Julie-Anne Kinnear Celebrant

14/02/2025

Proud to belong to Fuze Foundation and know that a portion of the fee for every legal marriage conducted by a Fuze Celebrant is donated to our chosen charities -
MND Scotland
&
Beatson Cancer Trust

💜💚💜💚

This Valentine’s Day, the Fuze Foundation is celebrating love in action by reaffirming its commitment to supporting vital Scottish charities. Following a vote by our members, we are delighted to announce our charity partners for March 2025 to February 2026: MND Scotland and Beatson Cancer Charity....

12/02/2025

Come check out the beautiful Fasque Castle at our Wedding Open Day - it's the perfect place to say "I do"!

06/02/2025

06/02/2025

Sounds like a great gig

Have driven plenty Internationals, but yet tae perform at an International Folk Club. That's aa aboot tae cheenge on Tuesday Feb25, when I'm doing a nicht of song at Ardersier International Folk Club, at the Church on Stuart Street, IV2 7QE. Yokin time is 7:30pm - you'd be welcome no matter whit tractor you turn up in 🙂 www.ardersierfolkclub.org.uk

31/01/2025

Uplifting words 💜

This is a reminder to let you know that you are not here just to do stuff, just to perform duties and complete tasks.
You are here also to feel happy, and content, and inspired and well within yourself.
You are here to have some fun, create meaningful moments and find the sparkle in your eyes again.
You are here to unravel the magic of being alive, the magic of being you. To heal, to feel whole again.
Do something today that lights you up. That activates your joy. That brings about a genuine smile from your heart.
You are worth the effort..

S.C Lourie ✨ Butterflies and Pebbles

Artist Credit: Feng Sheng

30/01/2025

A real treasure trove - be prepared to be wowed by this unique shop

26/01/2025

Special place 💜

24/01/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15rMTv2gfs/

What is life?

Dostoevsky: It's hell.
To Dostoevsky, life was a battle with the darkest parts of the human soul—a crucible of suffering where we confront our deepest fears and desires.

Socrates: It's a test.
Life is the ultimate examination of virtue, wisdom, and truth. For Socrates, an unexamined life is not worth living.

Aristotle: It's the mind.
Life is the pursuit of knowledge and reason—a journey to understand the world through logic, ethics, and metaphysics.

Nietzsche: It's power.
Life is the will to power—a striving for self-overcoming and mastery of circumstances, rejecting complacency and embracing growth.

Freud: It's death.
Freud saw life as a tension between the life instinct (Eros) and the death instinct (Thanatos)—a constant drive toward creation and destruction.

Marx: It's the idea.
For Marx, life is shaped by material conditions and the ideologies that arise from them—a struggle to create a world of equality and justice.

Picasso: It's art.
Life is creation—a canvas for painting our passions, emotions, and dreams, shaped by imagination and expression.

Gandhi: It's love.
Gandhi believed life is rooted in nonviolence, compassion, and universal love—a journey toward peace and selfless service.

Schopenhauer: It's suffering.
For Schopenhauer, life is ceaseless striving that inevitably leads to pain and dissatisfaction, tempered only by moments of beauty and art.

Bertrand Russell: It's competition.
Life is shaped by human desires and ambitions—a balancing act between self-interest and collective progress.

Steve Jobs: It's faith.
Life is trusting the process—taking risks and following intuition, even when the road ahead is unclear.

Einstein: It's knowledge.
Einstein saw life as a quest to understand the universe's mysteries, driven by curiosity and awe.

Stephen Hawking: It's hope.
Life is perseverance in the face of adversity—a belief in the future and the power of human ingenuity.

Kafka: It's just the beginning.
Life is surreal and enigmatic, often absurd, yet always opening doors to transformation and possibility.

Camus: It's rebellion.
Life is finding meaning in a meaningless universe, defying absurdity with courage and passion.

Thoreau: It's simplicity.
Life is stripping away the unnecessary—embracing nature and living deliberately.

Rumi: It's a dance.
Life is a spiritual journey—a rhythm of love and divine connection woven into every moment.

Kierkegaard: It's a leap of faith.
Life requires embracing uncertainty and taking bold steps grounded in belief and authenticity.

Epicurus: It's pleasure.
Life is about maximizing simple, lasting pleasures while minimizing unnecessary pain.

Laozi: It's harmony.
Life flows like water—effortless and aligned with the natural order of the universe.

Confucius: It's virtue.
Life is fulfilling roles with integrity, respect, and commitment to community and family.

Carl Jung: It's individuation.
Life is integrating the conscious and unconscious—becoming whole and authentic.

Alan Watts: It's a game.
Life is to be experienced and played with wonder—not taken too seriously.

Victor Frankl: It's meaning.
Life is finding purpose, even in the most difficult circumstances, through love and service.

Simone de Beauvoir: It's freedom.
Life is the power to define yourself and reject roles imposed by society.

Heraclitus: It's change.
Life is constant flux—a river we step into once before it flows anew.

Hegel: It's progress.
Life is a dialectical process, advancing through contradiction and resolution toward greater understanding.

Hobbes: It's survival.
Life in its natural state is "nasty, brutish, and short," requiring systems to maintain order.

Rousseau: It's freedom in nature.
Life is most authentic when we return to our natural state, free from societal corruption.

Marcus Aurelius: It's acceptance.
Life is embracing the present moment with stoic resolve, guided by reason and virtue.

Seneca: It's preparation for death.
Life is not about its length but its quality—teaching us to live well and let go gracefully.

Which of these views on life resonates most with you, and why?

19/01/2025

16/01/2025

15/01/2025

10/01/2025

Could you be a Panel Member? Email [email protected] to sign up for this Friday's Information Session. 📧

Have you ever thought about becoming a Panel Member, but were you unsure about what is involved? Why not join an Information Session to learn more? ✔️

24/12/2024

Love this explanation of midwinter.

I'm definitely up for the hibernation, quiet time to reflect, little twinkling lights to light up the darkness, staring at the flames of the fire and eating winter warming stews 🔥

It's a pity it is interrupted by maniacal shopping for stuff we don't need and can't afford.

Let's slow down, look out for eachother, help folk who are struggling through the darkness and cold, appreciate what we do have and share some of it with others.

I love the illustration of this post 💜

"The winter solstice time is no longer celebrated as it once was, with the understanding that this is a period of descent and rest, of going within our homes, within ourselves, and taking in all that we have been through, all that has passed in this full year which is coming to a close... like nature and the animal kingdom around us, this time of hibernation is so necessary for our tired limbs, our burdened minds.
..the natural tug to go inwards as nearly all creatures are doing is strong and the weather so bitter that people are left feeling that winter is hard because, for those of us without burning fires and big festive families, it can be lonely and isolating. Whereas winter is kind, it points us in its quiet, soft way towards our inner self, this annual time of peace and reflection, embracing the darkness and forgiving, accepting, and loving embracing goodbye the past year.

Winter takes away the distractions, the buzz, and presents us with the perfect time to rest and withdraw into a womb-like love, bringing fire & light to our hearth.
. and then, just around the corner the new year will begin again, and like a seed planted deep in the earth, we will all rise with renewed energy once again to dance in the sunlight.

Life is a gift💗"
~author unknown
Art by Jessica Boehman

http://www.jessicaboehman.com/illustrations.html

11/12/2024

A portion of the fee for every legal marriage ceremony conducted by a Fuze Celebrant goes to our selected charities - Beatson Cancer Charity and Alzheimer Scotland 💜

🎉 Celebrating an Incredible Quarter 3 with The Fuze Foundation! 🎉

Morag Webster, Chair of The Fuze Foundation, and George McLean, Fuze Brand Ambassador, had the pleasure of meeting with our amazing charity representatives:

💛 Charlene Low, Regional Fundraising Manager from Beatson Cancer Charity
💜 Emma Russell, Stakeholder Engagement Coordinator from Alzheimer Scotland

Together, they revealed our Fuze Foundation Quarter 3 give-back amounts as:
💛 £1,436 for Beatson Cancer Charity
💜 £400 for Alzheimer Scotland

This brings our running total for March 2024 to February 2025 to an incredible £9,182 – and with 3 months still to go, we’re excited to see how much more we can add! 🏅

💡 This quarter’s donations include:

✨ £400 donated to each charity from legal humanist wedding fees.

✨ An extra £1,036 raised through the fantastic efforts of Sam Conroy, one of our Fuze Ceremonies celebrants, who took part in several running events to support Beatson Cancer Charity. 🏃‍♂️💪

On 14th February 2024, we proudly announced Beatson Cancer Charity and Alzheimer Scotland as our charity partners for the second year running. Every couple choosing a Fuze celebrant for their wedding contributes to this ongoing support, making their special day even more meaningful. 💒

A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved – from our couples and celebrants to fundraisers and supporters. Let’s keep this incredible momentum going as we head into the final months of the year! 💕

01/11/2024

Yup

My research and my life have taught me that regret is one of our most powerful emotional reminders that reflection, change, and growth are necessary. In our research, regret emerged as a function of empathy. And, when used constructively, it’s a call to courage and a path toward wisdom.

One of the most powerful lines about regret comes from George Saunders’s 2013 commencement address at Syracuse University.

Saunders talked about how when he was a child, a young girl was teased at his school and, although he didn’t tease her and even defended her a little, he still thought about it. He said:

“So here’s something I know to be true, although it’s a little corny, and I don’t quite know what to do with it: What I regret most in my life are failures of kindness. Those moments when another human being was there, in front of me, suffering, and I responded . . . sensibly. Reservedly. Mildly.”

The idea that regret is a fair but tough teacher can really p**s people off. “No regrets” has become synonymous with daring and adventure, but I disagree. The idea of “no regrets” doesn’t mean living with courage, it means living without reflection. To live without regret is to believe we have nothing to learn, no amends to make, and no opportunity to be braver with our lives.

In our work, we find that what we regret most are our failures of courage, whether it’s the courage to be kinder, to show up, to say how we feel, to set boundaries, to be good to ourselves, to say yes to something scary. Regret has taught me that living outside my values is not tenable for me.

Regrets about not taking chances have made me braver. Regrets about shaming or blaming people I care about have made me more thoughtful.

Sometimes the most uncomfortable learning is the most powerful.

Daniel Pink

https://apple.co/3NKlMWX

01/11/2024

The Festival takes place across Scotland 1-7 November.

It is a chance to remember, celebrate, and tell stories of people who've died that remain important to us.

Find out more and get involved here: http://toabsentfriends.org.uk

27/10/2024

Local 💜

✳️🔜 less than 1 week to go until our fundraiser double header ✳️

If you don’t have your fashion show ticket yet then please get it as soon as possible so we can gauge numbers for the evening 🎟️

Or why not make a day of it and come along to our prize bingo in the afternoon as well. 🔴🔵🟣🟡🟢

Please come along and support the pipe band and thank you for your continuing support 😃