February 7, 2003
As I write this article, it is two days after US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, delivered his address to the Security Council of the UN, alleging Iraqi non-compliance with its obligations to disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction under various UN resolutions. It is about a week after US President, George W. Bush, delivered his State of the Union address to the American people and their Houses of Congress. Bush stopped just short of a unilateral declaration of war against Iraq. Powell's appearance before the UN Security Council, at Bush' behest and as promised in the State of the Union address, was an attempt to move the UN to declare Iraq to be in non-compliance, and to secure UN sanction of a US-led war on Iraq to oust its President, Saddam Hussein, and to secure the disarming of Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. One could fairly conclude from Bush's State of the Union address, that failing UN authorization to wage war on Iraq, that Bush would nevertheless lead a “coalition” of its own to do so. UN authorization would be nice to have, but Bush has made it clear that the US would not be restrained should the UN fail to provide the authorization sought by Powell yesterday. War therefore looms in Iraq.In the light of these developments, we pose a series of questions, concerning this looming war, to Tehuti ("Thoth" to the Greeks), the ancient Kamitic god of wisdom. (The Great Oracle of Tehuti has been restored to us by Ra Un Nefer Amen, who in a remarkable series of books (see my article on this website African Cosmology; and see Amen's Metu Neter, vol. 1: The Great Oracle of Tehuti, and the Egyptian System of Spiritual Cultivation, 1990) has restored to the modern world the power and beauty of the ancient African religion of the Nile Valley.)
[Note: In the following, the questions posed to the Great Oracle of Tehuti begin with the letter "Q.", and are set off in brown. Answers begin with the letter "A.", and a notation within square brackets representing the actual card readings. For example the notation [8++UH] represents the card reading Sebek (Sphere 8 of the Tree of Life) tu Maat (double positive suit, hence 8++), Uatchet Hetep (UH) -- Tehuti's literal answer. The notation is my own, and somewhat idiosyncratic, but the meaning would be obvious to anyone familiar with the system. Those not familiar with the system may safely ignore these notations. The interpretation, in the present context, of the cards pulled then follows. This is where the Diviner's art comes in, and may be subject to dispute. However, I have used the four-cowries method of divination of the Yoruba, to ask Tehuti, for every paragraph seeking to interpret the literal answers he has given with the cards, to comment on the quality of interpretation. An answer of ejife or alaafia means essentially "yes, it is correct." All interpretations have been adjusted or corrected as necessary to obtain one of these answers. This is an excellent way, I have found, to resolve the interpretational ambiguities sometimes possible when the Oracle of Tehuti is used by itself. I welcome comment, or alternative interpretations from readers familiar with this particular Divination system, or any other, for that matter.]
Q. Comment on this looming war:
A. [8++UH]
Tehuti says that this war is being driven by lower left-brained (linear logical but not necessarily wise) thinking (Sebek, 8++). Moreover, the presence of Uatchet (UH) coloring this thinking suggests deception, ie. fooling self or others. While Sebek represents logical thinking, there is an implicit reminder that any chain of logic is only as good as the starting premises, which Sebek is unable by itself to intuit. For that, resort must be had to the wisdom faculty, and that is nowhere in the picture. Obviously, this raises the question whether Tehuti refers here to Saddam Hussein, to George Bush, or to both. In a follow-up question using four cowries as the instrument of divination, Tehuti confirms that the reference is to Saddam Hussein (ejife), rather than to Bush (oyeku).Q. Comment on President Bush's view on this looming war:
A. [5-3-]
Tehuti says Herukhuti (Sphere 5), in negative suit. This is the energy of correction, of restoration to right order, of law enforcement. When in negative suit, as in this case, the energy in play is closer to vengeance than to justice, closer to the bully than the protector, closer to the warmonger than the warrior. The single negative suit indicates Bush is being misled by wrong beliefs regarding the situation at issue. Tehuti further says Sekert (Sphere 3), in negative suit, qualifies the basic answer. Sekert in negative suit speaks to an inadequate foundation: the casus belli, the cause of war, as argued by Bush, is inadequate. The war cannot be justified in the terms Bush proposes, notwithstanding the clear deception of which Saddam appears to be guilty (see previous question and answer). (ejife)Q. Comment on Secretary Powell's view on this looming war:
A. [0+11++]
Tehuti says that Secretary Powell seeks peace and security (Amen, 0+), and is being guided by the Sheps (ancestral realm, 11++) in pursuing it. (ejife)Q. Comment on the likelihood that this war will be averted:
A. [N--10++]
Tehuti says unlikely. The mere presence of men, machines/weapons, and materiel already in the theater (Geb, 10++), contribute a momentum toward war that is hard to stop (N--). (ejife)Q. Comment on the likelihood that the UN will authorize this war:
A. [4+4+]
Tehuti says this is unlikely. Maat (Sphere 4+) in positive suit, repeated, suggests an answer by irony. Maat is the energy of Truth, of Divine Law, a reminder of the essential inter-dependence of all things of the universe, certainly of nations on this planet, an idea that lives at the very heart of the concept of the "United Nations." Tehuti says that the UN will in the end find it impossible to authorize this war. (ejife)Q. Comment on the true motives of the US:
A. [0+10+]
Tehuti says the US believes its national security interest (Amen, 0+) may be secured through control of the resources (Geb, 10+) which Iraq controls. (ejife)Q. All things considered, from the standpoint of global peace and security, is it advisable for the US to pursue war with Iraq?:
A. [N-3H]
No, there is not a sufficient casus belli. (ejife)Q. Assuming this war goes forward, comment on the likely outcome:
A. [NH]
Death and destruction obviously, and the toppling of Saddam Hussein (ejife), although Saddam himself may survive (etawa/ejife). In addition, unintended consequences are likely, up to and including the use of nuclear weapons.(ejife)Q. Would the Iraqi people be glad to be rid of Saddam Hussein?:
A. [0+0H]
Yes. (ejife)It would thus appear that the central facts Tehuti has revealed to us through spiritual means, are these: (ejife)
- Saddam is guilty as charged by the US, and indeed the Iraqi people would be glad to be rid of him
- the US is guilty as charged, in being motivated more by oil than by the ostensible "threat" that Saddam poses, or by concerns for the liberation of the Iraqi people
- control of Middle Eastern oil is seen very much as a national security concern of the US
- it is unlikely that war will be averted
- there may be unintended disastrous consequences
Tua en Metu Neter (Thanks for the words Divine).
Hetep
Grisso
