Saturday 15 January 2011

Finally, my 2010 photo retrospective…

… I have plenty of time for blogging at the moment, but almost no motivation.  I was so keen to blog daily this year and I even drew up a schedule, yet I can´t get going with it.  Not sure why.  I have quite a bit to blog about too, but still nothing is forthcoming. I do really have a problem with my online life from time to time!

Today, just an simple post to ease me back into my blog; I made a collage, using Picasa, of my favourite photos from 2010.  Some of the pictures came out tiny, so you will have to click on the picture to enlarge it.

Starred Photos

Tuesday 4 January 2011

Online Tarot Reading using Diary of a Broken Soul…

…I wonder what your opinion is of free online tarot readings?  Sometimes, I find them very useful and I wanted to share this website which, in my opinion, is an excellent resource.  I love the deck Diary of a Broken Soul, created by Ash Abdullah, and would like to get my hands on a copy (one day!).  The link to the free readings is here, and to the complete deck, here.
Recently, I did a reading for myself using the Self-Actualisation Pyramid.  It was scarily accurate.  What follows is the card layout, copied from the website:
Basically there is the main pyramid in the center, and two smaller pyramids each side.  One is inverted.
Positions 1 – 3 represent where you have come from, or what has made you/shaped you on the various levels.  Can be from environment, upbringing, schooling etc. A look at the past, but with more objectivity than is usually given when using tarot cards.
Positions 4 – 5 represent “who you are now”.  May or may not make pleasant reading but hey, this is what this is about right?
Position 6 represents “who you could be”.  Again it might or might not look good, but you can learn from that and change who you are now accordingly.  (This is a bit like how Scrooge did things in a Christmas Carol)
Positions 7-8 are your strengths.  The light you have which can be bought to the forefront.  What carries you and should not be hidden or unacknowledged.
Position 9 represents what you should be giving to yourself or creating within. 
Position 10 – 11 represent personal areas for development or weaknesses. Again might not make good reading but if you look at your strengths first you will be able to see a balance is there and you can choose to focus on one side or the other… your choice.  This is where you could really see how your shadow side comes into play.
Position 12 represents what you should be offering externally, or what you can bring to your world or others who inhabit that world.
The question I asked “Was where could the creative path lead me?” and the cards I drew were as follows:
  1. 9 of Diamonds
  2. 8 of Clubs
  3. XII The Hanged One
  4. VII The Charioteer
  5. King of Hearts
  6. V The Soothsayer
  7. Queen of Spades
  8. 10 of Spades
  9. XX Redemption
  10. XI Strength
  11. XVI The Tower
  12. 5 of Hearts
The first three cards, where I´ve come from, made perfect sense to me.  Some of the cards where a little uncomfortable though.  This is a shadow deck after all, and dealing with our shadows can make us feel that way.  I was particularly squirmy to draw Strength as a weakness – the meaning attributed to this card includes the sentence; “The seeker as Strength advises us to explore aspects within that drives us to manipulate, control or influence people or situations without consideration.”  This was a direct echo of something that had been said to me the same day – ouch! 
Position 12 was particularly interesting to me as well; “Uncertainty when faced with something that cannot be perceived with full clarity. The need to either take the risk or to look for other alternatives, otherwise there is real risk no progress at all can be made. Tentative steps towards taking a look at the face or façade you may have portrayed to yourself or others, understanding what is seen may lead to discomfort or a change in outlook.”

Saturday 1 January 2011

Photo Round-up– Winter Sky

I love winter skies with subtle shades of grey.  I should be happy if I could capture a sky like this with paints!
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