A note from our Founder
Happy Lunar New Year! Did you know that the earliest evidence of human beings keeping a form of calendar is a stone tablet with markings of the moon cycles? We wrote about it a while ago in this piece about why we humans feel compelled to mark and measure time.
I mention this of course because today is the start of the Lunar New Year and the beginning of the Year of the Fire Horse. This combination of Horse (animal) and Fire (archetype) is said to be a particularly potent combination. The horse being at the centre of the 12 animals of the zodiac, represents the climax and culmination of everything that has happened in the past 6 years; add to this the power of fire: uncompromising, tenacious and unflinchingly honest.
I hope that the spirit of the Fire Horse may inspire you to push yourself towards taking action this hear, turning a daydream into reality or being brave and contemplating whether the impossible could actually happen if only you set the wheels in motion (or should I say the hooves!)
Fire Horse New Year Cards on display at the Takeo Paper Shop in Tokyo, which Amy will be visiting next month
Coincidentally (or perhaps not) I have just booked my 'Paper Pilgrimage' to Japan in March, a dream that has been percolating in my mind for some time (6 years, at least). I have been busily researching places to visit — from the stationery shops of Tokyo to hands-on washi workshops in rural paper-making communities. I can’t wait to share more of my plans (and the trip itself) with you soon.
Of course, this planning is all happening in a notebook, right where the seed of the idea started too.
Amy x
