Since Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, appears to have had a large impact on U.S. politics in the past two years (although there are many Americans who dispute this), I thought I would do a reading this week to see what’s going on in his life, both in the near-term and far-term. The spread I used for this reading is the Near & Far Spread, which I got from the website, e-Tarocchi.com, which I encourage those interested in the subject of divination to visit. Cards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 are the ‘Near’ cards–that is, what is going on right now and in the very-near future. Cards 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12 are the ‘Far’ cards–what is going on a little further out, say a couple of months into the future, although it could be still later in the future. I have found that the cards in this layout are best read in pairs, although their proximity to other cards must be taken into account, because additional information can be gleaned that way. The two vertical rows of ‘Far’ cards can be read as trios, as well as the horizontal cards 7, 1, & 8 and cards 11, 6, & 12. Reading the middle row of cards (9, 3, Significator, 4, & 10) can also yield enlightening information.
With this spread, you chose what’s called a ‘Significator.’ That’s a card which is chosen to represent the person you’re reading for–or about. I chose to use The Gilded Reverie LeNormand Fortune Cards, Expanded Edition, which uses 47 cards to the original deck’s 36 cards. The expanded edition has two Man cards, so I chose the one who looked a little older to represent Putin.
I like to shuffle cards in what could be called the Chaos Method. That’s where you smear the cards around, face down in a messy pile with both hands until you feel like you’ve mixed them up sufficiently, then slowly and carefully gather them together in a neat deck. The Chaos Method ensures you’re getting the most random shuffle possible. I next like to do the traditional cut-the-deck-in-three-piles-to-the-left-with-your-left-hand for a reason. I’m naturally right-handed, so my left hand is my less-dominant hand. When you’re divining, you’re not dictating to the universe, you’re receiving input from it, and your less-dominant hand is always your ‘receiving’ hand. Lefties would properly do it the opposite way–three piles to the right with their right hand. I then choose the middle pile for the reading, followed by the right pile, then the left pile. Angeles Arrien, in her book Signs of Life, noted that in many fairy tales, when the protagonist is confronted with three choices lined up in front of them, the correct answer is most often the middle choice. The middle pile represents the heart of the matter. So when I laid out the cards in order, here’s what the middle pile for Putin’s reading said to me:
Cards 1 & 2: The Ring and the Letter. The ring is proposals and offers of cooperation of all kinds. The letter can actually mean a letter, but it also represents documents of every kind. These two cards are right above Vladimir Putin’s Significator, so that tells me right now a contract, treaty or agreement of some kind is occupying his mind.
Cards 3 & 4: The Storks and the Tower. The storks are movement, activities, upgrades, improvements, spring, additions to the family. The tower is academia, government, corporations, institutions, organizations and the like. So running the Russian government, not surprisingly, is occupying his full attention right now.
Cards 5 & 6: The (Older)Woman and the Compass: The Woman card always represents an actual woman, in this case, an older woman. The Compass, in the LeNormand expanded edition, is the direction in which you must go, guidance, where is your True North? There is a mature woman in Vladimir Putin’s life whom he relies on to guide him. As these two cards are beneath his significator, I interpret her as a supportive influence.
Cards 7 & 8: The Scythe/Sickle and Time: In the Gilded Reverie deck, the Scythe is depicted as a sickle, but they both mean the same thing–a sudden ending, something abruptly cut off. The Time card is self explanatory, and draws it’s meaning as to whether it refers to long-term or short-term from the cards around it. Given these two cards together, it seems to suggest his time in this world is short, and will abruptly be cut off.
Cards 9 & 10: The Dice and the Snake: The Dice is gambling, all games of chance, risk-taking and risky activities. The Snake is treachery, deceit and betrayal. Given that the Dice fall to the left of the Storks, and that both of those cards are to the left of Putin’s significator, it appears some risky activity is going on, literally behind Vladimir Putin’s back (for the Older Man card looks off to the right). He is watching over his treacherous government; the Snake card falls to the right of the Tower card, so both are in his line of sight. But still, some risky activity is going on behind his back.
Cards 11 & 12: The Coffin/Sarcophagus and the Ship: The Coffin can represent a literal death, but it is also endings, stagnation, and illness. The Ship is travel, vacations, holidays, business trips, actual voyages, any trip for which you need to pack a suitcase. Paired together, these two might suggest an illness for Putin while he is traveling, but…
The Left Vertical ‘Far’ Row: The Scythe, the Dice, and the Coffin: In the LeNormand Fortune Deck, The Scythe and the Coffin falling in meaningful proximity to each other mean death. Though it is risky activity, for Putin himself is a former KGB man, some people in his government are nonetheless planning his death.
The Right Vertical ‘Far’ Row: Time, the Snake, and the Ship: The time for the treachery will happen while he is travelling. The Time card draws it’s meaning from the cards around it. In this spread, the presence of cards which move quickly–the Scythe, the Ship, even the Storks, in the presence of the Time card suggest that Vladimir Putin does not have a long time to live, that it will happen suddenly, while travelling, and he will not see it coming.
When I decided to read for Vladimir Putin, I was not consciously wishing him ill, for he is a tough survivor and a crafty one. I assumed he was quite secure in his position as President of Russia and still had a number of years left to live, so this reading came as a surprise. Nonetheless, the LeNormand Fortune Cards are clear: death is coming for him fairly soon, and it will not be by natural causes. In my next blogpost, using the same Near & Far layout, I will discuss what I see on the horizon for Russia.