Quirks of a Spiritual Professional

Hello, welcome back to my weekly Tarot articles. I know you are here to quench your Tarot thirst. Today I have got few of my friends who have shared their quirks of being into their spiritual profession. May it be Tarot, Astrology or Witchcraft. All these lovely people have shared their heart out about the work they've chosen.
Here's what they have to say....

Frustrations of being a Tarot Reader

by Tarot Romance

Everyone wants their ex-lover back
“Is my lover coming back?” Is THE most common question I’m asked. And you can probably guess the percentage of times the answer is YES… 

It’s not always good news

I like to be an up-lifter. So it’s tough when I pull rubbish cards and tougher still to resist the urge to put a positive spin on it… But the moment I try to censor myself is the moment my intuition flies out the window.  It takes guts to tell people what they don’t want to hear!

I’m a target for abuse
A total stranger sent this via my contact form today:
“Are you telling me that the way the stars are aligned actually governs the way I live my life? Next you'll be telling me you live with ghosts and Elvis is coming round for lunch today. What a joke.”
Which got me quite riled up. But I took a few breaths and decided not to respond. ☺

People think I’m weird.
This is accurate. I am pretty weird. 

Alison Wilkie is a Tarot Reader and Astrologer who specialises in helping you through relationship issues over at Tarot Romance. Her mission is to breathe fresh air into whatever's deflating your mojo, by revealing the truth behind things that are getting you down. 'Coz truth is a beautiful thing.
You can grab her free guide: Six Winning Tarot Spreads for Love, here!

It’s All Insights when it’s Tarot

Magical Symbols, Intuitive Stew, and Healing medicine, these are the words the come to mind when I think of Tarot.

Growing up in a very religious Christian Family I use to see Tarot as Evil. I use to see it as if an evil spirit was living in the cards and telling people half-truths. In my own journey, these thoughts held me hostage in my own spiritual development. Being a born psychic medium and clairvoyant I had many dreams that consistently challenged my beliefs, including my ideas about Tarot. Once I grew tired of living confused and at war within myself I decided to drop my fear based thinking and explore my truth.

Learning Tarot was extremely easy for me. In school I have always been great with numbers and symbols and patterns. Turns out Tarot has a lot to do with these things. My first deck was a fairy deck. I thought it was cute and so I picked it out and went home to check it out. The messages were cute and inspiring and this starter deck made me feel at ease with crossing over the thin line of my childhood beliefs.

I decided to make several trips to the metaphysical store, learning new things and checking out crystals. One day I went to the store and I felt a lot of energy in my hands. As I began to pay more attention to what was calling my attention, I noticed it was a deck of Tarot cards. The closer I walked to these cards the better the energy felt to me. As I picked up the deck, I noticed it was a Stream Punk Tarot deck. I could not explain the feeling at the time but I felt deeply connected to these cards.

Whenever I would hold these cards, they felt beautiful to my hands. Smooth, and just amazing. Since then I use many other decks but this one remains my favorite.

I use Tarot in my personal life in many ways, such as:

-When I consider Things to look out for during the day

-Looking for inspiration to parent my children for the day.

-What my week will look like and if I need to give more attention to grounding on one day more than the rest

If I have a Mediumship Reading and my client feels nervous, sometimes I start with a general 3 card Tarot reading to help them to relax. At times many couples fuss and feud. Well this is no different in my own marriage. I am quick to give myself a quick look to see what I should do in heated situations. Tarot will always tell me the truth even if I was the one wrong in the situation.

While I still use my Stream Punk Tarot deck, I mainly use my Angel Tarot deck for clients.

In Short, Tarot is a tool that will accurately reveal the truth of a situation. Tarot works great for personal insights or giving responsible guidance to others. Tarot can answer Yes or no questions as well as questions that may be tough to ask. In those cases, the Celtic cross or Horse shoe spread works best.

Hi my name is Icy Kendrick. I make my living as a Certified Professional Psychic Medium, Angel Tarot Card Reader and Spiritual Healer. Currently residing in Oahu, Hawaii but originally born in Detroit, MI, born Medium and Clairvoyant. You can find more information about me at http://www.icyspeace.com/

Take time to chime in, how has Tarot helped to improve your quality of life?

Icy Kendrick

Witchlife; Mystical Musings from a Real Life Witch

You hear the word Witch and many things probably come to mind, perhaps most of them uncharitable; a wizened hag with a pointy nose, women dancing naked under the moon and worst of all, a nubile woman cavorting with the Christian concept of the Devil. The word Witch has become a loaded and potent word conjuring all kinds of images, ideas and often many misconceptions. The reality is that Modern Witchcraft is a contemporary spiritual tradition with old world roots and influences.

There are many ways that Witches practice their Craft but here is a glimpse inside what it means to me to practice this earth-centered spirituality. 

I identify as a modern yet traditional Witch. This is a Path I came to many years ago, drawn to it when I was still a teenager. I have walked the ways of Paganism from a solitary Hedge Witch to participating in dedicated circles, including Coven work, to cycling back round to practice more on my own again, but now within the fellowship of a tradition and chosen community. Over the years I have come to draw from the wells of several wisdom traditions, integrating my experiences and knowledge from Goddess Traditions, American Folk Magick & Conjure and Faery Seership into my Witchcraft practice. To elaborate, I align both with the words Witch and Pagan, but it should be explained that while all Witches are Pagans, not all Pagans are Witches. There are many Traditions within the landscape of walking the Path of a Witch and Pagan, each with unique nuances, systems and beliefs. I speak for my own journey; my ways are not the only ways to practice the Craft of the Wise.

For me being a Witch is a spiritual orientation, a soul-blood alignment. It means I experienced a personal awakening and connection to something us Traditional Witches call the Witch Blood.
I practice a direct-encounter spirituality; living life as a co-creative, soul-purpose-oriented magickal practitioner. I believe I have a role in showing up in my life, fully accountable and actively participating through mindful living. For me, and many in my community, that includes honoring the Earth and all beings as sacred. It means attuning myself to the ebb and flow of the seasonal tides and the moon’s phases. It also means being aware that I act with integrity, contribute positively to community, the world and my work as a Healer.
Like many Witches and Pagans, I identify as an Animist. Animism comes from the latin word anima which means breath, spirit, life. An Animist believes that all life, even “inanimate” objects, possess spiritual essence. That means I believe in that all life is sentient regardless if it is in the same way as I am. To me, all life is connected and sacred, vital to the wellbeing of the planet as a whole ecology.
I also believe that Divine Presence is immanent, saturating and flowing through us, between us; integrated with the world that surrounds us, rather than a transcendent view that believes Divinity as somewhere separate, outside the physical world. As a Witch, I relate to Divinity both as Goddess and God. I believe that the world is made up of more than what can be seen with just my physical eyes, including what I call the Unseen World, Spirit Allies and Guides.
Another aspect of my spiritual path is maintaining a regular Ancestor Practice that honors and venerates those I know as my Beloved Dead or Holy Ancestors. I recognize that I am here because I arrived on the Ancestral Stream of those who came before me.

So what does this all look like in my daily life?

While I am not standing over a blazing fire stirring a giant cauldron filled with a bubbling brew, I do own a cauldron, but of a much humbler size. If you looked into my magickal cupboard you will also find pestle & mortars, brooms, crystals, sage, incense, herbs, candles, tarot cards and other items that I use in my magickal practice.
A Magickal Practice is not always the flamboyant notion that comes to mind of a person in flowing robes casting spells at their neighbor. It actually is a personalized experience unique to each person and tradition. You can find many definitions of magick, but for me, my magickal work is relevant to what I am seeking to visualize and manifest in my life. The magick I can be found working routinely focuses on aligning with prosperity, wellness, protection and healing.
As part of my spiritual practice, my home has a central role. I have many altars, some are small fitting entirely into a pot and some are larger. They can be found in my kitchen, livingroom, dining room and temple room. Altars are sacred space and as such create energetic portals me to interface with the Unseen World to commune, meditate, pray blessings or do active magick.  

Witchcraft is a way of life and integrated into my daily routines.
I begin my day with honoring my ancestors with offerings and doing the spiritual alignments of my Witchcraft Tradition; Ash, Birch & Willow. From there, I set my magickal intentions for the day with creative input, visualizations and soul-work mapping.
As a professional Witch, I also work with clients to provide spiritual counsel, healing and guidance on their journeys of awakening and growth. When I am not at my shop, I can be found spending time outside on the land, frequently at the river near my home, connecting to the Genius Loci (Spirit of the Place) or tending my garden.

About Winifred Tannetta Costello
Spirituality is perennially woven into the fabric of Winifred’s Path. She has more than 25 years of direct experience and knowledge in Paganism, Goddess Traditions, Witchcraft, Sacred Dance, Reiki, and Tarot. AwenTree is the manifestation of a lifelong dream to create a magickal hub and sustainable business that celebrates spiritually-inspired living, honors Sacred Traditions, in particular Pagan and Earth-based Paths, and encourages healing and transformation for all beings and the Earth. Winifred, founder and proprietress of AwenTree, became a Reiki Master Teacher in 1997 and is a LuMarian (Divine Mother) Energy Practitioner. She is a NGH Certified Hypnotherapist and Certified Past Life Regression Facilitator. She is the Local Coordinator for Western Mass Pagan Pride Day.

Lynne McGee -Tarot Reader.

When I first started doing Tarot Readings I happened to also be into chakra balancing so every time I would do a reading I would prepare myself by mentally running quickly through my chakra’s and making sure they were all open, pumping out the right colours and then I would end the session imagining myself fully enclosed in a bubble of white light. This process would take me about 5 to 10 minutes to prepare and then I would be ready to commence reading for other people. I was a ‘party reader’ so I used to go into people’s homes, be enclosed in a room somewhere and ‘do my thing’. It was essential that I was ready to commence work as quickly as possible. If reading for myself I didn’t bother.

However when I started to take clients at home I was very nervous. I’m not entirely sure why although I’m a bit of a perfectionist and the sessions were much longer and I charged more so I wanted to be sure I would provide a quality service. In order to steady my nerves I developed a much longer meditation and chakra opening practice and in doing so discovered an unexpected talent.

I was a Massage and Polarity Healing Therapist as well as a Reader at this time and in my office there was a massage table, my work desk, and facing my work desk a built in cupboard with a mirrored door which clients could use to adjust their clothing and fix their hair after a Treatment. My desk faced this mirror. To calm my nerves I chose to spend some time meditating but at the time I had a great deal of trouble keeping my eyes closed during meditation so would begin meditation staring at a lit candle on my desk. The reflection of the candle flickered in the mirror and would always grab my eye so slowly I would move my eyes from the candle on the desk to the candle in the mirror. Within a week or so of doing this I began to notice subtle energy movements in the mirror and that led me to start looking at my own aura as it changed in my reflection. By the end of a month I was openly aura gazing as part of the meditation process and incorporating my chakra opening work into the aura gazing method. I often found myself getting the urge to write after making my aura connection, white lighting and connecting to a higher energy source way beyond the room. Many chakra balancing exercises include visualisation of the cord of energy coming down from the higher source out there in the universe and entering and surrounding your body and it was always having seen and felt this cord becoming strong that the urge to write would rush through me.

As I kept a notepad and pen on the tarot desk anyway to jot down anything I wished to return to while completing a reading with the client I decided one day that I should go with the urge to write and see what came. This is how my practice of tuning in to a client and reading them simply from their name began. I found that with their name written at the top of a page I could go both backwards and forwards along their timeline and gain information about them as long as I held the pen in my hand and allowed myself to feel the vibration of their name.

This was to become the start of every reading that I performed for a client. I always took a client’s full name and their nicknames if they had them along with their age as part of my booking process. I used the names to tune in and the age to place them in the present as a point to move backwards and forwards on their timeline. I found that I not only got accurate information about them but I also got answers to the questions they were coming to ask the cards about before they arrived. It was not unusual for a client to walk in the door, for me to explain my process and read out the information I had obtained clairvoyantly in the previous half an hour’s meditation and for them to then say ‘ Well you’ve answered all my prepared questions! Now I have to find new ones for you. ‘

Having covered the basic questions with accurate verifiable information about them the client was both often shocked /surprised but excited, and willing to go much deeper with their Reading than they had anticipated. Trust was formed between the client and I because I had already shared many of their truths, sometimes hidden and sometimes forgotten until brought up by my writing and because of this they felt that I both knew them and understood them so the usual barriers that exist between strangers were dissolved and hearts were bared.

I currently do not do face to face Readings but I will still occasionally use the writing process as a precursor to a Tarot Reading as I feel it tunes me to their energy at a much deeper level. There is a lot about you in your name, it is your story and it contains all of your information.

Where the cards themselves are concerned I have only one quirk and that is that between every single question I deal all the cards out into 9 piles to ensure that they are completely separated from the clusters they were shuffled into previously and then put back into one pile. Why 9? I really don’t know other than that I was drawn to that when I first started. Unlike some Readers I don’t mind others handling the cards, in fact I prefer them to because it is their energy that we are working with not mine and it’s their energy that I want influencing the card pulls. Also other Readers often read reversed cards but with very rare exceptions I don’t as I believe the cards when laid out tell your story both negative and positive regardless and as I personally don’t read storybooks upside down why would I read your life this way? These are though just Techniques, just as the Tarot are just Tools, and we all find our own way that suits us as Readers.

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