よいお年を： Happy New Year

"Yoi o toshi o" is the Japanese greeting used on the last meeting before the New Year. On the occasion of the first meeting "agemashite omedetto" is used.  The time between Yule and the New Year always seems fallow to me, in the sense that I seem not to do anything, but there is a feeling that something is about to start. Though sometimes it can feel a little negative, if I think of things that I didn't do or complete to my satisfaction in the year.  I was feeling that way this year, but I sat down and wrote a list of the most important ten things in my life. For each, I wrote about this year and my plans for next year. I then realised that this has been a wonderful year, I have not succeeded with everything I started, but I have great foundations for next year. I am now really looking forward to the New Year.

This year I haven't written so much in this blog, I have been concentrating on it's sister blog, a bi-lingual explanation of the Wiccan year. Because I write the Japanese first, it is really pushing my ability and I make a lot of mistakes, but my ever patient teacher Naomi carefully and kindly puts me right. Because I am using my weaker language to write, the English translation is much more simple than if I first wrote it in English. But I really like this simpleness. When I have finished it, maybe I will go around again and give a more detailed account. But I also plan to write more for this blog next year too (this year if you are reading this in 2016).

I have been reading the tarot for more years than I a willing to count, but this year with Naomi I have been concentrating on practising tarot in Japanese. It is amazing how much more fluent I become in Japanese during a reading. But I still use English for professional readings. But maybe the time has now come to start using Japanese for those who want it. Interestingly I was doing a reading in English yesterday and at one point had to ask "How do you say muishikiteki in English? (subconsciously).  So maybe my subconscious is telling me something.

As ever my camera and I have been out in nature all year. I have made a little video of some of my shots through the year. For those who do not know, the music is Pan Dance by Jethro Tull.

Bright Blessings for 2016