The 5 of Wands implies conflict and lights a fire in the belly! With the Five influencing the Element of Fire, battles can range from minor skirmishes to all-out war on the flick of a coin or the roll of a dice. A lot of energy has built up and this needs to be released.
There is no doubt that Tarenorerer (c.1800-1831) and Aretha Brown can be described as fearless, hard headed warriors, prepared to fight for what they believe in. They have proven that they are most certainly up for the game and the challenge of any change that is heading their way.
Tarenorerer (c.1800-1831), Aboriginal Leader, known as Walyer by the sealers of Bass Strait, was born near Emu Bay, Van Diemen’s Land, a woman of the Tommeginne people. In her teens she was abducted by Aborigines of the Port Sorell region and sold to white sealers on the Bass Strait Islands.
She became proficient in speaking English and took particular notice of the use and operation of firearms. In 1828 Tarenorerer returned to her country north of Tasmania, where she gathered a group of men and women from many bands to initiate warfare against the invaders.
Training her warriors in the use of firearms, she ordered them to strike the luta tawin (white men) when they were at their most vulnerable, between the time that their guns were discharged and before they were able to reload. They proved to be ‘masters of guerrilla warfare’ and Tarenorerer became the most infamous. Tarenorerer was eventually captured and GA Robinson noted that it was a ‘most fortunate thing that this woman is apprehended and stopped in her murderous career… The dire atrocities… would be the most dreadful… conceived’. Robinson saw that it was ‘a matter of considerable importance to the peace and tranquillity of those districts where she and her formidable coadjutors had made themselves so conspicuous in their wanton and barbarous aggression’
The Tasmanian Aboriginal community honours her memory and acknowledges her as a true warrior of the cause which has continued to today. Her memorial is the example she set for the future generations of her people who have survived, adjusted, and grown stronger in the example set by their forebears.
Source: Companion to Tasmanian History
Positive Attributes of Five of Wands
The Five of Wands is commonly considered to be a sign of conflict, strife, and chaotic energy. It may indicate a group in which there is an unfortunate lack of leadership, or it may signify a no-holds-barred conflict, as in the saying “all is fair in love and war.” However, Five of Wands may also represent a passionate participation in life, or a need to cultivate such an involvement. It may say that you need to shake things up a bit in your life. In other words, don’t sit on the sidelines; jump into the fray. Similarly, it might advise getting involved in something important and finding a cause that you care about enough to fight for it.
James Ricklef
‘We’re gonna keep our culture proud – we’re gonna make you mob proud of us.
Aretha Brown
Aretha Brown is just 21 but she is already an absolute icon, advocating for LGTIQA and Indigenous rights in Australia. Identifying as a queer Aboriginal woman, she is the youngest person and only woman to be elected Prime Minister of the National Youth Parliament. She first became known in the wider Australian public when at just 16, she gave a powerful speech in front of thousands of protestors at the 2017 Invasion Day rally in Melbourne.
More recently she has lent her distinct creative style and potent political voice to a new mural in Collingwood, covering the side wall of the Converse store that sits on the corner of Kerr and Smith Streets. This street mural celebrates aboriginal matriarchs.
Grab the Baton – Release some Five of Wands Energy
Think like an Activist
Jaclyn McCosker, is a proud Gooreng Gooreng woman who is using her platform to educate Australians about issues regarding our environment. If, like her, you’re working to make a difference, you’re an activist. And activists are most effective when they know where they’re going and what they need to do
Wild Mother Calling 