It seemed to me that returning to the Astrology chart of George W. Bush or even looking at Saddam Hussein seemed too dreary for the beginning of the New Year.

I consulted the cards for the appropriate topic for this first column of 2004 and was told to do a Pentacross Tarot Reading for the world for 2004. This I have done, however, I must say it came out a bit dreary as well.

The card for the Past was the Five of Disks-Worry. It shows five heavy, lead disks which grind and grate against each other, creating great tension, with the feeling that nothing can be done to change it, at least at the level at which it exists. If it is to change it has to come from a whole other dimension or level. Definitely feels like the recent state of the collective world condition lately.

The card for the present was the Ten of Swords-Ruin. This is the ruin of the mind as a result of trying to figure out with mind and thinking what cannot be figured out with mind and thinking, and yet one tries and tries and tries, until in the end the mind is mush. Which is actually good because often the mind just won't quit until it reaches that point.

The challenge for the world is the Ace of Wands, an outrush of fiery, creative energy in its most dynamic form. I would say to a client with this card in the same position that this card wouldn't be here if you didn't have the ability to do it.

What can help the world is to see what won't help: the Seven of Wands-Valour. This is also wands, fire, will energy, but this is a very noble valorous will energy but being applied in a circumstance or situation where this kind of will isn't necessarily the best way to go, noble as it may be. It's trying too hard. It's like the guy who is praying to God saying "God, please grant me patience, but please hurry!". So we have to be careful of this over the top, trying too hard energy.

Where we seem to be heading in the near future: The Knight of Disks. A Court Card, therefore, in my system, a distinct personality with good and bad sides, generally based on a certain fear or insecurity.

The Knight of Disks is very grounded, practical, pragmatic, but he is not very emotional or spiritually aspirational. This is easy to see as a coping mechanism, or a way of avoiding dealing with the real emotional, psychological, spiritual issues of our time. Just 'take care of business.'

I decided to cut a card to ask what could really help the world to reach that Ace of Wands fountain of positive creative energy. The answer was the card: Death. Gulp. Well the Death card is one of the Major Arcana cards, so in the deeper Qabalistic Tarot system that I work with Death is actually a positve initiation or transformation. It is the death of attachment to your old emotional patterns of feeling and desire so that you can connect with the deeper inner heart feelings and desires of the Higher Self. It is a death and rebirth. This is what can really help the world. It doesn't seem too likely to happen on a grand collective level, although I am sure that the more that we each individually go through this death, go beyond just 'taking care of business' and find a source
of true inspiration and aspiration within us, the more we can nudge the world in that direction.

Blessings to you all in the New Year, Steffan Vanel