Queen of Cups (a found poem)

The Queen of Cups asks:

Do you believe in magic?

Do you know that you are magic?

Join the story

Go to the mountain

Return changed - with no apology

Anima, Wylde Woman, Sofia

Calls you back to yourself,

And invites you to dance

Howl your name

Sing your heart's song

Honor your instincts

You are sacred

Sia
These words come from Tammy Vitale's website. I've put them in the form of a found poem to go with her art piece which is pictured above.

Art piece: Queen of Cups by Tammy Vitale. To see more pieces like this go to her website: Sacred.

Related articles: Update 7/26

It is often odd (and delightful) to see how often Hecate and I are thinking along the same lines. Check out her recent post titled She Still Is A Woman.

Excerpt:

The WaPo has up some interesting thoughts about religion's role in oppressing women, inspired by President Carter's recent decision to leave the Southern Baptist Convention because of its views on women. Specifically, writers were asked to respond to this question: Former president Jimmy Carter and other world leaders issued this statement: "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable." What's your reaction to these statements? Are 'male interpretations of religious texts' to blame for the 'deprivation of women's equal rights?' Interestingly, the article is titled: "Elders or Patriarchs: Who Speaks for Women?" Of course, the correct answer is: "Women."

Someone You Should Know: John McCain

From Rolling Stone:

Make-Believe Maverick

A Closer Look at the Life and Career of John McCain Reveals A Disturbing Record of Recklessness and Dishonesty

Excerpt:

...This is the story of the real John McCain, the one who has been hiding in plain sight. It is the story of a man who has consistently put his own advancement above all else, a man willing to say and do anything to achieve his ultimate ambition: to become commander in chief, ascending to the one position that would finally enable him to outrank his four-star father and grandfather.

In its broad strokes, McCain's life story is oddly similar to that of the current occupant of the White House. John Sidney McCain III and George Walker Bush both represent the third generation of American dynasties. Both were born into positions of privilege against which they rebelled into mediocrity. Both developed an uncanny social intelligence that allowed them to skate by with a minimum of mental exertion. Both struggled with booze and loutish behavior. At each step, with the aid of their fathers' powerful friends, both failed upward. And both shed their skins as Episcopalian members of the Washington elite to build political careers as self-styled, ranch-inhabiting Westerners who pray to Jesus in their wives' evangelical churches.

In one vital respect, however, the comparison is deeply unfair to the current president: George W. Bush was a much better pilot.

It's worth reading.

Sia

Image: The Fool card from the Tarot

Related Articles

Who You Callin' A Maverick?

Excerpt:

In the 1800s, Samuel Augustus Maverick went to Texas and became known for not branding his cattle. He was more interested in keeping track of the land he owned than the livestock on it, Ms. Maverick said; unbranded cattle, then, were called “Maverick’s.” The name came to mean anyone who didn’t bear another’s brand.

....Maury Jr., was a firebrand civil libertarian and lawyer who defended draft resisters, atheists and others scorned by society. He served in the Texas Legislature during the McCarthy era and wrote fiery columns for The San Antonio Express-News. His final column, published on Feb. 2, 2003, just after he died at 82, was an attack on the coming war in Iraq.

Terrellita Maverick, sister of Maury Jr., is a member emeritus of the board of the San Antonio chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.