ZODIAC MUSE: SADIE WIARDA

This is our monthly feature ZODIAC MUSE spotlighting women who inspire us and how they connect with crystals and their zodiac sign! We want to inspire our Starry Community to find intimate connection with our crystals and to experience how versatile and inclusive they are.

As a bonus this month, and to open up this year's Pisces Sun Season, we chat with our dearest friend and photographer extraordinaire Sadie Wiarda, who's an Aquarius Sun, Capricorn Moon, Cancer Rising, and has her Midheaven in Pisces, to boot! Discover how this Muse of ours made use of her Pisces Kit - featuring Amethyst, Citrine, Smokey Quartz, and Selenite. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Hi, I'm Sadie! I'm a professional photographer originally from the midwestern United States. Growing up in a small town, I always felt a calling to go out and see the world and for life to be an adventure! So I did just that! Part way through my studies at the University of Iowa, I decided to move to Paris, France to study abroad and learn French. While in Europe I travelled often on the weekends to other countries soaking up the culture and visiting as many museums and little artisan markets as I could. I enjoyed my time so much that I decided to extend what was supposed to be a year abroad to two and a half years in Paris. I enrolled at an international photography school, Speos, and there I learned the ins and outs of lighting and how to use my camera as a tool for creating beauty. As I felt my time in Europe coming to an end, I was looking for the next adventure and wanted a mix of the European and North American lifestyle, so Montreal it was! Montreal was a natural choice as my grandmother grew up here and even though I had never been, it felt right. And here we are, I've been living in Montreal for the past 10 years. I started my photography business, l'orangerie photographie, 7 years ago and have been capturing families, love stories and weddings in a soulful and artful way ever since. 

A picture of you in a happy moment in time - GO!!!

Here's a pic of me in LA with the beautiful wisteria flowers. This was a happy moment, my first trip to Los Angeles (not for work) and it was a leisurely day strolling Venice Beach drinking fresh juice, wearing my fave marigold skirt! Ha! 

Your Midheaven in a Birth Chart is the point that delineates what you're celebrated for (often associated with your line of work). Yours is in Pisces - the dreamer, the intuitive, the one who naturally goes with the flow and adapts to the energy they're surrounded by. How do you identify with your MC in your line of work? What does it mean to you in the context of the work you do?

Pisces in my Midheaven definitely makes me an adaptive and sensitive person. Generally, I'm hard to shake in moments of pressure especially if I'm "on the job" in the heat of the moment like at a wedding, for example, where expectations can be riding high. I'm able to flow and help those around me feel good and like all is going according to plan. I generally think that "all is going according to plan" (as God intended) and we should all just get on board for that plan!  

What do crystals evoke for you and how do you connect with them in your specific line of work as a photographer?

I love crystals and gems, they are so beautiful and I love surrounding myself with beauty especially in the everyday. I use crystals in my life almost every day, each one with its own purpose. I have quite a collection now and one of my favourite practices is to look at all of them and then to choose the one that is "lighting up" that day. It's like a "knowing" the one that I should carry with me for a photoshoot, have on hand for a client call or to snuggle up on the couch with. 

What crystal are you most drawn to from your Pisces Kit?

The Smoky Quartz, it's a new one for me and the one Athina selected for me is so special! I love its colour and this piece, especially, has a bubble form inside that makes it so beautiful and unique! My word of the year is flow and this stone helps me anchor into that feeling. 

How do you stay grounded, as a busy entrepreneur?

Oh this is a good question, I have a daily spiritual practice that keeps me grounded and of the right mind haha! I love picking up Amethyst (my birthstone!) and Lepidolite to stay grounded and wind down. 

What's your favourite way to connect with your spiritual practice: Is there a healer you work with regularly? A resource (tarot, books) that inspire you?

After years of not having a daily spiritual practice, I seriously doubled down mid-2020 and have made it a priority in my every day for 2021. 

I'm a student of A Course in Miracles and it's a game changer for me and would recommend it to anyone on a spiritual journey that wants to take it to a whole new level. I’m also a part of Karen Kenney’s spiritual group called “The Nest” which has been a soft place to land and heal in community and feel supported during weekly calls. Karen, her wisdom and this group are unrivalled in the landscape of all things spiritual! I also love Byron Katie, she actually changed my life with her books (especially the book: Loving What Is) and her youtube videos. I love connecting with Georgina Durcan, a healer based in Ireland, she always has beautiful insight for me and always at pivotal times. I also love connecting with Steph for tarot and Clarity Now Readings when I need awareness on a situation or when making an important decision. 

As a Cancer Rising, Self-Care is so critical to your happiness! What is your current favorite self-care practice?

My go-to, especially in winter, is having my tea in the morning! I'm not a morning person, so I find it a gentle wake-up to the alternative of coffee and in the evenings a bath with epsom salts. So dreamy! 

Where can we find you online?

Ouh so happy you asked! You can find me:

Instagram @lorangeriephoto 

Online https://orangeriephotographie.com 

or reach out via email info@orangeriephotographie.com