February is the month of red – red roses, red balloons, red velvet cake, red hearts proclaiming undying love for one another.
It’s the month for candlelight dinners and the exchange of gifts, flowers, and cards.
It’s the month when sappy romantic songs come blaring across the airwaves, sugary sweet, treacle like, seducing us with their promise of love eternal.
And I’m not in the mood for any of it.Continue reading
Kashmir is reputed to be heart-stoppingly beautiful.
It’s called India’s Switzerland.
Ghalib famously said if there’s Paradise on earth, it’s Kashmir.
Honestly, after seeing Sringar, I was rather cross with all these descriptions.
Sure the Dal Lake is beautiful and the Mughal gardens are a piece of living history, but it’s a busy, bustling city like any other. Comparing this to Paradise, really?!
{Yes, I realize I equated the city of Srinagar with the whole state of Kashmir, but bear with me. I am only human, after all! I also blame some of the husband’s grumpiness rubbing off on me. Moving on!}
If there is one question that is at the forefront of all our minds, I believe it is this: What can I do to feel vibrant, energetic and really awake and ready to embrace life?
It’s a question that has no one fixed answer. It doesn’t look the same for any of us. And yet, it is central to our well being.Continue reading
Challenges seem to have become a thing around here – after the Mindful Break and Kindle Thy Spark, this is my most ambitious yet – a daily art challenge! But first:
Because my one small regret from last year is that I did not make enough time for art, especially in the second half of the year. Moving to a self-hosted blog and all the tiny little tweaks I had to make to it ate up a lot of my time and attention. Setting up an online Tarot reading business took up another chunk of energy. And then there was all the time I spent dreaming about blogging and fun new ideas – like the two Instagram challenges mentioned above. No wonder that my art table felt a bit neglected! Continue reading
I’ve spent a couple of months working with the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit oracle cards, and I’m in love with them. These cards are mysterious, powerful, and pack an insightful punch.
As I had mentioned in the unboxing post, they are the same size as regular Tarot cards. The black and white sketches with splashes of color lend them a sense of mystery and power, which I like. Continue reading
Goodbye, Create. We’ve had a wonderful year together.
We created a soul practice – meditation, crystals, Tarot, Oracle cards, journaling breakthroughs, life recording
We created some lovely art – not as much as I had hoped to create, but I’m grateful for all the beautiful pieces of art that we did create
We created my why, my purpose, my vision
We created this beautiful new website and found a wonderful blogging community
Your blessings were many, your lessons bountiful, and for that I am truly grateful. As our journey together comes to an end, it is now time to….
To shine the light both inwards and outwards…to examine the broken places, the cracked surfaces, the lies I tell myself and the falsities I believe…to turn the light outwards, as I embrace my voice, sink more comfortably in my skin, stop hiding bits and pieces of myself, and speak truth to power. It’s exciting, and scary, which means that I am on the right path.
Onwards!
What’s your word? Tell me in the comments!
Festivities are in the air for Christmas is here! On the eve of Christmas, a bunch of merry bloggers have banded together to unwrap the spirit of the season. Join us as we spread some Christmas cheer in the blogosphere this year! A big thank you to Vijay Preetham Burton for passing the chain on to me.
*******
As I share what Christmas means to me through images and a few words, in the spirit of the season, I also have some surprises for you! Click on the images to unwrap your presents – little nuggets, some from deep within the archives, that I hope will help you bring these feelings into your life too!
Christmas is when I yearn to….
In Priya Kumar’s The Calling, we meet Arjun, an overworked marketing manager on the brink of divorce. A near-fatal accident and a chance encounter with a sadhu sees him set off on a journey to Hemkunt Sahib. As he climbs the mountain with his guide Chandu, little does he know the mysterious turn his life is about to take.Continue reading
As I go through the books I’ve read this year, it’s immediately evident that the count is much lower than in the last couple of years. Since about 2012, I think, I’ve been averaging about 60 to 70 books each year. This year, the count is at a measly 26. And I’m thrilled! Because it is tangible proof that I’ve been spending my time doing more art, more soul work, and a whole lotta more blogging!
Reading has always been something I love – and don’t get me wrong, I love it still. But in the last few years, it had become an unhealthy, obsessive sorta love. I used it as an escape route – from life, from inner work, from my fears and hopes and dreams. Because if I was spending every free moment reading, I wasn’t doing much of anything else, was I?Continue reading
We’ve slogged through an entire year – almost 12 months of ups and downs and sometimes bone-crushing weariness. There have been high points and low points, exciting times and heart-warming moments, and heart aches and betrayals, and some things that can really weigh us down. But we don’t want to start the New Year on a weary note, do we? So let’s do something about it…