Contrary to the countdown timer on the website indicating November 21, The Economist released its anticipated 2025 cover on November 19 (911!). This significant event, as per usual, left the easily excited yet uninformed individuals speechless, as they had little to contribute.
This time, the British publication has encoded in images the potential events of 2025. The stark black and red hues appear quite ominous, and set against this backdrop are world leaders like Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, and Xi Jinping. Collectively, the elements of the puzzle form the likeness of a human face.
Naturally, it’s not to say that the puzzle is as transparent and straightforward as usual: The Economist is challenging to interpret, and these aren’t even interpretations, but rather their aspirations. Yet, despite this.
The primary and most significant aspect that only the truly enlightened observed was the face concealed within the puzzle. Directly above the visage is either a portrait or a mask of Donald Trump, notably set against the somber black and red hues associated with the Jesuit brotherhood.
Nuclear Alert
Putin’s portrait features a symbol of a peaceful atom, resembling a nucleus with orbiting electrons, similar to the logo of the International Atomic Energy Agency, accompanied by hand-corrected typewritten text. This could suggest a revision of Russia’s nuclear doctrine under new circumstances.
Conversely, the portrait of Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission, displays the symbol of nuclear energy’s destructive aspect – a radiation sign within a stark red and black frame, which appears quite ominous. This is accentuated by the presence of a large rocket and a nuclear mushroom cloud beneath the image of Donald Trump at the center.
Above this scene looms a vast, bleak city with skyscrapers emitting smog from their chimneys, devoid of ecological consideration. Overhead, the planet Saturn and its iconic ring hover, reminiscent of the 74th Tarot card, an emblem of destruction.
The planet Saturn, depicted above The Economist, invites dual interpretations. Some with limited understanding focus solely on Saturn’s cult, unaware of its complexities. In mythology, Saturn, or Kronos, presided over Earth’s Golden Age, a promise echoed by Donald Trump for America. Justice goddess Astraea, is prophesied to herald this era’s return: her arrival will precede Saturn’s. Intriguingly, Britain has named its latest nuclear warheads after Astraea. This might explain the nuclear imagery in the picture, along with the portrayal of a darkened metropolis and a complete etheric blackout beneath Saturn.
Astraea, the offspring of Astraeus and Eos, is the virgin goddess who personifies justice, innocence, purity, and precision. She is synonymous with Dike, the goddess of justice and daughter of Zeus and Themis. Unlike Kronos, who reigned alongside his consort Rhea, Astraea did not govern. As the deity of justice, she aided Zeus in the battle against the Titans. Astraea is emblematic of the harmony and justice that prevailed during the Golden Age. It is prophesied that she will one day return to Earth to usher in the Golden Age anew, in tandem with Saint Germain.
Many arrows remain in the image, and their meaning is known only to The Economist. However, music enthusiasts note that these arrows bear a strong resemblance to the imagery from the iconic album by Marilyn Manson.
Descending further, as if to the chin of the colossal face veiled behind Trump, one encounters the “medieval aunt,” known as Jane Austen:
Jane Austen, unlike Jane Eyre, is often considered literature for young girls; however, she remains a cult figure widely recognized. The reason for her acclaim is somewhat ambiguous. Some speculate that as morality and ethics on Earth may plummet by 2025, Austen’s focus on love and morality gains relevance. Others note that Austen was a contemporary of the early US struggle for independence, having been born in the same year, 1775.
Subsequently, supporting images akin to the Japanese yen followed. Some interpreters regard this as a symbol of fraternal yuan, yet the yen as a currency predates this. Moreover, the symbol is positioned on the left side of the image, where all respectable figures are depicted, while everything associated with China and communism is placed to the right from the viewer’s perspective, or to the left from the perspective of a prominent face.
Beside the yen symbol, there is a downward arrow. One might speculate that the Japanese currency will plummet thrice, but the reason for such an object being depicted above remains a question.
This isn’t Earth, the moon, or Mars. Perhaps it’s another planet whose approach could submerge Japan.
A log in the Mason’s eye
In the composition, Trump is positioned centrally between the East and West, flanked by two dollar signs: a smaller one to his left and a larger one beneath him. This arrangement, along with an upward-moving broken arrow, could symbolize the increase in America’s national debt.
To the right of the chart, the human eye—reminiscent of the “all-seeing eye” from the Masonic triangle on the one-dollar bill—maintains its vigil over global finance. An hourglass is depicted close by, its sand swiftly depleting, suggesting the looming end of the dollar’s supremacy.
The magazine’s editors seem to have chosen an electric car with a depleted battery to represent Europe’s energy crisis.
The rest of the illustration is also noticeable: an array of printed circuit boards and Tesla vehicles; a syringe two-thirds full on the Chinese side (suggesting a pandemic or its treatment); a brick wall (possibly representing BRICS?); 64 squares within the image and 33 protruding corners; a shattered ballot box (signifying the end of democratic games?); and a peculiar missile resembling Pershing II, Iskander, or ATACMS, indicating short-range ballistics. Positioned on the Chinese side, it’s likely to be launched from there—or towards there.
Additionally, there’s a clock, which on one side symbolizes Saturn, the god of Time, and on the other, appears to be set at the start, as if initiating a countdown for everything depicted. If the countdown of 11.19 has begun, what remains is to observe how events unfold.
