After last week’s reading which appeared to suggest Vladimir Putin’s demise, the natural question following that was, what is ahead for Russia in the near future? I performed the reading for this question on January 21, 2018. Again employing the Near & Far Spread I learned from e-Tarocchi.com (see illustration below), and the Gilded Reverie LeNormand Fortune Deck, Expanded Edition, what I learned was this:
Since the bear has long been used as a symbol for Russia, I chose the Bear card as Russia’s significator for this reading. Shuffling the deck and cutting it in three piles to the left with my left hand, I took up the middle pile of cards and laid the cards out in the order shown.
No. 1 The Young Man and No. 2 The Heart. Since these two cards sit right above the Significator, I interpret that to mean that the next leader of Russia is going to be a younger man who sincerely loves Russia and wants the best for it.
No. 3 The Moon and No. 4 The Anchor. I interpret these two cards to mean that right now, Russia as a whole simply wants to live in honorable security and stability.
No. 5 The Dog and No. 6 The Coffin. The Dog represents friendship and loyalty. Aside from representing death (when paired with the correct card), the Coffin can also represent either illness or stagnation. Reading these two cards together, it seems to be suggesting that loyalty to the status quo (having the same ruler of the country for 20+ years now) is having a stagnating effect on Russia. Nothing is changing, nothing is getting better for the majority of the people.
No. 7 The House and No. 8 The Older Woman. As the card for the Young Man is up there in the same line with the House card, and he is facing it, I interpret this to mean that this prospective future leader of Russia would be more concerned with domestic matters than international affairs. Curiously, he has his back to the No. 8 card, The Older Woman, and she has her back to him. I don’t know if this is the same Older Woman who literally supports Vladimir Putin in last week’s reading, but if she is, she and the Young Man will definitely not speak nor listen to each other. He will disregard her advice and go his own way. In this context, the Older Woman may represent the holdovers from the previous regime.
No. 9 The Compass and No. 10 Time. As these two cards land right next to third card I laid down (the Moon) and the fourth card I laid down (the Anchor) respectively, cards 9 and 10 in the Near & Far Spread really draw their meanings more from the cards next to them than from each other. The Compass by the Moon suggests that in the future, the Young Man who is the next leader of Russia is going to want to orient the country’s direction in a more honorable, well-regarded direction, as the Moon represents honor, fame, admiration. Vladimir Putin’s efforts via Russian Intelligence Services to undermine and destabilize democracies around the world is creating enemies for Russia, which is the opposite of the ideals represented by the Moon card. The Younger Man is sensitive to this reality. The Time card by the Anchor suggests he will be seeking to establish long-term stability for Russia. As these two cards are the cards the Bear card is directly facing, this is a high-priority goal.
No. 11 The Older Man and No. 12 the Scythe. The Older Man in this context is clearly Putin. The Scythe brings a sudden ending to things. The number six card, which stands between these two cards, is the Coffin. So this reading is again reiterating that death is coming for Vladimir Putin, however vigorously-alive he appears to be and however firmly in command of all he surveys. These three cards at the bottom of the spread form a foundation for the whole reading, since everything above them is meant to answer the question, ‘what happens after his passing from the scene?’
There were just two cards left in the middle pile after I laid out all the other cards in the spread. I like to take a look at the unused cards, since they sometimes give an indication of what is coming just a little further beyond the end of the reading. The two cards were the Bridge and the first Birds card (the second Birds card in the Gilded Reverie Expanded Edition deck is the Owls–a slightly ominous card). The Bridge is a connector, the Birds are talk, chatter, communication, arguing, discussion, negotiation, sometimes actually Twitter(tm) and social media. So with a change in leadership at the top, Russia will be connecting with the world and communicating much more actively, openly and honestly with it. That will be a good thing for everyone.
I did do a reading for the conspirators seeking to end Vladimir Putin’s life, but not wanting to give anyone any ideas, and feeling like I was beating a dead horse, I’m laying down the topic for now. In next week’s reading, I will focus on the U.S. government and U.S. politics.