Get A Complete Tarot Reading For Only $5!!!

I've been reading Sacred Path cards for over 15 years, and now I'm offering my readings for only $5 on Fiverr.com .  This is an 8-card spread, and uses my favorite tarot deck, which you may have known from my previous blog entries.  I love Sacred Path cards because they really illuminate where you are on your current cycle in life.  Life goes in cycles, and sometimes we get stuck, and stop moving forward.  Sometimes, we're afraid of a challenge we fear, or we attach to something which no longer serves us.  Either way, the cards are a gentle reminder of what we need to do in order to move forward.  If you'd like a reading with me, just click on the link below!

http://fiverr.com/277591

The Path To Love

I was watching an inspirational talk by one of my favorite Intuitives, Sonia Choquette, when I felt inspired to pick up a pen and start writing.  Out came a few paragraphs about connecting with Spirit.  It helped me with a personal issue I'm having, and hopefully, someone else out there will benefit from it too.  This is what came out: 

"My path to love and healing is to connect with my spirit.  I've been detached from it, and therefore, my only operation system has been the ego.  The ego, however, only knows fear and separation.  From this place, my life steers toward chaos, confusion, anger, loss and lonliness.  The ego tells me I am alone, and that the world is a dangerous place.
When I connect with my spirit, I can see the world and those in it from a place of love.  The world becomes a place of wonder and beauty, and I'm a part of that.
So, my first step towards love and healing is to ask my spirit, my soul, what it needs and desires, and then to honor that wish - as it will bring unparalleled  fulfillment, interconnection, divine timing and the ritual of joy, of being one with all that is.
This is where love is found, and it only takes one step to begin down that path."

Tarot Card of the Day

Again, my card for the day comes from my favorite Tarot deck:  Sacred Path

This Card is all about retreat and taking a break.  This is pretty much in line with winter.  Winter can be a barren time, and we may find ourselves depressed, bored or lethargic.  But, this pause is necessary because we need some down time to be alone so we may reflect on the growth we've experienced.  Without retreat, we are not able to fully let the future take hold.  When we set aside the time to be alone, our thoughts become aligned, dreams take hold and future plans come into shape. 
Imagine if we never slept.  We'd never wake up in the morning with excitement for what the day may hold; the dreams that guide us would be gone too. 
Downtime, reflection, sleep and dreaming:  they were all put in place for a very good reason, so don't waste this time.  Use this time well, and you may have the best year yet!

My Favorite Incense

I know, it seems silly to make a blog post just about incense, but I recently found an incense that I thought was long gone.  I was in a local store by my house, and saw they carried the line "Incense from India", which I LOVE.  Sacred Wood is my favorite scent, and when I got it home and burned it, it brought back wonderful memories from the 90's.  It's not to heady, not musky, not heavy in perfumes - it just smells like a spiritual environment.  I can't describe it any other way.  And it's rather cheap.  The brand makes lots of other great scents, but you can't pry me away from this one!

Pittsburgh Ghost Story

Don't you just love a good ghost story?  I know I do!  And I've got plenty of experiences I'll share with you over time.  For today though, I'll just share one. 
Years ago,  I took a part time job working for my friend Debbie at Life Uniform Store in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.  It was right underneath a Wendy's Restaurant (yes, I couldn't share this story without a real picture of the location!).  When you opened the door, you walked down some stairs and into this subterranean, stuffy retail store.  Debbie told me right off, that she had experienced some strange activity, and wanted to have me keep my eyes open for anything odd.  I was instantly excited and began asking her what things she had seen.  She told me she would hear people walking around in the store from her office, hear clothing moving across racks, lights flickering, voices....you name it.  All when she was alone!
She had a shoe mirror set up right outside her office door to watch for customers, and she even said she would see feet pass by the mirror, only to find that no one was in the store.
It wasn't too long before I had my first experience.  One morning, I was opening alone, and I began with a quick vacuuming of the floor.  I was pushing along, when all of a sudden, I looked up and saw an older black woman standing in the middle of a clothing rack.  The clothing obscured most of her, except for the neck up.  To be honest, she looked like she was trying to stay out of the way, and she seemed just as shocked that I could see her.  We locked eyes for a few moments and she was gone.  I was so shaken, I shut off the vacuum, locked the door and went upstairs to Wendy's for a bit.  On another occasion, I was closing alone, and was trying to transmit the sales from the register to the company via the phone line.  It would start, have an error and I'd have to start all over again.  It really began frustrating me.  Finally, I stopped and went to call my manager Debbie at home.  There was a crackling and strange noises on the line, and I couldn't complete the call.  Then, the lights in the store began turning off and on, one light at a time.  This was impossible because there were three rows of lights, each row controlled by one light switch.  Again, I locked the door and left, feeling completely freaked out.  It wasn't just the events in that store, but also that I could feel multiple eyes watching me all the time.  It could be rather unsettling. 
One day, Debbie was working in the spare space next to ours, and she called me to come quickly.  The space next door had no electric, just the light that came from the hallways.  I rushed over, and she was crying outside in the hallway.  She explained that she could see people walking around in the spare space, and she wasn't scared, but was just so in awe of it, that it made her cry.  Sure enough, I entered the room, and there were shadows of people, milling about in there.  It was unlike anything I've ever seen.
Soon after that, the floods began.  Out of nowhere, water would start pouring out of the dressing rooms and cover the whole floor in less than 5 minutes.  After that, the flying bugs would arrive.  In both cases, neither the landlord or the cleaning crews could find the source.  This would happen about 5 times during the time I worked there.
We were visited by the landlord one day, who showed us the basement level below ours.  It was a creepy, dark, cavernous  place, and it was during this visit that he explained the history of the building we were in.  It had been the dorms for black students at the University of Pittsburgh back when there was racial segregation.  I don't know for sure, but after that, I always imagined that the older black woman I saw was the "house mom" for the dorms, and just never left.
That store is no longer there, and from what I've read, I think the Wendy's is now closed.  Perhaps now, the energies that reside there have a little peace and quiet.

I decided to give myself a thought for the day using my Sacred Path Cards. Today, I pulled up Give Away Ceremony, which spells relief through release. Jamie Sams is the creator and author behind the deck and cards. I love this card because at any given time, most of us can give away items that would serve others better, let go of limiting ideas or bad habits - the possibilities for interpretation are endless. This card really gets me thinking!
It's so easy to start your day with thoughts of work, financial problems, family issues and the like. It seems much easier to me to keep something close to my bed that I can use when I first rise. That way, I never get up on the wrong side!

My Favorite Tarot Deck

In the interest of honesty, I don't have much experience with other tarot decks.  I have a few others, but have never taken an interest in them, as I have with the Sacred Path Cards.  These cards are best suited for readings where the person's life path is questioned.  They tend to tell a story of how you're developing on your spiritual growth path.  I'm on my third deck now, and have been using them off an on for years.  I was told they were out of print a while back, but have since heard they are back in print!  I've been on a few other sites where readers express their love for these cards as well.  They really seem to have a fan club.
They are Native American in nature, are very easy to learn and read, and really make your current path and future options very clear. 
I'm always amazed at how accurate they are for my own readings, and the readings I give others.  I currently don't read cards for money, but when I do one for a friend or relative, the feedback is astounding.  I also love that these cards come with a hardback book.  Each card has it's own story, and personally, being someone who relates most to Native spirituality, I find myself inspired each time I open the book.
Novices and Experts alike will find these cards easy from the moment they pick them up.  And, if you're anything like me, you'll soon feel you've had them your whole life.

Elizabeth Blaikie's Great Meditations

Elizabeth Blaikie with www.fragrantheart.com

Well, I'm a little late coming up with New Year's resolutions, but I'm committing myself to do meditation at least once a day.  I have to admit, it's actually difficult for me to sit still and focus.  But, as someone who used to meditate daily, I do remember my focus level increasing over time.  These days, we are just not accustomed to shutting off the chatter.  We get up in the morning, and we instantly prioritize a list of activities that need to get done for the day.  We mull over the details during the shower, anticipate situations that may arise while getting dressed, and try to calm our growing anxiety during breakfast.  Often times, this continues all the way to work!  If we took a look back at our morning, we'd realize we weren't present for any of it. 
Meditation helps with mindfulness.  It helps us stay in the moment more.  My friend once told me, "You are either Now-Here, or No-Where."  Notice that they're spelled the same!  In essence, that taught me to be aware of when I was worrying about things I couldn't handle at the moment, or anticipating conflict that was yet to arrive.  It robbed me of being present and experiencing what was going on in the world around me.
If you are feeling disconnected, distracted, irritable, out-of-sorts, anxious, depressed or hopeless, you could greatly benefit from meditation.  Fragrantheart.com has over 50 guided meditations led by Elizabeth Blaikie, a 5 day course on meditation, and best of all, it's free to listen to them.  You can even download the meditations for a nominal fee.  Just 10 -15 minutes a day will make a difference in your life.  I promise!

The Cost Of Denial

We are all born with certain gifts.  We all have inner potential for greatness.  All to often, however, we hide or deny who we were really meant to be.  This denial actually strangles and slows the flow of energy from the universe. This denial can lead to depression, anxiety, anger, addiction, and hopelessness.  Guess what?  I have dealt with all of the above.  It's easy to forget the inter-connectedness of all things. The choices we make have far reaching consequences. 

We learn early on not to cry, to smile on cue, and to deny our feelings.  Denial of feelings is much like denial of your natural born gifts or talents;  it's going to have an effect on some part of your life.  Ask any artist you know.  They can tell you how they feel when they've gone too long without creating something.  That energy quickly turns into frustration.  Frustration turns to anger or depression.  And sometimes, those emotions lead people to soothe with food, drugs, alcohol, or any number of things.

I had long ago turned off my psychic ears and eyes.  Things still happened, but I just didn't acknowledge them unless I had no other choice.  I had a child spirit who started coming to me during the night, so I found drinking just before bed seemed to turn him off.   I was already drinking a lot after work to "decompress".  As a professional makeup artist, I touched a lot of people during the day.  It's very intimate work, and if you're sensitive, you can easily end up walking away with some of that person's energy.  Multiply that times 10, and you've got an idea of what I was processing in any given day.  I was burned out.  I had once been a people person, and now I found myself keeping a distance.  What was going on with me?  Why was I being so irrational towards human contact?  The guilt I felt with being so distant, coupled with my brain nearly short circuiting every day, led me to near destruction.  Faced with the inevitable outcome if I continued down this path, I realized something had to change.  Obviously, I had to stop drinking.  Secondly, I realized I needed to accept and embrace my gift if I ever wanted a chance to manage how it impacted my life.  And lastly, I decided to start this blog to share some of my experiences as I made my way "back home". 
Life is too short to spend it with regret.  If you know you have certain talents, or at least you think you might, go out there and explore them!  Our inner voice has a way of nudging us.  We just don't often listen.  It's that feeling in your solar plexus you get when you see someone else doing something you've always wanted to do.  Oftentimes, however, it's followed by the other voice that says, "Are you crazy?  You can't do that.  Everyone will laugh and you.  Besides, you'll never be any good at it."  Don't listen to that voice.  If you've always wished to be a dancer, get out there and take a dance class.  Your spirit will thank you, and you'll go on to try many other things you thought you'd never have the courage to attempt. 
You're on this planet to grow, and to help others grow as well.  If you deny who you are, you'll never have the chance to help someone else take that leap.  So go ahead, go after it.  You'll be amazed at how your life changes!

Angels In My Pillow

I don't normally discuss angels very often, but since I'm traveling right now, I'm reminded of something that used to happen to me as a child.
When I was a kid, we moved quite a bit, and did a lot of traveling during summer months.  This provided many adventures for me, but sometimes I had difficulty getting to sleep in new environments.  To create a sense of consistency, I had a name for the pillow under my head, and a name for the one next to me.  Wherever I went, I pretended they were the same pillows.  Not long after this, I started hearing the most amazing voices singing to me through the pillow at night.  Since I had already had some angelic contact, it was an easy guess for me that my angels were singing me to sleep.  I had never heard anything so beautiful, and still haven't to this day.  I don't remember when the angels stopped singing, but at some point, I probably forgot all about it.  If you have children, and you travel, this may be a great way to make them feel more at home in strange environments.  Children are also much more open to the communication that angels can give.  Don't be surprised if they come to you with some amazing stories!

Starfire Tor And A Dream Flashback

I was listening to the paranormal show "Coast To Coast" and Starfire Tor was the guest.  She mentioned a dream she had that came true:  the Icelandic Volcano.   I instantly had a dream flashback.  I had this dream at least a year ago, and it was in an area of the world that would be greatly affected by melting icecaps.  There were terrible floods, people being swept away by water, people moving to higher ground, etc.  I remember that batteries of any kind were treasured because there was some uncertainty as to when regular power might be available.  I was on a boat, and people on the boat were being asked to turn over any batteries so that an inventory could be done.  We were floating along with some sort of current, and were definitely traveling away from the scene of this disaster in the hopes of finding help.  From the scope of things, it was an event of epic proportions.  I'm thinking that this disaster probably affected more than just one part of the world, but I can't be sure.  Despite how dire things seemed, in the dream I seemed to understand this as a natural part of what was meant to be.  That was probably the only comforting part of the dream, as the images of people drowning and being pinned by current still haunt me.  If you've had a similar dream, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section.