Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character.
But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.
General Norman SchwarzkopfNearly all men can stand adversity,
but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.
Abraham Lincoln
This morning I did my usual Card of the Week preparations–rites that take me about twenty minutes of cleansing, smudging, clearing, invocation, and so on. Then a complicated shuffling system I have come to rely on because my deck is fifty-four years old and sometimes tends to cut at the same cards, which are probably slightly bent or frayed. I do all this to help ensure my thoughts and expectations are quiet; I simply move through my rituals, moving into stillness.
Still though, when this very persistent card came back AGAIN, I had a moment. I confess I thought about quietly sticking it back in the deck. Who would know?
Well, I would, for one. Not to mention all the guardians, guides, allies, and ancestors that I call in for my readings.
Still, though, I was upset enough that I cussed a bit (respectfully, but still…). And then I said, “Okay then. WTF is this about? Show me what we’re talking about here.” So, I shuffled, using the whole rigmarole again, and pulled a follow-up.
Alas, I am sorry, my friends, but here it is: this week we get a double whammy of the Seven of Wands again for the third time this Summer alone. And it is clarified or amplified by the Five of Swords.
Since the Seven just came calling a month ago, I am not going to repeat all the points I made then. If you want to review my thoughts about what he’s doing, why he’s wearing two kinds of shoes, whether he is defended by or defending against the Wands in the foreground, and so on, you might enjoy reading all about it here.
Also, if you dislike my discussions of the current state of my country and the world as we move through Year Two of the Convicted Felon, you might be happier popping back there.
This week’s post is going to tackle that topic without pulling punches. Because this repetition of cards (not to mention my decision to pull a clarification card) is unprecedented in the 1,195 Monday readings I have written for you.
And because I am convinced these matters are no longer about politics; they are about morality and the survival of civilized culture.
Why Is This Not Treason?
So, for starters, I am going to repeat something I wrote on a previous visit (yes, this card shows up a LOT). Referring to a June 2024 column by Heather Cox Richardson, I wrote:
You might recall that in 2020, there was no explicit GOP platform, just all-out loyalty to the orange fascist and his acolytes. There is now a methodical program shaping up, and it is headed by Russell Vought, a hard-right Christian nationalist. Ms. Richardson writes that he is, “a key player in the construction of Project 2025, the plan to gut the nonpartisan federal government and replace it with a dominant president and a team of loyalists who will impose religious rule on the United States.”
Yes. Read that again. That is the plan, not hidden, but waving in our faces like Alito’s upside-down flag.
And then, for the cherry on top, this from that paragon of human virtue (not!), Steve Bannon, who, “… recently praised Vought and his colleagues as ‘madmen’ who are going to destroy the U.S. government. ‘We’re going to rip and shred the federal government apart, and if you don’t like it, you can lump it,’ Bannon said.”
Nope, says the Seven of Wands…
Just say NO to lumping! Instead, we are called to take the high ground and step up. If the core values of a government of ALL the people, by ALL the people, for ALL the people matter to you, we must not back down.
We can’t simply float along and hope our vote in the November midterms will be enough. The stakes are too high, and those votes are not as sacrosanct as they were before this regime got hold of our rights.
Our full commitment, action, and dedication are needed now.
And with the Five of Swords accompanying this disheartening message, there is a warning that cheating and lies may be thwarting our efforts for now.
So What About the Five of Swords?
As I mentioned, the common ground here seems to be a focus on character. A popular definition of this word is, “The mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual or group.”
What would you say about the character of the person in the foreground of the Five of Swords? What does he seem to depict, in terms of mental and moral qualities?
As is the tendency of the Swords in the Tarot, and especially the Fives in all the suits, we are seeing some kind of imbalance or conflict to do with information, attitude, perceptions, or communication.
Even renowned Tarot legend, the late Rachel Pollack, calls this “one of the most difficult cards…one of the reasons some people find the Rider pack too negative.”
The sky is stormy, with jagged, threatening clouds. The man in the foreground gloats as the others retreat in defeat, perhaps even humiliation. At his feet are their two swords, the spoils of his victory. Yet he bears three already–an unfair advantage that tells us his victory is less than chivalrous.
The question is, who in this card do you identify with?
Surely you don’t identify with the laughing bully who has won (for now)?
But then, do you feel more like the two figures near the water, who have suffered a painful loss? Yes, they had more manpower. But the smirking winner was more heavily armed, perhaps due to some kind of trickery, almost certainly some unfair advantage.
Despite your best efforts, this card unpleasantly indicates that you may lose out to someone who opposes you. Have you been defeated or hoaxed by a wily and cunning opponent?
Someone is wielding their power like a bully. Any guesses who?
The Astrology, as Usual, Is in Sync
Our brilliant friend, astrologer and news expert Elisabeth Grace, writes that on Wednesday:
Moon in Taurus squares Pluto at 5:43 AM ET, then Jupiter at 12:33 PM ET. Watch for power plays, exaggeration, and self-righteous certainty in the early part of the day. Not every hill is worth dying on…but go figure.
But the Seven of Wands figure seems to have found exactly the hill he is willing to defend at all costs, doesn’t he? In addition:
At 10:51 PM ET, the Third Quarter Moon finds Sun and Moon squaring off in stubborn Leo and Taurus. The phrase that comes to mind is “loyalty test.” A Leo king may demand one. Taurus Moon gets to decide whether maintaining the status quo out of comfort or habit is still worth the price.
Which do you think the Seven is defending? And to what extent is the Five of Swords warning us that this fight is rigged?
There may be good news from the stars, however. Elisabeth tells us that Thursday is —
A banner day, perhaps–for those behind the wheel of the bus. Taurus Moon has all the patience and stamina in the world to build an everlasting structure–and it’s not inclined to rock the boat. It travels without interference all day, pausing only to relay an intuitive hit on home and/or homeland security around 7:24 PM ET, as it sextiles Mercury. You could take the rest of the night off, as the Moon goes void for the next seven hours.
Meanwhile, matters of women, money, the arts, and all that we hold dear are at a crisis point of discernment. Why? Venus is at the very end of perfection-seeking Virgo–and any planet at that point can’t help but make some noise. At 3:12 PM ET, however, Venus changes for the better–huzzah–when she enters Libra, one of the signs she rules…
However –
Finally, at 10:44 PM ET, the Leo Sun trines Saturn in “because I said so” Saturn. This easy flow between willpower and authority could reflect a culmination and/or a consolidation of power that generates little resistance. You are more personally affected if you have planets around 14 degrees of just about any sign, but especially the cardinal ones — Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Off the top of my head that includes the US, NATO, Elon Musk, and Steve Bannon.
There’s Bannon again. Neither he nor Musk is a trustworthy character that deserves any position of power or authority to do with governance.
Bottom Line
I would say with these two cards combined with the astrology this week, it’s time for “shields up and roots down,” as we like to say in our magical practices.
Protect yourself. Know who’s got your back. Keep your eyes open, and if there is a setback or even a difficult defeat, all is not lost.
The Seven of Wands says it’s time to be ready and steady for the long haul.
And the Five of Swords always points toward how, even when the battle seems lost, the war can still be ours as long as our cause is noble.
Ultimately, the common thread that guides us to final success is more than cleverness, strategy, or even accumulated power. It is the strength of our character.