MGoTarot is a fun predictive tool that I started after the Covid season to see if the cards were more interesting than the football. Thus began one of the great runs of Michigan football. The tarot card readings turned out to be amazingly accurate and insightful in revealing the outcomes and energies of each game. 

 

The approach is a standard 3 card spread showing elements of the past, the present, and the future outcome. Each card tells a story and together they form a larger story based on their positions. I do the reading within 24 hours of the game for accuracy. The method is to shuffle the cards while singing the Victors. I then lay out all the cards face down in a line and select 3 with my eyes closed using my off hand. This process helps to double randomize the deck so I am not selecting the same cards repeatedly like a poorly shuffled deck of Uno. I like to use the Salvador Dali Deck because it puts a chaotic-modernist/art-history twist on the traditional 78 card Rider-Waite Deck. Plus the cards have an oil-paint smell that is totally groovy.

 

 

What I love most about Tarot is the way the meanings and significance of the cards begin to grow and develop organically over time. We last saw the Knight of Coins as the outcome for the Indiana game. You may remember that game took place during a total eclipse. Michigan struggled early and found themselves down 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. It wasn’t until the moon began to move off the sun did Michigan finally put the boa constrictor into play shutting out Indiana and scoring the next 52 points. Traditionally, the Knight of Coins is about grinding little victories toward major goals. For MGoTarot it has come to represent struggling toward victory. Like the Indiana game, Michigan spent time in the shadows, surviving. How many times have we seen our Wolverines have a 3rd quarter bowl game collapse? Like the Knight of Coins, Team 144 survived in the shadows grinding to stay alive against Alabama before finding their time in the sun. Even the reds and crimsons of the card are reminiscent of Indiana and Alabama. 

 

 

Going into the National Championship game against Washington, we are greeted by the Queen of Wands. She is a real battle axe that loves to control and dominate. She is inspiring, passionate, and very confident. NOBODY has it better than her. On the card we see Marie Antoinette challenging the viewer. How can she be denied? We have not seen too many wands over the course of the season. They represent our fire. In many ways that is understandable given the amount of crummy teams on the schedule. The Queen of Wands is well timed because it shows Michigan is ready to bring that enthusiasm unknown to mankind to bear against the Huskies. Even on the card, Dali surrounds Marie Antoinette with forces of nature. Below we see a yappy dog with endless energy to get after it. To the left, is a tree growing and expanding like Michigan’s stifling defense ready to wear down one last opponent breaking through any concrete or foundation that Washington may erect. 

 

 

Though she is dressed in blue, the High Priestess is not a proper outcome. In this case she is offering advice and reminding Michigan to be themselves in this game. This is an original work by Salvador Dali. Overhead the moon alludes to her emotional perspective which can just as easily make or break success. The High Priestess is shown wearing the habit of a nun embodying devotion. But she is also called to be flexible and instinctual as depicted by the cat. As the second card of the deck, she holds the scroll of her life and destiny in her own hand. Likewise, Michigan has proven all season they have the devotion, instincts, and skills to win it all. They do not have to get fancy, just avoid stupid mistakes and play their own style. So these are great cards, but so far no decision. DECIDER CARD:

 

 

THREE OF CUPS! BE READY TO PARTY!! This is the moment the Michigan collective has been awaiting for so long. Everyone is on the same page feeling the excitement and glory. Let your joy overflow and share it. This is a moment to remember and savor for the rest of our lives. The three Nekkid Ladies have finally delivered our deepest desire. Gone are the monsters in the margins. Instead, the Three Graces as painted by Giorgio Da Gubbio are presented on a grand stage backed by a blue grotto. We have seen this card twice, both times when we beat Iowa to win the Big Ten. Be sure to take a moment to savor and enjoy the moment. Nothing screams good times like the 3 of Cups and winning a National Championship!