Book review: Two Graves by Zoe Kalo

A Dante-ish descent through a sinister world of decadent shadows and woeful souls…

Doesn't that sound nice and spooky for a short novella tagged as a dark psychological suspense?

"Seven years ago, he shattered her life. The town eventually forgot the headlines and the nightmares. But 23-year old music student Angelica hasn’t forgotten.

For the past seven years, she’s contemplated payback with as much intensity and unwavering faith as she puts into her violin playing. Finally, all the pieces are in place. Over the course of one night, disguised for a masquerade ball,

Angelica orchestrates a journey of revenge."

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The Mindful Break 2016

I need to slow down. Things have been happening at break-neck speed recently, and October is shaping up to be worse. It’s a very busy period for me at work, and to add to that, it’s also the season for the biggest festival in India – Diwali.

In the middle of all this craziness, though, it’s easy to get stressed out and overwhelmed. And so, I need a bit of a daily break. A reminder to myself to just breathe.

Which gave me the idea of a 15 day {because that’s all that seems doable to me this month} photography challenge – The Mindful Break. It’s just a simple reminder to be in the moment, a gentle pause in the middle of all the frenetic activity.

And I’d love for YOU to join me on this challenge.Continue reading→

What is the difference between Tarot and Oracle cards

This is a common question that many people ask when they’re starting out on an inner quest – Tarot Cards or Oracle Cards – which are better? How are they different? Let me try to break it down for you.

The difference between Tarot and Oracle cards

Both the Tarot and Oracle cards can be powerful tools for personal growth, inspiration and divination. So there is no major difference there. Where they really differ is in their structure.

No matter which Tarot deck you buy or which system it follows, a Tarot deck always has 78 cards. These cards are always divided into 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The 22 Major Arcana cards always depict major events and turning points in our lives. The naming conventions may differ slightly from deck to deck, but the broad meanings are largely similar.

The rest of the 56 Minor Arcana cards are suit cards – wands, swords, cups and pentacles. These represent the daily ebb and flow of life. Each of these is related to one of the four elements and a particular trait.Continue reading→

#MondayMusings: How do ideas cross-pollinate?

I heard something new recently – Ghetto blogging. According to Richa Singh, who spoke of the concept, ghetto blogging is too much of the same content, style, and ideas across blogging, when every other blogger is doing the same content style, like a ghetto.

Which got me to thinking: this is a problem that is common across blogs {and the internet}, yes, but also with ideas.

Like the formulaic cinema of the ‘80s and ‘90s – that was the terrible era of Govinda and David Dhawan, when every movie was titled similarly (Hero No 1, Aunty No 1) and followed the same formula. Govinda was the No. 1 bumbling idiot and almost every dialogue was filled with double-entendres. More recently, Bang Bang was “inspired” by Knight and Day and Partner was a direct rip-off of Hitch. The originals in both cases were infinitely better movies, at least in my opinion! And the rip-off was immediately clear if you had seen the original English movies.Continue reading→

The Red Thread

Chinese-legend-myth-of-red-thread There’s something magical that I’ve been noticing in my life recently. It his to do with art. With learning, teaching, and living an artistic life.

When I started down this path, I was quite a babe in the woods – clueless about where I was going, what I was doing, and why I was doing it. All I recognized was a calling… a yearning to create – to pick paints and paper, glue and pictures, with no idea of what to do with them, how to mold them into something that was pleasing to the eye.

I stumbled upon a few teachers – wonderful people who shared their art, tips, and techniques online for free on YouTube. I picked up a few tips here, an idea for a technique there. But very often, these free videos were disappointing. They were either timelapsed and so fast that I had no idea what or how the person was doing what they were doing. Often, they were product demonstrations – and said products were not necessarily available in India. But I persevered.Continue reading→

Plumbing the darkest depths of my soul and living to tell the tale

Plumbing-the-darkest-depths-of-my-soul-and-living-to-tell-the-tale

Has this ever happened to you? Periods when you felt like you are drifting along, rudderless, without any ambitions or passions?

It happened to me. It lasted roughly 4-5 long years. Looking back, it was the worst period of my life.

I felt adrift, lost and confused; I had no ambitions and no passions. I can’t remember how many articles I read during that period – articles telling you how to find your passion, how to get up in the morning with boundless energy and raring to face the day. None of them helped. I felt like I was trapped in the darkest depths of my soul and there was no way out. Continue reading→

#MicroBlogMondays: Where do ideas come from

I’ve been wondering about this recently. Where do ideas come from?

There are times when ideas seem to dry up. At other times, they flow so fast and thick that you wonder when and how you will execute them all!

So where do ideas come from?

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A look at how the Tarot works

In my previous post, I shared a bit about the history of the Tarot and briefly introduced you to the cards. Today, let me tell you how the Tarot works – and doesn’t work.

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the Tarot, which isn’t surprising given its portrayal in the movies. Picture this:

A young girl goes to a fortune teller, who pulls out the Death cards and says something like: “Oh, Death! Someone you love is going to die today!” *Cue dramatic music in the background.*

I say: Bullshit!

From the Mary-El Tarot Tarot deck – I love this version of the card. It depicts what Death truly represents – the end of a cycle or transformation.

For one, Death very rarely means the literal death of someone – so breathe! For another, the Tarot does not tell you exactly what will happen, or exactly when it will happen, and a reading isn’t set in stone. Hello, free will!

The Tarot provides you with a road map

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Adult coloring books and the creativity myth

“I love coloring! The other day, when my niece was over, I started coloring along with her in her coloring book, and I really enjoyed it. I think I’m going to order some adult coloring books soon,” declared a friend recently.

“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.”

There is so much more to creativity than adult coloring books. Explore art journaling with me.

And this, right here, is why I believe adult coloring books have become such a huge fad.

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#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.

Amethyst pendulum

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→