By Wayne Limberger
Voyager Tarot © James Wanless james-wanless.com
The central focus card (or “Inner Magician”) for this spread is the Sage of Cups, not a card I would normally associate with Trump's hair-trigger temperament and thin-skinned personality. But it could simply be showing where he must moderate that personality in order to aspire to his “joy.” The elemental dignities of the adjacent cards will sculpt his approach to doing that if he so desires.
The “Inspiration” axis is headed by the Emperor, plainly signifying the office of President of the United States. The second card is the Ace of Crystals (Brilliance), suggesting clarity of purpose and a decisive, analytical mindset informing the will of the “Inner Magician.” Next, the Sage of Cups presents an inclusive, accommodating outlook, clearly not a “present” scenario but a “future growth” opportunity; we shall see to what extent he – and his “spin-doctors” - are able to pour oil on the troubled waters of America's fractured sociopolitical culture. The card title “Regenerator” neatly summarizes the “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan. The Hanged Man in the fourth position most likely reflects the delaying tactics that the Democratic minority in Congress will have as its only recourse. The Man of Worlds at the bottom is titled “Achiever,” implying that the resistance will be handily overridden.
The “Integration” axis leads off with the Hermit on the left, showing a maverick pragmatism and a “solo” rather than a “committee” style of handling unavoidable instances of compromise. The 6 of Crystals (Confusion) following shows that Trump's team may be confounded by his singularity of vision and could experience difficulty in achieving a consensus or “meeting of the minds.” The Sage of Cups as the “Mediator-in-Chief” is an encouraging card, if that quality ever emerges into the light of day. The Ace of Wands (Illumination) to the right suggests a “just do it” and “go it alone” attitude that unsettles the implied equanimity of the Sage of Cups with its bold initiatives, and the 7 of Crystals (Dullness) at the end implies a “blunt force” logic liberally applied to achieve an objective.
The four sets of elemental dignities directly impacting the Sage of Cups are as follows:
The Ace of Crystals (Air, titled “Brilliance”) above and the Hanged Man (primary Water) below are mutually supportive and also both supportive of the Sage of Cups (Water), suggesting that there will be a flexibility and fluidity to Trump's attack that will allow it to insinuate its way around Congressional roadblocks. It could be that strategy “trumps” obstructionism, or conversely that some elements of Trump's agenda will have to be sacrificed on the altar of political expedience.
The 6 of Crystals (Air, titled “Confusion”) before and the Ace of Wands (Fire, titled “Illumination”) after are elementally friendly to one another but of mixed dignity to the Sage of Cups (Water, titled “Regenerator”), suggesting a modest adjustment of the Sage's persona, hardening from an agenda of vague generalities to one of single-pointed resolve. There may be an epiphany that clears away the clouds of doubt and opens the way for the unified, levelized approach symbolized by the plane of the “Magician's table” with its magical implements at the ready.
The Magician (Air) at the Fire diagonal and the 9 of Cups (Water, titled “Fulfillment”) at the Earth diagonal are mutually supportive and of good dignity to the Sage of Cups; they are also both comfortable in their “linking” positions (Air on Fire and Water on Earth). This shows that Trump will be well-situated for the handling of matters requiring initiative (Wands) and persistence (Worlds) in a mentally energetic and constructively caring manner, respectively. The second half of that equation is currently invisible; right now Trump is a remarkably polarizing public figure. Of course, the 9 of Cups could simply mean that he receives considerable emotional gratification from any concrete progress he is able to make.
The Woman of Worlds (Earth, titled “Preserver”) at the Water diagonal and the 4 of Crystals (Air, titled Logic) at the Air diagonal are mutually antagonistic, but are both of good dignity to the Sage of Cups (friendly and supportive, respectively); this indicates that the Sage of Cups is able to excel separately in the realms of emotion and intellect, but may experience misalignment in trying to synthesize them.
Both of these cards are comfortable in their “linking” positions (Earth on Water and Air on Air), revealing no blockages in the flow of elemental energies between the emotional and mental realms and the will of the “Inner Magician.” What remains is for the ideas and feelings to be put in touch with one another in an enlightened way.
The four elemental quads and their linking cards break down as follows:
Positions #1, 2 and 6 of the Fire quad are occupied, respectively, by the Sage of Worlds (Earth, titled “Master”), the 10 of Worlds (Earth, titled “Reward”) and Art (Fire). This combination is elementally favorable within itself, but less supportive of the linking card (Earth is unfriendly to the Magician's Air, although the trump card Art is friendly). The overall impression, though, is that the successful “Master Builder” (Sage of Worlds) will enlist his business talents in support of his role as architect of American governmental policy (Art). The triplet Sage of Worlds-Magician-Sage of Cups is of mixed dignity; the two Sages are mutually friendly but the Sage of Worlds is unfriendly to the linking Magician card; however, the latter is a master of all four elements, so this should be more a minor irritant than a show-stopper. Perhaps what works so well in business will be too inflexible for the Magician's eclectic needs.
Positions #4, 5 and 10 of the Water quad are occupied, respectively, by the Empress (Earth), the 3 of Worlds (Earth, titled “Nurturing”) and the Hierophant (Earth). All of these cards are elementally friendly to one another and to the underlying Water. However, too much Earth in the realm of Water can create restricted flow, much like a dam or – surprise! - a wall. The sympathetic natures of the Empress and the 3 of Worlds would seem to be reserved for the American heartland, as further emphasized by the title of the linking card, Woman of Worlds: “Preserver.” The triplet 3 of Worlds-Woman of Worlds-Sage of Cups is a strong one, indicating emotional firmness, but also the potential for stubborn insistence on staying the original course.
Positions #16, 21 and 22 in the Air quad are occupied, respectively, by Devil's Play (Earth), 5 of Cups (Water, titled “Disappointment”) and Man of Crystals (Air, titled “Inventor”). This combination is elementally mixed; Earth is unfriendly to Air but both are of good dignity to Water. The 5 of Cups, already a sobering card, is neither substantially strengthened nor weakened in its negativity, but the friendly Devil's Play – as a trump card – may have more to say about stimulating the potency of the Five. The triplet of energized 5 of Cups-4 of Crystals-Sage of Cups suggests that the “edge” of the 4 of Crystals is “honed” by the intensity of the activated 5 of Cups. The expression that comes to mind is “I smell blood!”
Positions # 20, 24 and 25 in the Earth quad are occupied, respectively, by the 8 of Cups (Water, titled “Stagnation”), Universe (Earth) and Star (Air). This combination is elementally mixed; Water and Air are mutually supportive but Earth is unfriendly to Air. The presence of “Stagnation” in the realm of Earth coupled with potentially unrealistic hopes buoyed up by the Star, and the near-fated Saturnian inevitability of the Universe looks like a recipe for “stagflation:” an economic scenario in which economic growth and employment remain stagnant but inflation spirals out of control. The linking card (9 of Cups) implies prosperity, but it could be the result of another financial “bubble” and therefore unsustainable. However, the triplet Universe-9 of Cups-Sage of Cups is another strong one, suggesting that Trump may be able to work his way out of this “box.” There is a whiff of “Teflon Ron” (Reagan) about the man.
From the standpoint of “knighting,” in the Fire quad the Sage of Cups is supported by its connection to the 10 of Worlds (Water and Earth) but weakened by its link to strongly-dignified Art (Water and a Fire trump in the Fire “zone”). The result is moderate debilitation in the realm of Fire, and a corresponding difficulty in carrying initiatives to fruition. The solid, resolute Sage of Worlds can help here.
In the Water quad the Sage of Cups is dramatically strengthened by its connection to both the Empress and the Hierophant (Water and a doubling of Earth). This produces an emotional character that is firmly committed to its agenda and perhaps rigidly unfeeling in that regard. This implies a “thick hide,” but that kind of stoic reserve has yet to materialize. The upshot is a tough-minded steadiness that eschews the deceptions of political double-talk (or, if you prefer, “simply can't swallow BS”).
In the Air quad the Sage of Cups is supported by its connection to the Man of Crystals (Water and Air) and strengthened by its link to Devil's Play (Water and Earth). The “Regenerator” (Sage) and the “Inventor” (Man) come together in a creatively constructive way (Devil's Play) to craft a finely-tuned road-map (the moderately dignified 4 of Crystals) for rehabilitation of the nation. The result will seem like economic salvation to some and abdication of social virtues to others, but overall the Sage of Cups will feel mentally empowered (linking 4 of Crystals) to make it happen.
In the Earth quad the Sage of Cups is strengthened by the 8 of Cups (Water and Water) and supported by the Star (Water and Air). The implication is that a strategic “pause” (8 of Cups, titled “Stagnation”) will allow the full ramifications of the ambitious but perhaps over-reaching “Contract with America” to take hold in the collective imagination. It implies Trump trying to feel his way through the detours and cul-de-sacs of the legislative and administrative processes while holding tight to his vision.
Another potential meaning of the court cards (known as “family” cards in the Voyager Tarot) is other people involved in the situation. While the Sage of Cups is clearly Trump's “inner man,” the court cards in the four quads may represent key members of his administration (for the most part not his transition team since there is only one in the “cross” of the “present working environment”). The Sage of Worlds in the Fire quad could indicate a hawkish older male responsible for promoting America's international interests, most likely as Secretary of State. The Man of Crystals in the Air quad could show a senior policy strategist, or perhaps a youngish Supreme Court Justice. Since Trump has said he is looking for women in his cabinet, the Woman of Worlds in the Water quad suggests a female Secretary of the Interior, Education or Health & Human Services. This card touches the Sage of Cups, so it could show his closest advisor. The Man of Worlds at the bottom of the Axis of Inspiration (if not showing Trump “getting his feet on the ground”) could be a new Treasury Secretary or Federal Reserve chief.
A final perspective is offered by comparing the top line of the spread (representing the “ideal” scenario) and the bottom line (showing the “actual” dimensions of the outcome). The Emperor at the center of the top line is the “Man Who Would Be King” while the Man of Worlds (“Achiever”) at the bottom of the same column is that exaggerated sentiment brought down to Earth. It looks like Trump will revert to business-like form now that the overwrought rhetoric of the campaign is finished. Both of these cards are strongly enabled by the elemental dignities of their respective series, with no unfriendly associations between them and only one mildly neutralizing triplet among the six. Except for some elemental challenges shown by the Fire quad in making all of Trump's initiatives “stick,” there seems to be little standing in the way of realizing that vision.
In summary, this spread appears to provide a fair estimation of where a Donald Trump presidential administration is likely to find its strengths and weaknesses; on balance it looks like the former outweigh the latter in terms of his stated objectives.