Light-ness

Real men

Interacting with the male part of humanity quite intensely, these days, I sometimes wonder what's happening to men.
They seem to be more vulnerable, more insecure and less and less clear about what they feel, think and want.
Guess it's the story of every woman's life...

Talking about this with my friend Villia this morning she observed - being the wise woman that she is - that this is very probably caused by the fact that most modern women in rich and developed countries have become very self-assured and able to show their strength without any restraint, not expecting men to be strong as they did a few generations ago (just ONE generation, as far as my age group is concerned).
I do agree with her. We're strong, determined, independent, and we don't *need* men anymore the way the older generations did. Not for surviving purposes, anyway (I actually do believe we don't NEED men in any possibile way, it's simply great to have them next to us instead of needing them...).

What Villia pointed out is that women have always been like that, meaning strong. In a way we're actually much stronger than men, only we made them believe that they were the stronger sex and now that we don't bother doing that anymore they have a huge problem with their self-confidence.

One little demonstration of this: the big success this video called "Crying girl" is having in Japan. As stated on this site: "It seems that men in Japan need to have their "conquering instinct" stoked up, and the way to do this is by watching beautiful women cry. Yep, in a nutshell: men feel stronger after experiencing the weakness of women."

A bit sad, isn't it?

Luckily not all men feel so threatened but I can definitely notice a certain "softer" trend.
On one hand I like it - in a way they seem "closer" to our type of sensitivity - on the other hand I feel that some guys really need to get a spine and whine a lot less. :)

It's my intention to specialize in relationship-related Tarot also to help my consultants  (and myself!) understand what's going on exactly in the mysterious world that we human beings call Love. And thus to make a bit more sense of relationships.
I strongly believe it can be done. And yes, I'm incurably optimistic. :)

I'd like to hear your opinions about this. Via comments on this blog, mail, Facebook, Twitter, whatever.
Please help me help. Thanks. :)
 

The music is by good old Joe Jackson and it's called - what else? - "Real men".

Eagle's wisdom

I dreamt of eagles, last night. They were soaring high above me, at first, and then closer and closer until they landed right in front of me.
They were huge and I was afraid they would attack me so I started throwing handfuls of grit at them to make them go away but while I was doing it I wasn't really sure they wanted to harm me. A part of me thought that they might be there to tell me something, to protect me. 
The biggest one was staring at me with a look in her eyes as if to say: "we're not here to harm you" but I was scared by their fierce aspect and by the enormous sense of power they emanated.
After I shouted to them to leave me alone they eventually left.

Looking at Animal Spirit Guides to discover what Eagle's wisdom is I think I'm getting the message, now...
Guess I must be afraid of one or more of the things they represent.. something I'm discovering in myself which still frightens me but at the same time needs to be recognised and honored.

Thank you, Brother Eagle.

Eagle's Wisdom Includes:

Swiftness, Strength, Courage, Wisdom, Keen sight, Illumination of Spirit, Healing, Creation, Knowledge of magick, Ability to see hidden spiritual truths, Rising above the material to see the spiritual, Ability to see the overall pattern, Connection to spirit guides and teachers, Great power and balance, Dignity with grace, Ability to see the "big picture", Connection with higher truth, Intuitive and creative spirit, Respect for the boundaries of the region, Grace achieved through knowledge and hard work.

Picture found here

All Souls - In Gratitude

 

On this special day a thankful thought for all of my Ancestors, those who walked before me and passed on their genes, their wisdom and their love.

A special thought for Nonna Isa and Nonno Angelo (my grandparents from my mum's side), two great cooks who inspired me in my work as a cook and food writer with their passion and their knowledge.

I'll be forever grateful. Blessed be.

Picture: Verona, where my grandfather Angelo was born. Photo taken by me.

Tuscan beauty

Little pearls of wisdom - 1

"Change is inevitable, growth is a choice"

C. Beaver

Picture: mine

Happy 2008!

Best wishes for a joyful, abundant, loving and sparkling 2008 to everybody!

Free Tarot readings on New Year's Day/Gratis Tarot readings op Nieuwjaar

I'm going to be starting the new year in a busy way, working, and that's OK because I just love what I do. And one of the things I do is reading the Tarot.

On January 1st (14.00 to 18.00 hrs) I'll be giving free Tarot readings in Edel, a lovely café/restaurant in Amsterdam (Postjesweg 1, De Baarsjes) for all those who wish to begin the new year in a nice and relaxed way.

The Dutch NL20 magazine has organized a "BRAK" party ("brak" in Dutch indicates, among other things, that horrible hang-over feeling you get the day after drinking too much) where people can recover from a night of wild parties.
Lots of healthy food and fresh juices for those who want to start the year in a "clean" way but also fat, salty food and Prosecco for those who just want to go on partying. ;)
There will also be the possibility to get a free massage and to dance to some nice music.

I'll give short, free three-cards readings for generic questions or 13 cards month-for-month Year readings for a general view on the year that is just starting to all of those who are interested in getting an answer to any questions they might have, so feel free to come along and have your cards read by me in Edel on January the 1st.

See you in Edel, ciao!

Nicoletta

Here you can read an article over the BRAK party (in Dutch)

The very, very bearable lightness of being

Being born in a Catholic country (Italy) I was brought up with the idea that life is difficult, a constant fight, and that if I want something it's going to cost me blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice.

With the years I've discovered that, as they say, "you create your own reality", and that life is as difficult as you - me, in this case - make it.

I've been a champion Miss Complicated-Life for a long time and discovering how to simplify things - and thus making my existence lighter, fuller and more joyful - has been a true revelation.
Maybe I shoud say that "it IS BEING a true revelation" since I'm still in a fase of discovery, of trial and error, of sheer excitement at the beauty and magic of this discovery and, from time to time, of painful falls into old habits and patterns.

This blog is going to be a personal record of my growth and of the wonderful things life teaches me day after day. I hope that through sharing them I'll be able to get some valuable feedback that will help me grow even more - an on-going process that I know will end only the moment I stop living, and this is something that makes it even more exciting. Hopefully I'll even be able to inspire some like others have inspired me and still do it, who knows.

My work as a Tarologist (a beautiful definition of card reader often used by writer, director and Tarot expert Alejandro Jodorowsky) helps me in this process and I'm deeply grateful for that.
I come across people with questions, doubts and other life-related matters that I know very well from my own personal experience. This helps me understand myself - and ultimately others since I sincerely believe that some things happen to just everybody - much better.

Light, lightness and growth are the keywords for me, right now. It seems that taking myself and my life too seriously up to now has created a series of fears about the present and the future that I'm actively working on shedding like an old skin from a snake's body.
When things get too "tight" around me I know it's time to change them, to transform them into something that will serve me - and finally those I interact with - much better.

The journey has just begun and it's being a beautiful one already.

Blessings and a light, joyful greeting to you,

Nicoletta

Picture found here