Psychic “Gifts”: The Curse of Cassandra

Photo Credit: WyronA; @wyron

Psychic gifts among humans are as old as time. I’ve often wondered if divination rivals prostitution as the world’s oldest profession! These gifts are more common than we realize but not well understood. What is not well understood is often feared. Having psychic gifts can feel uncomfortable or scary for the person who possesses them. And sharing psychic information is sometimes not appreciated, even by those who seek it out.

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a priestess of Apollo who was equally blessed and cursed with psychic abilities. Her gift was that she could accurately prophesy the future but her curse was that no one would ever believe her. Cassandra’s tragic plight serves as a metaphor for what many with psychic gifts experience. We all think we want a peak into the future, but do we really?

Many budding psychics or those with psychic gifts have a savior complex. We believe the psychic information we receive can help others and we want to help all the world. We’ll help the heck out of you! I’ve had many beautiful examples from my own life of when giving and receiving psychic insight really helped and added positive value.

Being a professional psychic, clients come to me wanting to glimpse into their futures or look more deeply into the past and present. There will be times when I divine information about their futures that they don’t want to hear. I totally understand people’s disappointment when this happens but at least we both understand that they came to me; they asked me to tell them what I see, I didn’t just go up to them and offer it.

“For much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.”

— Ecclesiastes 1:18, KJV

This is where difficulties and fear really come into play around seeing into the future. Throughout historical literature, mythology, and religion, the dangers of prophecy abound. Some of this is superstition and perhaps used as a deterrent for people wanting to explore their personal spiritual power. What better way to control people than to make them afraid of their own power? But some of this caution makes sense.

I have found that psychic abilities are a double-edged sword. Having further insight into matters can be helpful but there will be times when it makes matters worse. Sometimes forewarned is not forearmed, especially where others are concerned. Many people reject the psychic information they receive because it goes against their beliefs or view of reality. When what was predicted comes to pass, no difference is made. Or the person will blame and scapegoat the psychic messenger.

Receiving psychic knowledge is certainly not foolproof or 100% accurate. Psychics are only human and what we divine is open to our very human (and sometimes flawed) interpretation. However, no matter how accurate your perceptions or predictions may be, they may not always help everyone. While the gift of psychic perception is one I will always be grateful for I recognize that, in a bold way of stating it, it can be a curse as well. Appreciate the psychic view into the future while understanding that sometimes what we see won’t be welcome or even understood.

Stop, Start, Continue

Photo Credit: Brett Jordan; @brett_jordan

Tarot is an amazing tool for spiritual exploration and esoteric study. What is also wonderful about the tarot is how it can guide us through everyday life, no matter how mundane the situation in question. I firmly believe there is no situation in life for which tarot cannot provide guidance. In this blog post I’d like to share with you one of my favorite tarot exercises or spreads I created to help with any situation that has you in a bind.

Certain situations in life are beyond our control, or they certainly feel that way. Our reaction, of course is what we can control. And even that feels impossible at times! We panic, our emotions get the best of us, or we freeze with indecision. Feeling empowered to make decisions is so important, but it’s also intimidating and overwhelming at times.

I came up with a simple tarot spread for guidance one day and found it worked so well, I’ve used it ever since. Many tarot spreads answer questions like, “What do I need to know about situation (fill in the blank).” Answering a question like this can be helpful when you have no clue what is going on. However, when you do have some information, a question like this can render an answer that feels too vague. Common spreads will also cover the past, present, and future of the situation. You think, “I don’t need to know about the situation, I need to know what to do about the situation!”

This is where a spread I call “Stop, Start, Continue” comes in. Knowing that some kind of action must be taken but needing guidance and clarity, I pull three cards, asking, “What do I need to stop doing. What should I start doing? And what am I already doing that I should continue doing?”

Cards from The Spirit Keeper’s Tarot by Benebell Wen; self-published; https://www.benebellwen.com

As an example, I asked the cards, “When it comes to growing my client base, what should I stop doing, what should I start doing, and what should I continue doing?” Using the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot, Vitruvian Edition, by Benebell Wen, the cards I pulled were the 8 of Swords, the Herald of Awakening (the Page of Wands), and the 6 of Orbs (Coins).

The adjustments I need to make are immediately apparent to me! I need to get out of my own head and stop trapping myself by over thinking. I need to start expressing my creativity and communicating spiritual messages with more confidence. Lastly, I need to continue providing content and offering my spiritual services to any would-be clients. I need to take action and continue to be of service. This is much clearer than if I’d just asked, “What do I need to know about growing my client base.”

Cards from Mystic Mondays Tarot by Grace Duong; Chronicle Books

Let’s look at another example. It’s a controversial one! I asked, “How best can America handle the upcoming election?” Using the Mystic Mondays Tarot by Grace Duong, I pulled the 5 of Cups, the Queen of Swords, and the Ace of Swords! Alrighty then! What Americans need to stop doing is focusing on the disappointment we feel at how things are going in the political landscape and in 2020 in general. We’re seeing the glass as half empty, not half full. Then, we need to start communicating our thoughts and ideas with respect and clarity. We need to say what we think with measure and grace. The Queen of Swords doesn’t shout – she doesn’t need to. Then, we need to continue speaking our minds and communicating with each other. Keep having those difficult conversations, don’t shut down.

Hopefully you can see this tarot exercise is great for when you need clear direction and actionable guidance. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

Working Through Distractions

Photo Credit: Charlz Gutierrez De Pineres @charlz

As we begin to head into the harvest season of the year, many of us want to complete one last big push of productivity. Things have a way of slowing down and yet increasing in chaos as we head into the latter half of the year. Thinking about this highlighted to me the struggles myself and many others have with distractions.

Experts point out what a distracted world we live in now. There are so many more distractions now than ever before in the history of mankind. Technology has become our right hand and our entertaining dopamine hit when we are bored and need a fix. The problem though is that we’re not often truly bored. A lot of times we have quite a lot to do. But this work isn’t “fun” or stimulating. This work is “boring” according to our brains which are used to bright colors, flashing lights, sweet treats and laugh tracks. But this work is also what will move us forward in life. It’s not as fun as distractions, but the success of our futures depend on it.

I have long-since come to recognize indulging in distractions to be a form of resistance for me. Some part of me is afraid to step to the mat, afraid of what will happen when I’m called to task. Will I be able to perform? Will I succeed or make a fool of myself?

We all do this. We do this with school work, with projects, on our jobs. We do it when trying to build our businesses or clean our houses. We indulge in distractions from our shadow work, prayers, or spiritual cleansing. One could easily say we need distractions. We need distractions from this crazy world and all the stimulation we receive, nearly 24/7. I would argue that the distractions are the main culprit when it comes to the constant input of data we accept.

Richard from https://www.doomedmoviethon.com/ distracting me in the middle of a reading!

Photo credit: LeEtta Schmidt of https://www.theleemsmachine.com/

Naturally, I bring most of my thoughts on this blog to a spiritual and energetic place. Thinking of the natural rhythms and cycles of nature, has humanity diverged too much from our natural patterns? I would actually say no. As people rush to get into “Back to School” mode this aligns with the last heated excitement of summer. People in colder climates prioritize soaking the last rays of sun before the leaves fall. Those of us in hot climates are relieved to know our hottest days are numbered. No man-made technology or distractions can pull us out of these patterns.

Distractions alone are not the enemy; our brains and bodies do need a break. Recognizing when distractions pull you away from what matters most to you in life is the greatest challenge. It can be so hard not to dawdle and daydream. I know I’m confronted with a shadow when the thought of working on a project makes me want to clean my baseboards or pull weeds.

Does the thought of meditating make you want to play Boggle or organize your socks by color? Do notifications on your phone annoy you unless you’re working on a project and are thrilled to have a blessed distraction? Join the club!

But I’ve learned two things I want to share. First off, distractions will always be plentiful, but time won’t. We have precious little time to accomplish our dreams and goals. We never get as much time as we’d like to do the things that matter. The second thing is, doing one hour of “boring” work in actuality makes me feel infinitely better than moving up levels in Candy Crush Saga or watching yet another YouTube video (mine excluded, wink wink!) Blocking out distractions is tough and the world is setup against us in that regard. As aforementioned, distractions themselves aren’t the enemy. Our resistance hiding behind the distractions is truly the culprit. Don’t let distractions monopolize your time and energy. The harvest is always around the corner and the fewer distractions we indulge, the more true plenty we will have.

When Worldly Actions Match Spiritual Intentions, Success Ensues

James 2:14-26 Holy Bible, KJV

So many moments of life become opportunities to learn. I especially love learning from my clients and drawing parallels between all our lives. We are all so unique and yet so connected as a human collective. One thing I’m shown over and over is how our every day, practical actions can hardly be separated from any spiritual work we do. Lines between mundane life and the metaphysical blur continuously and seamlessly.

Prosperity and money are huge hot-button issues for a lot of people. Many people deal with the pitfalls of a scarcity mindset and work diligently to overcome that limitation. This can be one of the hardest blocks to overcome. Case in point, many people perform spells, say positive affirmations, use hypnosis, etc. and over time this spiritual and unconscious mental work will impact the person’s actions in a way that creates harmony. Over time, the prosperity block dissolves and the person progresses with joy and abundance.

However, some people perform the same rituals and practices and then continue to spend more money than they earn. No, I’m not referring to emergencies and series of unfortunate events that can befall anyone. I mean consistent mismanagement of basic financial principles. Sometimes, the spiritual and mental work doesn’t fully connect to the actions the person takes. This could be caused by blocks that are deeper in the subconscious than the person realizes. But I see so many of my clients and other people I know suffer with this issue. They try everything they know to do and everything I suggest, but as long as their practical actions clash with their intention, they stagnate or dig a deeper hole.

I have a painful example of this disconnect from my own life. Years ago, in my prior corporate life, I experienced an extremely rough patch in my career. My work environment was negative and toxic and I was expected to perform optimally in a complex, stressful job with virtually no training. There were days when being at work felt like Hell. Being the spiritualista that I am, I decided to take metaphysical action!

I burned many candles and much incense and prayed extensively. I cleansed myself and tried to focus on positivity and affirmations. And every day, I failed to make progress. I was doing the spiritual heavy lifting, but one day while sitting at my desk, it occurred to me why nothing was working. My actions at work contrasted with my spiritual intentions.

Cards from Keepers of the Light Oracle Cards by Kyle Gray, Artist: Lily Moses; Hay House

The uncomfortable truth was, my performance at work sucked. I wasn’t meeting expectations – those of my employer or even my own. I knew I was capable of so much more than I was producing and I recognized that my lagging performance was an immature reaction, a form of protest against my oppressors, if you will. But the joke was on me because I was the one suffering! I decided to match my prayers and affirmations for a positive work environment by creating it for myself. I stopped complaining, and feeling victimized and took charge. Once my actions matched my prayers and affirmations, the positive intentions I worked to create in spirit catapulted me into success that shocked me!

We all know the struggle when it comes to putting our spiritual intentions into action in daily life. However, there can be times when we fail to see to correlation to earthly tasks and our spiritual work. We pray for true love but then continue to direct our affections and precious time towards someone whose love is not true. We perform a weight loss spell on the waning moon in hopes of diminishing our body fat but aren’t fully conscious that the way we eat cancels out the magic. And we say the spell didn’t work when really the nourishment we choose doesn’t support weight loss.

This involves great frustration. Why do some metaphysical practices or techniques work for some and not others? We’re all only human, after all. How different can we be? I believe a lot of this comes down to how we view the activities in our lives. We can compartmentalize our activities: we have our “work self” our “mom or dad” self, our “running boring errands self.” Then, separately, we have our magical, spiritual selves. And all tasks associated with each self are put in their own category. As we do this, we often create a false dichotomy between our daily tasks and actions and our mystical works. We wonder why doing such dedicated and intense spiritual work doesn’t positively impact areas of our life where we suffer.

Understand that all the things you do and all the decisions you make have magic in them. Some will say doing a prosperity spell won’t work, but saving your money will. I say, why can’t both those actions work together to create holistic success? Are these actions really that different? Prudently saving alone, will give you progress but adding magic or the intent of prayer adds kindling to the fire. Likewise, doing affirmations and reciting mantras is incredibly effective but if you continue a habit of overspending on unnecessary items, the potency of the affirmations and mantras decreases. Magic and mundane tasks work together and influence each other profoundly. Remember to “help out” or enhance any spiritual working with worldly tasks that assist the energies you want to create. Your magic and your life will never be the same.