“Through A Glass Darkly” — Predicting World Events
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The art of correctly divining the course of large-scale human events (as opposed to purely natural phenomena) on the world stage is one that has intrigued fortune-tellers since Elizabethan astrologer William Lilly predicted the Great Fire of London in 1666. In my own work, these occasions are primarily sociopolitical in scope, and the more parties that are involved, the more difficult it is to pin down the specifics. I have had a few notable successes in this regard, the most memorable being my tarot reading about the likelihood of Great Britain exiting the European Economic Union. But for the most part my achievements have been modest at best.
Mundane astrology (a branch of horary) is usually the most reliable way to approach world affairs. But, assuming the chart shows that something is going to occur, the true difficulty lies in defining exactly what and when. The most effective method is to keep one’s finger on the pulse of any rumblings in the national or international political arena and try to make observations well ahead of any break-out events. Quite often, though (if the Ukraine-Russia war and the recent eruption in the Middle East are any indication), things have usually progressed beyond the saber-rattling stage by the time they catch our attention. I did deduce from a tarot reading that President Biden’s efforts to forestall armed conflict in the Ukraine would be futile, but that was basically a foregone conclusion considering the players and the stakes.
There is certainly no lack of targets for our soothsaying skills since there will always be smoldering “hot-spots” somewhere in the world on which to focus. China and Taiwan, North and South Korea, Russia and its former “client states,” African tribal unrest and the perennial climate of hostility between Israel and its neighbors come immediately to mind. But maintaining a constant lather of vigilance as prognosticators would leave us with little time or energy for any other divinatory pursuits. I don’t know about you, but I’m mainly a theorist driven by curiosity when it comes to such momentous developments since, other than the satisfaction of validating our predictions, there is little profit in being “right.” Outside of those with a vested interest in the near-term prospects for international trade, I can’t imagine anyone will be hanging on our every word.
Of the techniques available to us, cartomancy is definitely the least demanding from the standpoint of preparation and execution. All it requires is settling on a question to ask, identifying a “Significator” (person or party of interest), choosing a suitable deck of cards (I’m partial to Brian Williams’ PoMo Tarot for anything sociopolitical) and deciding upon a meaningful layout (aka “spread”). Interpretation of the results is then slanted toward the context of the matter at hand.
With that in mind, I opted to bring my “Enemy at the Gate” conflict-resolution spread to bear on the escalating war between Israel and Hamas over Gaza sovereignty. Since Hamas was the most recent instigator (setting aside any and all previous provocation by both antagonists), I placed them in the top row of the spread, with Israel in the bottom row. As always, I picked the Chariot from a second deck as the “Opportunity” card or harbinger of victory. The question I asked was “What will occur in this volatile situation over the next three months?”
The most interesting feature of this projection is the “quintessence” complex, but I will first examine the spread column-by-column. The other significant aspect is that almost all of the cards are reversed, indicating that there is much more to the matter than meets the eye.
The first column shows the “Strengths” that each party brings to the conflict. Here are two relatively weak, reversed Water cards which suggest that both leaders are taking an entrenched, emotional stance with their people and neither one will be amenable to bargaining any time soon unless forced by external pressures. The Six of Bottles (Cups) shows more community solidarity than the divisive Seven of Bottles, implying that Hamas has the united support of the Palestinian populace on its side.
The second column reflects the parties’ “Weaknesses,” and neither one is in a good position. With the 8 of TVs (Swords) reversed, Hamas appears poised to receive a “knockout punch” but, with the Hermit reversed, Israel risks over-extending itself by unilaterally “going out on a limb.”
The third column suggests the “Edge” that each party exhibits in the matter. Temperance reversed for Hamas conveys the idea of well-honed evasive strategies and tactics. However, the reversal limits their maneuvering room and they may have trouble avoiding the “knockout punch” scenario. With the Six of Bills (Pentacles) reversed, the implication is that Israel has (or can get) the funds for a prolonged counteroffensive, but also that the well is not bottomless.
The fourth column reveals the “Allies’ Power” that is available to each adversary. The 3 of Bills (Pentacles) with its image of poker-players shows that Hamas is “playing with someone else’s money,” and no doubt that largess has political strings attached. The Six of TVs (Swords) for the Israelis indicates the substantial strategic support that is forthcoming from their sympathizers.
Now it gets really interesting. The two “Sub-quintessence” cards in the fifth column describe the parties’ chances for success. The Chariot for Hamas, because it echoes the “Opportunity” card at the beginning of the spread, I would normally read as unconditional triumph. But it is reversed, and the image of a battle tank suggests that they could be overrun by a ground attack. However, Israel must deal with the Tower reversed, giving me the idea that the costs and consequences could be dire in human terms.
The scoring model built into the spread yielded a virtual tie, although that seems more than a little irrational. If I had to pick a nominal winner (and neither candidate is a “shoo-in”) it’s possible that Hamas could still be intact (at least as a “sleeper cell”) after the dust settles; in other words, the status quo may remain in place. The doubling of the Chariot implies “bloodied but unbowed.” However, Israel is a dangerous opponent (at least in that narrow theater of engagement), although I don’t think the nuclear option shown on “Disaster” is an ethical last resort, either in the giving or the receiving of it (which would be catastrophic either way). We should fervently hope it doesn’t come to that.
The Grand Quintessence was the Hierophant reversed (“Mr. Religion” in the PoMo Tarot). As I see it, religious fundamentalism is the “root of all evil” in the psychology of human interaction, and this is nowhere more apparent than in the Middle East (although there is a good deal of rancorous territorial dispute mixed in as well). There is no dignity to be found in pushing it to this extreme, and the card does not strongly affirm either agenda. (Full disclosure: as a non-religious person with spiritual leanings, I’ve pitched my tent in none of the orthodox camps, so I have no ax to grind here beyond humanitarian principles.)
Interestingly, after I placed the Tower on the table I discovered that Last Judgment reversed (“The End” — or Fiat Finito — in Williams’ deck) was stuck to its underside. This is a grim bit of serendipity, leaving the impression that there will be no winning scenario for a broad spectrum of those involved. It cuts a rather ominous swathe across the entire outlook even though it wasn’t summoned by the draw. Reversed, the emphasis is on its “calling-to-accounts” aspect and not on any chance for renewal or redemption.
Although no compassionate observer wants to see it, the last four cards I’ve discussed practically scream “Escalation!” (or at least a dramatic and uncompromising turn of events). This one isn’t going away quietly since I have the feeling that Israel intends to decisively eradicate Hamas — at least in the Gaza Strip — for the foreseeable future. Like the irate Howard Beale character in the movie Network, “they’re mad as hell and they’re not going to take this any more.”
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on October 21, 2023.
