Nine Of Wands: A man stands holding onto a wand looking ready to defend his territory. The bandage around his head suggests he has experienced heavy fighting. The line of wands at his rear are the skills he has drawn on during these battles. Now he has chosen one in particular to lean on. He may be beaten and bloodied but he’s not bowed. This is a card of strength and determination. It suggests that even though you may feel like you’ve come to the end of your fighting powers there is strength in reserve. You can attain victory through courage and endurance.

I thought of this card when reading a story doing the rounds on Facebook this week about a remarkable new invention. The story goes like this…

A medical technician in South Africa named Sonette Ehlers never forgot a rape victim saying, ‘If only I had teeth down there.’ Rape is a pandemic in South Africa. Some time afterward a man came into the hospital in excruciating pain because his penis was stuck in his zipper and Ehlers had a lightbulb moment. She developed a product named the RAPEX. It’s a hard plastic tube with barbs on the inside. A woman inserts the tube like a tampon. Any man who rapes her impales himself on the barbs and must go to hospital to have the RAPEX removed. When critics complained that it was a medieval punishment Ehlers replied, ‘A medieval punishment for a medieval deed.’

The RAPEX is like the wand the man is holding in the card above. It is the last line of defense against rape for the women of South Africa. Im(humble) opinion someone should give Ehlers a Nobel Prize. Think of the pain and suffering she is going to prevent.

What do you think of the RAPEX?

P.S. I tried to post a picture of the device in this post but it didn’t work. Will leave a link on my Facebook page if I can or you can just google it if you’re curious.