life experience
Your Spirit Guides Will Never Lead You Astray
“My guides must hate me! Why else would they lead me to things that cause me so much pain?” someone once said during a reading. “And where is my guardian angel when I need him?”
It was not the first time I’ve heard such sentiments from a distressed client. This kind of disappointment and frustration is not uncommon because it cuts to the heart of spiritual seeking.
It is certainly a valid concern. If angels, guides, and ancestors are meant to guide, support, and protect us, then why do they sometimes lead us to pain, heartache, and even trauma? Do they really have our backs, or are they inflicting suffering upon us for some strange reason?
I confess that there was a time in my own life when I also asked these kinds of questions.
But after years of working as a professional psychic and energy healer, as well as through my own spiritual growth journey, I’ve since come to a comforting conclusion. Our spirit helpers always operate from a place of divine wisdom, unconditional love and compassionate support.
Then why, you may ask, do bad things sometimes happen to good people? It’s simple, really. Any detour from our highest good does not occur because spirit somehow miscalculated, neglected, or misrepresented anything.
When we encounter trouble, it is usually our own doing, or something we co-created with others. Whatever the reason or cause, we alone are always the common denominator.
Below are a few examples of such self-inflicted calamities that I have repeatedly come across in my work, as well as how they differ from actual spirit guidance and divine intervention.
From Skeptic To Mystic — My First Encounter With Spirit
In the summer of 1987, nearly a year after losing both my parents (just 23 days apart), I found myself at a mediumship event held in a Spiritualist church in Toronto.
Looking back, I can see how profoundly synchronistic the experience was. It was clearly guided by spirit.
I had never set foot in a Spiritualist church before. That very afternoon, I had lunch with a friend who casually mentioned the evening service. She couldn’t attend — she was heading out of town — but something within me stirred. Despite my skepticism, I felt an unshakable desire to go on my own.
The modest church was tucked away on the second floor of a shopping plaza above a retail store. As I climbed the steep staircase, I felt a mix of curiosity and apprehension.
The room was already crowded by the time I arrived, so I chose a seat close to the door, just in case anything bizarre or uncomfortable happened. Since I had never had a mediumship experience before, I didn’t know what to expect. I wanted an easy exit should things get too weird!
After the guest mediums were introduced, the first one stepped forward and gestured toward a man seated near the back. “May I come to you?” she asked gently. When he nodded, she remained at the front of the room and began channeling messages for him from the spirit realm.
Embracing The Shadow Within
When I first began to intentionally and consciously walk a spiritual path, I remember doing so because it just felt so right. Every step I took toward ‘enlightenment’ in this lifetime seemed to bring more brightness into my life, and so many more blessings.
In those early days I was really rolling! I was expecting this to be an easy ride – all joy and light and love. It was wonderful.
What I hadn’t expected was the inevitable emergence of my shadow through as a result of all my spiritual work. And it was not something I was going to be comfortable with – admitting I had places of darkness within me, unloved aspects of myself, disowned pieces of my soul which had been abandoned and in such pain.
Through a series of, what seemed like, unfortunate events, I was given opportunities to face my shadow side. Challenges in relationships with friends and loved ones arose. I couldn’t understand it at first, and felt very alone and misunderstood. I was shifting the blame for this onto the people around me, instead of going inward.
Going inward, into the light, was totally okay, but going inward into the darkness was terrifying. My ego-self raised every defense to keep me from going there. Eventually, I could avoid it no longer.
My life at this point had endured tremendous change in the course of only a few years- so much so, that the entire landscape of my existence and the people in it were now different. While many of the changes were positive, the magnitude of the differences between my ‘old life’ and my ‘new life’ forced me into robust self-reflection.
The Tarot Is A Mystical Bridge To Spiritual Insight
Mysterious, symbolic and highly energetic, the Tarot is a high vibrational tool that can help us explore the deeper meaning behind the events of our daily lives, and the influence of Spirit in our earthly existence.
The Tarot especially offers guidance in situations where may feel lost or confused, and it serves as a mystical bridge between our physical reality and the metaphysical realm.
The cards have their own energy, a high vibrational frequency, which Spirit uses to communicate messages of guidance, encouragement, insight and caution.
Every Tarot reader has their own set of spiritual gifts and psychic abilities, and therefore we tend to each develop our own reading style accordingly.
In my own readings, I find that Spirit most often seeks to illuminate areas in our lives where changes and healing may be needed, in order to bring about the most beneficial future outcomes. This can be anything from the need to shift one’s perspective, to the need to let go, or sometimes the need to simply accept things as they are.
Ultimately, I find Spirit uses the Tarot to get us ‘unstuck,’ so we get back in the flow. When we are in the flow, or in alignment, we are creating with the Universe, instead of creating resistance. Only then are we truly moving toward our highest good and the fulfillment of our greatest potential.
The Tarot is a conduit for communication with our guides and our higher self, through which we can gain a deeper understanding of the soul lessons and the magic happening in our lives.
Embrace The Wisdom Of Your Inner Crone
The archetypes of the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone are central figures in various spiritual and mythological traditions, especially in Paganism and Wicca, where they represent the Triple Goddess. They symbolize the three primary phases of a woman’s life and the cycles of nature, and are associated with the phases of the moon — waxing, full, and waning.
The Maiden is associated with the waxing moon, representing youth, new beginnings, potential, and innocence; the Mother aligns with the full moon, embodying creation, fertility, abundance, and maturity; and the Crone is associated with the waning moon, symbolizing wisdom, life experience, reflection, and endings that lead to new beginnings.
In Greek mythology, these archetypes are seen in the Moirai or Fates: Clotho (the spinner of the thread of life), Lachesis (the measurer), and Atropos (the cutter). Similarly, in Hinduism, the goddess Kali represents the transformative power of the Crone, who presides over destruction and rebirth. They remind us of the cyclical nature of existence and the interconnectedness of the stages of life.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, embodies the essence of the Crone within the Christian tradition. As Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother), she is revered as a figure of profound strength and resilience, having witnessed the suffering and death of her Son. Her wisdom, born of enduring immense grief and unwavering faith, serves as a beacon of strength and compassion for the faithful. She is seen as a compassionate and empathetic figure who understands human suffering and intercedes for believers with her love and wisdom.
Shield Your Dreams From The Naysayers
I’m in the midst of a major shift in my life – a bold leap forward that promises transformative and exciting changes for me and my family.
It is taking a lot of my time and requires a lot of work and personal sacrifice, as there are many moving parts that need to align to make it all happen. However, I know it will work and I trust in spirit’s guidance and divine timing. I’ve successfully navigated similar situations before in my life, so I’m confident it can be done.
As is often the case in these situations, I find myself surrounded by people who are projecting their fears and limitations onto me and my goals. Based on conversations with friends and clients who are supportive and encouraging, this seems to be a common pattern. What is clear to me is that these are people who have chosen to live very different lives from mine.
For example, I have a relative who has always lived in fear and has repeatedly tried to discourage me from every endeavor I’ve ever pursued — almost all of which have been successful. The few that have not worked out for the best I consider valuable life lessons.
I started my first business when I was 26 years old. This family member scoffed at me, saying it was too risky and that I was wasting my time and money. Well, that business ended up paying more than just my bills for over a decade, while many of my peers spent the best years of their lives in soul-destroying dead-end jobs. It allowed me, for example, to buy two houses and several new cars, and best of all, I loved what I was doing!
Always Stay True To Your Soul Path And Purpose
Visiting a nursing home or retirement community and interacting with the residents can be a life-changing experience!
I recently had the opportunity to interact with a group of seniors and one of the things I asked them was, “If you could go back in time and start over, what would you do differently?”
To my surprise, the biggest regret most of them have is that they wish they had been more true to themselves and lived their lives their own way instead of pleasing others. One lady says she realizes she should have followed the original path her soul intended for her, instead of trying to live up to the expectations of others.
Another lady recalls how her life was shattered when a man she loved dearly and had devoted her life to unexpectedly left her to be with someone else. She said that was the day she realized she had wasted so much time putting her own dreams and goals on hold to make someone else the focus of her life. If she could go back in time, she would have handled this relationship very differently. In fact, she would probably never have gotten involved with him in the first place! “Never live for someone else, that is what I have learned,” she said.
Some of the regrets seemed heavy and intense. Some realize that too much time has passed and they cannot undo the choices they have made. There are potential joys and opportunities for personal and spiritual fulfillment that are now forever out of reach. One gentleman added that while there is much wisdom and truth in the saying “it’s never too late,” there are also the practical realities of aging and “missed deadlines” for some things in life.