At the beginning of this month we celebrated Imbolc, the midpoint of Winter and the last, usually coldest and most bleak stretch of the journey through the biting dark months towards the Spring time and the rebirth of the Earth. At the moment I am typing this my desk is bathing in sunshine. We had 18 degrees Celsius weather this week which is more suiting Spring/Summer here in The Netherlands. While the week before we had snow and ice with temperatures [...]
The Ghetto Tarot is an interpretation of the well-known traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck by photographer Alice Smeets. Set in the Haitian ghetto, these fresh scenes were inspired by those originally created in 1909 by the artist Pamela Colman-Smith. The scenes were replicated by Alice Smeets with the assistance of a group of Haitian artists called Atis Rezistans using only material they were able to find or create locally. While Tarot originated many years ago when the circumstances within the world seemed very [...]
Yesterday was the Full Moon nearest (Wolf Moon) to the astronomical midpoint between the winter solstice and spring equinox. On this day some pagans celebrate Imbolc, others celebrate this festival for Brigid on 1 February (in the Northern Hemisphere). This is the beginning of Spring. The days are growing longer and here and there some seeds are sprouting though usually February is the coldest month here. Have you seen the snowdrops too? At the beginning of this new spring, it is [...]
Last year, for my birthday, I gifted myself a workshop in making Soul Portraits facilitated by @rose.qu.arts. 2020 started full of intentions and promises of making more art, though the collective and personal events of the year distracted me from my true calling, so by September I hadn't been painting and drawing much. This art course/workshop spoke to me immediately, perfect timing, so I dove in. I asked for days off from work and immersed myself in full Fridays of exploring [...]
How are you? For many it will feel like a relief that 2020 is over. What a year it was! A year where all rationality seems to have left the planet. The world has gone into a hypnotic trance as television and the internet are lulling us into a state of compliance. Thank you for visiting. I hope you are okay and have been able to take a breather at the end of a very intense and difficult year for almost [...]
As I have been doing annual year ahead tarot readings for clients, I always also make time to do I reading for myself, which I share on my blog, so I can refer back to it often. This was last year's reading and it makes a lot of sense to me and helped me shed light on this year; https://www.joyincreation.com/2019/12/30/my-2020-tarot-year-ahead-reading/ Usually I pick one card for every month plus a theme of the year card, but this year I was inspired [...]
Hello, merry Yule to you, I hope you are well and in good spirit. I am enjoying a day off from work and just doing what I feel like doing. I have been drawing, reading, making a SoulCollage® card and doing tarot readings. Haha I am glad I don't have to cook this evening as I have ordered a meal to support a local business. Enough doing, after I have typed out this blogpost, I will go out for a long [...]
Dear You, I wish you healing and silent Rauhnächte and happy Wicke days. Have a cose Yule and a fantastic 2021. Take care of yourself and each other. Thank you for the connection in 2020. Lieve Jij, Ik wens je helende en stille Rooknachten en fijne Wicke dagen. Gezellige Joel en een fantastisch 2021. Zorg goed voor jezelf en elkaar. Dank je wel voor de verbinding in 2020.
...Holy Night, or Yule Nights, or Rauhnächte. Preparations for the night when the light is reborn begin on the first day of Advent - four Sundays before the Winter Solstice. Advent means 'arrival' and we expect the arrival of the eternal light that is reborn in the darkest night. The number of Holy nights and the start varies by region. I will start on December 20 with the Winter Solstice. The descent into darkness ends December 24 at the beginning of [...]
In this difficult time I hope that you and your loved ones are doing well. And also that you have been able to find your way in the challenges that this time presents you. 2020 has been a year of profound turmoil and challenges, including a global pandemic, that forced many humans into a new way of life. As difficult as this year was and still is, it came with new learnings and valuables that keep us hopeful that the new [...]
