The Real Secret To Smudging Is Your Intention
The secret to smudging isn’t just in the smoke alone. It is powered by your intention. The herbs may help to cleanse the air, but it is your focused energy and mindful purpose that makes the real difference.
This is what I learned from my mentor when I undertook my Ukuthwasa as a shaman initiate many years ago in Southern Africa. An initial part of my rigorous training as a Sangoma, or traditional healer, was a self-cleansing ritual using Mphepo, made up of herbs indigenous to Southern Africa.
“Smudging,” simply put, is the burning of certain herbs to create a cleansing smoke bath. The smoke is used to cleanse areas used for rituals and ceremonies, as well as any tools or objects used for such cleansing, as well as to cleanse people.
The practice of burning incense or herbs is held sacred by many indigenous cultures. It is aimed at protecting, cleansing and purifying the spiritual and physical bodies, with the smoke being the key to rid one of negative energy.
The intention behind any smudging ceremony is a very significant part of its success. With the focus and intent of the “smudger” fully aligned, spiritual, emotional, physical and mental balance can be achieved.
It may be a good time to smudge yourself, or your environment, when you feel depressed or angry, or feel that any exterior negative energy is affecting you, your surroundings or your possessions. Or you may just wish to ensure or enhance positive energy in spaces used for meditation or healing. Continue reading
Why Some Of Us Must Walk Alone To Find Our Tribe
The topic of belonging comes up a lot lately in conversations with close friends, and it is often a concern for my clients when I do readings. A rise in loneliness appears to be a worldwide issue.
A conversation I had with a Spanish family recently was truly food for thought for me. We spoke about the disconnect with people in general, but the family in question strives to maintain family meetings and chats over meals, even though the younger ones spend more and more time on their phones.
One of the younger family members, told me that having a sense of community is part of his family’s religious practice. He makes a conscious effort to be disciplined about phone use when the family comes together. Hopefully, he will educate more of his peers about the importance of being present for in-person connection.
Personally, I have always tended to shy away from group gatherings, but I must say that I have been impressed by the warmth of the locals here in Spain, and their desire to include me in their community.
A few years ago, when my husband died just before Christmas, my Spanish friends in the farming community where I lived at the time told me, in no uncertain terms, that I would be joining them for Christmas and New Year’s family gatherings. I told them I’d prefer to stay home, especially considering the snow the previous Christmas that had confined us to our property for a few days.
My Magical Experience With Indian Palm Leaf Reading
A few years ago, I had amazing experience with Indian palm leaf reading.
As a professional psychic and lifelong spiritual adventurer, I’m always eager to explore lesser-known forms of divination and ancient spiritual practices. Over the years, I’ve had the incredible opportunity to dive into a wide range of mystical traditions, some well-known, others more obscure. Each one has offered a unique and enlightening glimpse into the mystical and unseen.
It was that same sense of wonder and incurable curiosity that led me to explore the mysterious tradition of the Nadi Leaves. I’m so glad I did!
The Nadi Leaves, also known as Nadi Astrology or Palm Leaf Astrology, are ancient texts found primarily in South India, specifically in the state of Tamil Nadu. They are believed to contain the pre-written life stories and destinies of millions of individuals, inscribed thousands of years ago.
According to tradition, these prophetic records were created by the Saptarishis (Seven Sages) like Agastya, Bhrigu, and Vashistha, who used their yogic powers to foresee the past, present, and future of humanity. The Sages are said to have recorded these destinies out of compassion for future generations.
Originally, the Nadi Leaves were archived in Hindu temple libraries, especially in South India. These sacred texts were carefully preserved by temple priests, who regarded them as divine revelations. As the centuries passed and the original leaves began to decay, they were carefully recopied onto fresh palm leaves to ensure their survival.
Connecting With Gaia Through The Art Of Dowsing
I’ve always loved working with dowsing rods. Over the years, I’ve used them in many different ways, such as tracking down lost car keys, finding jewelry, and locating missing household items in the most unlikely places.
Dowsing is a wonderful intuitive practice. I’ve dowsed for many things over the years, but water dowsing has always fascinated me, because it connects nature and the physical world with the spiritual and mystical.
While digital technology and scientific methods have become the preferred tools used by engineers and geologists to accurately locate groundwater, pipes, and leaks, the ancient art of water dowsing is still practiced today. This practice is often called “water witching” in some parts of the United States.
Many farmers and homeowners still hire dowsers to find well locations, especially in rural areas. In fact, some professional water companies and utility providers have been known to also use dowsing rods to help locate pipes and leaks, alongside modern technology.
For me, this way of tuning into the earth’s natural flow and sensing what lies beneath the soil is deeply grounding and primal. It feels like aligning with the consciousness of the Earth herself, to Gaia, or Mother Nature. Gaia is more than a poetic metaphor; she is a living, breathing entity whose subtle energies speak to us if we know how to listen.
When I dowse for water, I feel as though I’m entering into quiet communion with her. I am attuning to her rhythms, her hidden pathways, and her silent wisdom. It’s a sacred act of reconnection, a reminder that we are not separate from nature, but part of her great, mysterious web of existence.
The Emotional Imprints Of Past Lives
I once did a psychic reading for a lady who had a real fear of the ocean. Her fear extended to being a passenger in an aircraft flying high above the ocean, to being on the beachfront trying to relax to the sound of waves crashing along the shore-line. She had booked a session with me to see if we could discover the source of her deep-seated fear of the sea.
The answer to people’s emotional blocks often comes to me through imagery and sounds, which I receive in my mind’s eye.
In this client’s case, the answer came ‘crystal clear.’ I saw a vision of a sailing ship from the 1800s being thrown around in a terrible storm, and I knew right away, that it was a past incarnation from whence her fear of water stemmed.
She had, in fact been a sailor on that ship, which sank. She died at sea after being swept overboard during tumultuous weather conditions.
The actual cause of many relationship challenges or emotional problems can lie in trauma which went unresolved in a previous life.
Emotional wounds leave emotional imprints, which filter into our current emotional condition. Locating the root problem from past lifetimes can go far in freeing us to move forward, free from those shackles that keep us stuck.
Have you ever felt uneasy when meeting someone new, without even knowing anything about them? It’s my belief that one can be holding a memory of a shared past life, in which the soul essence of the person, with whom we are ill at ease, was someone who harmed us in some way in another lifetime.


