Dysfunction Junction Conflict Resolution Spread

Barleywine

A question came up a day or two ago about whether there is a recommended spread to show resolution of conflicts between larger groups (such as labor and management, administration and rank-and-file, etc.) I decided to create one. Note that this isn't intended to be a "good always triumphs over evil" projection. Sometimes the bad guys just win.

ETA: I came across a perfect opportunity to try this spread: the escalating confrontation between the US and North Korea, with Japan and China both on-board. This gave me a four-party scenario to examine.

I used all four of my large-size decks for this, and only used the 22 Major Arcana. For North Korea, it was the Tarot of the Golden Serpent; for the US, the PoMo Tarot; for China the Thoth; and for Japan the DruidCraft. For the final quintessence I used the Night Sun Tarot.

The North Korean line was: "Wants" - the Sun; "Offers" - the Emperor; "Refuses" - Death rx. This gave me the feeling that North Korea has exaggerated expectations, won't back down, and won't agree to dismantle their nuclear missile program. The sub-quint was the Wheel of Fortune, suggesting that they are prepared to gamble.

The US line was: "Wants" - the Idiot/Fool (surprise! surprise!); "Offers" - the Lovers rx; "Refuses" - Mr. Religion/Hierophant rx. For some reason, this reminded me of what John Cleese called "blinkered, philistine pig-ignorance" in an old Monty Python sketch. It doesn't look like the US is in a mood to bargain, and has no intention of relaxing sanctions. Where a more imaginative or nuanced stance might be productive, this looks like "more of the same." The sub-quint was Sheer Force/Strength rx, making me think North Korea's gamble is convincingly "bearding the lion" here.

The Chinese line was: "Wants" - Adjustment rx; "Offers" - Lust rx; "Refuses" - the Emperor. Clearly, China is concerned about the balance of power in the region and is in just as awkward a position as the US over North Korea's belligerence, but is also not prepared to back down. The sub-quint was the Devil rx, which looks like high-stakes mischief-making to me.

The Japanese line was: "Wants" - Rebirth/Judgement; "Offers" - the Hanged Man; "Refuses: - the High Priest/Hierophant. Japan wants to transcend the threat but isn't in a position to do much about it; their loose talk about a "pre-emptive strike" could be a path to self-immolation. They would seem to be toeing the US line of "no change." The sub-quint is the Wheel of Fortune, the same as North Korea, which suggests a poker game where neither player is prepared to "fold." The US and China sub-quints are both reversed, indicating "behind-the-scenes" maneuvering.

The final quint card here is the Lovers rx (I subtract reversals when doing the quint). The feeling I get is "no love lost" between the parties to this conflict, but also that a "hard choice" in the matter will be deflected for the time being. The Lovers rx seems most aligned with China's self-interested "peace-keeper" initiative under Adjustment rx.

I attached a photo of the sample spread.
 

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Barleywine

I just added a sample reading to the original post, if anyone is interested in how this spread works..