reagan, but he could conceivably “shake off the dirt.” Trump, on the other hand, has been trying to position himself as the conservatives’ darling and “savior of America.” The Princess of Cups looks like a disingenuous “front;” no politician can be that innocently trustworthy.
Regarding “Purity of Purpose,” with the Ace of Cups Biden can at least make a case for being less “tarnished” than his opponent, but it may not wash with the voters, who expect dishonesty from every quarter. Trump received the 5 of Cups reversed, which means that, having been soiled by a number of scandals, he has his own dirty laundry to air.
As far as “Inherent Corruptibility,” Biden’s Princess of Swords as a risk factor suggests incoherence and low cunning (Crowley’s estimation of this card). With the Magician as Trump’s “Achilles Heel,” there are hints of “Tricky Dick” Nixon but without the latter’s slippery maneuverability. Trump is more likely to be caught flatfooted than to demonstrate agility in avoiding the stigma of corruption. We will see how good he is at “pulling rabbits out of hats.”
In the “Accountability” department, Biden’s 9 of Cups reversed suggests that his cachet with the public has been dwindling; he is long past the “honeymoon” stage and is on the downward arc of his current term. He doesn’t seem to have much power left to sway opinion. There is a certain fatuous indolence to the reversal. With the Princess of Disks reversed, Trump is envisioning a “transfiguration” that will renew his mandate with the public, but he will have to demonstrate more stability (and less self-indulgence) than the reversal might allow him. Regarding both men, a friend of mine recently commented “333.3 million people and this is the best we can come up with . . .”
In the realm of “Honesty and Integrity,” the Fool makes Macron look like something of a nonentity (in the vernacular, a “zero”); it may be difficult to tell exactly what he believes (the “political-chameleon” syndrome). The suggestion is that he is skirting the edge of respectability. On the other hand, with the 6 of Wands the candidates of Le Pen’s party come across as assured of their favorable reputation with the voters. They smell victory.
With the 10 of Swords in the “Purity of Purpose” category, Macron seems to be “running on empty” when it comes to moral credibility. But with the Hanged Man in the same position, the opposition is still facing a “hung jury” regarding its conservative agenda, and the liberals and centrists are working hard to form an uneasy alliance that can hopefully stall their momentum.
Macron’s hedge against “Inherent Corruptibility” could be that — at least figuratively — he wants to be seen as a crusader, like Eugene Delacroix’s heroine in “Liberty Leading the People,” but the reversal of the Queen of Cups makes that unlikely to happen. He is too weighed down by public resentment to lead a charge. With the Chariot, the opposition is moving along at a brisk clip, closing in on the goal and counting on that pace to outrun any taint of impropriety.
The 8 of Disks in Macron’s “Accountability to the Governed” position indicates an uninspired “more of the same” posture that could very well have brought him to his current state of vulnerability As bluesman B.B. King once sang, “The thrill is gone.” The voters would seem to prefer the “new idea” proposed by the Ace of Swords that popped up for the opposition.
Elementally, there are a number of interesting alignments here. In the US election, both Biden and Trump have Water cards in the Fire position, implying more “hot (and steamy) air” than substance in both campaigns (most likely in the form of “smear tactics” like name-calling and malicious innuendo); everything else is well-favored from an elemental perspective. In the French election, the two standout features both occur in the National Rally Party’s line: the fiery 6 of Wands in the Fire position is eminently placed, while the Ace of Swords (Air) in the Earth position is poorly situated, showing that the opposition will have to prove itself and won’t get a free ride despite the appeal of their revisionist agenda. Fire might get them elected, but Earth will hold them accountable.
These were all difficult reads, and only the one for the French National Rally Party exhibits any kind of continuity; the other expose a variety of flaws. In the run-up to the US election, Biden seems a bit flaccid while Trump is dogged by his reputation (and, with that Magician, his narcissism). In the French election, Macron may be hobbled by a threadbare political philosophy.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on July 4, 2024.
