A Tarot Reading: The Reckoning

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Occasionally I like to create a new tarot spread. I have a graduated one that I often use for more complex readings comprised of six cards that basically funnel down to a single card. But for this reading, I was thinking about everything the toddler-in-chief has done to harm the country, his promise of the opposite, and what can happen as a result. The word, reckoning, immediately came to mind and a new spread was born.

Reckoning can indicate the ultimate consequence or outcome, or a calculation of some kind, but I settled on the notion of just desserts. My mother used to say things like, don’t worry, they’ll get what’s coming to them, when I would want to exact some sort of justice, counseling me to instead have a little patience. It’s like giving someone enough rope to hang themselves, she would say.

As a witch, it’s tempting to bring about said reckoning on my own, but then natural consequences and the value (or cheap thrill) gained from watching them unfold would be lost. It’s better in the case of the toddler in question to stand back (and apparently stand by) and watch the show. But first, let’s look at the spread:

1. The Issue ~ what’s at risk, what’s at stake
2. The Promise ~ the intention, the con, the deception
3. The Challenge ~ delivering on the promise
4. The Results ~ what actually happened
5. The Reckoning ~ just desserts

The Issue card in the reading is Justice, card eleven of the Major Arcana. Lady Justice sits regally on her throne, a set of scales in her left hand and an upward-pointing sword in her right, looking the reader directly in the eye. Her serene visage requires truth and fairness from others as she sets boundaries that secure a just outcome. And in the case of our ethically-challenged individual (#1), justice has been turned on its head.

The promise, or con, in this case, is represented by The Empress, card three from the Major Arcana, pregnant with the promise of making the country great again. It seems fairly clear at this point, however, that it was likely only himself that he wanted to make great again. Early on he said something to the effect that he knew more than anyone else and only he could fix the country. Then, at an outside presser one day, he raised his hands saying that he was the chosen one. Unfortunately, as we would soon discover, the promise of wealth would center only on a chosen few. The Empress as the Mother aspect of the Goddess offers love and the promise of something better for all of her children but instead of loving the collective, he only loves himself.

Empathy is the challenge for this guy as signaled by the Queen of Cups as she empathically experiences the consequences of the con artist in chief’s self- (and other) destructive actions, feeling the pain and grief of the collective. The chaos experienced by the Queen leaves her transfixed as her offer of healing remains unnoticed.

The end result has been obvious, with the Page of Pentacles’ attention fixed on the damage left in the toddler’s wake surveying the damage done to children separated from their parents at the border, the disrespect shown to women, the stoking of fear, hatred, and division, as well as damage brought by a conman’s endless lies, especially those surrounding COVID-19.

Instead, as of this writing, we have over 230,000 people who have died from the virus. He responded with the word, good, at the last debate when the 545 children who supposedly cannot be reunited with their parents were brought up. Good? His childish smirk at every truth he doesn’t want to hear, his lies, and his demeaning manner have caused such damage in the country. He would never learn to be presidential because it was never his reason for being there. The undeveloped potential and careful consideration of the Page of Pentacles would never be shared among the citizens because of a pathetically selfish and narcissistic conman, there only to feed his own ego.

The damage he’s done to relationships alone by lying to people who support him may take forever to repair, if that’s even possible now. But we owe it to ourselves to prove him wrong and let his reckoning be that, in the end, he could not destroy the United States of America. That we’re one big (albeit messy) family and we accomplish more when we work together on a shared path.

The 2 of Cups signifies balance and a loving exchange between two people. Each one extends a cup of healing to the other, their emotional connection regaining its balance. But if applied to the country, it demonstrates that truth and justice indeed do matter and that irrespective of the challenges before us, we’ll take that journey together, wiser and more determined than ever to succeed where he failed.

So, if you haven’t already done so, please vote. Our collective family and our country need a change for the better.

Blessings to all!