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starwarsnonsense · 5 years ago

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Best Films of 2019 (So Far)

It’s that time of year again! As most of my followers probably know, I’m an avid cinema-goer beyond Star Wars. I also quite enjoy making lists, so what’s better than a combo of the two? Below, I run down my top 10 films of 2019 so far - please note that this list is based on UK cinema release dates, so some of these films were 2018 releases elsewhere.

What are your favourites so far from this year? Let me know in replies/asks!

Honourable mentions: Toy Story 4, Long Shot, Aladdin, Alita: Battle Angel & The Kid Who Would Be King

1. The Favourite, dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

This completely wowed me - it features a trio of magnificently compelling female characters (played by Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone) operating at the court of Queen Anne (Colman is Anne, Weisz and Stone are courtiers), and is focused solely on the shifting sands of the power dynamics between them. The script is savage without sacrificing poignancy, witty without ceasing to be genuine. And while I’ve seen some react to this film as a comedy (and it certainly has laughs, most of which are closely tied to shock), for me it was very clearly a drama about the inscrutable and complicated relationships that exist between women. Specifically, it is about how those relationships run the gamut from sincere affinity to ruthless manipulation. This is an amazing movie, and it also has the best use of an Elton John song in 2019 (sorry, Rocketman!).

2. Midsommar, dir. Ari Aster

I went into this film with reservations, since I wasn’t a huge fan of Hereditary (by the same director), which I found to have extraordinary moments but iffy execution overall. This movie, however, wowed me, and I am still uncertain as to whether this or The Favourite is my top film of 2019 so far (fortunately, this gives me a good excuse to watch Midsommar three or four times in cinemas). While marketed as a freaky cult horror film, the director has described it as a fairy tale, which is the level on which is spoke to me. Midsommar follows Dani (an incredible Florence Pugh), a young woman who has suffered a terrible loss, as she travels with her boyfriend and his friends to a pagan festival in the Swedish countryside. Dani is painfully isolated, and her grief is hers to shoulder alone since her boyfriend is un-receptive and distinctly unprepared to help her. Over the course of the film, destruction and creation are conflated in ways that are frequently beautiful and horrific at the same time - this film spoke to me on a profound level, and the way it ended gave me a sense of incredible catharsis. This won’t be for everyone, for I found it to be a deeply special film and I can’t recommend it enough.

3. One Cut of the Dead, dir. Shinichirou Ueda

While I went into The Favourite with high expectations given the talent involved, I went into this with no expectations whatsoever - and what a treat it was! One Cut of the Dead is easily one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in ears, taking what initially seems like a trite concept (a crew is filming a zombie movie at a desolate location ... only to discover that the zombies are real!) and twisting it in a truly ingenious way. The comedy is often of the broad variety, but it is consistently delightful and always manages to avoid becoming crass - the movie even has some really sweet family dynamics at the centre of it, which gives it some real emotional heft. The success of this film is heavily reliant on a major twist that occurs part-way through, so the best advice I can give you is to stay as far away from spoilers for this one as possible - go in blind, and you will be amply rewarded for your faith.

4. The Farewell, dir. Lulu Wang

I saw this following a wave of festival hype, so while I was excited I was also a bit apprehensive (since I have been burned by the aforementioned festival hype before). Thankfully, my doubts were blown away as this turned out to be just as wonderful as the early reviews had suggested. It’s a personal story about a young Asian-American woman (Awkwafina) struggling to reconcile her heritage with her current situation and values - specifically, she is tested when her grandmother is diagnosed with terminal cancer and the wider family make the decision to hide the truth from her. The Farewell does a fantastic job of generating empathy for all the different perspectives and positions in play, but it’s truly anchored by Awkwafina’s amazingly nuanced and tender performance - basically, anyone who’s ever loved a grandparent should leave this feeling incredibly moved and inspired. The themes of The Farewell are both specific to the Asian-American experience and general to anyone who has struggled with maintaining bonds over a vast distance, whether physical or cultural.

5. Booksmart, dir. Olivia Wilde

God, how I wish I’d had this movie as a teenager! While Booksmart has a cliched premise - two high-achieving teens decide to have one wild night before graduation - it tells the story in an incredibly charming and impressively creative way (I won’t spoil it, but let me just say this - that scene with the Barbies!). As someone who was an awkward nerd with no discernible social life in high school (as you Americans call it), I found this portrayal of that peculiar limbo period very sensitive and thoughtful - it doesn’t mock or shame its heroines for being studious, and it allows them to have limits and step back from situations that make them uncomfortable. It also serves as a beautifully honest portrait of a friendship, depicting the qualities that bring people together in friendship together in the first place, as well as the forces that can break people apart. This is a very accomplished debut from Wilde, and it makes me very excited to see where she goes next as a director.

6. A Private War, dir. Matthew Heineman

This was a very suspenseful and tightly focused film about an extraordinary woman, and the film soars on the strength of Rosamund Pike’s incredible performance as Marie Colvin. She provides piercing insights into the psyche of a person so driven to pursue truth and enact change that she loses all concern for her own wellbeing - it’s simultaneously a portrait of heroism and obsession, and it’s impressive for how it handles the ambiguity inherent in Colvin’s choices. She’s exceptionally brave, but the film is unflinching in depicting the costs of her bravery. It left me feeling inspired to learn more about Colvin’s life and work, and I still need to watch the documentary Under the Wire to get more insight into the real story behind the film.

7. Fighting With My Family, dir. Stephen Merchant

This is the year of Florence Pugh - she killed it in Midsommar, and she is just as fantastic here. If anything, Fighting With My Family and Midsommar make great complements as they serve as fantastic showcases for Pugh’s range as an actor. While her character in Midsommar is fragile and vulnerable, Fighting With My Family is a platform for her strength and comedic skill. As Paige, Pugh is instantly likable and compelling - I don’t give a damn about any form of wrestling, but this film (and Pugh specifically) did a fantastic job of drawing me in and making me root for Paige’s struggle to prove herself as a legitimate force in wrestling. This is a real underdog story, and Pugh did a wonderful job as the Cinderella of the WWE.

8. Apollo 11, dir. Todd Douglas Miller

My dad has always been crazy about the space program, but I hadn’t picked up the bug myself. That changed after I watched this extraordinary documentary, which brought the Apollo 11 mission to vivid life. The footage that’s used for this documentary is extraordinarily crisp, and some moments are vividly powerful - the crew getting into their spacesuits, the swirl of fire surrounding the moment of takeoff, and the journey of the spacecraft towards the moon. It left me feeling moved and touched by human potential, especially when you remember that this all happened 50 years ago when the available technologies were so fragile and primitive. I also loved how the footage was allowed to speak for itself, with no voiceover or exposition - it’s a must-see for anyone who’s ever looked up at the stars and wondered about reaching them.

9. High Life, dir. Claire Denis

This movie is second to only Midsommar in terms of how weird it is. I saw this in a Hungarian cinema while on holiday, which made for a disorientating experience in itself. While the meaning of the film is quite elusive and I’m sure that many people will find viewing it a uniquely frustrating experience, I appreciated how it created a hothouse environment that brought out some of the ugliest aspects of humanity. Robert Pattinson was great as what comes closest to amounting to our protagonist, though he is as inscrutable and inaccessible as the film itself. I can’t quite pin down why I liked this one so much, but I know I did and it made me want to seek out more of Claire Denis’ work.

10. Free Solo, dir. Jimmy Chin & Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi

It’s tragic that most people will only watch this documentary on a TV screen (or, so much worse, a laptop!). I was fortunate enough to see it in its full IMAX glory, and it’s rare to see any film - let alone a documentary - take such full advantage of the format. The woozy spectacle of this film is the real star, though the subject - mountain climber Alex Honnold - is also fascinating with his unnerving detachment from the magnitude of what he is setting out on. It is clearly a necessary detachment for him to be able to achieve what he achieves, but I appreciated how the filmmakers questioned it and explored its impact on his girlfriend. This is a compelling documentary, and is worth watching even if you’re not usually a fan of the genre.

#films #cinema #films 2019 #midsommar #florence pugh #the favourite #one cut of the dead #free solo #high life #apollo 11 #fighting with my family #a private war #the farewell #booksmart

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reallifesultanas · 4 years ago

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A mohácsi csata áldozatairól, 1526 egy másik szemszögből / About the victims of the battle of Mohács, 1526 from a different perspective

This post consisted of the translation of several recent Hungarian articles about the excavation of mass graves related to the battle of Mohács. The articles are listed at the sources.

Painting of Than Mór

Prologue

History is something that needs to be examined objectively in all cases, especially when someone is writing educational articles about it. However, there are times when this is difficult. At the end of the portrait of Sultan Suleiman, I have already referred to this in the epilogue. Then I wrote:

"As a Hungarian, the research about Suleiman is a very complex task, because objectivity is the basis of every historical research, but it is difficult to ignore the often cruel acts committed by the Ottomans against the Hungarians. My feelings about Suleiman are always mixed, for we can “thank” him for the fragmentation of our country, but on the other hand he was such a glorious ruler, that only a few like him lived in history. And his death always fills him with shivers. I respect this 71-year-old man, who wants to die as a glorious sultan with his last strength, but in vain he wants, Szigetvár just doesn’t want to fall. I respect his perseverance, but at the same time, I am extremely proud that Miklós Zrínyi and the other defenders defended Szigetvár so strongly and gloriously! Unawares, I ask myself what would have happened if the news of the sultan’s death came to light? If Sokollu can’t keep it a secret? The soldiers might have collapsed, and the defenders with Zrínyi would give new strength and the history of Szigetvár would turn out differently… "

In connection with the battle of Mohács, this feeling is even stronger. This was one of the bloodiest battles between Suleiman and the Hungarians. And it was full of cruelty. I have already referred to this in my youtube video about the life of Bali Bey, as it was Bali Bey who was sent forward to the capital city after the battle of Mohács and Bali Bey was the one who executed unarmed civilians despite they surrendered and asked for mercy. One might think that it was only Bali Bey who was cruel and would try to find excuses for Suleiman, but the events in Mohács make it clear that Suleiman himself had a similar opinion about us Hungarians.

But what happened at Mohács?

Although Suleiman's intention had been known since the beginning of 1525, the weakened Kingdom of Hungary did not have sufficient resources to build a defense system. Contributing to this was the fact that the Hungarian nobility did not hold together, did not take the threat seriously, and was very divided. By the time the threat became apparent, it was too late. In vain did they ask for help from the other Christian empires, they received only promises. The only one who would have actually been willing to help was Henry VIII, but he made the decision too late. By the time he decided, there was no chance to save the Kingdom of Hungary. Henry's soldiers sent for help reached Pozsony in 1527.

The Hungarian army, which thus consisted of only 24,800 men, was equipped with 85 cannons (53 of which were in use), and a few more Croatian corps were available. The forces of the Ottoman army are put on sixty thousand regular sipahis and janissaries, but this, according to historical research today, is too much, the regular stock of the entire Ottoman army was sixty to seventy thousand, and it did not take part in this battle. In fact, the number of elite units could have been 30,000, with the addition of irregular troops, asabs and akincis, and other units. Thus the Turkish army of sixty thousand was formed from this.

Ottoman miniature about the battle of Mohács.

The Hungarians were already lined up at the dawn of the battle-day. The Ottoman army began to appear in the early afternoon. The army was led by the Rumelians, followed by the Sultan with the court mercenary armies, and finally the Anatolian corps. It tells a lot about their difficulties that although they set off from the camp early in the morning and were only had to cover a distance of 10 km, yet, the Rumelians arrived around noon, and Anatolian Corps arrived on the edge of the terrace with an additional delay of 1-2 hours. According to sources, the troops were so tired that the sultan held a council, as a result of which they decided to postpone the battle and gave the order to camp.

Presumably, the Hungarian military leadership also learned that the Rumelians were building the camp and so some nobles recommended that the Hungarian king should return to their own camp. However, the king's chief advisers suggested the opposite, expecting that if the battle was fought that day, they could defeat the sultan's army in parts individually. Indeed, it was the only chance to win. Lajos II therefore ordered the attack.

The court mercenaries led by the sultan may have been on the edge of the terrace resting, the Rumelians had already built their camp when parts of the Hungarian army stormed them in full gallop. In any case, the attack of the cavalry caused confusion in the Rumelian corps, and the Turks began to flee. Backward, however, the side of the terrace blocked the way, so they split in two directions. In the meantime, the Janissaries who arrived at the scene welcomed the Hungarians with gunfire, so they were forced to retreat. With their retreat, the battle was essentially over.

The other Hungarian corps could not reverse the status of the battle either, the part of the cavalry that survived the Janissaries' gunfires had already fled, but the infantry fighting in front of the cannons was surrounded by the Ottomans and most of them were slaughtered. In the battle of just one and a half to two hours, the Hungarian army suffered a devastating defeat. 4,000 cavalry, 10,000 infantry, 7 bishops - including Archbishop Tomori and another main bishop László Szalkai of Esztergom and another 5 bishops - and 16 ensigns and 12 lords fell. Tomori's body was found by Suleiman, and his head was tied to a spike in front of Suleiman's tent. His peculiar cruelty is a good indication that Suleiman was particularly angry, and although they had won thanks to their headcount superiority, the Hungarian army successfully surprised them due to the poor field conditions.

Map for the battle. Source: http://www.e-kompetencia.si/egradiva/zgo_ds/17%20mohacs/index31.html

The causes and significance of the defeat are still the subjects of heated debate to this day. According to some, the reasons for the defeat are the divisive Hungarian nobility and the deliberate delay of János Szapolyai, the later King John I. However, based on our current knowledge, the blame for Szapolyai does not acceptable. Even if he wanted, Szapolyai could not have reached Mohács, because Szapolyai was still waiting in Torda on 15 August, a good 400 km from the battle site, and on 29 August he was only in the area of Szeged. According to others, under those circumstances, no European state formation, including Hungary, would have had a chance to win against the Ottoman Empire, which had the most modern and equipped forces in the world at that time. However, if the other Christian empires had given support to the Hungarians, the outcome of the battle would not have been so clear.

After the end of the battle, the Turks were armed all night, waiting for the Hungarian main forces... That main forces which actually was already slaughtered. Only after some time, the sultan realized that there is no other army, that's was the whole. So after the surprising victory, Suleiman gave a short rest to his army, and then they started to march for the main goal of his campaign to Buda. The raiders marched in front of him and also robbed, destroyed cities, and executed unarmed civilians begging for mercy. Meanwhile, on August 30, news of the loss of the battle arrived in the capital, by which time the entire court had fled to Pozsony that night. The next day, almost the entire population followed them. The sultan arrived in Buda on September 12. He inspected the castle, on the 14th the city was set on fire, the treasures found in the palace were placed on a ship, including the giant cannon that János Hunyadi had captured in 1456 under Nándorfehérvár. The Sultan's army marched back to Istanbul on September 25th. By then, his raiders had destroyed the areas around the capital from Eger to Győr. Only a few walled cities escaped.

After the battle of Mohács, the country's capital, Buda, was defenseless. The king and with him a significant part of the nobility died, and there were difficulties in organizing further defenses. Practically only the Transylvanian army of 15,000 men remained under the command of János Szapolyai, but he could not and would not fight. He had no choice but to make a deal with the Ottoman Sultan. That's how he became the vassal of the Ottomans and the king of what remained from Hungary.

Painting of Bertalan Székely about the funeral of Lajos II.

Discovery of mass graves

In 1902, miller Demeter Pavlovics wanted to build a trade next to the mill on the Csele stream, but his workers found bones during the extraction of the land, which bones were then found in such quantities that the work itself was obstructed. Most of the bones were already strongly calcified, although some skulls and teeth remained almost completely intact. As they found coins of Lajos II near the miller's place it was possible to link the bones he found to the battle [1].

Although mass graves have been examined several times since then, thanks to advances in science these days, now it is possible to extract information from the grave. The 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács is approaching, and this round anniversary and the associated subsidies have greatly helped to establish this huge national cooperation in the excavation of the mass graves. Especially since they want to rebury the remnants of the martyrs on the occasion of the anniversary.

Of the five mass graves currently known in Mohács, the number three is now under investigation, it is the smallest though, about 15 square meters. The identification of bone remains is a huge professional challenge for anthropologists, emphasized György Pálfi, Head of Department of Biological Anthropology, University of Szeged [2].

The mass grave number three on the photography of György Pálfi. Source: [3].

Who and how many can be in the mass graves?

It was already successfully discovered in the 1960s that victims of Christian armies were found in the graves. This could be determined on the basis of the highlighted number of German, Czech and Hungarian coins. We know: Lajos II's army was made up of Hungarian, Transylvanian, German, Polish and Czech soldiers, and even a small number of Croats and Serbs were present in the army [3].

Examining the graves revealed a chaotic sight for the researchers. Looking at the mass grave excavated by archaeologists and prepared for anthropological research, the incredible mixing of human bone remains is astounding to the expert as well. The examination of the mass grave number three and the identification of bone remains is a huge professional challenge for anthropologists, as in addition to the confusion of the many human bones, the extraordinary decay conditions due to the special burial and the subsequent damaging factors, also make the work harder [3].

In the 1970s, the number of dead in the case of mass grave number three, was estimated at around 130, but it is now clear that the compaction in the lower strata and especially at the edges of the grave pit is much greater than expected. It is now visible that the skeletons were compressed in an almost irrationally small place. Based on this, it is believed that the previously estimated number of deads in the mass grave can be doubled. Researchers estimate the number of remains in mass grave number three, which is the smallest among the mass graves, to 300 [3].

Due to the entanglement of skeletons, researchers often have to proceed in parallel with the remains of 8-10 individuals. As a result of the tests, the number of registered bone remains varies. It often turns out that the skull and the skeleton of a person do not really belong together at a glance, in which case the numbers increase. But the opposite also happens. For example, skeletal remains, which were considered separate in 1976, were also reexamined and they found it belongs to the same person, resulting in a decrease in numbers. Exploring bones, often chaotically mixed, is quite time-consuming. The skeletons accumulate in several layers in the mass grave number three [3].

Anthropological observations may also clarify the conclusions that can be drawn from archaeological finds. The people in the mass grave in Mohács are Christians. The excavation and anthropological identification of skeletons of one of the five mass graves known so far have begun. Based on the approximately 200 human remains, 90 percent of the people in the Mohács mass graves are young or relatively young adults, 18-40 years old. A smaller number of adolescents because they also identified people who died around the age of 14-16. They have encountered one or two adolescent children aged 12–13 years, some older men, and a skeleton that can be identified almost certainly and two presumably as women [3].

Can the results help to find the exact location of the battle scene?

Identifying the location of the battlefield is still unresolved. Archaeologist Gábor Bertók - who is the leader of the present excavation - and his staff are constantly looking for the site of the battle of August 29, 1526. This is assumed to be on the outskirts of the village of Majs, because large quantities of rifle bullets, weapon fragments, and plenty of horseshoes were found there. Of the approximately 250 projectiles, nearly 170, or more than two-thirds of the finds, are relatively small compared to the size of a typical rifle bullet of the age: 10 to 15 millimeters. Exploration of the mass grave can also contribute to the identification of the battlefield. Namely, when highlighting bone remains, researchers found such a small rifle bullet, next to the spine of a skeleton. It was also found that this man had been executed, based on the ijuries on his skull and neck. Because of the bullet “preserved” in his body and now find, we can conclude that the skeleton belongs to a prisoner of war who was wounded in the Battle of Mohács, but his injury was not fatal but was later executed as wounded and thrown into this mass grave [3].

Since it is indisputable that the size of the bullet in the victim's body is the same as that found in an area 4-5 kilometers from the mass grave, it is also clear that the victim was injured in battle. This projectile could give another boost to research related to the battlefield. In the near future there will be intensive archaeological excavations in the area, as by 2026, the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács, archaeologists want to find the most probable place for the battle so that we can remember the historical turning point 500 years earlier. Thus, since the victim was certainly executed after the Battle of Mohács and the bullet found in his body is the same as the bullets discovered in the nearby area, it can be safely assumed that the battlefield was 4-5 kilometers from the mass graves [3].

Painting of Bertalan Székely about the battle. The area was very swampy as it is visble in the painting as well.

Who can these people be in the grave? Were they died during the battle or executed later?

Some suggest that based on the head injuries, they may have been the victims of the "Hungarian chariot camp" cut down by the Turks. What was this cart camp? After the battle of Mohács, the country's capital, Buda, was defenseless. The king and with him a significant part of the nobility died, and there were difficulties in organizing further defenses. The only serious resistance during the march of the Ottomans toward Buda, was gathered near Pusztamarót for an "army" of 25,000 peasants, setting up a chariot camp, but they were also quickly smashed and slaughtered by the well-armed Ottomans [3]. In fact, this version is not very possible, as Pusztamarót is a long way from the place of the mass graves.

Other researchers had previously considered the place of mass graves to be the site of the battle. There is also a third option, based on written memoirs of the “great public execution after the battle”. It is known from the archives of Suleiman I that the next day of the battle of Mohács the sultan ordered a large solemn gathering, watched the procession of his glorious army from the tent, and then led the prisoners of war in front of him. He did not allow his lieutenants to keep prisoners of war but organized a large public collective execution. So far we have known - actually from Suleiman's archives - that more than two thousand prisoners of war have been executed after the Battle of Mohács. Based on a 1976 surface survey, it was estimated that about a thousand people's skeletons are buried in the five mass graves. However, based on the new investigations of the third mass grave, researchers believe that the number of skeletons found in the mass graves in Mohács may be more than double of the previously suggested 1000. This is relatively in line with the number of people executed by Suleiman. And a thorough examination of the victims also makes this option more and more likely, as the examination of human skeletal remains at the third mass grave shows that it is the mass grave of wounded people. Researchers have identified a number of cases where it is clear from the trace that a kneeling man with a bowed head was killed from behind. A human skeleton has also been found showing that that man was struck from above two or three times 494 years ago. Several cases have been uncovered where the same cervical vertebrae have been cut twice in parallel, which is very difficult to imagine during battle. Based on the contemporary descriptions and the drawing of the execution after the Battle of Nikápoly more than 100 years ago, it can be assumed that the soldiers captured at Mohács were executed in a similar way by the Sultan. Thus, the third mass grave of the Mohács National Historical Monument shows barbaric post-massacre conditions [3].

Sword traces on a skull highlighted from a mass grave. Photo: György Pálfi. Source: [3].

Cut marks on the cervical vertebrae suggesting beheading. Photo: György Pálfi. Source: [3].

What's next?

Anthropological examination of the mass grave may continue in the spring. Removal of the remains can be done in 3-4 months, but laboratory processing of the findings can take years. During this time, anthropological and, if necessary, genetic methods can be used to isolate the remains of individual victims, but they can also reach facial reconstruction through radiological and genetic analyzes. The main goal is to sort the remains of the martyrs buried in a humiliating way for the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Mohács and then bury them in individual graves [2].

Used sources: [1]: http://ujkor.hu/content/mohacsi-tomegsirok-nyomaban-korabbi-es-legujabb-feltarasok [2]: https://mult-kor.hu/a-szegedi-tudomanyegyetem-antropologusai-is-reszt-vesznek-a-mohacsi-tmegsir-feltarasaban-20201209 [3]: https://u-szeged.hu/mohacsi-csata?objectParentFolderId=19396

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Ez a poszt a mohácsi csatához kapcsolódó tömegsírok feltárásáról szóló több friss magyar nyelvú cikk fordításából állt össze. A cikkek a forrásoknál listázva vannak.

Prológus

A történelem egy olyan dolog, melyet minden esetben objekíven kell figyelni, különösen ha valaki ezzel kapcsolatos ismeretterjesztő írásokat készít. Vannak azonban esetek mikor ez nehéz. Szulejmán szultán portréjának végén az epilógusban már utaltam erre. Akkor ezt írtam:

"Magyarként Szulejmán tanulmányozása igen összetett feladat, hiszen mert bár az objektivitás a történelmi kutatások alapja, nehéz eltekinteni a sokszor kegyetlen cselekedetektől, melyet az oszmánok követtek el a magyarok ellen. Szulejmánnal kapcsolatban mindig vegyesek az érzéseim, ugyanis neki “köszönhetjük” az ország feldarabolódását, de a másik oldalról egy olyan dicső uralkodó volt, amihez fogható kevés élt a történelemben. Halála pedig mindig borzongással tölt el. Tisztelem ezt a 71 éves férfit, aki utolsó erejével dicső szultánként akar meghalni, de hiába akarja annyira, Szigetvár csak nem akar elesni. Tisztelem a kitartását, ugyanakkor borzasztóan büszke vagyok, hogy ilyen erősen és dicsőn védték Szigetvárt Zrínyi Miklós és a többi védő! Akaratlanul is eszembe jut, mi történt volna, ha a szultán halálának híre kiderül? Ha Sokollu nem tudja titokban tartani? A katonák talán összeomlottak volna, Zrínyiék pedig új erőre kapnak és Szigetvár története talán máshogyan alakul…"

A mohácsi csatával kapcsolatban ez az érzés még sokkal erősebb. Ez volt ugyanis az egyik legvéresebb csata Szulejmán és a magyarok közt. És tele volt kegyetlenkedéssel. Erre a Bali Bég életéről szóló youtube videómban már tettem utalást, Bali Bég volt az, akit Szulejmán a mohácsi csata után előreküldött a főváros felé és Bali Bég volt az, aki fegyvertelen civileket végeztetett ki annak ellenére, hogy azok megadták magukat és könyörületet kértek. Gondolhatnánk, hogy Bali Bég volt csupán kegyetlen, mentegethenénk Szulejmánt, ám a mohácsi események egyértelművé teszik, hogy Szulejmán maga is hasonló véleményen volt rólunk magyarokról.

Than Mór festménye a mohácsi csatáról.

Na de mi is történt Mohácson?

Bár 1525 eleje óta tudott volt Szulejmán szándéka a meggyengült Magyar Királyságnak nem volt elegendő forrása, hogy védelmi rendszert építsen ki. Ehhez az is hozzájárult, hogy a magyar nemesség nem fogott össze, nem vette komolyan a fenyegetést és nagyon széthúztak. Mire a fenyegetés nyilvánvalóvá vált, már késő volt. Hiába kértek ekkor segítséget a többi keresztény birodalomtól, csupán ígérgetéseket kaptak. Az egyetlen, aki végül ténylegesen hajlandó lett volna segíteni VIII. Henrik volt, ám ő is későn döntött. Mire döntött, már esély sem volt megmenteni a Magyar Királyságot. Henrik segítsége 1527-ben érte el Pozsonyt.

A magyar sereg, amely így mindössze 24 800 emberből állott, 85 ágyúval volt felszerelve (ebből 53 került használatba), s még néhány horvát hadtest állt rendelkezésre. Az oszmán hadsereg erőit hatvanezer reguláris szpáhira és janicsárra teszik, ez azonban a mai történelmi kutatások szerint túl sok, a teljes oszmán haderő reguláris állománya volt hatvan-hetvenezer, s ebben a csatában az nem vett részt. Valójában az elit egységek száma 30 ezer fő lehetett, amelyhez hozzájöttek az irreguláris csapatok, az aszabok és az akindzsik és a többi egység. Így ebből állt össze a hatvanezer fős török sereg.

Török miniatúra a mohácsi csatáról.

A magyarok a csata hajnalán már felsorakoztak. Az oszmán sereg kora délután kezdett kibontakozni. A csapatok hadrendben vonultak fel, már amennyire ezt a terep megengedte. A sereg élén a ruméliaiak haladtak, mögöttük a szultán az udvari zsoldos hadakkal, és végül az anatóliai hadtest következett. Nehézségeikről sokat elárul, hogy bár a táborból kora reggel útnak indultak, és a csatatérig csupán kb. 10 km-es távolságot kellett megtenniük, mégis, a ruméliaiak dél körül, a derékhad és az anatóliai hadtest pedig 1-2 óra további késéssel érkezett meg a terasz peremére. A források szerint a csapatok annyira elfáradtak, hogy a szultán haditanácsot tartott, melynek eredményeként a csata elhalasztása mellett döntöttek, és parancsot adtak a táborverésre.

Feltehető, hogy a magyar hadvezetés is értesült arról, hogy a ruméliaiak tábort vernek, és a királynak a táborba való visszatérést ajánlották. A király főbb tanácsadói azonban az ellenkezőjét javasolta, arra számítva, hogy ha aznap vívják a csatát, külön-külön verheti meg a szultáni sereg egyes részeit. Valóban ez volt az egyetlen esély a győzelemre. II. Lajos ezért parancsot adott a támadásra.

A szultán vezette udvari zsoldosok a terasz szélén lehettek, s talán már meg is kezdték leereszkedésüket a magaslat pereméről, a ruméliaiak pedig már a tábort építették, amikor a magyar jobbszárny teljes vágtában megrohamozta őket. Mindenesetre a jobbszárny lovasságának támadása zavart idézett elő a ruméliai hadtestnél, és a törökök menekülni kezdtek. Hátrafelé azonban a terasz oldala elzárta az utat, ezért két irányba szétváltak. Időközben a helyszínre ért janicsárok sortüzekkel fogadták a magyarokat, így azok kénytelenek voltak visszavonulni. Azzal, hogy az első lovasroham kifulladt, lényegében a csata is eldőlt.

A többi magyar csapat sem tudta megfordítani a csata állását, a lovasságnak a janicsárok sortüzeit túlélő része ekkor már menekült, ám az ágyúk előtt harcoló gyalogságot az oszmánok bekerítették, és nagy részüket lemészárolták. Az alig másfél-két órás csatában a magyar sereg megsemmisítő vereséget szenvedett. Elesett 4000 lovas, 10 000 gyalogos, 7 püspök – köztük a fővezér Tomori és Szalkai László esztergomi érsek és másik 5 püspök – és 16 zászlósúr, valamint 12 főúr. Tomori holttestét Szulejmán megkerestette, fejét pedig a sátra előtt karóra tűzette. Különös kegyetlensége jól jelzi, hogy Szulejmán különösen dühös volt, és bár a túlerőnek hála nyertek, a magyar sereg a rossz terepi körülményeknek köszönhetően sikerrel lepte meg őt.

Térkép a csatához. Forrás: http://www.e-kompetencia.si/egradiva/zgo_ds/17%20mohacs/index31.html

A vereség okai és jelentősége a mai napig éles viták tárgya. Egyesek szerint a vereség okai a széthúzó magyar nemesség és Szapolyai János, a későbbi I. János király szándékos késlekedése. Mai ismereteink alapján azonban Szapolyai hiábztatása nem igen állja meg a helyét. Szapolyai ha akart volna, se érhetett volna Mohácsra, mert Szapolyai augusztus 15-én még Tordán várakozott, jó 400 km-re a csata helyszínétől, augusztus 29-én pedig Szeged térségében volt csupán. Mások szerint azon körülmények között az akkori világ legmodernebb és legfelszereltebb haderejével rendelkező Oszmán Birodalommal szemben esélye sem lett volna a győzelemre egyetlen európai államalakulatnak, így Magyarországnak sem. Azonban ha a többi keresztény birodalom támogatást ad a magyaroknak, a csata kimenetele korántsem lett volna ennyire egyértelmű.

A csata vége után a törökök egész éjjel fegyverben voltak, várták a magyar főerőket, csak miután a szultán számára is világossá vált a némileg meglepő győzelem, rövid pihenőt adott hadának, majd megindult hadjáratának fő célja, Buda felé. A kiküldött portyázók előtte jártak, és raboltak, pusztítottak, kegyelemért könyörgő fegyvertelen civileket is. Eközben augusztus 30-án a csatavesztés híre megérkezett a fővárosba, mire az egész udvartartás még aznap éjjel elmenekült Pozsonyba. Másnap csaknem az egész lakosság követte őket. A szultán szeptember 12-én érkezett Budára. Megszemlélte a várat, 14-én felgyújtották a várost, hajóra rakták a palotában talált kincseket, köztük azt az óriás ágyút, amelyet Hunyadi János zsákmányolt 1456-ban Nándorfehérvár alatt. A szultáni sereg szeptember 25-én indult vissza Isztambul felé. Addigra portyázói a főváros körüli területeket Egertől Győrig elpusztították. Csupán néhány fallal erődített város menekült meg.

A mohácsi csata után az ország fővárosa, Buda, védtelen volt. A király és vele együtt a főnemesség jelentős része meghalt, a további védekezés megszervezése nehézségekbe ütközött. Gyakorlatilag csak az erdélyi, kb. 15 ezer fős had maradt ütőképes Szapolyai János vezetésével, de ő nem vállalta és nem is vállalhatta a harcot. Számára nem maradt más esély az életben maradásra és emberei életen tartására, mint egyezséget kötni a török szultánnal.

Székely Bertalan festménye Il. Lajos temetéséről.

Tömegsírok felfedezése

1902-ben Pavlovics Demeter molnár a Csele patakra épült malma mellett liszt- és vegyeskereskedést akart építtetni, munkásai azonban a vert falhoz szükséges föld kitermelése során csontokra bukkantak, amelyek azután olyan mennyiségben kerültek elő, hogy magát a munkát is meggátolták, így nem lehetett nem tudomást venni róluk. A csontok legnagyobb része már erősen el volt meszesedve, bár egyes koponyák és fogak még csaknem teljesen épen maradtak. Mivel a molnár a közelben éppen II. Lajos király (1516–1526) pénzeire bukkant, adódott a lehetőség, hogy a megtalált – feltételezhetően tömeg- – sírt a csatához kössék [1].

Bár a tömegsírokat azóta is többször vizsgálták, napjainkban sikerült csak igazán érdekes információkat kinyerni a sírból a tudomány fejlődésének köszönhetően. Közeledik a mohácsi csata 500 éves évfordulója, és ez a kerek évforduló és a vele járó támogatások nagymértékben segítették azt, hogy létrejöhessen ez a hatalmas országos együttműködés a tömegsírok feltárásával kapcsolatban. Különös tekintettel arra, hogy az évforduló alkalmából szeretnék újratemetni a mártírok maradványait.

A jelenleg ismert öt mohácsi tömegsír közül a hármas számú, jelenleg kiemelten vizsgál, a legkisebb, mintegy 15 négyzetméteres. A csontmaradványok azonosítása óriási szakmai kihívást jelent az antropológusok számára – hangsúlyozta Pálfi György a Szegedi Tudományegyetem Embertani Tanszékének tanszékvezetője [2].

A mohácsi III. tömegsír. Fotó: Pálfi György. Forrás [3].

Kik és hányan lehetnek a tömegsírokban?

Azt már a hatvanas években is sikerrel derítették ki, hogy a keresztény hadak áldozatai találhatóak a sírokban. A kiemelt német, cseh és magyar pénzérmék, e kis mennyiségű régészeti információ alapján lehetett ezt meghatározni. Tudjuk: II. Lajos seregét magyar – a mai magyarországi, de természetesen felvidéki és erdélyi területekről is –, német, lengyel és cseh katonák alkották, sőt kis részben részt vettek benne horvátok, szerbek is. Úgy mondhatjuk, hogy a mai „visegrádi országok” elődeiből, valamint német és délszláv területekről származó keresztény és zömében közép-európai haderő vette fel a harcot Mohácsnál a török túlerővel [3].

A sírokat vizsgálva kaotikus látvány tárult a kutatók szeme elé. A régészek által feltárt és az antropológiai vizsgálatra előkészített tömegsírra pillantva az emberi csontmaradványok hihetetlen keveredése megdöbbentő a szakember számára is! A sok tízezernyi emberi csont összevisszasága mellett a speciális betemetés miatti rendkívüli bomlási körülmények és a későbbi károsító tényezők miatt a III. tömegsír feltárása és a csontmaradványok azonosítása óriási szakmai kihívást jelent az antropológusok számára [3].

A hetvenes években a hátmas számú tömegsír esetében 130 körülire tippelték a halottak számát, ma már egyértelműen látszódik, hogy a vártnál sokkal nagyobb az összetömörödés az alsóbb rétegekben és különösen a sírgödör szélein. Most vált láthatóvá, hogy szinte irracionálisan kicsi helyen préselődtek össze a csontvázak. Ennek alapján vélhetően minimum megduplázható a tömegsír korábban becsült leletszáma. A kutatók 300 körülire saccolják a hármas számú - egyébként legkisebb - tömegsírban található maradványok számát [3].

A csontvázak összegabalyodása miatt sokszor 8-10 egyén maradványaival párhuzamosan kell haladjanak a kutatók. A vizsgálatok eredményeként a regisztrált csontmaradványok száma változik. Gyakran kiderül ugyanis, hogy a ránézésre egy személyhez tartozó koponya és váz valójában nem tartozik össze, ilyenkor növekednek a számok. De ennek ellenkezője is előfordul. Például az 1976-ban különállónak gondolt csontváz-maradványok esetében is történt utólagos egyesítés, ami a számok csökkenését eredményezte. A sokszor kaotikus módon keveredett csontok feltárása meglehetősen időigényes. A csontvázak ugyanis keresztül-kasul, több rétegben halmozódnak a III. számú tömegsírban [3].

Az antropológiai megfigyelések is pontosíthatják a régészeti leletekből levonható következtetéseket. A mohácsi tömegsírba került emberek keresztények. Az eddig ismert öt tömegsír közül egynek kezdődött el a feltárása és a csontvázak antropológiai azonosítása. Az eddig fölszedett 120 körüli csontváz és a felszínen korábban szemrevételezett legalább 80 emberi maradvány, vagyis körülbelül kétszáz vázról összegyűlt információ alapján kimondható: a mohácsi tömegsírba kerül emberek 90 százaléka ifjú vagy viszonylag fiatal felnőtt, 18-40 éves férfi. Kisebb számban serdülőkorú, mert 14-16 év körül elhunyt személyeket is azonosítottak a kutatók. Egy-két 12-13 éves kamasz gyerekként, néhány idősebb férfiként, továbbá egy szinte biztosan és két feltételezhetően nőként azonosítható csontvázzal szintén találkoztak [3].

Hozzájárulhatnak az eredmények a csata helyének pontos megtalálásához?

Máig megoldatlan a csatatér helyének a beazonosítása. Csatára utaló jelek – golyók vagy fegyvermaradványok – ugyanis nincsenek a Mohácsi Nemzeti Történelmi Emlékhely területén. Bertók Gábor régész – aki a jelen ásatás vezetője – és munkatársai folyamatosan keresik az 1526. augusztus 29-i csata helyét. Ezt az emlékhelytől 4-5 kilométerre lévő Majs község határában feltételezik, mert ott nagy mennyiségű puskagolyó, fegyvertöredék és rengeteg lópatkó került elő fémkereséssel. A körülbelül 250 lövedék közül közel 170, vagyis a leletanyag több mint kétharmada a kor jellegzetes puskagolyó méretéhez képest viszonylag kisméretű: 10-15 milliméteres. A csatatér azonosításához hozzájárulhat a tömegsír feltárása is. Ugyanis a csontmaradványok kiemelésekor a kutatók találtak egy ilyen kisméretű puskagolyót. Az egyik csontváz gerincoszlopa mellett, körülbelül 25 centiméterre a felső rétegtől, a feltárás második rétegében. Megállapították azt is, hogy ezt az embert kivégezték, amire a koponyáján és a nyakán látható sérülések miatt gondolhatunk. A testében „megőrzött” és most felszínre került golyó miatt arra következtethetünk, hogy a csontváz egy olyan hadifogolyé, aki a mohácsi csatában az oldalán megsebesült, de sérülése nem volt halálos, ám később sebesültként kivégezték és bedobták e tömegsírba [3].

Mivel vitathatatlan, hogy az áldozat testében lévő golyóó mérete megegyezik a tömegsírtól 4-5 kilométerre található területen felfedezett golyókéval, az is egyértelmű, hogy az áldozat a csatában sérült meg. Ez a csontvázak közül kiemelt lövedék újabb lökést adhat a csatatérhez kötődő kutatásoknak. Mert a közeljövőben intenzív régészeti feltárás lesz azon a területen, hiszen 2026-ra, a mohácsi csata 500. évfordulójára meg szeretnék találni a régészek az ütközet legvalószínűbb helyét, hogy ott méltóképpen emlékezhessünk az 500 évvel korábbi történelmi fordulópontra. Tehát mivel az áldozat bizonyosan a mohácsi csata után lett kivégezve és a testében lelt golyó megegyezik a közeli területen felfedezett golyókkal, biztonsággal feltételezhető, hogy a tömegsírtól 4-5 kilóméterre volt a csata helyszíne [3].

Székely Bertalan festménye a mohácsi csatáról. A festményen is jól látszik, hogy a csata területe igen mocsaras volt.

Kik lehetnek ezek az emberek a sírban? Csatában elhunytak vagy kivégzett hadifoglyok?

Az elsőre is látható fejsérülések alapján itt nagy valószínűséggel a törökök által lekaszabolt „magyar szekértábor” áldozatai lehettek. Mi volt ez a szekértábor? A mohácsi csata után az ország fővárosa, Buda, védtelen volt. A király és vele együtt a főnemesség jelentős része meghalt, a további védekezés megszervezése nehézségekbe ütközött. A törökök Budára vonulása során komolyabb ellenállást egyedül a Pusztamarót mellett összegyűlt kb. 25 ezer fős paraszt- és jobbágysereg tanúsított, amely szekértábort hozott létre, de a jól felfegyverzett törökök hamar szétverték és lemészárolták őket is [3]. Tulajdonképpen ez a verzió bizonytalan lábakon áll, hiszen Pusztamarót nagy távolságra van innen.

Más kutatók korábban inkább a csata helyszínének tekintették ezt a helyet. Létezik egy harmadik, eddig háttérbe szorított opció is „a csata utáni nagy nyilvános kivégzésről” szóló írásos emlékek alapján. I. Szulejmán archívumából lehet tudni, hogy a mohácsi csata másnapján a szultán nagy ünnepi összejövetelt rendelt el, a sátra elől szemlélte a dicsőséges seregének a fölvonulását, majd elővezettette a hadifoglyokat. Alvezéreinek nem engedélyezte a hadifoglyok megtartását, hanem nyilvános, nagy kollektív kivégzést rendezett. Eddig annyit tudtunk, hogy több mint kétezer hadifoglyot végeztek ki a mohácsi csata után. Az 1976-os felszíni vizsgálat alapján azt valószínűsítették, hogy az öt tömegsírban körülbelül ezer ember csontváza van. Ám a harmadik tömegsírnál végzett eddigi vizsgálatok alapján valószínű, hogy a mohácsi tömegsírokban fellelhető csontvázak 45 éve feltételezett számnak inkább a duplája lehet valószínű. Ez aránylag jól egyezik a Szulejmán által kivégeztetett személyek számáéval. És az áldozatok alapos vizsgálata is egyre jobban valószínűsíti ezt az opciót, ugyanis a harmadik tömegsírnál az emberi csontvázmaradványok vizsgálata alapján látszódik, hogy ez lenyakazott emberek tömegsírja. Rengeteg olyan esetet azonosítottak a kutatók, amikor egyértelműen látszik a vágásnyomból, hogy a letérdeltetett, a lehajtott fejű embert hátulról végeztek ki – nyakazással. Találtak olyan emberi csontvázat is, amelyen látszik, hogy arra az emberre 494 évvel ezelőtt kétszer-háromszor sújtottak le felülről. Több olyan esetet is feltártak, ahol ugyanazt a nyakcsigolyát kétszer párhuzamosan átvágták, ez pedig csata közben nagyon nehezen elképzelhető. A korabeli leírások, illetve a több mint 100 évvel korábbi nikápolyi csata utáni kivégzésről készült rajz alapján feltételezhető, hogy Mohácsnál a foglyul ejtett katonákat hasonló módon végeztetette ki a szultán. Tehát barbár mészárlás utáni állapotokat mutat a Mohácsi Nemzeti Történelmi Emlékhely harmadik tömegsírja [3].

Kardvágásnyomok egy a tömegsírból kiemelt koponyán. Fotó: Pálfi György. Forrás: [3].

Lefejezésre utaló vágásnyomok egy nyakcsigolyán. Fotó: Pálfi György. Forrás: [3].

Hogyan tovább?

A tömegsír antropológiai vizsgálata tavasszal folytatódhat. A maradványok kiemelésével 3-4 hónap alatt végezhetnek, a leletek laboratóriumi feldolgozása azonban évekig tarthat. Ez idő alatt antropológiai és szükség esetén genetikai módszerekkel megtörténhet az egyes áldozatok maradványainak elkülönítése, de a radiológiai és genetikai elemzéseken át eljuthatnak az arcrekonstrukcióig is. A legfontosabb cél, hogy a megalázó módon eltemetett mártírok maradványait a mohácsi csata 500. évfordulójára szétválogassák, majd egyéni sírokba temethessék [2].

Felhasznált források: [1]: http://ujkor.hu/content/mohacsi-tomegsirok-nyomaban-korabbi-es-legujabb-feltarasok [2]: https://mult-kor.hu/a-szegedi-tudomanyegyetem-antropologusai-is-reszt-vesznek-a-mohacsi-tmegsir-feltarasaban-20201209 [3]: https://u-szeged.hu/mohacsi-csata?objectParentFolderId=19396

#mohács #mohaç #mohacs #ii. lajos #louis ii #hungarian kingdom #ottoman empire #battle #battle of mohacs #Suleiman the Magnificent #Suleiman I #Suleyman I #szapolyai

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things2mustdo · 4 years ago

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Last year I gave up my Krav Maga self-defense training when I was in the middle of changing jobs. I never picked it back up.

While I stay quite busy splitting my time between my three main sources of income, last month I began to feel like something was missing. I was getting too comfortable with my daily routine– bored, too.

So I decided to start training in martial arts again, this time signing up for a Muay Thai gym. It’s already reinvigorated my sense of drive across other areas of my life. Here are the top 5 reasons you should start a new hobby today.

1. It breaks up your current routine

As humans we search for a sense of regularity. We often find it in our daily activities.

For example, my days typically consist of working from home in the morning, primarily on my computer, lifting weights, and then training a few clients in the late afternoon and evening. I enjoy this routine, but flying on autopilot has its dangers.

You aren’t as sharp. Everything is too calculated and expected. By training in Muay Thai every other day I have something new to look forward to. It also has changed my lifting routine, to accommodate for the added exercise and fatigue.

2. It pushes you outside of your comfort zone

When I stepped into the Muay Thai gym for the first time I didn’t know what to expect. It was a lot different than the place I used to train Krav Maga at– more serious, less friendly even.

The seasoned fighters looked at me with a sense of superiority. And they were superior. But rather than backing down, being nervous, and quitting after one day– I took this as a challenge.

I was far from comfortable training that day. I wasn’t able to execute crisp Thai kicks or jump rope like a boss. But being too comfortable can be a bad thing. You’ll cease to explore new opportunities and your growth with falter across the board.

By throwing yourself at something new, that you’re inexperienced at, you’ll be pushed outside of your comfort zone. This is a good thing. You must stay accustomed to living at the edge of your comfort zone to ensure steady growth and progress.

3. You’ll learn new skills

This point is obvious. By taking Muay Thai, I’ll learn a host of new fighting skills.

4. It gives you a new area to set goals for

The habit of setting and achieving goals is the most important habit a man can build. By entering into a new hobby, you now have a whole new area of your life that where you can practice setting and accomplishing goals.

For my Muay Thai experience I’ll start small. My first goal is to be able to execute a Thai kick with my left and have it feel as natural as with my right. I’ll work my way up to bigger goals as I improve.

This is the beauty of starting at something from scratch. At first you’ll set one small goal after another. This cycle will build momentum, and before you know it, you’ll no longer be a novice. More importantly, this momentum will carry over to other areas of your life and give you the confidence to crush more and bigger goals.

5. You’ll meet new people

Another obvious point. When you try something new, you’re bound to meet new people. Whether these turn out to be man friends or cute girls depends on the hobby you choose, but either way meeting new people is always a positive thing.

Potential Hobbies

I’ll leave you with a short list of potential hobbies for you to try today:

1. Martial arts/self-defense: Muay Thai, Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, Krav Maga 2. Cooking 3. Salsa Dancing 4. Lifting weights (you should already be doing this) 5. Yoga 6. Writing 7. Mountain Biking

Check out my new #1 Amazon Bestseller, The Book of Alpha. It’s full of direct, actionable advice for the man who wants to better himself.

Read Next: 5 Reasons To Learn Krav Maga

Krav Maga is a self-defense system created based upon the street fighting skills of Hungarian-Israeli martial artist Imi Lichtenfeld. He used it to defend the Jewish quarter where he lived against fascist groups in the 1930s. Later, in the 40s he moved to Israel and began to offer combat training lessons to what later became the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). The IDF has used, and continued to develop the system to this day.

The basic principle of Krav Maga is inflicting maximum damage to the opponent(s) in order to end the fight as quickly as possible. Brutal counter-attacks using your most effective tool (knees, elbows, weapons, etc.) to target your opponent’s weakest area (neck, throat, eyes, knees, ribs, solar plexus, groin, etc.) are the focus. For this reason, it is not a competitive martial arts, like Brazilian Ju-Jitsu or Muay Thai, because people would die.

When I heard that Jason Bourne uses Krav Maga (which I later found out was, in fact, not true) and that it teach gun defenses (i.e. the most alpha technique ever), I immediately signed up. I just finished 6 months of training. It is indeed awesome. Here are the top 5 reasons you should sign up for classes today:

1. You will become a badass.

Nothing boosts confidence and testosterone levels like knowing you are legitimately prepared for whatever. Very few people have any formal self-defense or fight training. As a result, in tense situations where most people lose it, you will keep your cool. If something ever does go down, you’re ready.

2. It is practical and intuitive.

Most martial arts are strongly based in ritual, and as a result often incorporate different forms or strange techniques. Krav is different. Brutal efficiency is the only concern. For this reason, many of the strikes and defenses utilize the same basic motion (e.g. the straight punch and many of the defenses against punches and knives). Moreover, all of the techniques are built upon the body’s natural instincts (e.g. bringing your hands to your neck during a choke defense).

3. It is great exercise.

Between the drills themselves and the conditioning, you are guaranteed a hell of a workout. Three minutes of throwing punches or knee strikes is exhausting. So is three minutes of burpees. Side note: The level 1 Krav test was the single most intense physical event of my life. Seriously. Three hours straight of punches, kicks, choke defenses, and groundwork is no joke. I consider myself to be is great shape and I almost vomited on multiple occasions.

4. It relieves stress.

Sure, so do most workouts, but pounding a kicking shield, or throwing your partner to the floor is a whole different ball game.

5. It is the perfect hobby.

I came to my first class with no idea how to throw a proper punch. After a couple weeks I thought I was Jason Bourne. After a couple months I realized that I wasn’t. After 6 months I look back and I am amazed at the progress I made. Experiencing this progress is extremely satisfying.

Clearly taking up Krav Maga has many benefits. One word of caution – make sure you train somewhere with certified, experienced instructors. I have seen locations that turn it into a strictly cardio exercise experience, with little focus on technique – not good. So go take advantage of that free first class, now.

Check out my new #1 Amazon Bestseller, The Book of Alpha. It’s full of direct, actionable advice for the man who wants to better himself.

Read More: The Only 2 Things A Man Can Depend On

I was born alone and I will die alone. I’ve got to do what’s right for me and not live my life the way anybody else wants it.

– Curtis Jackson

If life were a board game, you’d be the game piece.

In reality, life isn’t much different from a game. There isn’t a defined end goal, however. You get to choose it. It could be power and respect. It could simply be happiness. Or it could be more specific: money or women, for example. Whatever it is, you choose.

In a board game there are strict limitations. In life, we’re encouraged to follow laws and social norms, but for the most part we’re free to do as we choose. There are infinite paths that will take you to any goal imaginable.

Along the way you’ll deal with many people. Some will help you, others won’t. You can grow to depend on the ones that help you, but that always incurs a risk. A family member can die. A close friend can betray you. Your girl can leave you. How will you react when one of these things happens?

Playing with others is a necessary part of the game. But never depend on them. Doing so will ultimately lead to failure and disappointment.

Accept that the only two things you can ever count on are your body and your mind– your game piece. You must tend to these things like a gardener tends to his plants. Focus on improving them and facilitating their health and growth and you’ll always put yourself in the best position to win.

If some tragedy befalls a dependent man, he may sink into depression. He might feel like he’s lost all hope of accomplishing his mission in life. He might give up.

A truly independant man, however, will not. He’s prepared, on some level, for each of these tragedies. He doesn’t have a specific game plan for when his best friend betrays him, per se. But he’s put himself in a good position, both physically and mentally, that he can weather the storm. Not only can he weather the storm, but he can keep his cool and make the fine adjustments needed to get the ship back on course.

Below I’ll offer the basic tasks one must do to protect his game piece, and see it thrive.

1. Your Body

If you take care of your body, it will be strong and healthy. It will also help foster a potent mind. Yes, there’s always the rare risk of contracting some form of cancer or another deadly disease, but if you follow the steps below, you all but rule these things out.

1. Eat good food

I won’t go into specifics, because everyone’s diet will, and should, be different.

But if you focus your diet around meat, fruits, and vegetables your body will flourish. Meat provides the protein and amino acids your body needs to grow. The fruits and vegetables provide the fiber and vitamins you need to function over the long run. A man with a solid diet will respond better to stress, and therefore be more self reliant.

2. Lift weights

In short, lifting weights develops a strong nervous, muscular, and skeletal system. These are the three main systems that run your body. An efficient body is like a strong ship– it will weather the storm better and be far more dependable in your journey.

The most brutally simple and effective lifting program is StrongLifts 5×5. It focuses on building strength across the five most basic movements humans are meant to do (squat, deadlift, bench press, row, and overhead press).

2. Your Mind

You must also foster a capable mind. One that can stand on it’s own two feet. The strongest body won’t accomplish anything without an equally impressive mind.

1. Read books

Reading a book is like absorbing another man’s lifelong wisdom. The more books you read, the more you’ll know and the wiser you’ll be. Blogs are okay, but the average quality of a blog post is decidedly lower than what you find in a book. People simply put more time, effort, and value into books.

The knowledge you acquire in books also contributes to your self reliance. It offers quality wisdom and advice– that can’t be taken away from you.

2. Meditate

Meditation is the act of being comfortable being alone. When you meditate, you remove all of the outside noise. All of the thoughts, gossip, music, news, women, men, business, sex– everything. You are left with only yourself.

Many men can’t stand meditation because they’ve grown dependant on all of this external stimulation. They aren’t comfortable in their own skin. And thus they’ve lost their edge, their self reliance.

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going-full-shmoo · 5 years ago

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Tagged!

I was tagged by the lovely @johnson-girard to do this!

Name: JJ

Zodiac: Scorpio

Favorite music or bands: ah fuck where do I begin...I like a little bit of everything honestly, from 80s, to indie, to pop/top 40, to musical theater...just ask for recommendations and I’ll see what I can do

Favorite sports teams: for baseball, its the Angels, Cubs, Giants, and pretty much any team that isn’t the Dodgers or the Yankees. For hockey, its the Ducks and the Avs, and pretty much any team that isn’t the Blackhawks, Blues, or Kings.

Other blogs: @jjtherosereblogs (my main), and @the-dailydose-of-positive

Do I get asks: Yes sometimes, but not a whole lot and it makes me sad

How many blogs do I follow: 211

What I’m wearing: a big old hoodie and some leggings...and my glasses

Dream Vacation: all over the world! I love learning about different cultures in their contexts and I want to experience them for myself

Dream Car: something that runs and is environmentally conscious and safe...I’m not picky

Favorite food: you can never go wrong with some classic Hungarian goulash honestly...it feels homey and makes your heart feel happy

Drink of choice: water and coffee usually, but if we are talking alcohol, I have found that I am a particularly big fan of sweet cocktails and dessert wines

Languages: English is my first, and I know basic French (its really rusty) and American Sign Language (the basics)

Celebrity crush: ...oh dear god...I’m forcing myself to list two because if we dive too deep we’d be here for hours...currently, outside of sports, my two biggest ones are Zendaya and Tom Holland

Random fact: oh goodness...I’m going to grad school! I’m going to study to become an MFT (marriage and family therapist) with specialization in substance abuse and addiction! I want to work with athletes who struggle with drug use, alcohol abuse, and PED use!

I now tag: @zuucc / @likeshootingstarsinthenightsky / @matbaezal and @slinginsause

#tagged #about me

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whenthisstoryendsarchive · 4 years ago

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Meta #10: Thora’s Tarot Reading and Elizabeth’s Fate

When we arrive at the circus in the film with Cam and Elle, we meet the first of our three captives, Thora. She's in her tent doing a tarot card spread when Cam and Elle approach her. Reading Elle's palm, Thora reveals that the girl is a spirit of the ocean. She then reads Cam's and warns him that a man will try to take his most precious treasure and that he mustn't let him.

Now, I did like Thora as a character. It was a neat touch to have a psychic with a wide array of powers. However, I didn't in any way approve of how she was portrayed. It's one thing to have a psychic who happens to have clairvoyance among her powers. But it's another entirely to reduce her to the "Fortune Teller" G**** stereotype, especially when she was portrayed by a white/white passing woman. Yes, it was set in a circus in the 1930s. But that doesn't make it ok. No more than having all of 3 black characters, 1 of whom has no lines, 1 who has 1 line, and the only one who gets a significant character essentially coming off as a Mammy IN MISSISSIPPI. Or, for that matter, having a half Mexican actress's ethnicity being ignored so she can play a white girl. This isn't a rant against the actors in anyway. Loretto, Shana, and Jo Marie were fantastic with what they were given. I loved their characters. But these are some gripes I have about stereotyping that I wanted to get out of the way, as it's relevant given the topic we're discussing today. And with that done, we can move on to the meta.

Today, we're going to focus on Thora's tarot reading and try to interpret how it impacts the rest of the film. I also, as a pagan mun, have put some of my own thoughts into this- and into my portrayal of Elizabeth- to determine how it impacts Elizabeth and her friends. And I will say, while I have both done tarot readings for others and for myself, and had readings done for me by others, I am not the best with doing them, as I need practice with taking the card and its meaning and applying it to the situation. Hopefully, this can serve for a bit of that.

The gif and photo above shows Thora pulling the cards, and from this clip of the scene, we can determine both the deck being used and the individual cards as well. Upon doing some research, I was able to determine that the deck is the 1JJ Swiss, or Marseilles, deck. And the cards that are pulled are- in order from left to right, top to bottom- the 8 of Swords, the Queen of Coins/Pentacles reversed, the Queen of Swords, the Knight of Cups, the King of Coins/Pentacles, and the Ace of Swords.

Before we can dive into this, however, there are some points we must cover for those who have never done or had a reading before. The first thing to know is that the cards and their meanings are important, of course. But the spread itself, meaning the layout and placement of the cards, as well as the symbolism of the cards are crucial too.

The cards in the deck are split into two different sections. These sections are the Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana are more related to the spiritual and psychological aspects and issues of life, and include cards like The Lovers, the Hierophant, Death, the Tower, and Judgement. The Minor Arcana covers the more mundane, everyday issues, and is laid out similarly to a regular deck of cards. By this, I mean that there are four suits of number and face cards. But unlike hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs, the Minor Arcana deals with swords, wands, cups/chalices, and coins/pentacles. The face cards in the Minor Arcana include the King, the Queen, the Jack/Page/Princess, and the Knave/Knight/Prince. The numbers and faces all have their own meaning, as do the suits.

Swords symbolize strife, toil, and mental energy and are related to Air. Coins symbolize the material and financial and are related to Earth. Cups symbolize the emotional and romantic and are related to Water. And Wands symbolize inspiration and creativity and are related to Fire.

The numbers, like regular cards, go from the Ace to 10. Aces indicate new beginnings, 2's duality and partnership, 3's consolidation and the first step to new ideas, 4's foundation and stability, 5's competition and instability, 6's success and creativity at work, 7's unexpected change and success against opposition, 8's positive or negative action and movement, 9's contentment and fulfillment, and 10's renewal and mastery.

The face cards usually represent people, but not necessarily, so the surrounding cards are important to consider. They can talk about a personality, a person themselves, news, or opportunities (the last two often as the page or knight). They can all be negative or positive. Here, however, each card's meaning varies by the suit. And instead of going through them all, I'll just describe the cards relevant to our spread.

The Queen of Coins tends to be a reliable, caring, practical, and loyal woman, who may or may not be material. The Queen of Swords represents a logical, shrewd, and careful woman who may have had emotional disappointments that led to self-isolation. The Knight of Cups usually tends to signify an enthusiastic, open, and understanding man, who may portend or seek a relationship. And the King of Coins usually points toward a knowledgeable, practical, successful, intelligent, and caring man that may prioritize material wealth, without being miserly and still has concern for others.

With that in mind, we can now speculate on the spread that Thora used. We do have to remember that it is entirely possible that none of these were used, and Thora made up her own spread. But since this would make it all but impossible to try and determine the questions and placement, we're going to try and pick from known spreads; as the layout and placement of the cards are vital to the reading.

We can see that Thora drew 6 cards, in either 2 rows of 3, or 3 columns of 2. Because of this, I tried to find 6 card spreads with the same layout and found 4 potential choices. These are called the General 6 card, the 6 card Hungarian, the 3-card Variation, and Will I find love. Three of them work in rows, and one in columns.

The first spread we'll investigate is the General 6 card. It looks like this:

And the meaning of the card placement is: 1) How you feel about yourself now, 2) What you want most, 3) Your fears, 4) What is working for you, 5) What is working against you, and 6) Your future.

The 6 card Hungarian is the same layout as the other 3 spreads, but this is the one that works in the columns. So, it would be left, right, and middle.

The left two cards indicate your past. The two in the middle your present. And the right two your future. It may also work with the top cards being the distant past, present, and future and the bottom being the more recent past, present, and future.

The 3-card variation goes back to rows.

Here, card 1 is your past, 2 your current situation, 3 your future, 4 the effect of the past on your psyche, 5 the effect of the past on your present self, and 6 the effect of the past on your future.

Finally, Will I find love. This spread also works in rows.

The cards are laid out as such: 1- The present situation. 2- Energy blockages/Prevention. 3- The best approach. 4- Strength. 5- Environment. 6- Potential outcome.

Now, we could apply any of these to Elizabeth at this point in the movie. We haven't met her yet, and neither have Cam and Elle. Of the known human characters, Thora is the only one to know the truth. She's been Elizabeth's friend for a long time, and naturally, she'd want to help and look after her.

But, with some patience, we have one more subtopic to cover before we can try to determine the spread and give the reading's result. And this would be the meaning of the cards themselves. Remember that the cards we have to work with are the 8 of Swords, Queen of Coins, Queen of Swords, Knight of Cups, King of Coins, and Ace of Swords. And with our knowledge of the cards, we know that we have ones pointing to strife, material gain, and emotions.

The keywords for the 8 of Swords include major difficulties, restrictions, isolation, depression, little reward, and desperation. This card can indicate feeling powerless, being trapped with your hands tied, having to dig deep to find inner strength to free yourself, rising to the occasion with confidence in your own abilities, and a coming test. It often alludes to having relinquished control in your past.

When the 8 of Swords is drawn, you are called to closely examine the situation because judgement and feelings can be clouded or caused by fear, doubt, and insecurity. There is caution as well, as if this is not addressed, that feeling of helplessness will endure. The card offers the chance to vindicate the time and energy spent to reach that current point. It promises that you will either succeed or fail.

In a position of advice in the spread, the 8 of Swords tells us that every setback we face is meant to awaken us to new efforts. In situations like this, we have to learn by doing, and there's no formula to promise an outcome. We have to be open minded and optimistic, as it will better help us achieve the outcome we desire. In the same way, we have to be willing to put in the work that it will take to meet our goal. Furthermore, we're advised that we should be wholehearted, faithful, hopeful, avoid confrontation and criticism, keep strong against negativity and negative forces, and then we will overcome doubt and resistance. Confidence that we have what it takes to beat our demons and better our lives is of the utmost importance.

In a position dealing with relationships, we are told that we feel powerless in said relationship. But we fear leaving it because we may not find someone else.

The keywords of the Queen of Coins include intelligence, lacking self-confidence, good taste, imbalance, patience, and bearing a grudge. This can indicate not being fooled by a gentle exterior, confidence in truth, liking to spend money but being reliable and down to earth, safety and security, making others happy, caring for others, proving yourself, and material generosity.

We are called to remember that we all need care, and that sometimes we can get the stability we want by caring for others. Moreover, we can find our own true desire to be generous. There may be a person or a trait involving being good at problem solving, living to boost up others, and having good sense. There is a chance offered to solve problems, give to those in need, and share the benefits of our gains. It may point to teachers, healers, and charitable souls. But we are warned to think of the needs of others and give of ourselves to help them. Some extravagance is allowed, but caution must be present to avoid slacking off and greed. Enriching others, trusting those we care for, telling the truth without fear, and confidence doing what must be done will lead to true safety.

In a relationship position, it indicates comfort, flexibility, sensibility, caution with money, level headedness, loyalty, and balance.

But we have to remember that in Thora's spread, this card was reversed, or upside down. Generally, this means that the card should be read opposite or contradictory to what it would normally mean. In the case of the Queen of Coins, it can mean firstly a woman who is too cautious. It might also mean making an objective assessment of how we manage our lives, identifying areas to improve, warning against addiction, finding balance in how we spend our time, and finding what we're meant to improve. It also points to greed for money and power, lacking self-confidence, needing to be better grounded, and lacking the ability to work for our own wants.

The keywords for the Queen of Swords include solitude, independence, secrecy, deviousness, dominance, and being cold. This can indicate making our own decisions, not giving our hearts freely, confidence and capable adaptability, exercising independence, self-isolation to avoid disappointment, perceptiveness and sharp intellect, being unyielding, lacking emotional capability, and self-sufficiency.

We are called to remember that high standards may come off as being overly critical and hard to please. We need to better improve our understanding, so everyone is able to be themselves. And while there isn't necessarily anything wrong with being non-conforming, solitary, or dependent, we are still able to see the truth and lies of others.

In a position of advice, the Queen of Swords tells us that we don't have to rely on others and their promises, but instead what we can do ourselves. We shouldn't wait for opinions, but figure out what we want and get it. We don't always need permission or influence other than our own. In the end, we have to make decisions ourselves because no one can care for us better than ourselves.

In a relationship position, it indicates and ability to hide the emotional part of ourselves, which often comes across as being unfeeling. It may indicate a mentally strong person who seeks intelligence in a partner, and won't tolerate foolishness.

The keywords for the Knight of Cups include elusive love, emotional interaction, creative activity, possession, emotional addiction, and being self-serving. This can point to focusing on creative skills, fully applying yourself, being enthusiastic and open to new ideas, vision and advancement, emotional understanding, returning from a journey, and new and deeper relationships. Taking advantage of opportunity, the Knight tells us, is fine, but caution is needed to see the truth and clear the way for benefits to come.

We are called to remember that prodigal though we may be, we'll be older and wiser at the end of our journey. This card often called to young adults in their 20s or early 30s, as well as people who are emotionally at this age. In some cases, it can hint at an engagement or marriage that is incoming.

In a position of advice, the Knight of Cups gives us permission to take the plunge with both feet. Though we are warned to get involved and not think of the path to take. Values are key here, and we may have to look deep to find them. Humility is encouraged, along with looking at things with new eyes. Our journey was designed to ensure we return with a new appreciation. Our hearts and souls are full, and we are where we belong.

In a relationship position, the Knight shows us that we might be on the lookout for emotional fulfillment. Some may be bored when that wears off, and it can lead to a loss of interest and a new pursuit.

The keywords for the King of Coins include intelligence, skill, patience, corruption, dishonor, and falsehood and dishonesty. This may point to strong convictions, success through practical effort, confidence in work and goals, material wealth with compassion, accomplishments, comfort, deal making, finding opportunity and success, and responsibility. It may portend understanding of value and wealth hand in hand with the knowledge of suffering and burdens, and keeping perspective on both. A person indicated here may be a builder or manager who enjoys success and money. It's crucial to keep commitments and not let others down.

In an advice position, the King of Coins cautions us to act as if we're already successful. We have to have confidence in our plans and goals. Trust and authority must be used to move ahead, and will soon lead to blessings. In the end, if we remain confident and true to ourselves, support and help will come.

In a relationship position, warmth, fulfillment, kindness, and generosity are key. Advice is practical, well founded, and wise to follow. Excessive emotional demands aren't common, and security is a top priority.

Finally, the keywords for the Ace of Swords include clarity, movement, new ideas, confusion, stagnation, and violent action. This can mean a struggle for justice, power, breaking through to achieve mental clarity, instigation of change, a clear single minded vision, moving in the right direction, evolution and progress, a new beginning, hope and victory, and mental awakening that leads to growth and development through conflict.

We are called to remember to stay focused and firm, because our goal is within reach. In addition, it's best to avoid excessive force if at all possible, in order for our victory to endure.

In an advice position, the Ace of Swords tells us to keep steady and the goal will be ours. We shouldn't hesitate, and have to put distractions to the side. Nor should we fear the consequences or hold back.

In a relationship position, we find a new sense of self-confidence blooming. The fear of disappointment, lack of faith, and low level of confidence we were carrying before can't hold us back any longer.

Now, if we go back to our card symbolism, we see that Thora pulled 3 Sword cards, 2 Coins, and 1 Cup. These are cards of toil, wealth, and romance. Elizabeth and the others certainly go through many difficulties, but Cam and Elle's love and Elizabeth's own sacrifice bring freedom and deeper wealth to all of them than the material wealth and power Locke sought. Elizabeth finds love and gains her freedom. Elle's illness and cured and she discovers the truth. Cam saves the two most important people in his life, gets his story, finds love, and gets a renewal of faith. Thora and Ulysses get their freedom, find their own confidence, and help their friend defeat the forces holding them all captive.

Of our two number cards, Ace and 8, we see new beginnings and positive or negative movement. All the group gets a new lease on life and a new sense of physical and emotional freedom. They all move together toward it.

Then, when we pair those with the four face cards, we have an even better understanding of the spread. Remember, the Knights and Pages lead to news and opportunity. The Queen of Coins indicates a reliable, caring, practical, and loyal woman. This fits Elizabeth, Thora, and Elle to varying degrees. But in the reversed position, it clearly indicates Elizabeth. The Queen of Swords is a logical and careful woman with emotional disappointments that still linger. This is also very much Elizabeth. Both of these cards tend to focus more on Elizabeth's negative aspects and plight; her being too cautious, being unable to free herself, needing balance and confidence, wanting safety, being lied to and tricked, not giving her heart freely, isolating herself to avoid being hurt again, and hiding herself. But we also see her good side as well; her intelligence, her healing and selfless nature that drives her to care for others, her improved understanding through her captivity, and how she learned to both see through lies and make better choices. This duality is shown in the contrast between the Swords and Cups, and her captivity and freedom.

The Knight of Cups, without doubt, is Cam. He's a young, creative, and caring man who comes with the emotional fulfillment Elizabeth always searched for. And rather cleverly on some crew member's part, the card that signifies an end to a journey, new appreciation and understanding, a leap of faith, and a deep relationship comes from the suit representing water. Cam was always the one Elizabeth searched for. He was always the one destined to save her and bring her home. Furthermore, Cam has his own draw to water; wanting the elixir to cure Elle, and his favorite memories being of the beach, seen when he tells Elizabeth he wished they'd get stuck in a whirlpool and the summer would never end. They take that leap of faith together- he trusting in the impossible and she risking her heart and her life for one more chance of hope- and like a rainbow following a storm, their fears and doubts are washed away to leave them with something new, beautiful, and deeply profound that stays with them the rest of their lives, as shown at the end when Elle tells her granddaughters that Elizabeth was always with Cam, and that was another story.

Finally, we have the King of Coins. That indicates a successful, intelligent man who prioritizes wealth and power. Though said to be caring, don't forget that the card can be negative or positive. And negatively, it indicates corruption, dishonor, dishonesty, deal making, and a builder and manager who is successful and greedy. This can be none other than Locke. Locke is the driving force here. His lies and tricks get Elizabeth into a deal she literally can't free herself from. His cruelty and greed drew him to threaten both Elizabeth and Elle, capture Elle, and spurred Cam, Thora, and Ulysses to act to save the two of them. And, in the end, his greed was his own undoing.

If we try to apply the meaning and symbolism of the cards to our 4 potential spreads, we can find that any of them could possibly work to tell the rest of the story to a careful, knowing eye in a single shot. They all have points that make sense and fit perfectly. But they also have ones that are more of a stretch, or don't in as nicely as the others.

In the General 6 card spread, Elizabeth feels desperate, isolated, trapped, and powerless in the relationship with Locke. She gave away her power and control to him, and now she needs to work to free herself and get her soul and freedom back. She's being told to dig deep, vindicate her past efforts, and be strong and have faith. All of her past failures in love had a purpose, and were meant to renew her now so that she could find the confidence to free herself and face the test. If she doesn't, she'll never be free. What she wants the most is to be more balanced, grounded, confident, and find where to improve. She's being too cautious with her heart and trust, and that along with the deal she made, are keeping her from fighting for herself so she can gain all the benefits the Queen of Coins normally offers. She Fears that she'll continue to be trapped, not only by Locke, but by herself as well. She's hiding herself away emotionally and not giving her heart freely because she doesn't want to again face the hurt she's felt in the past. She needs to learn to make her own decisions and see through the lies of others so that she doesn't rely on them anymore. She has to open herself up, tell the truth, and trust herself if she wants Cam's understanding and help. In a way, she wants the best of herself, but her fear of herself and her history is holding her back. What's working for her is Cam. His feelings and understanding if she does open herself up to him and give him the truth without holding back are the first steps to her going home; and going wiser, fulfilled, and with a new understanding. But for this to happen, they both need to take a leap of faith and see things in a new light. What's working against her, clearly, is Locke, his greed, and the deal they made and bond it forged. She knows the burden he's given her, and her hope to return home. She needs to be confident, true, and trusting in order for Cam and Elle to truly be able to help her help herself. Finally, her Future, if she does all of this, will include violence and a struggle for justice. The die has been cast, and change for the better is coming. She needs to stay focused, resolute, and unfaltering because her freedom is within reach. And once she gets it, she’ll have a new sense of hope, self-confidence, and growth. Nothing can hold her back now, but she needs to avoid excessive force to truly get her new beginning.

In the 6 card Hungarian, Elizabeth's past had her feeling trapped, desperate, and isolated because of her regarding herself as the prodigal daughter. Also, because she was disappointed in love, which caused her to isolate herself further. Currently, she's grown too cautious, and can't fight Locke herself. She needs help to break the deal and get her freedom. In the future, if she learns to overcome all her regrets that hold her back, and can face the violence ahead of her with courage and confidence, she'll be able to return to the sea wiser and better than when she left home all those years ago.

In the 3-card Variation, Elizabeth's past had her trapped and losing hope, closing in on herself. This led to her currently being unable to act herself, physically and emotionally. Her future will include her continuing to be a captive, or worse, if she doesn't follow the effects internally and externally. Internally, she needs to get a new understanding of herself and others. She has to grow from the prodigal daughter to a woman of her own making. And to do that, she needs to trust herself and stay true to her friends and overcome the lies and greed that brought her here. It will cause violence and struggle in her future, but she'll gain her freedom and be all the better for it.

In the Will I find love spread, Elizabeth is currently trapped and about to face and test that will require her to be strong and confident, or she'll never be free. What's preventing her is her inability to fight for herself due to fears of the past repeating. Her best approach to break free is to make her own choices and not isolate herself anymore, as long as she doesn't take a promise of help on that alone. She needs to work for it herself too. Her strength comes from her own growth and the help of Cam, Elle, Thora, and Ulysses. This will cause a shift in her oppressive, corrupt situation, and break the deal that she made with Locke long ago. That break will lead to violence and a fight to get justice. But it will give her the freedom, love, and redemption she's so long desired.

Of course, in the first spread, what Elizabeth wants most could be wrong, since the meaning of the Queen of Coins fits better than the reverse. The second could be a bit of a stretch, as it says she'll break free and remain stagnant at the same time in the future. That ending stagnation and captivity in the future also carries over into the third spread, thus making it a little harder to apply the last 3 effect cards. And in the fourth spread, we might face some problems in the prevention and best approach sections. Elizabeth's caution does hold her back, and the best way to end that would be to be surer of herself. But staying stagnant wouldn't accomplish that.

With these benefits and drawbacks in mind, we also need to consider this crucial moment when Cam and Elle leave Thora to go to the main tent and see Elizabeth.

Here, if we watch Thora, we can see her gathering up the cards rather quickly. But she lingers on one card, and looks at it more carefully before looking off after Cam and Elle with a rather worried look on her face. The card she holds seems to be the one closest to the box that held the strand of pearls. This would indicate that that card in particular means something crucial to Thora and how she interprets the entire reading.

Watching closely, we can see that the card is in the right column, close to the box with the necklace. This would point to the Queen or Ace of Swords. However, it appears that she goes from the bottom up. This would mean that Thora's focus is on the Queen of Swords. So, her attention is drawn to Elizabeth's self-isolation more than the card that ensures her freedom. This would put significant importance on the Queen of Swords' question and answer in the spread. From our possible spreads, we see this points to Fear, Half of the Future, Future, or the Best approach.

Keeping all this in mind, along with everything in the movie after that point, we can guess that the spread was either 1 or 4, the General 6 card or the Will I find love, as they make the most sense given the placement of the Queen of Swords. But because the environment card following the strength seems a little strange to me personally, making the card signifying Locke follow the one pointing to Cam, I'm going to say that Thora did the General 6 card spread. This layout, its questions and card placement- of course forgiving my poor attempt to turn the reversed Queen of Coins into something she wants- makes the most sense in terms of the spread itself. It also follows the film the closest, and would be the easiest for someone unfamiliar with Tarot to work with.

So, in the end, we can read the General 6 card spread with the 8 of Swords, Queen of Coins reversed, Queen of Swords, Knight of Cups, King of Coins, and Ace of swords to read:

Elizabeth feels trapped. She wants to be free, but her own faults are what's holding her back. A new, deep love with understanding and faith that manifests mainly in Cam, but also in Elle, Thora, and Ulysses arguably, is there to help her while Locke still strives to keep her bound to him. But they will all work together, overcome violence, and Elizabeth will be free.

We can link this to the rest of the film, and my own headcanons in the following ways.

Thora had barely done the reading when Cam and Elle walk in. As Elle enters, she turns over the final card, the Ace of Swords. And since Elizabeth is already in the tank, Thora may be doing it with her telepathically. And, as some people who do readings use significator cards to focus on and symbolize the person getting the reading, it makes sense that Thora would have the pearls.

Significator cards, in my understanding, tend to focus on age, gender, and astrological sign. Methods for picking age vary. I've seen single young people be Pages and Knights, and married people be Queens and Kings. Some say girls under 18 or children are Pages, Knights are men from 18-39, Queens are women over 18, and Kings are men over 40. I've also seen each card have its own sign, or suits in general. For example, Cups can apply to Cancer, Scorpio, or Pieces. Wands would apply to Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. Swords would be for Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Still others choose based on appearance, with fair hair and eyes being Cups, red hair and blue or green eyes for Wands, light hair, eyes, and skin for Swords, and dark hair, eyes, and skin for Coins. And, of course, the gender thing is totally flexible. It's whatever feels best for the two parties.

Going by these, I as a young, unmarried Gemini woman with light hair, eyes, and skin would be either the Page or Queen of Swords, depending on the age choice I go with. My friend with dark hair and eyes but fair skin, who's a Sagittarius would be the Knight or King of either Wands or Cups, but they choose and identify more with Wands.

Thora, however, bypassed all of this and followed some readers I've also seen by using a possession of their subject's for the significator. Thora used the pearl necklace, which I headcanon as belonging to Elizabeth; having been a gift of protection from her mother. This would surely strengthen Thora's own powers and the connection between her and Elizabeth for the reading, because the necklace was owned by Elizabeth.

So, because of the telepathic link already opened, and the powers of both Thora and Elizabeth, the mermaid already knows Elle is there and what she is. It's possible Elizabeth may have even told Thora before the other woman read the girl's palm. Regardless, we get this reaction of a small gasp and a look of recognition when Thora tells Elle she's a spirit of the ocean.

This alone would point to, for lack of a better phrase and to make a fully intended terrible pun, the tide turning for our captives. Elizabeth already believes that the girl with the mermaid's heart can set her free. And the fact that she's there, with a young man nevertheless, only doubles it.

By this point, Elizabeth, and likely Thora, also know that Locke is looking for someone. Hell, Thora may even know more about it than Elizabeth. With that knowledge, and Elizabeth's own belief, Thora takes Elizabeth's mother's pearls and gives them to Elle. She looks fearful, clenches Elle's hand and whispers when she tells her "You should keep these."

Further leaning to this is the moment when Thora takes Cam's palm. She gazes into it deeply, before seemingly going into a trance and making her prediction. This scares Elle and troubles Cam, before she snaps out of it. She then looks closer to the Queen of Swords.

Between her own powers, Elizabeth's, the brief tarot reading, and the reading of Cam and Elle's palms, Thora knows what's coming.

Cam incites Locke's anger after the show when he tells Elle that it was all a trick, and Elle insists Elizabeth was real. This may have turned Locke's attention to them, and begun his sights turning to Elle. Cam then protects Elizabeth when the 3 young men threaten her near the Ferris Wheel. This only further pits the wizard against the newcomers, and draws Cam and Elle closer to Elizabeth. Locke truly begins to see them, especially Cam, as a threat when Cam comes to interview him and when he spies Elizabeth with him and Elle in the woods. He knows Cam is drawn to Elizabeth, and what Elle is, thus making him plot to take her too.

Cam and Elle have already proven themselves willing to fight for Elizabeth and each other by the time Cam sneaks into the circus and hears Locke's plan for Elle and Elizabeth's siren song. We also see him further embody the Knight of Cups, and parallel Elizabeth, in his gentle interactions with the elephant.

This parallel comes when Elizabeth protects Ulysses, fully intending to take a whipping for him. Locke threatens Elizabeth for it, and Thora helps Elizabeth get Ulysses away. Not long after, Cam is caught in Elizabeth's tent, and Thora follows to warn him to stay away from Elizabeth. She knows that he suspects something, and wants to save her, but she also knows that her friend is already on thin ice and in danger, along with Elle. Cam, while nobly wanting to help, is unwittingly putting both Elle and Elizabeth in danger, and Thora tries to warn him in the only way she can; telling him to go and not come back. Elizabeth isn't ready to open up yet, and is still clinging to her fears, so she has to choose between them. And her choice lies with her friend. After all, the more Cam angers Locke, the more he pushes him, it might cause the wizard to take action against before she's ready and able to act for herself.

By their scenes on the paddleboat, Elizabeth is already feeling drawn to Cam. They slowly open up to each other, talking about their pasts, dancing, and laughing. They even nearly kiss. It culminates when Cam follows her into the river and she finally tells him the truth. Cam never would have left Elle alone before then, and Elizabeth never would have confided in him without that night. And Cam never would have believed if he hadn't seen the proof with his own eyes. The night on the river is crucial to everything coming together. Cam overcomes his doubts and certainty of the impossible, Elizabeth sees that she can trust him and finally opens her heart fully. She takes the leap of faith, and so does he. And this gives Locke the chance he's been waiting for; to take Elle and enact the next part of his plan.

The clock is ticking, and Locke knows it. He acts and sends Sid to kidnap Elle from her room at Lorene's. That brings Cam to the circus and sees him finally gain Thora's trust and help. Elizabeth has probably told Thora everything, filling in whatever gaps the other woman had. She knows about the talk on the boat, the dance, the near kiss, and that the truth is finally out. She knows too that Locke knows, that he wants to take Elle and kill Elizabeth, and most importantly, that Elizabeth is ready to fight. She's going to give her all for herself and for Elle. Together, Elizabeth and Thora form a plan with Ulysses to rescue Elle and leave together with the girl and her uncle.

Elizabeth warns Elle about Locke and helps her stand up to him. This buys them time when Locke threatens Elle, which I allude to by saying he'd have pressed her into agreeing by threatening Cam and Elizabeth. More important, though, Elizabeth stands up to Locke herself, ordering him to let Elle go. She is put in the tank after he refuses and tells her she's going to die, and Elle is locked in the cage, which is where Thora and Cam find her. Thora reveals that if Elizabeth leaves without her soul, she'll die. Cam agrees to save Elizabeth and takes them to where he suspects the soul is hidden, freeing the elephant in the process, before they leave with Elizabeth.

Once Cam, Elle, Elizabeth, Thora, and Ulysses are on the train, he returns her soul, fulfilling his promise and allowing Elizabeth to see that he can be trusted to keep his word. She also learns that he'll look after all of them. But Locke, Sid, and Sid's lackeys follow, leading to the fights in the train car, in the woods with Ulysses and Sid and Thora and Locke, and the girls and Cam against Locke. Elizabeth makes the ultimate sacrifice and offers her soul, and her life, to try and even the odds in their favor and protect them all. With Elle, Thora, and Elizabeth's father and grandfather's help, Locke is defeated and turned to stone at the bottom of the ocean. Cam is saved by Ulysses, and they race Elizabeth to the water. However, it's too late and she dies before reaches the sea. Cam and Elle return her soul, and with her grandfather's help, Elizabeth is revived.

She then comes back to heal Elle, kisses Cam, and says goodbye to everyone before going home again. They're all safe. Elle has her cure, Cam has his faith, and Elizabeth has love and home.

Furthermore, though not crucial to the reading or movie itself, but more to my portrayal of Elizabeth, I thought it rather fun to find that in my own preferred deck, The Celtic Tarot, our 6 cards also seem to come back to my own headcanons. Here, the cards portray Celtic myths. The 8 of Swords tells the story of Sionnan, granddaughter of Manannán mac Lir, whose recklessness and naivety took her away from her home and left her in exile in a strange land with no way to return. The King of Coins tells the tale of Cormac mac Airt, who received a gift of golden apples on a silver branch from Manannán mac Lir, which ushered in a 40 year long golden age, and whose music calmed all. I portray Elizabeth as a granddaughter of Manannán mac Lir in exile, due to her own youthful trust and disregard. Her grandfather tries to help her along the way, promises her an eternal place in his kingdom of Tír na nÓg, and whose greatest gift was to give her back her life when she died, also helping his son and Elle to turn Locke to stone forever in the sea. And, as a mermaid, Elizabeth had a magical song.

The Knight of Cups tells the story of Cú Chulainn, a warrior who remained to his love, even when attempts were made to keep them apart, right to his death. Then, in the Queen of Swords, we see the fairy queen Maeve, who was infamous for her cruelty. This included killing her pregnant sister so she and her husband could take the throne of Connacht. Maeve had many affairs, but the one she desired most- and never had- was Cú Chulainn. She was eventually killed by her nephew to avenge his mother. As a mermaid, Elizabeth is technically a fairy, and despite past misguided romances, she finds true enduring love, even when distance and a powerful, cruel force tries to keep them apart.

The Queen of Coins tells the tale of Queen Ceasair, a woman potentially from Greece. She is considered to be Ireland's first queen, and was said to be a daughter of Noah who, along with her husband and 52 others turned pagan when Noah refused them a place on the ark. Their new idol told them to build a ship of their own, which brought them to Ireland. Elizabeth, through her mother is distantly related to Poseidon, and arguably has some Greek in her blood. Additionally, she is pagan in her mermaid verses, and feels very drawn and connected to Ireland as well as being Irish and Manx. This also links back to Manannán mac Lir, as he's the Irish god of the Sea, and it was believed that Tír na nÓg lay in the Isle of Man, making her Manx by birth.

Finally, in the Ace of Swords, we hear the story of Nuadu Argattan or Nuadu of the silver arm. He was a king of the Tuatha Dé Danann (or Gods) before they went to Ireland. He lost an arm in battle, and was thus forced to abdicate by Tuatha law. His cousin was crowned in his place, and married Brigit, daughter of the Dagda, and ruled oppressively. Seven years later, Nuadu returned with a fully function silver arm, made for him by his physician. Nuadu again became king, and was aided in war against his cousin by Lugh. Elizabeth is also a goddess who lost a piece of herself and was able to regain it and return to her rightful place with the help of those she trusted, following a battle against an oppressor.

Sources:

thetarotempress.com/will-i-find-love-tarot-spread

mistertarot.com/three-card-spread/

m.tarot.com/tarot/decks/1jj-swiss

i.pinimg.com/originals/b0/d9/1f/b0d91f72ec11bd20dcf92d9b2a755f34.jpg

divinationlessons.files.wordpress.com/2019/09/six-card-hungarian-spread-e1569525845163.jpg?w=591&h=444

thetarotlady.com/significators-tarot-reading/

The Celtic Tarot by Julian De Burgh

#Outofsouls (Ooc)#He Took A Part Of Me (Headcanons)#Meta #Sources below

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agentharrisonofshield-a · 7 years ago

Text

RANDOM FACTS ABOUT THE MUN.

Repost, not reblog! Tag muns you would like to get to know better when done!

Name: Zen Nickname: Zen, Satan, Vivian mun Age: 32 Faceclaim: None Pronouns: She/Her Height: 5′10″ Birthday: January 6 Aesthetic: Books, messy rooms, laptops, worn tshirts and jeans, Hungarian embroidery, statement glasses, tea, geeky throw blankets, art museums Last song you listened to: I honestly have no idea

Favourite muse(s) you’ve written: Vivian, Ros, and Duvessa. I love all my OCs (or at least I love my concepts for them), but Vivian, Ros, and Duvessa are my favorites to write and explore and write thousands of words of meta about.

What inspired you to take on your current muse (that you are posting this on): I’m sure people are getting bored of hearing the story, but I was suffering a massive depressive episode made worse by my insurance fucking up and refusing to refill my meds. My ex put Avengers on one day, and I found myself coming up with a post-Avengers scenario in which a straight up self-insert found herself dealing with shit while going through med withdrawal because everyone was stranded in the wilderness with no preparation. (I called SHIELD having the sceptre and running experiments with it, as well as with Chitauri biotech. I’m rather pleased with how close I came to what would show up in the films.) Eventually my ex persuaded me to try actually writing the story instead of just laying on the couch daydreaming it, and Vivian was born.

As has happened before, actually writing the story changed Vivian’s character, and she changed more when I brought her to tumblr.

What are your favourite aspects of your current muse: Well, first of all, I like the representation. It’s beyond rare to get an autistic character whose story doesn’t revolve around being autistic. It’s beyond rare to get a bipolar character whose story doesn’t revolve around being bipolar. No offense to the authors and writers who write those stories, but frankly learning to cope with autism and bipolar disorder have been side plots in my life, not the plot to my life, and that’s how I write Vivian.

I like the layers to her. The complexity. Vivian’s cynical tough-girl ‘I don’t do emotions or caring’ facade is just that: a facade. Under that is someone who is emotional and does care - a lot - but who doesn’t want to get hurt, and she wants to be taken seriously, so she makes a big show of being someone else. (And then under all of that is another secret layer but you must achieve level 40 friend status to unlock it.)

What’s your biggest inspiration when it comes to writing: Getting a reaction from people. Anything from ‘I love Vivian’ to ‘OMFG HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME MAKE IT BETTER NOW’. Compliments about my muses go a long way; frankly I dive into my ‘things to make the mun smile’ tag when I have the muse to write but am struggling with the motivation.

And, as always, watching source material associated with my muses is an inspiration. I’ve watched Spooks a million times and SatanFIsh still just got a dozen messages on Ros’ reaction to something compared to another character’s reaction. Avengers and CA:TWS always inspires Vivian (as well as the NetflixMCU shows for the most part?). Duvessa has no source material but anything sufficiently ballet-related or vampire-related inspires her.

Favourite types of threads: I lean towards angst, but that’s just because depending on who she’s interacting with Vivian can easily be very angsty. I’m still not over the time she turned a really great smut thread into angst in a single reply. Like Vivian why. I like anything that pushes character development, though. Anything that makes Vivian question why she thinks or acts the way she does is amazing. Anything that makes her do that and then forces her to react to her questioning, and either double down on her position or change it is even better.

Biggest struggle in regards to your current muse: Her refusal to engage in emotional relationships with people, including friendships. To be entirely honest, I’ve had to dial that back a bit, just because there are muses I think she would have (and does have) great friendships with, but if I let Vivian have her way it would have taken these full four years for her to get to the point where she allows them to call her a friend, or considers them friends herself.

Tagged By: Stolen From: @weaponsdonotweep Tagging: Anyone who wants to do the thing

#about Zen

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valomile · 8 years ago

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“Even when we are not doing work, there is work being done within” – Artist Interview with Lee Meszaros

Image: #eauclaireresin pendant with forget-me-nots, handmade by Lee Meszaros. You can learn more about Lee and see more visuals of her work on lee-meszaros.com. Lee also has an Instagram (@leemeszaros), and an online shop at leemeszaros.storenvy.com.

Forget-me-nots swimming in a tiny wearable world of resin, a merit badge awarded for your specialty in being, as they say, like bump in a log, the scent of a cabin in the woods, warm with suede and cedar—these are all things that Lee Meszaros makes in her home and garden in Brantford, Ontario. Through handmade artist multiples, Lee celebrates childhood experiences with nature and the humour of human bonds.

In early 2016, I had the pleasure of hearing Lee talk about her work in my arts business class at Sheridan, and a few months later, I was eyeing her resin jewelry at the White Elephant here in Hamilton, one of a handful of retailers across North America that carry Lee’s work. I finally bought one of her forget-me-not necklaces as a birthday present to myself, and it remains one of my favourite pieces. Here are a few things I asked Lee about what she does:

“I took private sewing lessons from one of my mom's friends and made all of my own prom dresses and ridiculous wide leg jeans.”

Valentin: What do you think got you started making the things that you do?

Lee: I realized a few years ago that making has always been my default way of supporting and expressing myself. When I was in elementary school I would make it my summertime business every year to make a mountain of art and crafts to submit to as many categories as humanly possibly at the local fair, with extra attention paid to the bigger cash prize categories. In high school I took private sewing lessons from one of my mom's friends and made all of my own prom dresses and ridiculous wide leg jeans. From high school I went on to Sheridan to study textiles formally, and from there my silk screening and embroidery work followed. I took a hard left two years ago when I moved to the country, dropped my textile focus and moved into an entirely new creative area of fresh flowers and resin. This came from moving into my grandma's house and taking over her beautiful but neglected rose garden, where I became so inspired by the magic of flowers, and a pull to work with them creatively.

Valentin: What has your professional journey looked like over the years? Would you describe it as a meandering path, a knife fight, a bit of both, or something else entirely? Do you view your personal and professional journeys as intertwined, or completely separate?

Lee: I would say that my professional journey is closer to a meandering path that is definitely intrinsically linked to my personal life and struggles. Being in charge of a business isn't something that comes naturally to me—making the work is where I get my fulfillment and joy—but obviously both halves are needed to succeed in making things as a source of income. I've found that my business succeeds and suffers right along with me. If I am personally having a hard time, it is nearly impossible to motivate myself to be creative. If I'm personally flourishing, it's in these times that I'm able to see my business with rose coloured glasses and take it to new places and make bold decisions with confidence. There have been times where I wished so much that my work and my personal life could be separate, how much easier would that make my path to 'success'! But over time I've learned to see it all as a beautiful dance that is always working to teach me things. It is often in the lowest, darkest times that my subconscious is working out the plans for me to enact once the clouds clear. It's been a very important lesson to learn that even when we aren't doing the work, there is work being done within.

Valentin: What kind of education, internships, or mentorships have you pursued?

Lee: My educational path started with one misguided year of Art History & English studies at a large and faceless university, where it became painfully obvious to me that I needed to be working with my hands and needed to be taught usable skills. I went to Sheridan College for the Crafts & Design program to study textiles. After graduation from Sheridan I went to NSCAD in Halifax to finish my BFA (they allowed me to apply my Sheridan credits toward the degree, leaving me with 1.5 years to finish) where I broadened my studies to Interdisciplinary so that I could investigate illustration and book arts in addition to textiles. Since leaving NSCAD I haven't sought out any further studies, mostly because I've never been sure where I fit into the scheme of things, the hard binaries of art mediums.

“I've tried to create work that captures a moment, an accomplishment, a feeling that we would like to keep.”

Valentin: What is it about yourself that you find helps you the most in making your work?

Lee: I think my nostalgic tendencies are an incredibly strong linking component in all the work I've done. I've tried to create work that captures a moment, an accomplishment, a feeling that we would like to keep. The emotional connection to my Be Proud merit badges was one of the main forces in their warm reception into the marketplace. They brought people back to childhood feelings but within a new grown context, and that was very special. My Eau Claire resin work that I am now immersed in follows suit in capturing natural magic that is historically ephemeral, in resin. This emotional connection to beauty and to personal identity is a driving force I recognize in myself.

Valentin: What is the most important piece of advice you have received about making things?

Lee: The most important advice I've received was early on, and it was to not be afraid to show your work and get it out there. When creative folk are first starting out there is often this fear of talking or showing off your ideas for fear that someone else will take that idea and run with it. I've learned how baseless this fear is, and how important it is to know that everyone has the same ideas all of the time; very few ideas are truly one of a kind. The most important element of the idea is that it’s YOURS, only you will make the aesthetic decisions to execute this idea, and that alone makes it unique and worth pursuing.

Valentin: What is your workspace like? As part of your practice, you collect a lot of found material—dried flowers, stones—and I am wondering how you organize and take care of your collections?

Lee: My work space is divided up into three spaces currently: first there is the built-in bar in my living room that I have made into an art and craft supply heaven, cupboards stuffed with all the lesser used supplies, my Hungarian textile collection, and all of my business files, topped with a three-sided counter for spreading out and working. The second space is upstairs in the sun porch where my 'messy' table is—a work surface for pouring resin and silk screening. My third workspace is outside in the garden, where I've been cultivating a collection of small preservable flower varieties to use in my resin work. I keep my collection of preserved flowers in airtight labeled containers to extend them as long as possible. I keep the gemstones I collect to include with the flowers in a little labeled bead organizer. Organization and labeling is key when I'm working with so many moving parts, and keeping a schedule of flowers and their blooming periods is essential.

Valentin: What is your typical day like?

Lee: My typical day depends so much on the seasons: in the winter when the garden is dormant I am working on the business side of things—organization, ordering findings, making order forms, creating my wholesale business, updating my website (still on the to-do list...). In the spring and summer I am more in work-mode, so I wake up as early as I can and head right out to the garden before anything else. I work for 1-2 hours while listening to podcasts, and then I come inside, get cleaned up and start my creative day. There are a lot of stages to this work, so I could be working on preserving flowers, pouring resin, sanding, gluing, packaging or mailing, depending on the outstanding orders I have to fill. Working from home and be tricky, as I have a tendency to get tunnel vision and just work away at a task regardless of the time.

Valentin: How do you deal with the discomfort of taking on new skills, such as working with resin, in order to make new things? Is there ever a time where pouring resin isn't terrifying?

Lee: Taking on new tasks can be so intimidating. I've found I often need to sit on an idea and think it over for months, working out all the parts, the supplies I'll need, and the aesthetic I am in pursuit of. I had been thinking of working with resin for over a year before I finally sat down and poured for the first time, and I was just electric with a mix of excitement and fear of failure. Aside from a couple of Google searches and one old book, I taught myself about resin from top to bottom, and I am by no means done learning. It's humbling to take on a new medium and learn all of its ins and outs, and the pride that comes from solving a problem is immense. After a few months pouring resin turned from scary to just plain exciting and it remains my favourite part of the process.

“I wanted to make work I myself could afford, and would want to buy, not as a gift, but for myself to make me feel good.”

Valentin: What do you think you will be making when you're 90?

Lee: I can only imagine! I have no question that this is my life long pursuit—I will always be making and trying to express myself through objects. When my work was more focused in embroidery and fine hand work I used to worry that I wouldn't be able to be creative in this way when I was older and my motor functions decline, and I would worry that without those skills I would be nothing. But after switching to my current resin work it made me realize that there are endless mediums to inspire me, and that regardless of the physical limitations that naturally come with age, I'll find a way.

Valentin: What is a question that no one asks about your work?

Lee: One thing that I haven't been asked about Eau Claire resin is in regards to my intentionally low price points. I wanted to make work that was beautiful AND affordable, which is such a tricky balance to strike when working in handmade. I wanted to make work I myself could afford, and would want to buy, not as a gift, but for myself to make me feel good. Having worked for so many years making Be Proud merit badges that were predominately a gift item, I was so attracted to the idea of personal adornment, of women celebrating themselves. In hearing stories back from my wonderful retailers about young children coming in with their piggy banks, spending their hard saved dollars on a piece of my work for a friend or a mother... It’s everything. Making work that is magical and inspiring to young girls makes me feel so complete.

Lee Meszaros brings a charming, woodsy aesthetic to not only her work but in how she has expressed herself to me in her stories: the summertime crafting, the revival of the rose garden handed down to her from her grandma, the “natural magic,” as she puts it, that she casts in resin. I am encouraged by her honesty about her journey as an artist, and I think it would be interesting to talk to more artists about their work. It’s meaningful to hear from other young artists, especially ones who share similar motivations—nature, whimsy, interdisciplinary study—and to be reminded that no one can steal my ideas because it is my execution of them that makes them my own, to be reassured that the way that we work changes with the seasons. There is always work to be done, inside and out.

Interview by Valentin Brown.

#artist interview #lee meszaros #eauclaireresin #hamont #toronto artist #not my art #my writing

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