Parkland Students Plastic Backpacks

Like many other people I suspect, I’ve been blown away by the actions of the Parkland students, in response to the terrible tragedy that occurred at their school. Shockingly, these children are being forced to become political activists in the face of the appalling apathy shown by the adults who are meant to care for them.

As an Australian, I find this hard to comprehend. We had a massive gun buy-back after a mass shooting in the 90s and there have been no comparable events since. Prioritising gun ownership over lives is valuing our fears over love. It just seems wrong.

The Parkland High students have recently been given clear plastic schoolbags to ‘keep them safe’. The idea is that no one can hide a gun in a clear bag (um, they could just put another bag inside it, surely. Doh!) The students are not happy about this pathetic gesture, not to mention the invasion of their privacy (tampons!), and have decorated the bags to express their displeasure.

Here are a few examples… Continue reading

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Easter is a time of hope. It therefore seems the perfect moment to explore the riveting survival tale of the Jewish man who tattoed prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War 2. His story has not come to light until now because of the incredible guilt he carried about what he was forced to do to his fellow prisoners.

Let’s explore his story shall we? No spoilers, I promise. Continue reading

Nine Of Wands: Showing Resilience

9 Wands

I’m feeling particularly proud of my two teenage daughters today. They’e both been through some pretty rough experiences in recent years. As a mother all you want to do is protect your children but you can’t always. You don’t have control over the people who enter their lives or the battles they face, be they due to internal or external factors. Yet despite the scars my daughters carry they keep brushing themselves down and battling away.

This is the Nine Of Wands in action. Look at that fella in the card. You can tell by the bandage he’s been wounded and the fact that it’s wound around his head suggests his scars are mental ones. Yet he continues to stand there in an offensive posture defending his territory.

At the primary school where I work we talk a lot about resilience – or rather, the lack of it. Children who send their parents in to fight their battles for them. Who refuse to carry their own schoolbag, insist on a bandaid when they scrape a knee the tiniest little bit or skip school because it’s their birthday. They’re called the cotton wool generation, right? Whereas my parent’s pre-war generation are like the opposite. Never complain. Work hard. Use work as therapy. They are my model for resilience.

Do you think the younger generation lack resilience?

Tarot Thoughts On Blogging

So, I’ve been blogging for a while now and thought I’d explore my experience through Tarot cards…

Page Swords

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FYI: The Medical Tarot

I thought we might have a look today at Tarot cards associated with medical issues. NOTE: Just because these cards turn up in a reading does NOT mean you have a medical condition. As I keep on saying, there are 50 shades of Tarot, 50 possible meanings (or thereabouts), for each card. Please take the following with a large grain of salt. Some I’m sure of. Others are educated guesses.

9 Wands

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The Tarot Of The Dark Knight Rises!

I finally got around to watching The Dark Knight Rises months after everyone else. Am not a big fan of movie violence so was a bit meh about the action but enjoyed the characters and the plot. Let’s have a look at the Tarot of this movie…

Justice

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