When you enter a NYC apartment and you find no couch (instead it’s silk beaded cushions scattered on the floor and a bed with a canopy and exotic embroidered fabrics), and no TV (iPhone instead), you know that this New Yorker lives an intensely metropolitan life. Add to this a toy-like Shih Tzu named Lola, strange carved objects of antique Indian wood, a host of Turkish and Moroccan lamps hanging from the ceiling (along with “silks” for practicing aerial dance), and closets stuffed dead with bellydance costumes, swords, jewelry and high-heeled silver sandals, and you know that you have found the place inhabited by the NYC bellydancer Blanca.
Yestserday Blanca’s became the scene of her “Meet your Destiny” Tarot-reading party. The readings were performed by Sherene, Jungian scholar, astrologer, dancer and therapist. Sherene wears long strings of crystal beads around her neck, writes astrology sections and celebrity horoscopes for Elle, publishes the astrology magazine “Constellation,“ teaches dance-based therapy workshops and does readings for those seeking souls who are concerned about their path and destiny. Yesterday’s readings were “public,” we all could listen in on what the cards predicted for each of us. Upon facing one’s destiny via the cards, everyone was left marveling at the insightful and often scary-spot-on nature of the readings.
I had two readings: one was done for me by Blanca - she is a psychic-in-training, and I was eager material for her Tarot skills practice session. It was a simple reading interpreting three cards: past, present and future. One interesting thing she said, to which I could strongly relate, was that my present offers me many opportunities, but that I will succeed best by serving others. My past was represented by Death and future was represented by Aeon. Both were interpreted with a deep message about my life’s journey and the promise of an “outcome of a high order.” My second reading was done by Sherene with multiple cards spread in an elaborate way. My future contains unexplored avenues of personal progress and at the bottom of my reading was the money card. “One thing you don’t have to worry about is money,” said Sherene - which was nice to hear, but I know myself: I’ll worry, I’ll worry!... Other than money, my destiny did not appear straightforward. My life seems to be turning in an unknown direction. I keep thinking of this with trepidation.
A few cards kept coming up in almost everyone’s reading, in particular cards referring to patience and refraining from immediate action or decision. Perhaps they reflected the place where we are collectively — not the right moment for decision making, for some reason.
Among the wines served at the party was my favorite “Roaring Red,” from upstate NY. Food highlights included lovely miniature sandwiches, gigantic strawberries, and CUPCAKES that had a magnetic appeal to the more care-free souls amongst us.
Last Saturday 440 Studios was the home to our first fanveils workshop. While I had initially expected a rather low attendance rate, to my surprise the workshop actually sold out, and I had to close down registration. This is a sign of the degree to which fanveils have now saturated the bellydance market. A year ago they were not so common, especially here on the East Coast. But at Spring Caravan in early June there were at least 4 fanveils performances (including my own), and at least 4 vendors selling different varieties of fanveil. 
