Oracle Cards, Spiritual Readings and You

(by A Happy Medium, Amanda)

This month I thought I’d talk about oracle cards and spiritual readings. In my readings, I prefer to work with oracle decks since they feel like they are higher vibrational and a little more straightforward than the tarot decks that you usually see out at parties.

I’m talking about the Rider-Waite Decks, not that there’s anything wrong with those, but I just haven’t found one I’ve connected with yet. However, my friend has just moved and found a deck of the Rider-Waite cards in a wooden box which she is gifting to me. Maybe this is the deck that’s meant to come to me. I did purchase a Rider-Waite deck a while ago, but I just haven’t connected with it, so it sits with my other decks and I don’t use it.

My favorite oracle deck is the Ascended Masters deck by Doreen Virtue. I use it in all of my readings and for all of my free online readings that I do over on my Facebook page (shameless self-promotion alert!). I find that I resonate the most with this deck. It’s one of the first decks I purchased and I remember standing in the store where I purchased it and feeling the cards calling to me and practically buzzing in my hand. If you are going to purchase cards of any kind, I recommend “feeling out” each deck. Which one feels good to you?

What is the difference between Oracle and Tarot cards?

In the traditional Rider-Waite tarot decks there are 78 cards. The cards are divided into the major arcana and the minor arcana. The minor arcana are divided into suits: cups, wands, swords and pentacles. Tarot decks have more structure and I think a lot more room for interpretation. Oracle cards are usually in a 44 card deck and are usually themed (angels, spirit guides, spirit animals, lovers, etc.).

Oracle cards also usually (but not always) have messages written right on them, or key words that explain the essence of the cards.  It can jog your memory when you are reading them for a client, but you should make sure that you are primarily using your intuition to read the cards. How does the card make you feel? Do you feel compelled to say anything to yourself or the client?

It’s normal to look at the guide book for your oracle cards and to disagree with what’s written as the card interpretation. These are tools for you to use in your own intuitive practice and the cards may have a different meaning for you than they did to the creator of the deck. Go with your intuition and your readings will be authentic.

I also like oracle cards because I don’t have to remember any fancy spreads or the significance of each card in the spread. You can give effective readings with a three card spread or even a one card spread. When I do readings, I usually use my cards at the end just to confirm everything the client and I have discussed and it’s interesting that those cards often do reiterate the key points highlighted in the reading.

So why should I get a reading if I can do this myself?

You don’t have to get a reading. You could go out and purchase a deck of cards that feels good and start your intuitive journey tomorrow if you want.

Heck, if there’s a place open right now, get out there and open yourself up to the wonder of card reading.

Aren’t psychics just snake oil salesmen who want to take my money?

I don’t like the term “psychic”. It smacks of con artists and charlatans and things on fishing wire floating around the room. It makes me think of séances, which is totally not what I do by the way.  You should feel comfortable with the person that you’re asking to do your readings. If you find that person on the internet, look for a website with testimonials. Go ahead and call the person for a more in depth discussion of what they do.

The person should be open to answering your questions and if they determine they aren’t the correct person to do your reading, they can refer you to a practitioner more suited to your needs. A genuine spiritual medium (that’s what I call myself) wants the best for you and wants you to get as much as possible out of your reading. I would rather send you to someone who is a better fit and let them read you than do a poor job myself.

Remember that the medium’s job isn’t to convince you that mediumship is real and your own intention contributes more to the outcome of the reading than mine does. If you come in and you’re closed or skeptical that I am worth my salt, you’re going to be very effective at blocking the information coming in.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Reading

To get the most out of your reading, come in open and ask ahead of time for any spirits you are hoping will come through to come through. Write a list of questions for your practitioner so that you will get the most out of your session as possible. In most cases, readings last about an hour, which can really fly by once you get going!

Readings can help you by giving you a perspective from someone outside yourself. Practitioners have suggestions for taking care of your mental health and your spiritual health that can be helpful and can show you a perspective or solution you may not have considered before coming. Perhaps you have unresolved issues around a person you have lost or you are struggling to deal with grief over a loved one you’ve lost.

In my readings I have three goals:

1. To provide as much comfort as possible to my client;
2. To provide as much closure as possible to my client; and,
3. To provide as much clarity as possible to my client.

There’s a lot you can get out of a spiritual reading and tons of ways they can help you. Remember that your practitioner is glad to be of service to you and wants you to walk away with the best experience possible.

Go in with an open mind and an open heart, and I’m sure you’ll walk out optimistic and comforted, perhaps with a brighter outlook and different perspective.



-    Amanda (Metaphysical Musings.Wordpress.com)

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Amanda is a regular columnist on Mind Body Thoughts.  She writes A Happy Medium monthly column.  This article is written by Amanda.

To learn more about her and see all her other articles, go to Amanda's Page, A Happy Medium.

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Blog Post And Images (c) 2017 by Don Shetterly and Amanda

• Permission required before any part of this blog post is reprinted, reworded or used in any form. 
• You are welcomed to share the LINK to this blog post.  

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Angels and Low Vibrations

When people are afraid and most in need of Heavenly help, their vibrations are too low to hear and feel the pure love of God. The angels, who are closer to Earth, are easier to hear and feel when someone is fearful or stressed. Then they can lift the person’s vibrations and help him or her be unafraid and at peace and return to a clear connection with God.

Book:  The Angel Therapy Handbook by Doreen Virtue (Pg 5) 

Lightworkers and High Pitched Ringing In Ears

Many lightworkers report hearing a high-pitched ringing sound in one ear. It’s a shrill noise that can be painful and intrusive. When checked by a physician, tinnitus (a disturbance of the auditory nerve) is usually ruled out. That’s because the ringing is of a nonphysical origin. It’s a band of woven information, encoded in electrical impulses. Heaven downloads guidance, assistance, and information through this bandwidth, which sounds like a computer modem hooking into the Internet. (Angel Therapy Handbook by Doreen Virtue)

True Angelic Experience

A True Angelic Experience Involving Hearing

• Sentences usually begin with the words you or we.
• There’s a sense that someone else is talking to you, even if it sounds like your own voice.
• It’s readily apparent how the message related to your immediate concerns or questions.
• The voice is to the point and blunt.
• The sound is loving and positive, even if it’s warning you of danger.
• The voice asks you to take immediate action, including changing your thoughts or attitude to be more loving.
• The voice calls your name upon awakening.
• You become aware of strains of beautiful, disembodied “celestial” music.
• You receive a message about self-improvement or helping others.

- The Angel Therapy Handbook by Doreen Virtue

Ask The Angels For A Sign

Ask for a sign. Even though you may be unsure about whether or not you’re hearing your angels, rest assured that they hear you. So when you doubt yourself, ask your angels to give you a sign verifying the validity of their messages. You can convey this request mentally, verbally, or by writing it in a letter. Don’t tell the angels how you want your sign to appear—just ask them to give you a clear one that you can easily recognize, to assure you that you’ve correctly heard their messages. (page 50, The Angel Therapy Handbook by Doreen Virtue)

I Hear The Message

Have you ever been thinking about something and within a short time, it appears that the answers shows up in your life?  Today, such an event happened.  There is a project that I want to do with a musical concept that connects the mind and body in healing.  While I can record the various music parts, I don't have the expertise, nor the money to put the project together.

Around 7 pm tonight, I was talking with my partner over supper about this project.  He knows what it is about and I was sharing with him that I really wanted to get this project moving forward.  Not only do I want to do this for myself as a source of revenue in the future, but more importantly, I think the world needs this.  I think people really need this to happen.

My biggest stumbling block though is how to pull this project together.  There are people I need to somehow connect with to make it happen because I don't have the expertise needed to complete it.  As we talked about that we came up with a couple of different people to contact to see what may happen.  I was also thinking about just asking the angels to bring this together.

Claircognizants

Claircognizants also ignore their Divine guidance because they believe that what they know is obvious to others. “Everybody knows that!” claircognizants will decide, and won’t capitalize on the brilliant idea that they just received. It doesn’t help that many have been teased for being know-it-alls, so they hesitate to speak up for fear of being ridiculed. Yet this label has a kernel of truth to it, for claircognizants are very tapped into the collective unconscious. - Pg 102 of The Angel Therapy Handbook by Doreen Virtue

Talk From Your Heart

In these current times, we hear rhetoric that essentially adds nothing positive to anyone's day.  Yet, it doesn't stop us from letting it flow from our mouth.  It is rather sad that we are at a point in our culture, both in the media and in normal every day conversation that we feel we need to push our beliefs, rather than talk from the heart.  I know, many people would claim they don't do this, but then if they really opened their eyes and hearts, they would see that they do.

I always enjoy reading blog posts where the author writes about their own experiences and what brought them to the point of writing a particular blog post.  I feel like I can connect with what they say, in a way that they say it, just because they are speaking from their heart.  One such blog touched me deeply because this friend of mine shared something so private and intimate that I could connect with through his own words.  His blog post was titled, "Lost My Words".   He was talking from his heart and when he did that, it made the connection easy and instantaneous.

Change In LIfe Increases Friction

Healing With The Angels
by Doreen Virtue
App On iTunes

There are days like the current moment I am writing this blog post, that stress just builds up.  I do a tremendous amount to let it go in my life, but at times it just gets the best of me.  I've actually been doing much better since my last healing session.  In the past few days, however, I feel like a tea kettle ready to whistle.

Little things just push me over the limit and I see myself reacting to them, even though I don't want to do this.  I get frustrated at the thought of reacting when I wish I could turn off that valve.  It isn't easy to navigate these areas of my life.  Most people who aren't close to me, never get to see this side of me.  It is one that I hide from the world.

Yet, I know I am making progress and I do understand that my life is under a great deal of stress right now.  I also know that things are changing and with change, sometimes it can create intense friction on re-entry into life.  I feel like some events have built up and now I'm facing a time where I need to release stress in a big way.  I wish I had the resources to go and get some bodywork done, but right now that is not an option.

Use Healing Language In Everything

Something I saw Doreen Virtue post on twitter today made me smile with joy.  It was a simple statement, but one that I think we all need to embrace and constantly think about in our day.  All too often, we use words that don't help advance our world or help others heal the difficult moments of their life.  What we say is often a reflection of what is going on inside of us and we are either helping advance the world, or we are part of the problem.

The statement that Doreen Virtue made on twitter is, "Work with the angels to use healing language in everything that you say and write.".  (Source:  twitter.com/DoreenVirtue444


While I know just about everyone reading this would want to agree and say this is what we do, I've got a feeling, not everyone would be honest with themselves.  You see, we often do not consciously connect with what we say and so many times we really don't listen to what we say.  We state things that just come out of our mouth with little thought.

Focus On What You Want

The other day I selected a card from my "Healing With The Angels" card deck by Doreen Virtue.  I often do this because the cards that appear are just what I need to hear in that moment.  They are inspirational messages designed to get me to think about something positive, rather than focus on my negative thoughts that love to engulf my mind and body.

This particular card was titled, "focus".  It went on to say that you need to think about what you want, not what you don't want.  Guard your thoughts carefully because they create your experiences.

It is all too easy to focus on what I don't want in my day.  Those thoughts seem to come easy because I think in many ways, I don't always see myself as worthy to have things I do want.  While I don't want to readily admit this in public, I still live in that moment of life where all was taken away from me.  From that point forward, I had no control it seemed from what people larger than I in life would dictate for my existence.  To this very day, I still operate as someone running from the tigers of life while desiring the complete opposite.

The New Reality, This is Not 11-11-11

Reality, This Is Not
11-11-11

If you look around these days or follow any headlines in the news, you'll see that reality has been redefined.  In fact, I don't even believe we are living in reality these days.  So much of what goes on around us is fictionalized or created to appear as if it is reality.  Too many inhabitants of our world fail to connect the dots and remember basic facts.  It is as if humans swallow whatever is fed to them, believing it is fresh spring water.


Take for instance a local spiritual camp that is "using" the commercialism of Halloween to promote their camp.  I happen to think a lot of this spiritualist camp, but people in the area see it as a bunch of strange people they don't understand.  Instead of fostering an understanding and awareness, commercialism has been employed to make the place look like a freak show.  I find it sad and disturbing but maybe I'm just being a prude!

Another organization that I have gotten much benefit from was going to have a breath empowerment event for 10,000 people on 11-11-11.  It was going to be a spectacular event and most likely life changing for many people.  Unfortunately, they got caught up in themselves and turned breathing into a religious practice sensationalizing something that is purely biological and needs no mysticism.  To each their own I suppose, but why take a good thing and turn it into something it doesn't need to be.

iPhone App Angel Therapy Reading On Nov 13, 2011

iPhone App - Healing
With The Angels
Oracle Cards

One of my favorite iPhone apps is "Healing With The Angels Oracle Cards" by Doreen Virtue.  I use it often and amazingly it fits with whatever is going on in my day or my life at that moment.  I kind of feel like it is a pocket sized angel that goes with me where ever I go.

On this particular day, I had pulled the cards from the section called "situation or concern" the day before on November 12, 2011.  I did not save this so when I went back to it the next day to record these thoughts, it was wiped out.  I then decided to do this section again and got different but similar results.

The way it works is you select 5 cards at random and each one corresponds to a different part of the situation or concern you have on your mind.  To get this to repeat a second day was pretty profound to me.  I'm sure some are skeptical of these things and that is fine, but for me they help give me some reassurance and peace.

Top Book Reviews Oct 2011

To learn more about what books I review, please go to the following post on Top Book Reviews (May 4, 2011). On the 5th of every month, my goal is to post a review of 1 or more books that have had a strong impact on my life.

The Lightworkers Way by Doreen Virtue (Angels)

Walking into the Cassadaga bookstore, I was not planning on buying a book. However, when my eyes saw this book, it was as if it jumped out at me. Without looking at the book, I purchased it and brought it home to read. It wasn't long before I realized just how much this book impacted my life. It was a book that helped me to discover and realize some things about myself that I had kept hidden in my life.

Top Book Reviews

It takes a lot for a book to make it into my book reviews. While I find some books compelling and interesting, the books that make it in my book review list are ones I really cherish. They are special books that really impacted my life and gave me that ah ha moment as Oprah would say.

While I will always check out books on Amazon, I'm not easily persuaded to buy books and review them. The book has to hit me and be one that grabs my attention. Otherwise, it is like an exercise in second grade where I feel as if the assignment is completing a book report, which I dreaded.

Please don't think that leaving a comment for me to check out your book because it is what my readers want to see, if going to cut the mustard with me. It has to be much more than that and done in a way where you really are trying to engage me, not just sell me. If your book becomes something that grabs my attention, I'll be more than happy to read it and see how it hits me. Of course, that doesn't mean that it will make it into my book review list.

On the 5th of every month, my goal is to post a review of 1 or more books that have had a strong impact on my life. My reviews will either be a short synopsis of how the book impacted my life or a longer discussion of passages within the book that touched me deeply.


Book Review List
1) Jun 2011 - Father's Touch by Donald D'Haene
2) Jul 2011 - Victims No Longer by Mike Lew
3) Aug 2011 - Compassionate Touch by Dr. Clyde W Ford
4) Sep 2011 - Waking The Tiger by Peter Levine
5) Oct 2011 - The Lightworkers Way by Doreen Virtue
6) Nov 2011 - Into The Light by Dr John Lerma 
7) Dec 2011 - You Are The Answer by Michael J Tamura 
8) Jan 2012 -  Meditations To Heal Your Life by Louise Hay



Blog Post & Images (c) 4/25/11 Don Shetterly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Will The Doors Ever Open?

Sometimes I wonder if the doors will ever open? I know deep down I am walking the path that I need to walk, yet it appears that the doors just are walls as I move along. It can get discouraging at times and really make me question if I am where I think I am.

However, events happen in our life that help cement and shed light on our path and show us that doors may be opening up around us. Many weeks ago, I remember pulling one of my angel cards on the iphone app (by Doreen Virtue). It said something to the effect and I'm paraphrasing that opportunities are coming my way but may occur different than I would expect them. I thought, okay that sounds nice and wonderful but well, I really can't see it. So in a way, I just dismissed it.

Then today, a couple of things happened that really gave me a glimpse into some doors opening. If I had not gone and done a few things lately that I have done, than this moment would not have occurred in the way it did. The events are completely different and are not remotely close but yet they were both traveling in the same direction. If you would have looked at each event independently, you would have not seen any connection.

It was very helpful and encouraging to have these things unfold a little today. More importantly, it was good to see them unfold in a bigger and broader manner. After seeing doors that looked like brick walls, it warms the soul to see a open ones appear. It is a moment that I am marking down as I walk my path so I will not forget it. It is a moment that I will use to help move myself forward and in many ways, that is the most important part.



Blog Post & Images (c) 2/23/11 Don Shettrly - use by permission only
http://www.donshetterly.com

Release Anger Through Affirmations

There are events that happen in our day which cause upset and frustration. Sometimes it is not only people but events that can cause anger. While we sometimes can put the happy face on when this takes place, these moments do bother us. If we do not find ways to release anger from these moments, it will have a serious impact on our body, mind and spirit.

For a long time in my life while growing up, I witnessed people holding a grudge when someone did something to them that they were angered by. These people could hold a grudge for a long and did not let go of it easily. It was almost as if holding the grudge or the anger of the moment was as vital as taking the next breath of air.

If you look at events in the news that relate to power and control such as politics, you can quickly see how people hold anger for one another. In fact, it has become so common place that the lines have blurred so badly. In most instances of politics, we cannot even begin to see that this is taking place. Wars have been started because anger could not be released. Organizations, movements and laws passed have taken place out of anger.

Sometimes anger is very justified, so please do not think I am saying it has no place. It is a very valid emotion that we often hold on to while society shuns it in fear. Often it is difficult for others we are around to deal with our anger because of their own life experiences. Please note that I am not talking so much about rage, but about anger.

Anger is a difficult emotion for many because all too often, we have seen it abused and misdirected. Many have never learned healthy ways to release anger and so it builds up until we either stuff it deep inside, or we come out swinging. There are many ways that we hide our anger which involve self medication. Self medication can come in the form of alcohol, drugs, non stop workaholics, depression, anxiety, muscles tension, muscle pain, hives and itching, physical symptoms, avoidance and many other ways.

Of course, the trick in life is to find ways to release anger. I know for me, it took many years to realize that it was okay to let anger out. I had been taught like so many others that you did not show anger and that it was wrong to do this. It took me a long time to realize that there were safe ways to release anger that did not involve abusing myself or others like I had been shown all my life. I am not the world's best example of dealing with anger in my own life but I am learning more each day how to release anger.

In Doreen Virtue's CD, Chakra Meditation, there is one track called "Evening Meditation" that has an affirmation I am finding very helpful in releasing anger. It is a wonderful meditation CD that I truly love and when life gets so difficult, I use this CD. The affirmation she states in this track is as follows: "I am willing to release that part of me which angers me when I think of you."

When I hear these words, it helps put the moment of anger or frustration in perspective. It helps me see that I do have a choice and the ability or power to release the anger I am feeling. If you repeat this affirmation, you will most likely feel a similar effect of release upon your mind and your body. I would urge you to try hearing Doreen speak these words or even just repeating them to yourself and see what impact it has upon your life.

Realizing we have the ability to release anger of these moments is so powerful. Holding the anger and frustration in, only diminishes our life and robs of us our power. The moments of anger and frustration will most likely show up in life. However, if we find ways to release anger, we will find a greater piece of mind. For many people, this is a process and the more we exercise it, the stronger we will become.

For more information about Doreen Virtue's CD, Chakra Meditation, please visit iTunes or Amazon.

Power Within You

This morning when I selected the angel therapy card on my iPhone app (Healing With The Angels) developed by Doreen Virtue, it really spoke to me. Most of the time, the cards that I select are so appropriate for that moment. This was no exception.

Here are the main thoughts that spoke to me from this card:

1) You now allow yourself to express your power.
2) You have all of the power of your Creator within you!
3) All the power of Divine love, wisdom and intelligence is available to you.

While there was much more this card said, these points really were what I needed to hear in this moment. Sometimes it is difficult to see the power within ourselves. Sometimes my self confidence is lacking so much that I feel like a jelly fish floating along in life.

The day I selected this card, I had a meeting with someone about a project. It was a project I had been working on for over a month and was hoping to get a final commitment on it so I could move forward. It mean a substantial financial income to me for the moment and was very much needed. Before going to this meeting, I was beginning to doubt myself and the self confidence issues were coming to the surface. After reading what this card said, I felt a power come over me that gave me confidence and helped me to act with a manner of confidence in the meeting. The meeting was successful.

Even when we think that we don't have the power to do something or we don't recognize the power within our self, it is there. We do have access to it if we choose to connect with it. Sometimes, just the reminder of that is all that we need.

*Read other articles on Mind Body Thoughts Blog

Divine Timing

From A Randomly Selected Angel Therapy Card Today using the iphone App, Healing With The Angels Oracle Cards, by Doreen Virtue

"Divine Timing"

In the card, it talked about paying attention to all the doors that are opening and the doors that are closing. It goes on to state that certain pieces of the puzzle must fall into place before the other parts of the puzzle can come together. Without these happening in this way or skipping them/rushing them, the entire plan will not have a solid foundation. So, look for the doors that are open and then walk through them with faith and in gratitude.

That's exactly what I needed to hear today as I had listed my concerns to the angels.

It is sometimes so difficult to follow this plan that is unfolding but which you cannot necessarily see all the steps as they unfold. It is like walking through the mountains on a trail where you know you are on the mountain, but you can't see the overall shape, steepness or intricate parts of it. You're in the midst of it so you don't have the bird's eye view.

Many pieces have to come together in our lives so that certain events are able to happen. If we try to put the cart before the horse, it will be hard to travel. If we allow things to happen, then they will unfold in the way they need to. This is usually much more difficult to understand than we wish for it to be in our lives. We expect things to just unfold before us and we become impatient. Being honest with myself, I know I do this.

When the card talks about the foundation, I'm picturing in my mind building a house where if you don't pour the footers of the foundation first, but just try to stack the cement walls up, the first wind that comes along will most likely blow your house down. It takes each block being laid in a certain order with concrete to produce a wall of strength and structure. Any shortcuts in doing this will most likely not gives us a sturdy structure.

So today, I will look for the doors that are opening and have faith that they will open in the way they are meant to as I allow the open doors into my life. I will be grateful for the ones that have already opened and the ones that I cannot see which still remain.

Picture taken along Card Sound Road going to Key Largo, Florida (c) 04/23/07

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Archangel Michael

Today in my meditation, I pulled the angel therapy card (Healing With The Angels Oracle Cards) “Archangel Michael” on my iphone app that I have from Doreen Virtue. I figured out that I can do a “shuffle” of the cards on the iphone which I didn’t know I could do. Up until now, I’ve just been sliding them back and forth until I settle on one that just seems to be the appropriate one. Now I can shuffle them in my iphone and select one. Sometimes they just sort of pop out. You can’t see what it is until you actually take your finger and select it. Then the card opens up so you can read it. According to an Angel Therapy Practitioner that I know – when they pop out, they are truly meant to get your attention.

Archangel Michael is pretty powerful and is one of the main angels. So pulling that card today, I was like – wow.. The parts that stood out to me were described as “courage, release from fears and you are safe and secure”. While there is more to these cards then that, I usually see what sort of stands out in my mind because there can be different parts of the same theme on the cards. I follow my intuition.

But what was more important is that I could really feel his presence from the breeze blowing in the trees to the healing light that I was feeling. It felt like a lightness to me and I found myself sort of transported in time to a moment of deep relaxation and meditation. The kind of point where when you open your eyes, you feel like you’ve really gone deep into a place of peace. So I talked to him and shared with him many of my concerns. I got the sense that he listened and showed his love and acceptance upon me. It is of course to hard to find the words to explain how I sensed this but it is without a doubt what I felt. I could sense that healing type of heat as well which is a gentle, loving and welcoming feeling.

The words “safe and secure” kept repeating in my mind’s thoughts.

There has been a very beautiful butterfly that flies around in our backyard. It is a gorgeous yellow one. I saw it the other morning and as I’m writing this, I just saw it again. I’ve tried to get a picture of it but so far, it just flies around.

Oh and one more thing, I believe this is the first time, I’ve personally sensed Archangel Michael around me. Most of the time, I just sense Angels or Raphael but not Archangel Michael.


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