“Adult coloring book? Really?” I asked, somewhat aghast. “Why don’t you try painting instead? Keep it abstract if you like. I can teach you the basics and you’re good to go!”
“No darling, I’m not good at all that.”
#MicroBlogMondays: A little bit of crystal magic
I’ve been working closely with crystals recently.
After a recent workshop on crystal therapy, I decided to purchase a pendulum. As I rifled through all the crystals available – sun stones, rose quartz, jade – I found a beautiful purple amethyst that was begging to come home with me. While I was waiting for the store manager to ask him something before completing my purchase, I continued to idly rifle through the stones.
And then, I found another one.
A beautiful green and red crystal. The moment I held it, I knew it was meant for me.Continue reading
What is the Tarot: A brief history and introduction to the cards
The Tarot of Jacques Viéville (Paris 1650)
Public Domain
When I wrote about the Tarot last month, I didn’t expect so many of you to be interested in both a reading and in knowing more about the cards! Since so many of you asked, here’s some information on the Tarot.
A brief history of Tarot
The origin of the Tarot is a bit of a mystery. Some sources say the cards originated in Italy in the 15th century, others that they’ve been around since the mid-18th century. But what is largely undisputed is that the cards were discovered by scholars of the occult in the later part of the 18th and 19th centuries. They connected the cards to Egyptian philosophy, the Kabbalah, alchemy and other systems.
However, Arthur Edward Waite is largely viewed as the father of modern Tarot. In the 20th century, he commissioned artist Pamela Coleman Smith to create what he called the “rectified” Tarot. His version of the cards has been widely accepted as the standard, and is by far the most popular deck – and the easiest for those looking to learn the Tarot given its rich symbolism and the simple artwork.Continue reading
The story of a move: my journey to a self-hosted blog
Around the start of the month, as I was idly scrolling through Twitter, I saw a tweet about Host My Blog. Curious, I clicked over to their profile, and saw that they offer web hosting solutions for Indian bloggers and small businesses.
Then I saw their pinned tweet – Start a blog with .in @ INR 227 a year.
I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Yup, it was INR 227 for the year.
That’s roughly the price of a cup of coffee, I thought to myself, and immediately dropped them a message to find out more.
I had been toying with the idea of moving to a self hosted blog since a while, but it seemed like a really scary proposition. WordPress.com had been home for about 10 years, and they took care of everything – spam, SEO, space et al. But my dreams were growing, and the blog was starting to feel a bit restricted.Continue reading
Book review: The Reflections of Queen Snow White by David Meredith
What happens when “happily ever after” has come and gone?
On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven’s wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. Things could not be better except for one thing: The king is dead.
The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old. It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what “happily ever after” really means? Only time will tell as she wrestles with her past and is forced to confront The Reflections of Queen Snow White.
My friend and I
I’m curled up on the sofa, looking out at the rain falling steadily down. The weather outside – rainy, overcast, ominous – reflect the thoughts swirling around my head.
There’s an inner turmoil that’s been brewing within me since a long, long time. A problem that seems to have no solutions. No matter how much I try, or how often I upbraid myself for failing, it just doesn’t seem to work out.
And now I’m convinced there’s more to the problem than meets the eye. It’s not a simple case of do X to achieve Y. There’s something buried deep within; this problem has spiritual roots.
On my art table: Handmade Journal
Before I started art journaling, I was an avid journaler. In fact, I still am. There’s something about writing, about paying attention to each day, that draws me back to the journal.
The journal is a sacred place for me, which is why I’ve always been drawn to beautiful notebooks. But there’s something really special about handmade journals, don’t you think?
On my art table: Fierce warrior
This is among my favorite paintings! It’s my first – and come to think of it, only – experiment with doing just half a face. And there’s something about it that I simply love. The strength of her gaze, that shock of orange hair set against a black background, the subtle shading of her face.
On my art table: A flock of birds
Every evening when I return home from work, I’m greeted by the chirping of birds as they congregate in the tree outside my window. While the husband calls it a cacophony, I think of it as a council. What must they be discussing, I wonder?
The state of the weather? The shrinking green cover? The paucity of food? Or maybe they’re discussing the changing weather patterns, or the latest thermal waves they rode. Perhaps they’re trading the gossip of the day, or having a friendly spat?
On my art table: Open to interpretation
Waiting. Yearning. Dreaming. Hoping.
A figure in space.
A figurative landscape.
Yellows, blues, a tinge of brown.
Hope, calm, despair and sorrow.
Looking ahead.
Turning back.
Dreams broken.
Hope springs anew.
That’s what it does – abstraction.
One image – multiple viewpoints.
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