Rolling with it.

Photo by Michael Baxter.

In Belly Dance, there is a section of the music called the "Taqsim". It is a Turkish word meaning "Solo" or "Solo action".

For a taqsim, the music is completely improvised, much like a live jazz solo. This means the dancer completely improvises as well. She has no idea what will come at her next. When the dancer and the musician are connected, it becomes an intimate and profound performance that binds the spectators, the band, and the dancer together.

The solo/taqsim is often a slow piece of music (but it does not have to be!). When the dancer moves slowly, we can see every thought, every impulse for her actions.

It is hypnotic, peaceful, and strong.

Going slow in writing creates this same sense of wonder. Writers can get so caught up in page count, word count, number of submissions in this quarter- anything that is quantifiable, really.

In this time of hibernation, racing from plot point to plot point can create anxiety. Go slow. Dig deep. Show us your passion.

Playing with the Tarot

*blows dust off of blog* *cough choke*

Sorry it's been so long, everyone. There is something about the winter season that makes me want to hermit up. I decided I might as well roll with it, so this morning, I did a cool Tarot spread.

 My deck is the Visconti-Sforza deck, a 15th century deck, and one that I find the most beautiful.

I'm not a big Tarot chick - I find it a fun way to play with brainstorming, dream up psychological insights, and of course, work on archetypes. 

I found a spread called Create a Vision Statement in Barbara Moore's book, Tarot Spreads.
Super fun!

The spread looks like this: 

2     3

   1

4     5

Position One is who you are, Two is what you do, Three is how you do it, Four is who you do it for, and Five is the benefits to your clients/audience. 

And this is my very cool mission statement!

I discover and bring to life bold stories of adventure and passion for lovers and dreamers so we can create options for a better world. 

 *happy dances*

What is *your* mission statement?

(I drew the Eight of Wands, the Knight of Wands, the King of Wands, Two of Cups, and the Nine of Cups, if you are curious)l