Author Archive: Modern Gypsy

Three benefits of keeping a gratitude journal

Gratitude – it is a simple concept that most of us have grown up with: to give thanks for the many blessings we have in our lives. Be it through prayer or by saying a heartfelt “thank you”, gratitude is something we have been practicing since childhood.

There are also numerous scientific studies outlining the positive effects of regular gratitude journaling, ranging from improved self-esteem and athletic performance, to better relationships and reduced suicide risk, among others. There are websites devoted to gratitude journaling, ecourses to teach you gratitude, special gratitude planners, and a variety of blog hops devoted to monthly and weekly gratitude lists.Continue reading→

On the importance of doing nothing

winnie-the-pooh-doing-nothing-quotes

So, how often do you do nothing?

There was a time, a couple of years ago, when my standard answer to “what are you doing over the weekend?” was “Nothing”.

Of course, doing nothing is never really nothing. It’s what the Italians call “Dolce far Niente”, which translates to “the sweetness of doing nothing.” It’s not about being lazy, rather, it is the pleasure of savoring moments of idleness. There are a lot of simple things that we do when we are doing nothing – reading, dreaming, taking a nap, going for long aimless walks, watching the changing shapes in the clouds, having a leisurely brunch with friends.Continue reading→

Why You Should Adopt A Playful Approach To Life

adopt-a-playful-approach-to-lifeI think most of us take life and ourselves far too seriously. We take on the mantle of roles and responsibilities at work and home, and believe that we are indispensable, that the world would collapse if we played hooky from work, or didn’t organize the linen cabinet, or dust the shelves before the guests came over.

“What would people think” seems to be the constant refrain running through our heads as we rush through life, doing, doing, doing. Which often leads to burn out, a growing sense of irritation, and a disconnect from our very essence.

One antidote to this is to adopt a sense of playfulness in our lives.

But, what does adopting a playful approach to life mean?

Continue reading→

Self-love-o-scope Tarot card reading for February 2018

Let’s kick off self-love February! We start with this juicy self-love-o-scope reading, which sets the tone for the month. And every Monday, I’ll publish an article related to each week’s focus area. I hope this reading and these posts will help you to deepen your self-love and self-care this month!

My intention with this reading is to offer you the self-care actions or tips you need the most at this time, and to see what energies would assist you in each of these areas.

I used a self care oracle card deck that I picked up years and years ago. I’ve lost the original box, so I can’t tell you who the creator of the deck is or even what it’s called! I’ve paired each of these cards with a Tarot card from Doreen Virtue’s Angel Tarot deck. I chose this deck for this reading because its messages are gentler {and sometimes slightly different from the Raider-Waite}, much like most of Doreen’s cards.

I decided to pull four cards – one for each week of this month. Here are the cards:

Continue reading→

Tracking the moon + a look into my new moon art journal

tracking moon phases, cyclical time, moon baby

I’ve been tracking moon phases since a few years now – new moon to full moon to new again. Initially, it was simply a way to make sure I got at least one art journal spread completed every month, especially in the hot, often humid summer months. Then I started adding in moon lore – looking at the astrological sign where the moon is and what its energetics are.

Slowly, I started looking at the moon phases as cycles of time, which gave rise to a fascinating question:

What if time was not a linear progression, as we've been led to believe? What if it is cyclical, which means we can always circle back to something over and over again? Share on XContinue reading→

How PayPal helped take my tarot reading service to international markets

the future of freelancing with paypal

Click image to enlarge

When I decided to set up my online Tarot reading services, I didn’t know of anyone else around me who was offering them online. Most people I knew of in India simply listed their services and asked people to get in touch to set up personal, face-to-face appointments. My approach was different. Like most international Tarot readers, I wanted the entire experience to be purely online – right from reading about the services, to payments, and delivery of the Tarot readings.

As I was doing my research for the various ways in which I could deliver this service, one of the main things I needed to figure out was the logistics of it – namely, how to collect payments! As I looked at the various popular options available in India, the thing that struck me was the high monthly fees that most of the payment gateways charged. For someone just starting out, with no idea about how these sessions would be received and what kind of revenues I could expect, a monthly fixed fee made absolutely no sense.

Added to it was the fact that integrating these gateways was really complicated. Since I was bootstrapping my website and doing everything myself, and since I am not a coder or software geek, I thought that my dream would remain just that – a dream.

But as I continued to do my research, I decided to take a look at PayPal. As one of the largest and most trusted payment processors internationally, I figured I couldn’t bury my dream until I at least gave the site a look. I had used PayPal often to make international purchases and found the user experience to be excellent, but I always assumed that their business services would be on the expensive side. But that was not the case! I was delighted to see that they had a service specially for freelancers – PayPal.Me. No monthly fees and a fixed per transaction fees – I almost couldn’t believe my eyes!Continue reading→

On my Art Table: Being Open to the Mystery of the Universe

What does it mean to be open to the mystery of the universe?

This is a question I’ve been contemplating since a while. And as usual, when I have a question that requires deep contemplation, I take it to my art table. Through writing, throwing down layers of paint, playing with stencils and different mediums without any end goal in mind, I work through the question in my mind.

On my art table - being open to the mysteries of the universe

My answer comes through the marks I make on the page.Continue reading→

The Daily Ritual

The daily ritual prose poemThe silence of the morning,
Broken only by the hum of the refrigerator,
The whirling of the fan,
The chirping of the birds on the big tree outside.Continue reading→