Today's question is dedicated to conspiracy theorists everywhere:

Was the Apollo Moon landing a hoax?*

With "hindpsych," the answer is "yes," the moon landing was faked by NASA!  The first card in our Tarot spread, the Five of Pentacles, depicts two figures limping past the star-filled stained glass window of a church.  The figures are stooped, bandaged, and barefooted; one walks on crutches.  The figures suggest that NASA is "handicapped," hobbling along on rudimentary technology.  The figures don't notice the warmth offered by the church behind them, suggesting that NASA is unable to find a solution to its technological hardships. The middle card, the Four of Cups, depicts a figure sitting under a tree, looking at three cups before him and not noticing a fourth cup being offered from "on high."  This fourth cup in the clouds represents the Moon.  NASA is too focused on earthly matters to set its sights on the sky.  The third card, the Hierophant, symbolizes power: political, religious, and military force.  The Hierophant is making a proclamation, his right hand pointed to the heavens.  The powers that be announce a successful Moon landing.  Yet we can say with confidence that NASA, whether hobbling on crutches or sitting cross-legged under a tree, isn't going anywhere.  The Apollo mission was a hoax, and we can now move on.

Today's question:

Was New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina?

With "hindpsych," the unfortunate answer is "yes"!  Note that every card in our Tarot spread features wands.  The hermit (left) holds a wooden staff for support.  The central figure struggles to carry a bundle of sticks (still in leaf, as if fallen branches from living trees or uprooted trunks).  And the Page of Wands (right) seems to be planting a tree in a barren landscape. 

We begin with the center card, the Ten of Wands, as it is flanked by two figures facing away from it.  The central figure is saddled with a difficult burden.  He is carrying a heavy load, perhaps laboring to clean up a messy situation.  (Ultimately, he is headed toward the right, where the Page of Wands is planting a tree, so the heavy load in the center picture is more likely saplings, symbolizing the labor and promise of regrowth.)  We see a house and trees in the background; we can easily conclude that the landscape refers to storm-damaged New Orleans and that a time of struggle is looming. 

The two figures facing away from the center card represent two outcomes.  On the left, the Hermit represents receiving guidance and accepting help.  On the right, the Page of Wands symbolizes creatively and wholeheartedly tackling a challenge.  Our spread indicates that New Orleans will experience a "dark night of the soul" (the Hermit) but will blossom again through assertive action (the Page of Wands).  We can say with confidence that New Orleans was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, and we can now move on.

Today's Question:

Did Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrender to Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865?

With hindpsych, the answer is "yes"!  In our striking Tarot spread, notice the cards on the right and left.  The chariot driver (left) and the priestess (right) are a divided couple, and each card displays conspicuous polarization: black and white sphinxes pull the chariot, and black and white columns enclose the priestess.  The chariot driver and the priestess symbolize the leaders of the Union and Confederacy, each at the center of a profound division.  One side is equipped to move forward ("The Chariot"), and the other is sitting in resignation ("The High Priestess").  This suggests a surrender rather than a stalemate.  The center card, "The Lovers," shows the two sides coming together.  "The Lovers" card symbolizes union, and indeed the Union Army prevails.  Note that the man and woman in the center card are reaching toward one another but not yet embracing.  They are formally joined by a higher good (symbolized by the overseeing spirit), but Reconstruction will take time.  We can say with confidence that Lee surrenders to Grant in 1865, and we can now move on.

Today's question:

Gordon asks: "How about a reading for that fateful day for JFK in Dallas?"

In our hindpsych Tarot spread, the left card, "Wheel of Fortune," is a symbol of fate and marks a turning point.  The middle card, "The Tower," symbolizes a sudden crisis and downfall; a king is shown falling from the top of his castle.  The right card, "The Hermit," speaks of retreat from society; the isolated philosopher follows his own light.  Viewing the spread of cards as a whole, we see that the hermit is looking down toward the falling king.  This promotes the theory of a lone gunman, targeting President Kennedy from above.  The light of the hermit's lamp becomes the lightning that strikes the tower, suggesting that the assassin's ideology fuels the overthrow.  On the opposite side of the spread, facing the falling king is the jackal-headed Anubis (an Egyptian guide to the souls of the dead).  This suggests that the crisis will end in death.

Interestingly, the cards echo two aspects of Kennedy's "Camelot" image.  The first is obvious: the crowned king in "The Tower."  The second is a "round table" suggested by the wheel of fortune.  By way of explanation, the "Wheel of Fortune" card is associated with the "Magician" card, as both the wheel and the magician's table feature emblems of the four suits/elements of the Tarot (Fire/Wands, Water/Cups, Earth/Pentacles, Air/Swords).  And so we can consider the wheel as an image of the magician's table, viewed from above.  It is a round table.  In the Camelot story, the round table was designed by the magician Merlin for King Arthur.

Also interestingly, the "Wheel of Fortune" card features open books in the storm clouds at each corner; a book depository is central to the assassination investigation.

Today's Question:

June asks: Can you do a reading on the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster that occurred on January 28, 1986?

Our hindpsych reading for Challenger's 1986 launch confirms disaster, even at a casual glance.  As the figures in the middle and right cards face left, we read the cards from right to left.  We begin with the Fool, setting off on an adventure.  Where is the Fool looking?  The stars in the sky of the middle card are his goal.  The final card, "Judgement," depicts a trumpeting angel, resurrecting the dead from watery graves.  We can say with confidence that the Challenger launch ends in disaster, and we can now move on.

Today's question:

Refusing to let the American Revolution die, did George Washington cross the Delaware River on Christmas night in 1776?*

With "hindpsych," the answer is "yes"!  In our Tarot spread, note that all of the figures are looking toward the left.  Accordingly, we read the cards from right to left.  The right card, "The Chariot," is a symbol of conquest, honor, and bravery.  The chariot represents Washington's boat and mission.  The middle card, "Temperance," depicts a figure pouring water from one vessel to another.  This figurative flowing between two realms points to Washington's literal crossing from one bank of the river to the other.  The left card is "Hanged Man," symbolizing a hero willing to sacrifice himself for a cause.  Note that the hanged man's life is in suspension, but he is not dead.  We can say with confidence that Washington heroically crossed the Delaware on Christmas in 1776, and we can now move on.

Today's question:

Did the Berlin Wall fall on November 9, 1989?*

With "hindpsych," the answer is "yes"!  In our Tarot spread, the first card is "Justice."  Notice that the judge holds a pair of scales.  The scales symbolize the balance of opposing forces (the political ideologies of the "East" and the "West").  The scales are mirrored in the third card, "The Moon."  Here we see two towers (the ruins of former guard towers along the wall) as well as two dogs howling together at the moon.  The light shines through the open space between the towers.  The center card, "The Lovers," promises a glorious new day of reunification.  The bright light of the sun illuminates the joining of East and West (symbolized by a bride and groom).  The cupid and officiator of ceremonies may symbolize Presidents Ronald Regan and Mikhail Gorbachev, though which is which is up for interpretation.  In summary, the cards show justice being served, a formal union taking place, and howls of emotion.  We can say with confidence that the Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989, and we can now move on.