Raising armies of the dead near you this Sunday….

Yeah so there’s this thing coming up. In many cultures the end of the year, also known as autumn is the best time to think about death. This is not weird since the whole world seems to be dying, well plant life at least, to prepare for winter and resurrection in spring. With the daylight hours lessening every day gloom and doom and depression precedes the seasonal cheer in December. So we are all programmed to think about death, the deceased, poverty and general misery. So what do we humans do, we balance it out, make it a celebration of it and try to make a buck in the process.

Don’t get me wrong I love Halloween and Samhain, but I can clearly see it’s main motivation in our modern times. Dress up as slutty as possible (love that!), decorate your home as if it is a gothic Christmas (love that too!) and distribute candy among the diabetic and obese. Here in the Netherlands we celebrate (on some parts of the country) St Maarten on 11 november. Kids go sort of trick or treating but not dressed up and they carry an often self made lantern called a lampion, they do not yell “trick or treat” however, they sing St Maarten songs, usually off key and annoyingly loud. Now St Maarten was the patron saint of the poor, having very little himself he shared whatever he had with the less fortunate. So to celebrate this guy we send our kids out in the neighborhood to beg for candy.

Though there is actually a Christian celebration at the root of Halloween, the celebration we in the western world know and love these days is closer to Samhain, the Pagan party at the end of the year, celebrating the last harvest. Since the people in yesteryear thought it a good idea to do some partying when nature was losing the fight against winter, the specific time of the year became important. Now the whole world was slowly rotting away around this time of year, those people… I’m picturing tribes of Celts, druids and women clothed in little more then fur bikini’s here, reckoned that this would be the time the veil between our world and the next was thinnest. This kinda stuck and many good horror movies followed. The “latin” Dia de los Muertos is the awesome example of how to do this right, go to your loved ones’ graves and celebrate their lives, invite them over for dinner and be happy for who they were.

To celebrate this myself I will do a special Tarot marathon type thingy tomorrow. From 12:00 till 17:00 I will be doing readings with an extra Halloween flavor added to the mix. I guess we will find out how thin this veil to the other world is. Sunday I will thank my ghost cat for saving my life and after doing some cleaning up around the house I will hopefully do little more than relax, play Star Wars the Force Unleashed 2 and watch porn on the internet. A happy coincidence, daylight saving hours are starting Sunday so Samhain this year will last 25 hours so if there’s dark Druids, mystic necromancers and evil sorcerers out there getting ready to raise armies of the dead to take over the world, this Sunday would be a good date to plan such an occasion.

Tarot Noobz, take this from me… I know stuff.

Since I’m asking everyone to do their best to make this blog into the best promotional money making campaign ever, when I’ve achieved filthy rich status I’ll let you know, I decided to let you in on some of the big secrets to becoming a successful tarot reader. Since we covered the best decks to start with earlier we can simply skip that lesson… feels good eh? Didn’t read it…? okay go back and read it now, I’ll wait. I’ll even make it easy for you, you don’t have to look it up, here’s the link: http://nltarot.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-tarot-deck-is-best-starter-decks.html . Yes I am that awesome.

Okay everyone up to speed? Today I will give you an exercise you can use to get a grasp on all those cards, committing 78 pictures with a four page meaning each to mind isn’t easy and those four pages are just the beginning of the complete meaning of those cards. I know exercise sounds like work but trust me this one is easy and can even be considered fun. An added bonus is that it makes you more aware of your surroundings and get the best out of your daily life.

Here it is:
Get a tarot deck and place it somewhere you pass at least once a day, preferably at the beginning of the day. Like near the door on your way to work, school or unemployment office. Everyday draw a single card from the pile, look up it’s meaning and place the card on the bottom of the pile (don’t shuffle we want this exercise to last a maximum of 78 days and keep you from drawing Death each day). Think carefully about the card’s meaning and how it applies to your daily life. Then for the rest of the day see if you can find parallels between the card and the world around you… get it? No, okay I’ll give you an example.

The daily card today is Death, Death has three main possible interpretations.

1 Actual Death or a specific ending.
2 The closing of a chapter and the beginning of a new one.
3 The great equalizer (not HiFi) pauper or prince, everyone faces the reaper he makes no exceptions, to him we are all equal.

So the day starts, I take my first cup of coffee… death, my morning has ended and the day has begun… I get on my bike and ride to work and see a billboard regarding a marriage fair… death, single life stops, married life begins… At work I hear about a company where, due to cutbacks they have had to fire people… death, yes this one seems obvious but did you catch the nr3 here? Legally when a company has to make cutbacks they have to be as fair as possible and cannot discriminate regarding age for instance. Very often the whole company gets “decimated” from work floor to management death seems to warn to keep an objective mind here. Continuing my day I watch the clock and see it is nearing half past four… death, the day has ended.

That last example is important because, though the skeleton on the horse ( in the Rider Waite, which you obviously bought on my advise, not the Robin Wood shown to the left ) may look scary and imposing, the end of something can be a relieve. An end to pain, an end to a heavy task and an end to poverty for instance are all good deaths. Keep in mind though that all this unicorn-carebear fluffy happy interpretations of major arcana number 13 doesn’t mean that the card can’t simply mean death, as in dying. Try to keep thinking “out of the box” though and see beyond the obvious patterns.

So there you have your exercise, have fun with it and you’ll see that pretty soon you’ll get a decent grasp on the meanings of the individual cards. Soon you too will be on your way to becoming a filthy rich tarot reader.

Too lazy to get going on the day to wealth, try your luck at the giveaway: http://nltarot.blogspot.com/2010/10/free-crowley-tarot-storage-box-and.html

So there was this poem…

So there was this poem…

So there was this poem I’ve written some time ago. It’s designed as a short description on every card in the major Arcana. For some strange reason I had not posted it here yet, so here it is. Feel free to use it and even spread it, just give me the credit for writing it and if at all possible link to the blog. I’m actually considering to make it into a song sometime. Oh and [SPAM] don’t forget the giveaway… http://nltarot.blogspot.com/2010/10/free-crowley-tarot-storage-box-and.html [/SPAM]

Enjoy

0 The Fool

A path unknown started today

A new road ahead and behind

No clear path from which to stray

Still so much to discover, so much to find.

{>-------<}

1 The Magician

The tools of the trade lie at his hand

A messenger of the spiritual, divine

The energies, no beginning, no end

My answers are yours as your questions are mine

{>-------<}

2 The High Priestess

The Priestess of the goddess, the moon

She blesses her followers with knowledge lost

Mysteries and magic to be unveiled soon

Her affection may still have it’s cost

{>-------<}

3 The Empress

The mother, the womb that spawns

Love, caring and nurturing, her way

The eggshell is broken, a new day dawns

Beware what she gives, she might take away

{>-------<}

4 The Emperor

A leader to follow, charisma his sword

Inspiring loyalty deep within men

The charming tyrant now sits and looks bored

Untill his aggression is needed again

{>-------<}

5 The Hierophant

A ruler, a king, knowledge is might

Conservative perhaps, but wise none the less

He sticks by the books to ward of the night

The lord, our king-father to who we confess

{>-------<}

6 Lovers

Two souls, two hearts opposites attracted

The best of two worlds in harmony combined

A new path in life, to the heart connected

An established bond of heart, soul and mind.

{>-------<}

7 Chariot

It takes effort to steer the chariot

To impose your will on divine steeds

To stay on a path, and to stray not

To see what’s to get, not what you’ve got

And claim the victory, the triumph it needs

{>-------<}

8 Strength

The strength to dominate, impose your will

And see mind triumph over power

Feel the strength, growing still

And see the lion crawl away and cower

{>-------<}

9 The Hermit

The hermit shines a lantern, a beacon of light

Though he chose solitude he is willing to aid

Meditation and deep thought, will end the night

And learn that of the dark, you need not be afraid

{>-------<}

10 The Wheel of fortune

Fate twists and shifts as the wheel spins round

Fortune or misery will be on it’s way

To this endless cycle we all are bound

Left to it’s whim till our dying day

{>-------<}

11 Justice

Lady justice is blind, while striving for balance

In vengeance or retribution even the odds

Securing the base, preparing for the next challenge

And await the outcome of destiny, the whims of the gods

{>-------<}

12 the Hanged man

A duel of balance, to hang, at the mercy of fate

Like Odin father once hanged the same

In stasis, contemplating, a meditative state

Learning, preparing for the next round of the game

{>-------<}

13 Death

The reaper stands, imposing his will on all

To clear the way for a new open road

Princes and paupers, they all shall fall

What once was our lives, sails on Charon’s boat

{>-------<}

14 Temperance

Stay your hand, let time pass

Now is the time for reflection

Balance out what comes and what was

Step away from the on-moving mass

Find peace before you change direction

{>-------<}

15 The Devil

Feral instinct, bestial lust

Defile your soul and act to his will

Misplace your love, misplace your trust

And swallow down the bitter pill

{>-------<}

16 The Tower

The heavens strike at Babel’s tower

Breaking down arrogance for which it stands

Humbling the wielders of corrupt power

And casting them down to their ends

{>-------<}

17 The Star

A small light in the darkest of skies

Tells of hope and relief

An end to suffering as darkness dies

Allows us the hope to believe

{>-------<}

18 The moon

The crescent moon invites the wolf’s howl

A cry that is heard with the soul

Beware of the madness that’s brilliance gone foul

A third eye may blur the sight on our goal

{>-------<}

19 The Sun

The brightest light

Shines with power and glory

Like a fairytale knight

Is the happy end to any story

{>-------<}

20 Judgement

Resurrected from the earth

We shed of the sins of the past

We celebrate in our rebirth

Though once we were from Eden cast

{>-------<}

21 The World

Perfection found

The universe in harmony

Our souls unbound

All safe and sound

Relieved of fates tyranny

{>-------<}

What Tarot deck is best? Starter decks, just like magic the gathering… but with less trading.

Okay this is one I get asked a lot during readings, workshops and trainings. What is the best tarot deck? Well it’s almost too obvious but there is not one “best” deck. There are however several decks suitable for certain situations, people or questions.

Today I will focus on which decks are best suited to start out with. Some people stick to one deck for most of their tarot reading life, many however start with one deck but continue searching for the deck best matched with their personal preferences. Some wish to have several different decks for different types of readings, I for instance have several decks well suited for Halloween readings… or readings to scare the crap out of people any day beside Halloween. Fact remains, there has to be a “first” deck for every tarot reader. Often how this deck works out is key to what type, if any, of reader you will become. Some decks are especially difficult to work with and have been known to make people leave tarot altogether.

Rider Waite Smith In many cases considered “the” traditional tarot deck. Mister Waite and artist Pamela Coleman Smith designed this deck to be used and have a certain degree of graphic information that makes the meaning self explanatory. A big bonus in comparison with many other decks is that the pip cards, that is any other then the majors and court cards are illustrated as well. Due to it being probably the most well known deck there is also plenty reading material about it as well as way too many “tarot for beginner” books and box sets. A colorful user friendly experience that’s not too confronting.

Crowly Haris Thoth Aleister Crowley, the self proclaimed “great beast” is the name many a conservative Christian considers equal to the Anti-Christ. Though the spiritual equivalent of Marylyn Manson in his time, this man was all about shock. Not without point however, he bitch-slapped people awake in a literary fashion and made them consider the cosmos in a whole new way. This modus operandi is what his Thoth tarot is all about as well. Sure you can do readings on a completely uncomplex and reader friendly level but when you take effort to immerse yourself the Thoth gives you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me… God, Goddess, gods well let’s keep that one open to debate ;-). But the truth is what you get, whether you like it or not. Due to it’s build up and naming of the cards however, but in no less important way due to the brilliant artwork, this deck is suitable for newcomers still getting to know the cards. You can start out with the Crowley and never need another deck again because it invites you to explore. Even when you have used the Crowley for years it still manages to take you deeper. It is however a deck that seems to be a tad unforgiving and confronting. A big difference with the RWS (RIder Waite Smith) is that when you are looking for a second deck it’s a harder transmission coming from the Thoth.

Haindl The Haindl is a complex and rich deck and each spread invites you to spend hours pondering all possible connections. So why is it suitable for newcomers? Well in truth it’s not, not really. I put it up here because it is suitable for people who have some knowledge concerning the spiritual and mythological. I tjing, Kabala, Runes are all present on the Haindl cards together with prominent deities and astrological symbols they flavor the cards to such an extend that even with little knowledge of traditional Tarot these cards can be used without difficulty when you’re advanced in other area’s of spiritualism.

There are more decks suitable for beginners, like the Gilded or the Legacy tarot but often they are basically visually re-designed Rider decks. What’s important when starting out is; get a deck that feels good, has at least more then one reference book available and has illustrated pip-cards. This way you will get the best beginners experience.

For extended reviews of all kinds of decks check out: Aeclectic Tarot

Happy reading!!!

***UPDATE*** Free Crowley Tarot, storage box and online reading

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***UPDATE***

Well the end of the years is nearing and my goal of world domination is still not completed.... So it is with great disappointment I am announcing that I will be drawing for the giveaway the end of this year... wether there are 30 followers or not...

At this moment Qubert is in first place with the number of entries in the pool.... which isn't a sure win, but he's got the balance in his favor.

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I am giving away a new Toth Tarot Deck…

Okay so here it is, the “giveaway”, free stuff for which you have to do very little. Because if you had to do a lot it could hardly be called free now could it? I am doing a giveaway to promote my blog and the shop where I do my tarot reading, workshops and courses. You can earn great prizes...

So what’s the deal?

Since I am doing this giveaway to promote my blog and gain followers, any activity in that direction should be rewarded. So I have come up with this set of activities with which you “earn” a virtual ticket. From these tickets I will draw three names a first, second and third choice will be chosen. The first gets to pick a “prize” first, the second name will be next to pick and the third obviously last.

There is however a catch, I will reward these prizes three days after the number of individual registered followers reaches 30.

So here are the ways to earn “tickets”

- Bringing in a new follower ( off course this new follower has to make this known )
- Every three comments ( because a ticket per comment would be too much work )
- Becoming a follower of me on twitter (http://twitter.com/NocturnalLure )
- Bringing in another follower on twitter ( who makes him or herself known a such )
- Re-tweeting or Re-Sharing my notifications on new blog posts
- Registering and posting on the Ixani forum ( ixani.forum2go.com ) not Dutch speaking? I built this English topic just for you (http://ixani.forum2go.nl/the-all-round-awesome-english-topic-t191.html )

Rules, there are always rules…

- Direct relatives will not be entered into the lottery, off course any promotional work will be appreciated and appropriately rewarded.
- You will have to let me know you will be joining either by commenting on this topic or emailing me at hotmail.com account merlijn_tuttel . Any other method is okay as long as you have received confirmation from me ( facebook, Twitter, PM on Forums etc. ).
- I will so my best to keep up with what you’re doing, but this will be made infinitely more doable when you yourself keep me psoted on your promotional activity. - Only one prize per follower, if the same name is drawn again after allready being drawn for a prize, I will redraw until a new name comes up.

So what am I doing this for? (the pictures on top should kind of have given that away allready)

- I will give away 1 brand new Crowly Toth Tarot deck, designed by the infamous Aleister Crowley ( yes from the Ozzy song ) which is contrary to what you might think of mr. Crowley a very colorful and insightful deck very suitable for both starting and advanced tarot readers.

- A wooden tarot storage box, ideal for keeping your tarot deck protected and readily accessible for use.

- A free online reading, if I can get a grasp on the necessary technology I will even try to do this on video, no promises though.

So there it is, now go and spread the word...

Sponsored by Ixani

Shitstorm

Shitstorm

Sorry, please forgive me, this is not the blog about the giveaway as promised… it will come… I promise… just not now, I need to share this first.

So the shitstorm has not passed yet. This morning was another excellent example of how not to start your day. After waking up a tad on the “late” side of the morning I decided not to take my daily shower to save precious time to collect myself and prepare for another day.

Off course preparation time was too short. Since my headphones are literally broken (FUCK YOU SKULL CANDY!) again… for the fourth time. And the only headset available was the one for my phone I had to transfer some music to my mini SD card… apparently this course of action was considered absurd by my laptop who simply refused at first and later decided to take half an hour to accomplish this simple task. Off course I should have anticipated this and should not have started this process only one hour before I needed to be on route to work.

On my way to work, I’ll spare you the details about how time consuming the toilet can be when you’re not quite well and on diabetes meds, I was actually cold…. People who know me understand that I still go out in just a Tee with 5 degrees Celsius so being cold, while wearing a shirt and a hoodie means I am sick… and obviously uncomfortable. While on my way, running late due to the phone and toilet debacle and unable to return and be on my way again in time I realized I forgot my lunch, my wallet and my office electronic door key. Let me explain, not bringing your personal door key means you have to be registered to receive a “day pass” which takes time…. time I was thoroughly running out of. Not bringing my lunch or wallet means having to get by today on one sweet cracker (Sultana). Diabetes and all, not a good way to keep my energy up for the long day ahead (see previous blog Busy).

Once inside, with still 4 minutes to spare, sort of. I got the lovely message from my manager that I have a meeting or beter defined a “talk”. Meaning a talk with the site director and human recourses senior about my sick leave last week. These meetings are never fun, trust me, they mean having to sit through hearing how bad a person you are for having your colleagues clean up your “mess” and how this can have a bad influence on your future career with the company. With my current position already under heavy stress this is just about the last “talk” I need right now and gives a gloomy vision regarding my future here, which off course will do wonders for coming medical adventures, diabetes symptoms being stress related and all.

Right now I just want to curl up in fetal position and think of unicorns and carebears… well probably I’ll shift to games and porn pretty quickly, but lets just say dealing with reality today kinda sucks. And I have only been up for about 4 hours……… and don’t get me started on the weather.

Busy…

Busy…

So this week might be one of the busiest this year, starting with me being sick last Wednesday, this weekend disassembling an old closet and assembling a new one from what appears to be six hundred and sixty-six individual pieces of which at least half can be used the wrong way…. Which I did, making a two hour job last for two seemingly endless days of swearing, sweating and weeping. Monday there was the Team Ixani team meeting, interesting and fun but the spiritual equivalent of sitting between five humming speakers, in no way relaxing.. Tuesday and Wednesday will be my first two open Tarot sessions from five till six after which a 45 minute bike ride home through rain and wind will start of an evening of; Tuesday, with a mate coming over to play xbox and Wednesday, me having to go right through to my parents house for dinner…. no rest for the wicked indeed. Thursday I will entertain a party of five with my awesome but energy consuming “Tarot beginners workshop”, for which quite some preparation is necessary, after which Friday I will be having my fantastic son over for the weekend, a weekend ending with Cirque du Soleil on Sunday, then Wednesday I will be going to Amsterdam to see Apocalyptica in “De Melkweg”.

Keep in mind, all this while feeling Ill, working 42 “regular” hours and having to do most traveling by bike through severe wind and rain…. To top it all, both my stereoheadsets have now broken literally in two. I admit it’s an awesome week full of fun activities, but with my current energy reserve I hope I will actually have the energy to enjoy it all. Lousy planning yes, but hey some things just happen.

Free tarot decks, tarot chest and free online readings

I hope you peeps appreciate this blog after seeing how my week is planned…. Next blog will be about the Samhain Tarot giveaway with “Ixani” spiritual and New Age shop.

For all you Dutchies out there, come visit the Ixani forum and webshop, other countries join the forum anyway and start a thread in your own language ;-) :

Ixani : http://www.ixani.nl
Forum: http://ixani.forum2go.com (English speaking? Doesn’t matter just start an English speaking topic and I’ll join in)
Ixani Webshop: http://www.webshop.ixani.nl/
Team Ixani ( guides, coaches and the like ) : http://www.praktijkruimte.ixani.nl

Screw Christianity... and Wicca too!

Screw Christianity... and Wicca too!

Okay… here it is, I am frustrated by “my own people” as some would call it. Right about now everybody who knows me a bit understands that I have an interesting relationship with religion. I love and hate it, I find it the basis for most of the world problems especially relating to war and oppressive politics. Judaic beliefs, especially Christianity as an organization has long been a favored target of mine because of some obvious flaws. I do however recognize that the underlying faith does have it’s value, don’t get me wrong, it’s the institution with it’s age old dogma’s that get’s the spiritual middle finger.

But these days I tend to aim my criticism more towards what some might consider my own “side”. Wicca, Wiccans and eclectic neo Pagans. I will start with the last because technically I would fit in that category. The eclectic pagan is someone who believes that older world religions hold some merit while new religions (yes Judaism, Christianity and Islam are considered new here) are mostly wrong. So far so good… however a large group of these neo pagans are following theories fit for fantasy novels of which most have already been proven wrong. Fun yes, exciting…certainly historically correct, sadly no. Though it is a popular believe amongst especially the larger female group of eclectic neo pagans… and let’s throw in a bunch of the new age ladies as well, there has never been a time in which the majority of the population worshipped one Goddess or better yet a Goddess as sole ruler of the pantheon. At best there have been small tribes that worshipped a goddess. Most of the time there was a divine pair of which the male was usually dominant as males have been throughout most of history. Since there were few anti-head-bashing laws physical dominance meant social dominance which meant religious dominance for the majority. I have posted about Goddess’ before and I think that there has been no time like the present for Goddess’. I think I will include Maria worship here as well.

Goth inspired neo-wiccans adore Lillith as if she is the only Goddess out there even though she is a Christian figure, yes created by God as Adams equal… when things didn’t work out God threw her out. Yes Christianity did a real number for feminism there still, worshipping Lillith means accepting the fact that she was created…by God… a male deity… who is her superior. So even über-feminazi Lillith has to admit the fact she is in no way divinely superior.

An interesting theory you might consider is this. In many ruling cultures female dominance was considered rather alien and a man being ruled by a woman was considered weak and was subject to ridicule. Now consider the need for propaganda in times of war, depicting your adversaries as weak and strange, most likely evil beings was easy… you just accused them of worshipping women.

Well enough of that, I could go on for ages there… but there is one more issue I’d like to address this time regarding modern day witches and Wiccans. First let me explain some thing… the terms Wiccan and Witch are not… not interchangeable. Wicca is a religion, not all of it’s followers claim to be witches and Witchcraft is a the practice of magic which is not monopolized by Wicca. Wicca is not an ancient believe system, Wicca as a religion was founded somewhere in the 1950’s to 1960’s by self proclaimed high priest Gerald Gardner. Another interesting fact is the witch hunts, yes many people were falsely accused an burned at the stake (or worse) which besides being an inspiration for BDSM brought us little good and is nothing to cheer about. What’s interesting though is the number of witches, warlocks and werewolves (http:// www). Popular pagan authors claim the number to be up there with the plague and the holocaust running up to millions throughout 1480 up to 1700 is however historical accurately recoverable since the ruling clergy could do little without proper authorization regarding witch hunts. So it all had to go on record… “The total number of witch trials in Europe which are known for certain to have ended in executions is around 12,000”. Still nothing to cheer about but far from claimed millions.

So knowing these facts you can understand my complete lack of enthusiasm in replying to some skippety-Witch saying:

“Christianity hates us because we were there before them, worshipping the Goddess, that’s why they burned millions of us”

“Us”, no less.. as if she was present at the time. Now I know it is not easy living in the bible belt in America or other countries or regions where freedom of religion is debatable at best, but come on!

Well that is enough frustration for now. And really don’t get me wrong if any believe makes sense to me it would be that a mother would create life, a creator simply cannot be male in my view, but that’s not the point. It’s naive historic claims that border on the fantastic that annoy me and to be honest do little good for the pagan movement as a whole. Why I'm in this mood now? Probably because of the overload of fantasy based movies about witches, witchcraft and the like that seems to be on every channel throughout oktober.

Mana Drain, Brand Whore

Okay, a two piece blog today, you deserve it after having to re-read previous blogs for so long…. Here I am imagining talking to a substantial crowd while all of my page views come from the same 4 people, hahaha.

Mana Drain

Last Saturday, as announced I was doing short readings at the World Summer Festival. From the moment the doors opened till the moment the “fair” closed and the only thing left to do was Salsa dancing (yes Salsa dancing) I have had only one 15 minute break to get some food inside of me. Other then those 15 minutes I have been reading back to back. From skeptics to tarot fanatics, from laughter about career switches to tears for loved ones passed away, it was one hell of a rollercoaster ride for which I am thankful. However the whole experience did leave me thoroughly drained and gave me, next to some nice earnings, a roaring headache which up till now has not lost any of it’s enthusiasm.

Presenting ourselves as Team Ixani was also quite a success, I believe we came across as a sort of spiritual “The A-team” though I am not yet sure if I was Face or Murdock. I do however recognize Anja’s ( Ixani owner ) face as that of Hanibal when he says “I love it when a plan comes together”. It was awesome, you should have been there, realizing that 70% of my readers comes from far abroad I know how this is not very realistic of me…

Brand Whoring

If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s paying extra for clothing or accessories because of a brand name prominently defacing the item. I can remember when I went to high school and I accidentally came into the possession of a pair of Levi’s, I immediately ripped (well I cut it, but rip sounds more dramatic giving a better description of the accompanying emotion) of any form of little red label indicating the jeans brand. I am willing to pay and even pay a lot for quality and yes some brands do stand for a certain standard but that’s in no way a rule. Other then that I do so hate to conform as people close to me know all to well. Having to abide to a certain common dress code to feels like authority deciding about my personal style… needless to explain authority and Sidney rarely find compromise.

Not too long ago I was completely baffled by a colleague of mine, she proudly showed me her sunglasses, which she wears on her head degrading it’s function of protecting your eyes to common headband. It was a Rayban costing roughly the same as a weekend abroad dinner and breakfast paid. I asked her what the appeal of the glasses was, I couldn’t find it… she said: “well, they’re Raybans?!”.

Now I buy what I like, though I may be a style rebel in heart and soul, I have found that completely by accident I have bought some gear that have seriously known brands… So there I was on my way to work this morning, judging everybody for their choice to cover themselves in labels while wearing Stuka pants, Skull Candy headphones and VANS sneakers. Even though the ensemble cost me no more then 25€ I feel cheap for wearing brands… This off course I explain to everybody asking me if stukka and vans are “my” brands, especially Rayban girl.

Sidney’s personal style consists of the following brands: Aderlass, Raven, Stuka, Skull Candy,Alchemy, Saint Justin, Reebok, Vans and Microsoft Xbox. ;-)

WorldSummerFestival and Samhain giveaway announcement

WorldSummerFestival and Samhain giveaway announcement

Tomorrow I will be attending the wereldzomerfestival or WorldSummerFestival in Heerhugowaard. I will be doing short tarot readings from evening till night. I am actually quite excited because I haven’t done such a marathon tarot reading for a long time, I hope my energy reserves will keep up especially since last time I didn’t have diabetes. It is a weird setting for me really since the major part of the event consists of oriental type food and dance and well celebrating world summer when it is painfully obvious that it’s autumn, both on the calendar as well as regarding the weather. http://menaleila.magix.net/website#3

I think I will take some extra time to prepare for this event so my mind will be clear enough not to confuse people too much. This means time for a shower with some incense and soothing music as well as gaming and sleeping in.

In the same stand fellow Ixani team member Tony Rekelhoff and off course teamleader and shop owner Anja Kroon will be present to give spiritual guidance and general advice. I am looking forward to seeing Tony work, I only met her once, briefly, so this will be a chance to get to know each other a little better. A review of the evening will be posted soon after.

Somewhere around samhain/Halloween there will be something of a contest, giveaway type thingy. How many comments you posted, if you are a follower and if you reposted (facebook) or retweeted (twitter… well doh) messages regarding the NLTarot blog will be taken into account.