Trump Tarot, Reading 1

The following is purely speculation and in no way should be considered concrete facts unless future evidence proves otherwise.

And so begins a new and exciting experiment. While I’ve been reading tarot for roughly twenty years, I have never remote read in this capacity before. Nor have I ever attempted to interpret world events using tarot until now. At a time when many feel uncertain about a Trump presidency, some stating that we have no clear idea of what a Trump presidency looks like and we might as well be reading tea leaves, I thought to myself—why not tarot? In my life, tarot has always provided reflective guidance, adding context and perspective to the issues and circumstances of my life and that of my clients. For anyone new to tarot, the cards are less a about divination and predicting outcomes and more of a tool to understand and interpret the deeper connections at play, as well as shadow aspects of people and situations. which color our lives and we how we respond to the world.

So, with that said, I decided to conduct a remote tarot reading experiment while focusing on Donald Trump. The first reading was conducted in my home, by myself, and is an edited version of a voice dictation while I read the card aloud. Here is the guidance the tarot provided in regards to Trump thus far.

Card 1: The Present

8 of Wands

All systems are go—it would appear Trump has the energy and momentum to move forward quickly now. The forces which may have been working against him before have moved out of the way and he is now accelerating with great speed. Many plans are in the works and coming to fruition rapidly all around him now. It may be a somewhat chaotic experience, but this is traditionally a positive card signifying that the movement is necessary, and heading in the right or intended direction.

Card 2: Crossing

5 of Cups

Unfortunately for Trump, the joy that may otherwise have accompanied his newfound momentum is hampered by a deep sense of loss or grief. Naturally, as someone who is relatively informed about current events, it’s impossible not to assume that this card could represent the majority of people in the United States who did not vote for Trump, and who are now therefore collectively grieving. Whether this card reveals Trump’s own sadness over not winning the popular vote, or if this represents a collective sadness which is making it harder for him to enjoy his win, is unknown to me at this time. But, in a very literal sense, the 5 of Cups shows 5 wine glasses, two of which remain full while three are clearly spilled and falling away. Regardless of whether or not this pain is his or just an abstract burden hanging over him while he moves forward, it’s still felt and making his win less enjoyable on some level.

Card 3: Foundation

The Moon

This card would indicate that the subject simply doesn’t have enough information at this time to make a clear and well informed decision. Trump needs to be weary and very careful about rushing into any big decisions. In the light of the moon, one cannot see clearly. He’s moving in shadows. This card asks the subject to wait until more insight and clarity can be gained. There may be unknown, and potentially untrustworthy forces at work here. It may take some time for the true nature of some of his alliances to be revealed. In the meantime, he should hedge and be very careful not to move too quickly in situations where he isn’t certain or sure-footed. Another way of looking at this is that Trump himself might prefer operating in this realm where not much is fully known or seen. In a sense, it could be pointing to a deeply shady character aspect. As a foundational card, it’s highly possible that Trump is very accustomed to living in a world where either he does not always have or share the full story. Intuitively, my feeling is that it’s a mix of both.

Card 4: The Recent Past

The Tower

No surprise here—a massive teardown, a ‘stunning upset’ and a changed world. The rug has been pulled out. Again, Trump is very much caught up in this as much as we all are, only he is the one who struck down the tower. Applying directly to Trump now, his life is changed forever. The life he once knew is essentially over, and while he brought this to fruition, it may not have been what he’d entirely planned on. In fact, he may be somewhat terrified of losing his old life. Typically, The Tower is a card most people can connect to some pivotal moment in their life when ‘it all fell apart and changed everything forever.’ That’s not to say this type of drastic change is always a bad thing, but it’s a movement of earth beneath your feet that you can never fully put back to the way it was. The plates have shifted and one must simply accept the new normal and move on. If, at some point, you can look back at the The Tower moment in your life and appreciate where it brought you and what it taught you, then you can rest assured that it taught you something and helped you grow. However, The Tower typically includes much loss and disruption, which is often accompanied by pain.

Card 5: Possible Outcome or Influence

Queen of Cups

One interpretation of this card could be that a strong, compassionate, creative woman may become an important influence in Trump’s presidency. This woman may be fair haired and light skinned. She would be someone he could trust to provide sound counsel and assistance, and may figure prominently in a successful path forward for Trump, perhaps in a purely advisory role or speaking on his behalf publicly to mend some fences and show a more compassionate side of Trump. Yes, this could represent any of the woman already known to be in the Trump circle, but it’s not yet clear which of these women will figure prominently during a Trump presidency so I’ll consider this a ‘wait and see.’ In addition, court cards do not always represent actual people. Another interpretation would suggest that Trump would benefit from striking up a more compassionate, nurturing, and female-centric tone as he approaches his presidency, perhaps attempting to heal wounds and unite the country with an inclusive and more humble message. This could help him gain some sought after approval of the those in the electorate who eye him with great suspicion. Again, this is a possible and suggested outcome, but just because it’s the best path forward does not mean it’s the road often taken.

Card 6: The Immediate Future

4 of Swords

It’s time to for Trump to recharge his batteries in the very near future, or the risk to his health could be great. If there’s any signs of fatigue forming, then he should get ready for the whirlwind ahead by cooling out a bit while he can. However, this seems rather impossible given the typical transition schedule of presidents-to-be. That said, he should be careful because there’s a chance that if the need to recharge and rest is ignored, it will come into his life by force. This could manifest as a health issue, or some other kind of uncontrollable circumstance which forces him to take a break. It will happen, whether or not it’s voluntary. I find this very interesting and will be looking for any clues about this in the news in the coming weeks.

Card 7: Another Perspective on the Present

Ace of Wands

Trump is at the beginning of a new venture, an uncharted enterprise, the first step in a new and exciting journey. This is rather straightforward and obvious as he is about the become president of the United States, so I will not spend as much time digging into the meaning of this card as the others. I will say that it’s clear he’s at the beginning of something very big, with governing being an unexplored territory for him. But the energy around him is moving him in the direction he hoped it would. Too soon to say much more, and again, we’ll have to see how the cards shift as this journey progresses.

Card 8: The Environment

10 of Cups

It would appear that Trump can and does rely primarily on his family. This card would indicate a happy and loving family life. The fact that this very positive and loving family card would appear in the environment position is especially meaningful. It may indicate that Trump can and should continue to rely on his family for counsel and support. Recent events would seem to back this up, as Trump attempts to keep his family at the helm in both politics and business, despite what could be seen as a conflict of interest. From his point-of-view, however, it makes perfect sense to do this, given the amount of trust he has in his family and the uncertainty he may be feeling about making decisions alone, or keeping certain business dealings obscured (see The Moon).

Card 9: Hopes/Fears

Two of Swords

This card would indicate that Trump may be afraid to make an important decision. In fact, he may be feeling trapped, stuck, or even unwilling to face reality about a situation. Is he conflicted over an appointment during this transition phase? Does he feel stuck between a rock and a hard place as he prepares to transform from a businessman to the next president? Trapped by his success, even? We may never know if this fear is playing out in his mind, in his sphere of influence, or in a broader sense when it comes to moving forward, but it’s clear that there’s something he’s not fully facing and it’s creating tension on an emotional level. While this card represents a need to make an important choice, it can feel impossible to make this choice until one fully accepts and confronts their fears.

Card 10: Conclusion for this Reading

10 of Pentacles

Again, it would appear Trump is surrounded by a stable home environment— a supportive family, financial success, creature comforts. He is enjoying his successes and this is generally a good card which speaks to a sense of completeness and fulfillment. He knows and is comfortable with his place in his world.

More thoughts…

One interesting thing to note is that both his environment and conclusion cards are both 10 cards (cups and pentacles). As he moves into a period of great change, one has to wonder if he’ll be able to hang onto this stability and comfort as he moves forward. 10 cards can indicate the conclusion of something or end of a chapter. The ultimate goal being reached, the page now turns. As I attempt to connect to who he is as a person (through Tarot and good old-fashioned intuition) I find myself seeing a much more family reliant person that perhaps I might have expected from the public persona. Sure, he is surrounded by family publicly, but I am beginning to feel that this connection is MUCH bigger than we might have realized. It’s very possible that Trump does not feel stable without them. They ground him. He feels more comfortable in their constant presence and may even be fearful of moving forward without them. Therefore, it no longer surprises me that he is pushing so hard to keep his family involved in both politics and business, despite the conflict of interest. It’s about keeping control of what he cares about, and the people he trusts most are family. Period. I’m not saying this makes him an awesome person, but if we go forward on this journey while considering that Trump may be fiercely in need of and devoted to the success of his family, we may better understand the man. By no means am I implying he’s a ‘family man’ in the ideological sense. I feel it’s more of a tribal energy, specific to that isolated gene pool, which means it’s probably good if you’re a Trump, or good for a Trump and not so much if you’re anything else.

That’s my conclusion for the moment. I’ll be keeping an eye on events as they unfold and will be back in a couple of weeks to see if the cards have any new insight to offer.