This article was written yesterday before I looked at the Independent ComRes poll.

The title of my blog refers to the yearly cycle which plays out, much like a horoscope, to foreshadow what will or might happen in all our lives and dealings with each other. I believe, thanks to Owlperson’s ideas, that astrology works a lot like a fixed version of the tarot: a system of divination, rather than causation. The casting of a card such as the Wheel of Fortune, which prior to 8 May governed the immediate future in my readings for the political fortunes, does not actually cause the twists of fate. Similarly planets and stars do not affect us personally, but they can give us a clue to what happens. Mars entered Scorpio yesterday and threw my relationships off-balance; or rather, Mars entered Scorpio yesterday and this foretold that my relationships with a special someone would be a bit choppy. After a good night’s sleep I’ve decided not to dump him but to forgive him, just as my horoscope suggested I would. (Maybe a self-fulfilling prophecy, maybe not; I was still pissed off when I went to bed, though that was easier than I expected.)

In this way, we find that Taurus usually governs elections – early May is the most usual time to go to the country in the local elections as well as the last general election, and these results tend to be critical points for government and opposition. Until 2005 a Taurean election (as opposed to a Gemini election in June, which usually returns a sitting government) had had the tendency for power to change hands. I got very excited in 2005 as a result, and as my figures (see the Rotten Boroughs articles I posted early in May) suggest, we perhaps should have had a change of government. The potential PM’s £17,000 garden centre bill notwithstanding (though Owlperson is strangely distant on this as if it won’t matter in the long run, and in the mean time Howard, like Butterfill, is leaving parliament anyway, though Owlperson is tugging at my sleeve and forbids me to go further along that line of thought), Taurus should have given us a change as a result. This year, Taurus has not had the outlet of elections to hand us change in that manner, so gave us this chaos instead. (Other years without a Taurean catharsis have been similarly chaotic – 2004 saw the rise of UKIP and 2001 foot and mouth.) There are years of differing intensity and I am not really a good astrologer quite yet. But we have now left Taurus behind – the charging bull – and entered Gemini, the Air sign, which should deliver a vote which actually leaves us more in control of the status quo but also defining the consequences of the expenses scandal and allowing less bean-counting and more defined – and even aggressive – action. I am not sure what is causing this particular year to be so intensely violent, when other Gemini elections have been more tranquil for the governing party – but a Gemini election itself rarely delivers change on any significant level (1983, 1987 and 2001 all cemented rather than winkled out a governing party, even one with increasing levels of robust opposition and after, in 2001 at least, a nationally damaging crisis).

I still don’t believe, however, that the expenses scandal will go away – questions remain for Alistair Darling and David Cameron in particular. Rather, Gemini will begin to discuss solutions – permanent, drastic solutions – to the problems rather than allowing the scandal to evaporate. There is a certain sector of the press talking fatuously about “revelation fatigue” as if we’ve had our fun and it is now time to get back to normal. They may want to – as Owlperson says, they have most cause not to let it get too much out of hand for fear genuine public anger will be unleashed – but the situation in Gemini (openness) leads to Cancer (fluidity in the right directions) and Leo (fiery bursts of energy – normally dissipating in the silly season but this year perhaps a culmination of anger and excitement). The possibility at the moment of an autumn election Owlperson says is realistic but Virgo and Libra are signs in which things begin to solidify again in preparation for the new parliamentary year. Libra in particular is the time of the dramatic shifts in polls which we have seen over the past two years, and the shifts of Libra (coincidentally when the party conferences are held in line with these shifts in opinion) put paid largely to Brown’s desire for an October election (though it was the shift itself that caused this not the actual reason for the shift).

Anyway, this is just by way of saying – prepare for a shift now from revelations to destructive influences on the status quo, but don’t expect a miraculous collapse for Labour: Gemini will not allow this. Instead, the omens do not look good for either party, and I am going to read for these elections and then leave the situation open until Thursday night and Sunday night because I have been warned by my guides that the situation was not as simple as I first thought. Part of being psychic is knowing how to interpret things as detached from them as possible, and although Owlperson is a political guide – I have others with whom I am going to read now – this makes it more difficult to judge the actual events because of conflicting emotions, desires at odds with what I subconsciously know to be the truth, and the rather hurtful moment of truth when hubris hits home. Developing psychic awareness is a process of detaching oneself from the subject of your readings; it’s much easier to do it for things you don’t have a vested interest or ardent love of. Such as Newcastle’s recent relegation to the Championship – I had no difficulty predicting relegation because of the lack of direct relevance to me of the football results. But try it with Boris Johnson or Barack Obama – both of whom I had a gut feeling about, but neither of whom I would have voted for.

So let your gut do the talking – and stand well back. I am using my kestrel guide Clarence for this reading – he is telling me not to write all the meanings down, but I am telling him it helps those reading this to focus on the meaning of the card and it helps me relax my mind while reading, enabling a more accurate forecast to come through. He accepts this...so onwards and upwards.

READING: LABOUR at the LOCAL ELECTIONS on THURSDAY 4 JUNE

Situation – Page of Wands

The Page of Wands is a messenger, usually of good fortune, heralding great events affecting your chosen career. He is energetic, loyal, idealistic, resourceful and honest; the best kind of friend one could hope for. He can represent either the attitude you need in order to accomplish your aims – the part you must play toward someone of greater influence – or the person you should turn to for help to carry them out.

Clarence: this is a first for me, Louise hasn’t used me for a while because I’m not as fun as Owlperson for her and he crowds us other guides out. Now I have a platform, I can tell people here how fun it is to view the 21st century through the screen of a computer as when I lived 150 years ago we would have marvelled at the technology available – we were tinkers not cybernauts in my day and age. Anyway.

This card is Labour at the moment – the Page here is struggling with maintaining his grip on power (represented by the wands) but they are holding on, in annoyance to their bitter opponents and bitter rivals. People’s hostility is general and widespread, yet Labour have not been obliterated simply because the Tories are in it up to their eyeballs as well (expect fireworks on Mr Fox’s side too due to these results.) The Page struggles but is always cheerful – that is why the card is upright. The good fortune is hidden perhaps in the broad prognosis for Labour, but there are difficulties for all and the government is still in office, if rather battered. A valiant effort, in other words, fought against a rising tide. Full marks for trying.

Labour Party nationally – V Cups, reversed

Unexpected news arrives, and possibly in the form of a surprise visit from an old friend who will life your spirits and suggest new ideas and ways forward. They may also remind you of past events that you would rather forget, but try if you can to learn their lessons.

C: These cards are awfully specific, and I feel this represents the situation revealed by the expenses fiasco, and means that Labour were dumped into it through their own short-sightedness. That is the printed meaning of the card. The more general reading for the Five reversed is that every cloud has a silver lining, and this again comes in the shape and form of the Tories. Simply put, the reversal of the Five of Cups means that the party appreciates the two cups that are still full and is not solely aware of the three that have been spilt. In other words, the message of discomfort under a Tory government still resonates with its core vote but also with a wider spectrum of people and this still counts for something. It may not necessarily translate into votes on Thursday, but since people have hinted that they will vote on local issues rather than national issues, and the Tories have not done well in local by-elections recently (even in Redditch, Jacqui Smith’s erstwhile seat), local issues may pull the party back from the brink. This is just hinting at the many silver linings possible in a cloud this size, but it does mean that Labour may not be toast simply because in many places local will trump national.

I need to stress that what I can say to this card is unimaginable while the government is in such difficulty and that the Tories are just plain nowhere either. A genuinely fair election is not possible until after this scandal escalates and destroys the old order, but we upstairs are working on ways to make sure this goes far deeper than just money; but for the mean time, there is a silver lining here for Labour that the Tories are just as idiotic and chaotic, meaning stalemate rather than a complete pasting.

Labour Party in the places where people are voting on county councils – IV Pentacles

Due reward comes after a long struggle, but you need to shrug off any lingering bitterness or sense of grievance if you are to enjoy it. There is some danger of you becoming a miser. Enjoy your good fortune, but also share it with others who probably did far more for you during the difficult times than you realised.

C: This card usually means “defence” or “defensiveness”, contrasting with the Nine of Wands which has a similar meaning in that it is defence of money, power, or other valuable property. Therefore Labour is defending – successfully – some of its treasure effectively because prior to the expenses scandal it was evident that the Tories were not gaining from Labour unpopularity (viz, the Salford by-election a week or two ago, which Labour held despite the local MP Hazel Blears being at the forefront of the blossoming expenses scandal) – but this card just means defence, not offence, and Labour still stand to lose badly in the places where there is a genuine contest between Labour and Tory. Fortunately for Labour this actually means they can successfully defend northern strongholds (Derbyshire and Lancashire particularly) where the BNP will gain at the Tories’ expense. Labour are not campaigning hard against the BNP for nothing.

Results of the votes – IX Cups reversed

Your success is limited by miscalculations, imperfections, and carelessness. Complacency and an exaggerated sense of your importance spoil what should otherwise be a time of celebration, alienating many who would otherwise support you.

C: Of all the cards in the tarot pack which could represent Thursday night, this is actually the best possible result: just a mild hangover, not a complete rout. As any serious kestrel will tell you, the way to analyse things is through the eyes¸ and Labour still will be able to pick out the successes (in terms of holding on rather than gaining) and make sure the issues are dealt with. The government will still collapse, but not necessarily because of this result, but because of other national and international pressures during this summer.

Outcome on the night – X Swords, reversed

A slight but temporary illusion of success is forecast when the card is in this position. However, misfortune will follow if you do not take advantage of this reprieve and build up your defences against disasters that almost certainly lie in wait just around the corner.

C: The card here is not as dangerous yet to Labour as it looked – it’s ruin delayed, not immediately imposed. Labour have a couple of months at best to make good on this card but it is better not to say too much at this stage. Labour are not done for yet, not even after this result. It means that the Tories will have failed to advance north of the Midlands, on the whole, and although they do conquer a couple of councils there will be fewer casualties than expected. At any rate, disruption and destruction for Labour – and Gordon Brown – lie further on, not now. This also imposes a problem on the Tories as well, because they do fail to advance far enough to ruin Labour’s herd mentality.

Built in problems/margin for error – King of Swords

In astrology the character of Saturn in his benign aspect closely resembles that of the King of Swords. He represents power, authority, and the law, splitting complex attitudes with the edge of his sword. His judgements can at times seem lacking in tolerance of human frailty, but are never unfair. The card usually represents an authority figure that the querent can look to for justice.

C: The manipulation inherent in what she has posted in the Rotten Boroughs articles – which I helped her write – are not now repeated at elections in Britain in general. The Glenrothes by-election was legitimate because it was possible to give the people the benefit of the doubt rather than make them accept the result imposed on them by the press and the manipulators.

Anyway, this election will be decided fully by the people. I can’t tell L what happened to bring the balance back within the system but any result that is a surprise to the media is genuine enough. The ambiguity creeps into the system where the media trail the poll for weeks beforehand and anoint a winner before polling day. In this situation, justice will be done – there will be no manipulation, or, if there is, it will not make a huge difference to the overall outcome.

Any other factors – VIII Wands, reversed

Disharmony, quarrels, and rivalry all threaten to upset your plans. Rushed commitments come back to haunt you, and impatience could lead you into other choices that you will equally regret. Be cautious, and wait for the conditions to change.

C: Labour can always rely on difficulties within their opponent’s camp to work in their favour, and this card suggests that although the chaos around the situation has reached the intensity that has toppled a cabinet minister, this will be balanced out by bloodletting elsewhere because of equal corruption within the opponents’ camps. All this means here is that rushing around finding scapegoats for equivocal results suggest it may turn into a bloodbath but not as a result of these elections. The situation here is of a balloon being let down gently rather than popped – Labour are in danger of going out with a whimper, rather than a bang.

Outcome in general going forward – II Cups, reversed

Disappointment, quarrels and misunderstandings threaten to end in the breakdown of partnerships either in love or work. Beware of rash decisions you will later regret. It’s worth trying to work through the difficulties first.

C: In keeping with the idea that Labour have a chance to hold on here, the future looks dangerous but the results are nevertheless rather more equivocal than originally thought. This card shows a dip for Labour, and a breakdown in personal communication within the Cabinet, but not a complete meltdown. These elections will be better than predicted – still not brilliant, still not earth-shatteringly triumphant. Labour will limp on into the summer – but the really torrid part is still to come. Watch this space, as people say nowadays. Perhaps even Owlperson will be allowed his own slot, but I will do the other readings in this particular series myself.

3 June 2009 - I have since persuaded Louise to use cards without printed commercial meanings. Much simpler.

--Clarence.