AUTHOR’S NOTE: Following up on my previous post, I did a reading on the crisis in Iran that applies the “n x 9/n² – 5″ numerological-reduction model shown therein. I used my favorite sociopolitical deck, Brian Williams’ PoMo (Post-Modern) Tarot, to explore what will become of the Islamic regime over the next month in the wake of increased hostilities.

The fascinating thing about the second half of this forecast is that it produced a “diminished” essence card that was identical to the one in my example reading from the earlier essay: the Emperor, but this time reversed, implying a decline in patriarchal authority. (I encountered a few iterations of subtracting positive integers from negative numbers – specifically Five and multiples of Nine – thus increasing the level of negativity [e.g. moving the value farther away from zero], a development I didn’t anticipate due to my mediocre math skills, but the final reduction in each case turned out the same.)

Evil (the Devil) at the beginning most likely reflects the attitude of both adversaries toward one another. Iranian leadership has long called the US “the Great Satan” but it seems that they can lay claim to that title themselves given their military incursions against their regional neighbors.

The reversed Ace of Money (Pentacles) suggests Iran’s frozen assets.

The reversed Bottle Boy (Knight of Cups) might be viewed as Iran’s repressed population (those who would have been called “small folk” in Medieval European culture), or it could be describing the Revolutionary Guard lying low but in an exposed position. (This location in the “wave pattern” of the spread symbolizes peak vulnerability regardless of whom the card portrays.)

Dead (aka Death) reversed looks like a no-win situation. With its reversal, the closure it portends could be delayed but seems inevitable. The reversed Lovers as the “numerical essence” card precludes escape as explained below. (Another thought is that Death following Bottle Boy – both reversed – could mean that the IRGC will attempt to “play possum” by melting into the cultural background, only to regroup and return later.)

Despite the frenetic celebratory image (which implies “Here today, gone tomorrow”), the Five of Bills (Pentacles) shows poverty and defeat at the end of the road (in occult number theory, Five spells disruption). It’s inarguable that the country is being decimated economically. On the other hand, the celebration could be in response to Death preceding it and the subsequent relaxing of international monetary sanctions (in another metaphysical system, Five is the number of humanity, and of necessary change).

The initial “essence” card was the Lovers reversed. If we read this card as displaying a decision-making “crossroads,” the reversal may indicate that all exits have been blocked and there is no way out. (To simplify the arithmetic notation, the numbers in parentheses are negative, imparting reversed orientation.)

The second essence card, derived by Theosophical reduction, was “Out of It” (the Hermit) reversed. I’m thinking that it means escalating isolation of Iran’s regime on the world stage, preceding a potential “knock-out blow.”

Its alternate, generated in part by “casting out nines,” was Night (the Moon) reversed, conveying distorted impressions of an ambiguous destiny. There is more than a hint of delusion and self-deception (not to mention narcissism) about the image.

The “diminished” essence card was Dad (the Emperor) reversed. If this reading were talking about consequences for the US war effort, I might interpret it as Donald Trump packing up and leaving. But when applied to Iran it seems more suggestive of the authoritarian leaders being disenfranchised by the so-called “decapitation strike.”

I’ll stick my neck out and say that the end of August should bring a markedly different outlook for Iran’s fundamentalist hierarchy, one without its most fanatical proponents. While it’s tempting to impose the above narrative on Trump’s situation, I asked the question specifically about Iran’s status in the conflict, so I’ll stay with that focus. However, in both cases the reversed Emperor could be construed as an exit scenario, either “neutralization” (or at best a disorganized retreat) for Iran’s elite military, or “finishing the job” and departing the area for US forces.