The story of Margaret Clement is the stuff of fiction or a true life crime podcast. Was it an accident? Did she simply fall victim to the murky floodwaters surrounding her derelict homestead and get washed out to sea? Was she murdered? And, if she was murdered, who was the killer?
These questions still haunt the case of the missing Australian Margaret Clement, now know as “the Lady of the Swamp.”
Clement had been the belle of Melbourne society. She held some of the best society parties, travelled the world, was invited to Buckingham Palace and was stinking rich.
And then one day it was all gone.
The Wheel of Fortune is essentially the wheel of life. No matter what happens, the wheel will keep turning, keep throwing life lessons our way and constantly keep us on our toes. We can never truly know what is coming next.
Margaret Clement’s lifestyle of gleaming carriages and fancy garden parties gave way to a life of squalor.
The 17-room Gippsland mansion she shared with her sister fell into disrepair and became increasingly surrounded by swamp waters. Dressed in an old coat with a fur collar, Ms Clement was forced to wade waist-deep through the murky water to the nearest town 11km away for supplies and to send letters to her family begging for money. She finished her days living alone in a swamp in Gippsland in her decaying mansion Tullaree surrounded by waist-deep water.
Justice represents the balancing of scales. The payment of dues. The ‘right’ outcome. The serving of justice as we enjoy it in films and literature. Social change, progress. Justice is, in principle and by definition, about fairness, balance, equity.
Justice, sword aloft, scales in hand, is a powerful archetypal figure representing a social and personal ideal. Without justice, there cannot be peace. Regardless of the injustice around us, this card asks us to get clear about our own ideas of justice, and how we can embody these principles in our lives.
The Five of Coins, or the Five of Pentacles is a card when upright means to lose all faith, losing resources, losing a lover (mostly shows up when you’ve had a breakup), and losing security whether financially or emotionally (or both).
In 1889, the Illustrated Sydney News published an article about her being left at the altar, leaving her “completely prostrated.”
When Pip meets the jilted Miss Havisham in Great Expectations she is dressed in her decaying wedding attire, presenting a terrifying blend of waxwork figure and living skeleton.
Born in South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope in 1821, Eliza was the youngest child of James Donnithorne, a judge and merchant in the famous East India Company, and grew up in Calcutta. Tragedy struck in 1832, when Eliza’s mother and two teenage sisters died during the city’s cholera epidemic. At age 63, Judge Donnithorne retired to Australia, arriving in Sydney on September 10, 1838.
Donnithorne moved to Australia during the 1840s to be with her father, who had been also been an official of the East India Company. Eliza had formed an attachment to a young man of whom her father disapproved, and after resisting his attempts to split them up, the couple set a date for the wedding. Mr. Donnithorne was such an important official that a great deal of interest was held in the wedding, and crowds are said to have lined the streets to catch a glimpse of the bride. Eliza Donnithorne, dressed in her finery, waited excitedly at the altar for her lover.
He didn’t show.
In 1889, the Illustrated Sydney News published an article about her being left at the altar, leaving her “completely prostrated.”
After waiting hours, it’s said Eliza farewelled her guests and abandoned the wedding breakfast to insects and dust. She kept her bridal gown on and left the front door ajar in case Cuthbertson came at last. Some said Cuthbertson already had a wife in England and feared exposure, but he left not a word of explanation and was never heard from again.
Heartbroken but headstrong, Miss Donnithorne demanded that the banquet and the house remain ready for his arrival. The table stayed set for a party, the door remained opened, and for three decades she waited.
Eliza died in the house on 20 May 1886 and was buried in the same grave as her father at Camperdown cemetery where a headstone was later placed in his memory. Eliza’s estate, including land and houses in Sydney, Melbourne and Britain, was valued at £12,000. The chief beneficiary was her housekeeper, Sarah Ann Bailey.
The images of the Five of Pentacles often shows a person or people who are in an apparent state of crisis. Clothes in rags, out in the cold, overwhelmed or tired out, this is not a happy sight.
While the Five of Pentacles is associated with
Losing income
Falling on hard times
Struggling to make ends meet
Struggling with ill-health
Neglecting your physical needs
Being rejected
Standing alone
Being excluded
Taking an unpopular opinion
it may allude to hard times on a more spiritual and emotional level. This card can have a very real “us against the world” vibe attached to it.
The idea that those who withdraw from the world accrue great wisdom is an old and powerful one. In Hindu philosophy, all humans ideally mature into hermits. As the Indian guru Sri Ramakrishna put it: “The last part of life’s road has to be walked in single file.”
A typist who moved to a remote island alone in the Great Barrier Reef to study marine life vanished from the history books in 1966, never to be heard of, until 2020.
Having abandoned the folly of riding a 50cc motorbikes across the Nullarbor with her friend, Gillian Warry, but feeling adventurous, Terri Ridgway just got on a train and headed north. She got a job as a barmaid on Heron Island, a resort that was also home to a marine research station owned by the University of Queensland.
While there, after befriending the researchers working on the island, she became an accomplished diver and developed a fascination with marine biology. Tired of the long hours as a barmaid she moved to North West Island, which was nearby, into a beautiful little shack near the beach with her diving gear, books, paints, a 12v battery and a light. Ostensibly she came to eat she stalks wild fowls, dives for seafood and grows vegetables in the island’s rich soils.
There was a research station that shared the island and all the boys and girls over at the research station were just fabulous and I used to go out with them when they were specimen collecting and I just hung on every word and every little thing I could learn. I used to also go out with all the boys … and get fresh fish for the table for the resort and so I had every excuse to go in the water … I learned a lot from both the researchers and the divers I worked with at the resort but seeing as how I didn’t get off shift in the bar until about 2am, my friend would leave one of the windows open in the research station so I could climb in window and go into the library and I’d just sit there after my shift and just read and read and read
She could never have imagined that she would become a headline. The world was fascinated with the then 19-year-old whose story made headlines across the globe. American newspapers of the day ran headlines declaring: “Gay Nature girl gambols Down Under” describing the teenager as a “bikini-clad nature nymp and other stories described her living in a hut near the beach in her “leopard-skin mini-bikini”.
Then she disappeared and has only resurfaced in 2020 and what she did afterwards is the stuff fiction writers dream up.
If you are currently contemplating that you need to be alone do not be afraid to take the chance to reflect, as it could help you clear your mind of all the clutter that comes with everyday life.
Van Diemen’s Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen’s Land in 1803 before it became a separate colony in 1825. Its penal colonies became notorious destinations for the transportation of convicts due to the harsh environment, isolation and reputation for being inescapable. Macquarie Harbour and Port Arthur are among the most well-known penal settlements on the island.
Between 1788 and 1868 more than 162,000 convicts were transported to Australia. Transportation as a form of criminal punishment emerged in the British legal system from the early 17th century as an alternative to execution.
Many of the crimes for which they were transported are considered minor offenses by today’s standards. The most common crime by far was stealing—food, clothing, money, household items—mostly items worth no more than £5.
One can only imagine how my great great grandmother, Mary Ann Maule, had been living prior to her sentencing after a series of petty thefts. Clearly Mary was no angel but conditions in Liverpool were particularly harsh. Houses were severely overcrowded and the impact of the Great Famine, known as the Irish Famine was profound.
Friedrich Engels was shocked when he visited Liverpool in the 1840s. “Liverpool, with all its commerce, wealth, and grandeur yet treats its workers with the same barbarity. A full fifth of the population, more than 45,000 human beings, live in narrow, dark, damp, badly ventilated cellar dwellings, of which there are 7,862 in the city.
“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”– Arnold Schwarzenegger
“Their stories immediately captured my heart when I learned that if you were a working-class girl in London or Dublin in the 1800s you had two choices: enter prostitution, which was not a crime or steal food or clothing to be able to live another day,” Deborah says. “And so I began my six-year journey of researching and getting to know these remarkable female convicts.”
Having survived the long, perilous journey on board the convict ship, there can be no doubt that life would have been no easier when she arrived in the colony. However, the scarcity of women opened up opportunities for convict women as servants and wives. Many, including Mary Ann, successfully merged into colonial society, creating new families, and through good conduct and hard work forged new lives. Convict women, like my great great grandmother, demonstrated a diversity of character, aspirations and behaviour, which contradicted their stereotype as ‘damned whores’.
As a part of a series of past life stories an imagined version of Mary Ann appears in ‘A Letter to A Mother’.
The Strength card is a symbol of inner fortitude, which helps us prevail in the face of life’s challenges. Strength is something that needs to be reinforced every day. Just as muscles need to be continuously used to maintain their power, so too does inner-strength need to be habitually exercised.
The ‘Camel Lady’, Robyn Davidson, with her beloved dog, Diggity, and four camels, trekked 2700 kilometres across some of Australia’s most remote and inhospitable deserts, from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean, in 1977.
Davidson wrote about her 1,700-mile journey across the deserts of Western Australia in her bestselling memoir Tracks. She painted an intimate portrait of the experience of solitude and loneliness in a context where life has lost all its previous forms, a concept more of us can relate to since the pandemic. She went weeks on end without seeing anyone, navigated miles of arid desert without water, slept under the stars and fended off poisonous snakes and aggressive bulls charging towards her.
Strength’s tarot meaning is one of my favourites because it has a very potent, supportive energy that lets you know that you can do what needs to be done. That you have the inner strength to push through whatever is holding you back or causing you pain and negativity right now.Self Care Emporium
Tarot Memoir
From the Murder of Crows Tarot
The Strength card represents strength, determination, and power – like The Chariot. However, while The Chariot signifies outer strength and will, the Strength card speaks to the inner strength and the human spirit’s ability to overcome any obstacle. Strength is about knowing you can endure life’s obstacles. You have great stamina and persistence, balanced with underlying patience and inner calm. You are committed to what you need to do, and you go about it in a way that shows your composure and maturity. Biddy Tarot
the quality or state of being physically and emotionally strong.
Write about a time when you needed to show great fortitude.
Women like my great great grandmother were sentenced for petty crimes and transported to Van Dieman’s land. They certainly needed fortitude to survive the journey and life in the early colony. Read about more of these women.
Write a portrait of a woman whose sheer strength of will and courage you admire.
The Lovers card is all about love and being in sync with someone special. It’s like when you and your partner really understand each other and everything feels just right. This card is about making good choices in your relationships. It’s like finding your perfect match, your soulmate.
Margaret Elaine Dovey met Gough Whitlam at Sydney party in the summer of 1939. World War II had just started. He was 23 and studying law, she was 20 and a social work student. “Quite the most delicious thing I’d ever seen,” she recalled for a biographer years later
Height may have helped, too: with her standing 188cm, Whitlam’s 194cm frame was just what the doctor ordered for the tall young woman who had swum for Australia in the 1938 British Empire Games.
They married in April 1942, six weeks before he was called up by the RAA.
The foundation of every good relationship (lovers, friends, and even business partners) is open and honest communication. In order to keep everything balanced and harmonious, you must be able to express yourself to the other person, be heard and understood, and then take the time to listen to the other party.
If you are travelling through Australia, pack two companions. One is a collection of poems by Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonuccal). The other is Loving Country, co-authored by Aboriginal Elder Bruce Pascoe and artist Vicky Shukuroglou.
At first glance, Loving Country appears to be a guide to some of Australia’s most beautiful landscapes. Spend time with it, however, and it becomes something far richer. It is a collection of honest, compelling yarns that reveal the true stories of Country as told by those who know and love her best: Aboriginal people whose ancestral connections reach back through countless generations.
Kath Walker – Aunty Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920 – 1993) was an Aboriginal rights activist, poet, veteran, environmentalist and educator. ‘Oodgeroo’, meaning ‘paperbark tree’ (whose bark is used for drawing), referred to her role as writer and artist. ‘Noonuccal’ is the name of her people, the traditional owners of Minjerribah and adjoining land for more than 20,000 years.
The Lovers card is often reduced to romance, but it speaks of something much deeper. It is the card of relationship, certainly, but also of choice. Every day we choose what we love, what we honour, what we align ourselves with, and what we are willing to sacrifice in order to remain true to those choices.
Can you truly love yourself? Can you open your heart and be honest about who you are and what you feel? Can you look at your life, exactly as it is, with acceptance rather than judgement? Who are you in this moment? What do you believe? Where is your energy flowing? What are you choosing to serve?
These are Lovers questions.
Through her poetry, storytelling and activism, Oodgeroo Noonuccal answered them with extraordinary clarity. She expressed an unwavering love for Country and for the Aboriginal culture to which she belonged. She spoke honestly of the devastation wrought by colonialism while never relinquishing her profound love for the land itself. Love, for Oodgeroo, was never sentimental. It was courageous enough to speak the truth.
Her story makes that courage all the more remarkable. Oodgeroo’s mother, Lucy, was a member of the Stolen Generations. Removed from her family at the age of ten, she was placed in an institution in Brisbane and, at fourteen, sent into domestic service in rural Queensland without having been taught to read or write.
Oodgeroo herself grew up on North Stradbroke Island before leaving home to work as a domestic in Brisbane, receiving board and lodging but less pay than her white counterparts. Yet with her gift for language and her determination to write, she became one of Australia’s leading poets, authors, political activists, artists and educators
She often said that Aboriginal people were the inspiration for her work. She understood poetry to be both deeply personal and a natural continuation of the ancient oral traditions of storytelling and song that had carried knowledge across generations
In the end, perhaps that is the deepest invitation of the Lovers card. Love is not simply an emotion. It is a practice of relationship. It asks us to choose what we will stand beside, what we will protect, and what truths we are willing to carry with open hearts.
For her lifetime of service to Aboriginal people and her extraordinary contribution to Australian literature, Oodgeroo Noonuccal was awarded three honorary doctorates by Australian universities. Yet perhaps her greatest legacy is not the honours she received, but the enduring invitation she offers us: to enter into a more truthful, more loving relationship with Country, with one another, and with ourselves.
Existential Choices
The Lovers card may be understood alongside key ideas from the philosopher and theologian Søren Kierkegaard (May 5, 1813–November 11, 1855). We face an existential choice between two life paths, either one willfully hedonistic or one grounded in our sense of ethical duty.
As Rachael Pollack points out, the 6th Tarot Card was once entitled Choice, suggesting that an individual may have to choose between desires. Equally the choice can refer to a person’s whole life, the decision about where to direct one’s passion.
Imagine Oodgeroo Noonuccal is still alive. You are a journalist who will be given the opportunity to interview this leading activist, poet, environmentalist and educator. You are only allowed to ask her three questions about life choices she made. What will you ask her?
Now change roles. Imagine you are Oodgeroo, and, using the knowledge about her life and personality gleaned from any research you have been inspired to do, write the answers you believe she might have give to the questions you posed.
Finding and Following Your Bliss
The hero’s journey is one of self-discovery, of finding and following your bliss. No one else knows what makes your eyes light up and your heart leap. Take control of your own life. Reach for the stars.
Joseph Campbell was one of the pioneers in the discussion of bliss, suggesting that people “find their bliss.” He said, “The way to find out what makes you the happiest is to focus on being mindful of your happiest moments—not simply excited, not just thrilled, but deeply happy.”
To seek your own personal bliss, you might wish to sit quietly and meditate about a time in your life when you were the happiest. Remain with that moment, as well as the feelings stirring inside you. When you think you’ve figured out at least one thing that makes you feel blissful, then stay with it. Write about that state in your journal. Recording your feelings can help you dig deeper into self-discovery and determine the ways in which you can follow your bliss—always keeping in mind that bliss is a calling that’s calling you.
The Hierophant is the card of traditional values and institutions. The Hierophant can represent a counsellor or mentor who will provide you with wisdom and guidance or a spiritual or religious advisor such as a priest, vicar, preacher, imam, rabbi or a monk. However many decks present a very different interpretation of this card that daunts those who have issues with religious dogma and choose to present others as deserving the title.
It seems limiting to present the Hierophant as a robed religious Popish figure and to imply that such an individual is a receptacle for all wisdom and teaching.
The LeGrande Circus Tarot presents the Pope or Hierophant as the entrepreneurial owner of the outfit. Circus owners were such a varied lot that it is doubtful if this title suits them all. Some were born into circus families. Some, like Al G. Barnes, ran away with the circus as youngsters and worked their way up through the ranks of ticket takers and candy butchers. Others were entrepreneurs and businessmen. And still more saw themselves as creative artists, sometimes even serving as headline performers.
A hierophant (Ancient Greek: ἱεροφάντης, romanized: hierophantēs) is a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy. As such, a hierophant is an interpreter of sacred mysteries and arcane principles.
When I think of a Hierophant I prefer to think of a wise trail blazer, a generous mentor who nurtures, gently guides and encourages others. Read the obituaries for Carolyn Jones, the first Australian female reporter on This Day Tonight and you will be left in no doubt about her stature among female journalists, women who she championed, who acknowledge her amazing contribution to their careers.
This wonderful, gracious, fierce, trail blazing, truth telling woman has left us. She was beyond kind to me and to so many other women in my profession.
In my mind Carolyn, universally loved by all, deserves the title of Hierophant and gets to wear the robs signifying her status.
The Hierophant is often described as the guardian of tradition, institutions and established wisdom. He can represent a counsellor, mentor or teacher—someone who offers guidance shaped by experience. In many Tarot decks he appears as a richly robed religious authority, suggesting that wisdom resides within formal structures such as churches, schools or ancient traditions.
Yet that interpretation can feel limiting. Wisdom does not belong exclusively to those who wear ceremonial robes or occupy positions of authority. Some of life’s greatest teachers sit quietly among their communities, passing on knowledge through compassion, storytelling, service and example.
The Hierophant in the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight offers a refreshing alternative. Rather than an imposing religious figure, we encounter a gentle elder seated upon a rock beneath the water, while fish shoal peacefully overhead. Beside him sits a young woman and her curious cat, evoking something of the dreamlike world of Alice in Wonderland. His great beard drifts freely in the current and his clothing is simple, devoid of religious regalia or symbols of rank. He feels less like a pontiff and more like an ancient storyteller—a keeper of cultural memory and one of many guardians of human wisdom.
It is also worth asking why the Hierophant is so rarely imagined as a woman. Throughout history, countless women have quietly shaped communities through education, pastoral care and service, yet their contribution has often been overlooked. They may not have held positions of institutional power, but they have been profound teachers nevertheless.
One such woman is Saint Mary MacKillop, whose life beautifully embodies the deeper spirit of the Hierophant. Born in Melbourne in 1842 to impoverished Scottish immigrants, Mary understood hardship from an early age. Her father valued learning deeply and educated his children whenever circumstances allowed, planting in Mary a lifelong belief that education could transform lives.
As a young woman she worked to support her family before moving to Penola in South Australia, where she began teaching not only her relatives but also the poor children of the district. Encouraged by Father Julian Tenison Woods, Mary recognised that educating children who had been overlooked by society was both a practical and deeply spiritual calling.
Together they founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 1866, Australia’s first religious order established by an Australian. Their first school operated from a converted stable, offering free education to children who would otherwise have received none. From these humble beginnings the sisters established schools, orphanages and refuges across the country, bringing learning, dignity and hope to thousands of people.
Mary’s journey was far from easy. She experienced conflict with church authorities, periods of misunderstanding and even excommunication before eventually being vindicated. Through it all she remained steadfast in her belief that faith must be expressed through compassionate action rather than status or privilege.
Canonised in 2010, Saint Mary MacKillop is remembered not because she sought authority, but because she lived her values with courage and humility. She reminds us that the Hierophant is not simply a guardian of institutions. At its best, this archetype represents the transmission of wisdom through service, education and quiet dedication to the wellbeing of others.
Perhaps that is the real lesson of the Hierophant. True teachers are recognised not by the robes they wear, but by the lives they help to shape.
Working with the Hierophant
Seek out the Hierophant in each of the decks you own and compare and contrast the messages that the artists provide in their companion texts.
Prepare some questions! Engage in active imagination and dialogue with your favourite Hierophant. Ask those hard questions!
Many communities had “memorisers” whose role was to memorise history, witness and memorise current events (including what happened, who attended, even what key figures wore), and identify and train up young people to become memoriser. In your journal carefully memorise the events of recent years making sure to include as much detail as possible.
Certain stories, such as Fairy Stories, are much more than mere entertainment – they are used as lessons and provide a moral, through the form of a traditional belief, that will help guide people through their lives. Create a story which you believe needs to be passed on.
The Emperor is often interpreted as the archetypal Father, with the Empress embodying the Mother. Freudian and Jungian psychology both explore these figures through the lens of the parent–child relationship, yet the Emperor’s domain extends far beyond fatherhood. He is the embodiment of structure itself—law, institutions, social codes, and the systems that govern our lives. He speaks of order, hierarchy, discipline, and authority. At his best, he provides stability and protection; at his worst, he becomes rigid, authoritarian, and disconnected from those he leads. The Emperor values conformity, commercial success, decisive leadership, and the maintenance of established order.
In the LeGrande Circus and Sideshow Tarot, the Ringmaster is cast as the Emperor—a fitting choice for the undisputed authority at the heart of the circus. Like the captain of a great ship, the Ringmaster commands every aspect of the performance. Every entrance, every cue, every moment of spectacle unfolds under their watchful eye. Nothing happens without the Ringmaster’s direction.
A symphony orchestra offers another compelling expression of the Emperor’s energy. Standing at the podium, baton in hand, the conductor shapes every nuance of the performance, bringing discipline, vision, and unity to hundreds of individual voices.
Few embody this role more powerfully than the Australian conductor Simone Young. After completing her musical studies in Sydney, she began her career in Germany, launching an international journey that has taken her to many of the world’s leading opera houses and symphony orchestras. Widely regarded as one of the foremost conductors of her generation, Young has broken barriers in a profession long dominated by men.
Executive produced by Academy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett, Knowing the Score offers an intimate portrait of Simone Young, revealing the determination, authority, and artistic mastery required to lead at the highest level. It is a fascinating exploration of the Emperor’s qualities expressed through music rather than monarchy.
Feeling the Qualities of the Emperor
Whoever you are, sooner or later you will meet with the constrains of authority, discipline and power in yourself and in others. From an early age we are influenced by authority figures who have some control over our lives. The ultimate challenge is how we respond, how we balance and harness these qualities.
What is your understanding of the correct use of power, authority, control and discipline?
How do you utilise power in your life?
Consider, dispassionately and without judgement, how you are empowered or disempowered?
Be aware of what power means for you? How has controlling or being controlled impacted on your life?
“It’s a very hard thing to learn to know when to release control
Simone Young
More Emperors
This card is suggestive of stability and security in life. You are on top of things and everything in under your control. It is your hard work, discipline and self control that have bought you this far. It means that you are in charge of your life now setting up your own rules and boundaries.
The Emperor wants you to know that in order to go out into the big world you need both inner and outer authority. Inner authority allows you to make the best decisions for yourself while outer authority enables you to create your place in the world and be seen and recognized.
The Emperor represents stability, order, and dominion. In the most practical terms, the Emperor Tarot card represents the highest leadership, a head of state, or the most exemplary and powerful person in the realm.When this stern fellow shows up in your reading, issues of power and control may be at play. However the appearance of this card in a spread, given that it alludes to achievement through hard work and discipline, may also provide an opportunity to ask about the qualities which will successfully support a business venture.
Within the Tarot community the Emperor is generally believed to represent dealings with male authority figures. However there are many women who have the same qualities. So, be you male or female, when you see this card in a reading it is an opportunity to take a moment and acknowledge your potential for mastery of your personal realm. It is a time to reinforce a sense of sovereignty within yourself, despite any self-limiting beliefs, habits, or appearances to the contrary.
Elizabeth Macarthur (1766-1850), was born on 14 August 1766 in Devon, England, daughter of Richard Veale, farmer, and his wife Grace, who were apparently of some education and affluence. Elizabeth received an education which allowed her to write letters of eighteenth-century style and grace and which equipped her to manage the complicated affairs of her husband’s business in later life. She married John Macarthur in October 1788. In June 1789 he joined the New South Wales Corps and Elizabeth accompanied him when he sailed to take up his position in the colony.
By 1794, the Macarthurs had built Elizabeth Farm, a brick house at Parramatta. They had a beautiful garden and the children received an excellent education. In 1809, her husband was forced to leave the colony and return to England. Business partners administered his mercantile affairs but Elizabeth was responsible for the care of their valuable merino flocks, the Camden Park estate and their convict labourers. She did so successfully for eight years, visiting their estate regularly despite the danger of venturing into the bush.
If the Emperor appears in a Tarot spread as a woman, that means that this person is a figure of authority, control, and discipline. This is someone who exudes an air of command, evident in her carriage, her gaze, and even the space she occupies. You can sense her influence and leadership capabilities, leaving little room for doubt that she’s a person of significant power.
Michelle Scott Tucker lives on a small farm in regional Victoria with her husband and children. Her first book was Elizabeth Macarthur: A Life at the Edge of the World
Michelle Scott Tucker wrote a biography of Elizabeth Macarthur, highlighting that it was her who established the Australian wool industry (although her husband received all the credit).
In the words of historian Clare Wright, Tucker’s bio brings Elizabeth Macarthur out from the long shadow of her infamous, entrepreneurial husband.
The truth is that Elizabeth oversaw every aspect of the management of their flocks and communicated with her husband while he was in England. As a result of their joint interest they were able to sell their wool competitively in the British market and effectively established the reputation of the colony as a centre for this industry. It was Elizabeth’s critical contribution to the establishment of a local fine wool industry that helped set the course of Australian prosperity, and gave the wool trade’s its long-held significance to the national economy.
More Emperors
This card is suggestive of stability and security in life. You are on top of things and everything in under your control. It is your hard work, discipline and self control that have bought you this far. It means that you are in charge of your life now setting up your own rules and boundaries.
The Magician shows us that you are able to master any desired skill through practice, sacrifice and a determined focus on your outcome. He encourages you to invest the time to cultivate your potential abilities. Patrick Valenza – Deviant Moon Tarot.
When she was just a five year old kid, Cath Jamison got a magic kit, loved it and started putting on magic shows for her family. She used to try to make the dog disappear and she confesses that she had a crack at making a pier vanish as well. But she is not about to divulge any of her secrets. This award winning Australian entertainer has no hesitation in saying that she was a quirky kid and that she still is a quirky person.
Pulling the Magician in a reading is a reminder that you have the necessary tools to manifest your dreams. Just as the man depicted in the Magician card has learned to wield the unseen forces of the universe, so, too, can we learn to master our own skills to get the outcomes we desire.
Today Cath’s mind-blowing and frequently uproarious shows have earned her a reputation as a leader in her field and she’s known as one of Australia’s most unusual women entertainers, wielding her trademark sass and mind illusion. Jamison is an impressive entertainer who delivers a masterful blend of magic, mentalism, and enjoyable audience engagement.
Newton was not the first of the age of reason. He was the last of the magicians…
The Magician is one of the most compelling figures in the Tarot. Standing before an altar laid with the symbols of all four suits, he represents the ability to transform ideas into reality through skill, knowledge, focus and action. The Magician reminds us that the resources we need are often already at hand; the challenge is recognising them and learning how to use them wisely.
In mythology, the Magician finds an early expression in Hermes (Mercury in Roman tradition), the messenger god of Mount Olympus. Hermes carried the Caduceus, a magical staff gifted to him by Apollo. The Caduceus has long been associated with healing and transformation, and is often seen as a symbol of the spinal column, the central conduit through which life force and nerve energy flow throughout the body.
The appearance of the Magician points to the talents, capabilities and resources available to us when we choose to apply them. Magical powers do not emanate from us directly. Rather, they emerge through our creativity and through the tools we place in our hands. Given the right instruments, scientists become magicians. Their wands are microscopes, scalpels, laboratories and technologies that allow them to transform what once seemed impossible into reality.
Few modern Australians embody the spirit of the Magician more completely than Professor Fiona Wood. A plastic and reconstructive surgeon and researcher for almost three decades, she has dedicated her career to improving outcomes for burns patients and advancing the science of wound healing. In 1991 she became Western Australia’s first female plastic surgeon.
Magic is just science that we don’t understand yet – Arthur C Clark
In October 2002, Fiona Wood was thrust into the national spotlight when many survivors of the Bali bombings were transferred to Royal Perth Hospital. She led Western Australia’s burns disaster response, drawing upon years of planning and preparation. Earlier in her career, she had pioneered the revolutionary “spray-on skin” technique, dramatically reducing permanent scarring in burns victims. Patented in 1993, the innovation would later be promoted worldwide through a company she co-founded.
Like the Magician of the Tarot, Fiona Wood demonstrates how knowledge, imagination and the right tools can be combined to create extraordinary change. Her work reminds us that true magic is often found not in enchantment, but in the disciplined application of skill, compassion and vision.
More Magicians
The Magician shows us that you are able to master any desired skill through practice, sacrifice and a determined focus on your outcome. He encourages you to invest the time to cultivate your potential abilities. Patrick Valenza – Deviant Moon Tarot.
The power of setting intentions cannot be overestimated. Intention is the foundation of spellwork and ritual (for the Magician is a witch and a wizard, too). Intention is the foundation of any serious project. Setting an intention means making a declaration that you intend to do a thing. In doing so, you invite in the energy of the world around you. Where the Fool said “I trust you. I will step forwards”, the Magician says “Here is what I want to do. Will you help me?”Little Red Apple
Whereas the Fool is not clear about where he is headed the Magician has set an intention and has the tools needed. It makes all the difference to know your ‘why’, to set an intention and consciously choosing a direction in which to head. This enables you to focus your energy.
Need help setting an intention? Try this daily morning meditation by Sarah Raymond of the Mindful Movement.
In 1993, Margaret Rossiter coined the phrase The Matilda Effect to describe systematic bias whereby a woman is ignored, denied credit or dropped from sight by a man who takes credit for scientific advances. As this short video highlights, the Matilda Effect is still alive and well in Australian Curriculum.
The Matilda Effect does not only apply to women in Science. This needs to change!History must tell the whole story. For girls, knowing women’s achievements expands their sense of what is possible, offers ideas about what legacies they may leave for those who follow. This site is dedicated to celebrating the achievements of women in all fields.
This Eight of Pentacles indicates a time when you have to work hard and hone you skills. It demands focusing entirely on your tasks. The task that you need to accomplish can be personal or professional.
From Murder of Crows Tarot
The Raven Scribe seen here is focused. She is busily working at her desk, documenting stories of the trials, challenges and celebrations of the flock who call her world of Crows home.
Her interest was piqued when she heard about Waltzes with Matildas and suggested that there could be a whole section featuring the stories of women who are actively contributing to the Tarot community in a myriad of fascinating ways.
A deck creator may well choose the Eight of Pentacles to write about the labour and devotion demanded. Another woman might choose the Four of Wands to help her talk about milestones she is celebrating and to spread the word of work she is doing.
Really the possibilities are endless. I wonder if anyone will come and play and exchange a story? There are no hidden costs and nothing to lose. Everyone who engages, no matter their nation, will potentially be a winner as they extend their reach.
Hit the contact section if you want to come and play!
Lay down a whole deck of cards and you can be sure that many cards could be used to write about Ellen Miles, or for that matter, any woman featured here – any of us. Her story matters to us today because hers is a rare and unmediated voice from the criminal underclass of women and children who were transported to Australia.
child convict, goldfields pickpocket and vagrant
“—Me name’s Miles; Ellen Miles, remarked an old woman at the City Court yesterday.
—And you are charged with vagrancy, stated Sergeant Eason. Can you show the Bench that you have means of support?
—‘How can I support myself when I’m continually in gaol and not a shilling coming into the house? What is it at all? What are us old people to do? There is no institution in the country,’ replied Mrs Miles“
Ellen (Buzzwinkle) Miles was a child of the 1830s and lived until 1916. How aware she ever was of the Great World outside her tiny one of back lanes, brothels and bars, we have no idea, but her life spanned the history of Victoria from the discovery of gold to Gallipoli.
She did register to vote in 1903, but hers was an underlife as she waddled around Canvas Town, Romeo Lane, the gold fields, Collingwood – and for one mad adventure, to Adelaide, her copious skirts concealing her latest stolen goods. Wherever there was a lurk to exploit and a lark to celebrate, Ellen was there.
The Two of Cups is a very positive card. While it normally relates to unity and love in romantic relationships it can signify harmony and mutual respect and appreciation in friendships and partnerships.
A strong pair is indicated here, the joy of two becoming one.
The Two of Cups is an exchange. You offer your cup – a container for all the love and pain and mystery in your heart – to someone, to something. In return, you receive their cup. There is so much trust here, so much willingness to be naked in this way.
If the Ace of Cups represents the flow of love from within, the Two of Cups is the flow of love between two people. With this card, you are creating deep connections and partnerships, based on shared values, compassion, and unconditional love.
So, when professional surfer Caroline Marks held up her cheque for winning the first competition of the 2019 WSL’s Championship Tour, and it displayed the same amount as on the cheque in the men’s competition, it was a watershed moment.
For many of the women who had pioneered women’s rights in the sport in years past, it marked an incredibly special moment in history.
Jodie Cooper, Pauline Menczer, Jolene and Jorja Smith, Wendy Botha, Alisa Schwarzstein, Rochelle Ballard, Layne Beachley, Pam Burridge, Frieda Zamba, and Lisa Anderson are some of the pioneers of women’s surfing who preserved for years on end without equality in the sport.
When you pull this card in a reading, it stands for harmony, togetherness, and working as a team to build a strong partnership.
Jodie and Pauline established a close bond. They both trained in Bondi and travelled to competitions together, meeting regularly in the water.
The Two of Cups is a very positive card. While it normally relates to unity and love in romantic relationships it can signify harmony and mutual respect and appreciation in friendships and partnerships.
A strong pair is indicated here, the joy of two becoming one.
The Two of Cups is an exchange. You offer your cup – a container for all the love and pain and mystery in your heart – to someone, to something. In return, you receive their cup. There is so much trust here, so much willingness to be naked in this way.
If the Ace of Cups represents the flow of love from within, the Two of Cups is the flow of love between two people. With this card, you are creating deep connections and partnerships, based on shared values, compassion, and unconditional love.
When the cameras started rolling on Phyllis Papps and Francesca Curtis in October 1970, both their lives and Australia would never be the same.
“The early 1970s were very, very conservative … Gay women were invisible, because people didn’t think lesbians existed,” said Ms Papps.
The Tarot Card Two of Cups as a person is someone who is very well-balanced and content with their life. They have a strong sense of inner peace and harmony and can bring that positivity to their relationships. They are devoted to their emotions and can express them clearly and openly to those around them.
The Chariot is the card of triumph, determination, courage, and purposeful action. Traditionally it depicts a warrior standing proudly in a chariot, focused on the road ahead. The Chariot is not a card of endless thinking or emotional hesitation. It is a card of movement. It is about taking the reins and pressing forward despite the obstacles.
The Charioteer knows where she is going and refuses to be diverted. Although the two sphinxes at the front of the chariot pull in different directions, her strength of will keeps them moving as one. Through discipline, resolve, and unwavering purpose, she guides them towards her chosen destination.
Few Australians embody the spirit of The Chariot more completely than Fanny Finch.
Born Frances Combe in London in 1815, Fanny was believed to be of African descent. Just eight weeks after her birth, her mother died, leaving her orphaned following a relationship with a footman that ended in pregnancy but not marriage. She was raised in the St Pancras Fledgling Home, where she received an education and protection at a time when opportunities for a child in her circumstances were painfully limited.
History often remembers Fanny as the first woman in Australia to cast a vote in an election, defying both convention and authority in 1856. Yet that remarkable act was only one chapter in an extraordinary life. Long before she signed her name on a ballot paper, Fanny had already demonstrated remarkable courage, resilience, and an unshakeable determination to shape her own future
The Chariot tarot card is all about overcoming challenges and gaining victory through maintaining control of your surroundings. This perfect control and confidence allows the charioteer to emerge victorious in any situation. The use of strength and willpower are critical in ensuring that you overcome the obstacles that lie in your path.
In 1836, at the age of twenty-one, she was granted free passage to the young colony of South Australia as a servant to the respected surgeon William Wyatt. There she married a sailor and became the mother of four children. When the marriage turned abusive, Fanny left with her children and forged a new life on her own terms. She walked from South Australia to Melbourne and, from there, pushed a wheelbarrow to the Forest Creek goldfields, where she began again.
At Forest Creek, Mrs Finch’s Boarding House became a respectable and much-needed place of accommodation for the thousands of men and women drawn to the goldfields. Later, after moving to Castlemaine in 1854, she established a successful restaurant and earned a reputation as a capable and respected businesswoman.
Evidence also suggests that, while raising four children alone, Fanny undertook sex work to support her family. As historian Kacey Sinclair observes, “She was a single mother of four and there was no other way to send her kids to school, feed them, and keep a roof over their heads.” Rather than diminishing her story, this reality speaks to the extraordinary lengths she went to in order to provide for her children.
Fanny’s businesses were frequently targeted by police harassment, including a conviction for selling alcohol without a licence
“I am a woman of but few words and plainly spoken…whatever my position may be, I have worked hard to keep my daughters in a good school and give them an education as I myself have not got…”
Fanny Finch died in 1863 and was buried in an unmarked grave.
More than 150 years later, historian Kacey Sinclair, together with Fanny’s great-great-great-granddaughter, author and actress Alice Garner, helped restore her rightful place in Australian history. A memorial, funded through a government grant, now honours her with the words:
“Brave and outspoken, unfailingly supportive of those in need.”
Like the Charioteer, Fanny Finch refused to surrender the reins of her life. Faced with hardship, prejudice, violence, and poverty, she continued to move forward with extraordinary determination. Her victory was not won in a single vote, but in the countless courageous decisions she made along the way.
Facts and Fiction
A Letter to Mother is a fictional Aussie yarn about another woman whose life journey bought her to Castlemaine
Waltzing With Matilda's 