I haven’t bought any new tarot decks for quite some time. There hasn’t been much to interest me. I’m not a big fan of photorealism and ornate images in my cards, and these seem to be popular trends in card design nowadays. Also, I’ve been working to pair down my “stuff.” This includes tarot decks (although not as much as, say, books!). However, I’ve been getting the urge to try some new decks; and picked up a couple that I was aware of when I saw them in the local new age shop.

One caught my eye online some time ago, and after seeing it in the store in its compact and sturdy box, I decided to get it: The Healing Light Tarot. The deck is created by Christopher Butler, and the artwork is in the style he is known for. He has also created the Quantum Tarot (with Kay Stepforth), the Son Tarot and a Lenormand deck whose name escapes me at the moment.

Of course I had to test this deck out, so I decided to ask a political question: Will Donald Trump leave office for any reason in 2018? I used the modified tree of life spread that works so well for these kinds of questions.

First of all, these cards look wonderful. I do like the play of light; the images are moderately abstract, being silhouettes; and I didn’t realize that the cards are colored according to element, which makes it easier to see groupings.

About the Question

You’ll notice I didn’t ask specifically about impeachment, and that I worded the question explicitly broadly by adding, “for any reason.” This is because impeachment isn’t the only reason a president could leave office, and I wanted to leave the reading open to other possibilities.

Overview of the Cards

The root cards, the first three, are all earth. This suggests a rooting in the material plane, or indeed, in money itself. This isn’t a surprise, as Trump has long been interested in the finer things in life, and how to keep himself relevant. (I recently read about a quote he made in his 80s heyday that basically said if you aren’t talked about, you aren’t relevant.)

There are two kings and two knights, so we have a fair amount of active male energy in the picture; and also an indication that people are involved in the situation asked about. This is not a big surprise, given Trump’s focus on putting loyal people all around himself; and using them as an extension of himself. Yes, I imagine this is true of any president, but it seems magnified in Trump, to the point of putting people without relevant experience into a  position.

What’s missing is also of note. There are no water cards at all. No watery arcana and no cups. Nada. This is a bit intriguing, and a bit worrisome, as it suggests the absence of emotion and this whole spread feels active in a way that compassion is missing. I personally believe Trump is driven by his own emotions, based on what he does and how he acts. But the cards say that emotion isn’t a player as far as this question is concerned.

There’s also no major arcana, which is a bit surprising. I don’t always give the majors a heavier emphasis, but in this case I’d say the people are more important than the powers that be; or than “fate.” So whatever happens is more about human agency and action/reaction, than any particular track that fate has in store at this time. Free will and all that…

First Triad

Here’s the root of the story in relation to this question. All earth cards, focusing on the material. I dare say this is the culmination of Trump’s plan (7 Pentacles), to keep his balls in the air (2 Pentacles; take that how you like 😉 ) while awaiting a deep satisfaction and arrival of the things he really wants out of this material existence (9 Pentacles). In all this seems like another way to bolster his existence through ownership, based on these cards.

Second Triad

So where does that all take us? We see the presence of the 7 Swords: theft and deception is present, while the King of Swords shows what’s missing: ruling with the sharp clarity of wisdom. All the while — and at the heart of both this spread and the situation — Trump is beset by challenges all around, which he has to defend. His defense, and key to this reading, is his aggressive and fiery way of defending himself; which allows him to balance dishonesty on the one hand against lack of the sword king’s wisdom on the other. Intuitively, I feel that he sees himself as that king though.

Next Duo

The King of Wands is a card that I see as representative of Trump himself. Interestingly, this is an emotional position; and there is a fire card. Would anybody, friend or foe, suggest that Trump’s emotions tend to lash out in a fiery way? Trump is burning to get what he wants; and at this time, that means being in charge of fire. Note that this is a king and not a knight, which suggests a measure of control and deliberation. There is often talk among the general public about whether Trump knows what he is doing when he acts so belligerently and spews on Twitter, and I suspect from this card that he is intentionally channeling his emotions in an aggressive fashion.

The Knight of Pentacles is a mental position, and one of limits. This knight is moving, but as an earth knight, I feel like he is never moving quickly (at least compared to the other knights). There may also be some boundaries on finance. I suspect this indicates Trump is not getting quite what he expected out of this position, in terms of that first triad up above. It also suggests to me the lack of a dependable adviser, being on the pillar of things lacking.

Final Duo

I usually see these as a pair of cause and effect. Here they are both swords, emphasizing the swords influence in this reading; the mind games and the words that fly around, whether from Trump, from the public or from any news media. We have the 5 of Swords, showing somebody defeat; and (based on the RWS deck’s image) there is often an aspect of gloating here. “I won, you didn’t, so drop your swords and nyah nyah nah!” This leads to the Knight of Swords, one of the more active figures in the deck to my way of thinking; a fighter who keeps on going.

Conclusion

I think these cards depict the tumultuous aspects of this year’s presidency. They show a lot of action and harshness that isn’t tempered by compassion or empathy. They paint a picture of Trump as a man who is doing what he wants, and who is a fighter to the very end. And that there is my conclusion of this reading: Trump isn’t going to leave office in 2018. He made his plans and is sticking to his guns (or his staves); and will fight through any battle, gloating as he goes. With all of the male courts and the conflict in these cards, I have no doubt that Trump’s presidency will be challenged, but he will weather these and come out still in power.

Trump may not be the King of Swords, but he has a oomph (yes, that’s a technical term) to be the Knight of Swords, directing words and actions as he leaps over the battlefield according to his own rules, never staying still long enough for anyone to push him off his mount.

What do you think of these cards? Do you have additional thoughts on this reading? Let me know in the comments.