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Spanish Dancer. Oil on wood by Celia Turner. Based on carpet designed by Joan Miro c1930 for the Maison Myrbor, a gallery on the rue Vignon near the Champs Elysees. Arts and Crafts. I have always been intrigued by the debt we owe to William Morris. Morris was one of the most influential personalities on the British cultural stage in the second half of the 19th century. Morris was one of the first to consider the carpet as an art form, rather than merely as a floor covering. William Morris also advocated the 'total work of art', which extended from the design of a building down to the cutlery and floor coverings. The philosophy of William Morris and John Ruskin gave birth to the Arts and Crafts movement. Art Deco and Modernist carpets are beautiful works of art and can be seen in museums and collections all over the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.  I am working on a collection of paintings based on original carpet designs from the art deco...

As we have seen in the posts entitled ' Mental Health Awareness Week: 14-20 May 2018- some issues are perennial, such as relationship concerns, health worries and money worries. Trauma can occur at any stage in life and there is no predicting when the stresses of life will suddenly mount up to the point of feeling overwhelming. We all go through tough times, but it's not just what  we go through that determines our ability to cope, but how we deal with the stress- how we still manage to meet our needs as best we can, retain hope, and feel empowered. Once we understand the typical stresses of the cycle, we can prepare ourselves and others to best manage them. And a big part of this lies in having good support from others. So, what can we learn in general? Well, primarily relationships matter . Having warm, good, and wide-ranging friendships and relationships helps us all mentally, physically, and even financially. The one and only constant in life is change. The body m...

                                                    Palm Trees. Spain. Oil on canvas.                                                     Divi Tree. Aruba. Oil on canvas.                                                    Divi Tree and Products. Oil on canvas.                                                    

In the human functional process, we know and understand the role of the nervous system and the way our senses come into play in our everyday lives. We respond in several ways to external forces of stress and sudden changes in our immediate environment. Some of the stress responses are summed up in the 'fight or flight' reactions, which manifest in physical changes, such as sweating palms, a quickened heartbeat and dilated pupils. The same way our bodies consciously respond to external forces is the same way we respond subconsciously to life changing scenarios. It has long been believed that humans have some level of instinctive or intuitive ability. Logically, we know that the fire will burn because our cognitive spheres have at some point come into contact with the heat of a candle or fire. This makes sense, scientifically, and is an understood process. However, it is much more difficult to logically explain the 'gut' feeling that people sometimes experience r...

Once consulted, the tarot reader sets out on a spiritual journey which many believe allows them to gather conclusive and detailed information concerning their client. According to Plato's definition of intuition, as the knowledge of a pre-existing truth, the tarot reader could be viewed as using their gift of intuition to pick out truths in a way that most people are unable to do or are unaware of their ability to do so. It is at this point that the reader's energy flows into the cards and they are directed to those cards which will play a relevant role in interpreting the situations and feelings of their client. At times, the reader may feel that they have been directed to stop shuffling and focus on a particular card or set of cards which they then use as the basis of their reading. There are certain cards with a universal identification, such as the Death card. For most people, this card would simply denote the death of a person. On closer assessment, however, the card...

Intuition is key to successful reading of the Tarot cards. The reader will, however, tune into other skills and abilities to determine how best to interpret the specific message intended for the client. These other skills could include elements of the aforementioned forms such as clairvoyance or clairsentience. Correct interpretation is often considered to require the use of intuitive notions to determine the meaning of the cards' symbolism. Some people claim they can better taste or smell during a reading, due to the flow of energy they are experiencing. Often, this is thought to indicate information relevant to the client, such as a favourite perfume, or meal of the deceased, if it should be the case that they are trying to contact people who have passed. Other people claim to experience a heightened audio ability, hearing 'voices' or 'messages' intended for the client which allows further clarity of interpretations during a tarot reading. In all these cas...

Much concentration is needed in the tarot reading room or during a tarot reading. The outcome of the reading, particularly the cards chosen and their relevance to the client depends entirely on the tarot reader. When a client comes in for a reading, the tarot reader must seek information about the client's issues and their situation, which can only be achieved once they have honed into their intuitive abilities. This intuition is what gives the deck in front of them meaning and allows them to interpret the message intended for the client receiving the information. Some believe that when a reader goes to purchase a tarot deck, they are most likely to choose one which answers to them most on a cultural as well as personal level. Typically, the decks come with various imagery and designs based on the culture of origin. This means, for example, that someone who is Hindu and immersed in the culture is likely to be drawn to cards designed and based around Hindu culture and religio...