Madam Lichtenstein's Cosmic World

Tarot Reading For Bernie Madoff

The New York Post reported yesterday that Davinia, a British psychic, read Bernie Madoff's tarot cards a few years ago. The New York Post recruited her for a follow up tarot card reading to see what might be going on in Madoff's mind and in his future. Here is what she said, according to the article:

An eternity of isolation and "really bad nightmares" are in the cards for a cowering Bernie Madoff. Davinia, a British psychic who read the Ponzi schemer's palm six years ago, predicted the dire future for the "really afraid" fraudster as she read his tarot cards at The Post's request.

"He's really afraid of what's going to happen," said Davinia, who perused the fraudster's palm at the 2003 Christmas party for his London office. "He's used to being very buoyed up by other people's idea of him, and that's just cut away," added the psychic, who read the cards on a table at her Bristol, England, home.

The first card, the Five of Swords, suggests that "people hate him. The second, the Judgment Card, shows that "what you give will come back to you in the end," Davinia said. "And I've got the Emperor Card, which is somebody that's very arrogant and self-centered and very sure of himself."

Now maybe it's just me but I read the Five of Swords, Judgment and Emperor cards differently. If I saw those three cards I would say that a legal issue will get him out of his troubles so he can set new foundations. So I decided to mix my own deck of cards and ask the question - what is going on around Bernie Madoff now that he has been sentenced. Here are the tarot cards I got along with a quick reading:

8 of Wands - be political and diplomatic, roll with the punches

Ace of Pentacles - a lump sum of money

Emperor - laying down the foundations for the future, a strong and aggressive force

6 of Cups - good feelings

10 of Wands- New ideas, new people

So I say that Bernie thinks he has an out - maybe on appeal, maybe in a few years - and is stashing some money in a place where he thinks no one will find it. He is biding his time, waiting things out, being diplomatic and saying that he is sorry but I think that is just part of the game. I expect to hear more in the next few months about new strategies, money in hiding and ways that he, his family and associates are consolidating things to protect and profit themselves for the future.

Stay tuned....

A Different Tarot Interpretation

"No Impact Man" has a novel approach to the interpretation of the Major Arcana cards of the tarot deck. He says that the cards (numbered 0 to 21) represent the stages of a person's inner growth. I have read this too. 

The zero card - The Fool - is the cosmic egg. New possibilities, birth, independence. The Fool has his head in the clouds and is about to walk off a cliff so he also represents naivitee and high ideals that sometimes have little practicality. One could say "birth". The last tarot card in the Major Arcana is "The World" or the great cosmic experience, expansive change, karma etc. So from a small miraculous start (The Fool) to the great karmic change (The World), we are faced with a range of energies and experiences from the other cards.

On his blog, "No Impact Man" says that The Devil card represents (in part) the knot of capitalism and greed - internal ignorance and hopelessness inside of us. This is where I respectfully disagree. The Devil card to me represents problems - external problems that we can see and need to tackle. It is within our power and capability. The Moon tarot card represents our personal undoing and disillusionment.

Just as in astrology, it is the interpretor's ability to translate the results of the reading and not necessarily what the physical chart or cards say.
-------------
Drawing on nearly forty years of tarot experience, Mary K. Greer has developed a new energizing approach, made up of twenty-one stimulating techniques, to interpret or deepen your understanding of each tarot card. Learn more by reading Mary K. Greer's 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card.

Astronumerology

My cousin is very involved in astronumerology which uses both numerology and tarot cards to form the basis of the reading.

 

He kindly sent me instructions for a sample reading which I will share with you here. The numerology calculations will lead us to "primary" (The Personality) and "secondary" (The Soul) tarot cards which are the basis of the reading. Numerology is used on your birthdate to calculate your Personality and Soul numbers. These numbers are then used to choose the correct Tarot Card for your Personality Card (what you have come into this particular lifetime to learn) and Soul Card (your soul purpose through all of your lifetimes).

 

To determine these two cards, you add together your month, day, and year of birth like this:

Example: October 14, 1960 =     10 + 14 + 1959 = 1983

Then you add each digit in the resulting number: 1 + 9 + 8 + 3 = 21.

 

Keep any number from 22 to 1. The resulting number is the Personality Number, which in this case corresponds to the 21st Major Arcana card: THE WORLD

 

So we still have the number 21. We then add together 2 + 1 = 3. This is your Soul Number, which in this case corresponds to the 3rd Major Arcana card, THE EMPRESS. (Your Soul Number must fall between 1 and 9.)

 

 In some cases the number will add up to more than 22. Since there are only 22 Major Arcana cards, reduce the number down to 22 or less.

 

Example: February 4, 1980 = 2 + 4 + 1980 = 1986.

1 + 9 + 8 + 6 = 24. Since this number is greater than 22,  we reduce it:  2 + 4 = 6. In this case the number 6 (THE LOVERS) is BOTH your Personality AND Soul card.

 

There is one case in which more than 2 cards can appear. If your first number is 19 you will have THREE cards. Example: November 16, 1954 = 11 + 16 +1954 = 1981. 1 + 9 + 8 +1 = 19. 19 = 1 + 9 = 10. 10 = 1 + 0 = 1. So, we have Card 1 (THE MAGICIAN), Card 10 (WHEEL OF FORTUNE), and Card 19 (The Sun). This is an especially creative path in which all three cards are BOTH the Personality AND Soul cards.

Note: The above reading is right out of the book Tarot for Your Self, by Mary K. Greer. And, if you would like to have your pick of the best tarot decks for any of your readings, here is a site that offers a great selection: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/

Mad Men and Tarot Cards

I am a big fan of AMC's original series Mad Men (Sunday nights at 10p on AMC) which is the story of advertising executives on New York City's Madison Avenue in the 1960s. With all the press, publicity and awards that the show and its stars have won, it is likely that most people have heard of it. But no one (so far) has talked about the Tarot Card element in the series which came out full bloom in last week's episode: Episode 12 of the second year which is called "The Mountain King".

In this latest episode, the main protagonist, ad man Don Draper, gets his tarot cards read by Anna who says, "You are part of the world, air, water, everything is connected to you.... the only thing keeping you from being happy is thinking you are alone." For viewers of the series, we know this to be spot on correct.

But there is another Tarot Card element in the Mad Men series. It is small but significant: Matthew Weiner is the creator of Mad Men. His production company logo is the Tarot Card of The Sun which, in a reading, indicates, glory, getting your life's desire and all things good. Certainly with all the acclaim that Mad Men has garnered, Matthew Weiner is reaping the rewards that The Sun tarot card indicates. Look for his production company logo after the credits in the show.

Did you know that there is a blog on the AMC website on the subject? Weigh in with your reading of the tarot card spread there.

The Mad Men second season finale is tomorrow night - Sunday October 26, 2008 at 10pm on AMC network. View full season of Mad Men on DVD or Blu-ray or download an episode here.

The Marrakesh Mystic Tarot Prediction for the U.S. Presidential Election

Margot the Marrakesh Mystic has an interesting post on predicting the outcome of the U.S. President election using the Tarot. Her analysis can be found here. It is well thought out and offers a prediction on the outcome.

She is predicting a McCain win at the polls but an eventual Palin Presidency due to McCain's inability to serve out his term. I also read tarot and would interpret her spreads differently. According to the spread that she has, the Sun tarot card in the Question 2 spread for the Obama / Biden ticket insures a Democrat victory since the Sun is the Big Wish. Also, The Tower (shocking dramatic change that derails ones plans) in the spread for Question 6 says no to a Palin Presidency to me. However I can see how she would see the Tower and say, if John McCain wins, he will not finish out his term.

But that is the beauty of Tarot - the same cards can be interpreted differently by different readers. I will give my tarot cards a mix and see if they confirm what Margot sees after I post my astrological prediction of the U.S. Presidential Election using Obama and McCain birth horoscope charts as the basis.

Margot's analysis is a wonderful addition to all the new age analysis of the race. Check out her great blog. And if you want to learn more about tarot, here is a book I love, Mary K. Greer's 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card. Ms. Greer's techniques involve storytelling, sketching, symbols, metaphors, dialogues, acting, and other imaginative exercises.