amulets
How To Deal With Toxic Drama Royalty
These days, there is drama, crazy-making and toxic behavior everywhere you turn. And it’s not just on social media and public transportation…many of us have to deal with people in our personal and professional lives who are overly demanding, entitled, melodramatic, mean-spirited, always in victim mode, or just plain unhinged.
Sadly, many of these spiritually handicapped souls are people close to us, people we care deeply about. It can be daunting to deal with their toxic actions and volatile behaviors, and trying to ignore them is exhausting and even impossible in the long run.
But other people’s dysfunction and drama doesn’t have to weigh down your spirit, and it doesn’t always have to be so difficult to deal with, especially with some spiritual support and backup.
The first rule to remember is that love works better than anything else. So, the first step should also be to offer the “drama royal” plenty of compassion.
Chances are the drama king or queen in your life is wounded in some way. Dysfunctional behavior and toxicity often stem from unresolved hurt or deep trauma.
Many people who exhibit dramatic or demanding tendencies often aren’t aware of how their behavior affects others. They may be caught in a cycle of emotional turmoil and, as a result, seek external validation through attention and theatricality. Rather than focusing on the label “drama,” it’s helpful to think of these behaviors as expressions of unresolved pain or unmet emotional or spiritual needs.
How To Deal With Spirit Presence In Your Home
Spirit energies are around us all the time in all shapes and forms. Many people have experienced, or at least know someone who has, a spirit presence or paranormal activity in their home.
These encounters can range from subtle to intense, and the nature of the experience often varies greatly depending on the person’s beliefs, fears, and openness to the supernatural.
For some, the presence of a spirit is a source of terror, while for others it is a comfort, like being in the presence of an old friend. Then there are those who scoff and laugh at the very idea that a ghost could exist.
These varied responses highlight an important question: why do people have such different experiences with spirits?
In my experience, it depends on two main factors: a person’s beliefs and attitudes about spirituality and the supernatural, and the nature of the spirit presence itself, whether it is benevolent or malevolent.
My grandmother came to me within three days of her death to tell me she was okay. She gave me a sense of peace and I didn’t see her again. Years later, my mother also came to me to tell me that she was okay and that all was well where she was. It was also a one-time visit.
But with my stepson, who committed suicide, and my father, it was different. He started showing up at his former house (he had left a wife and two beautiful boys) on a regular basis. He would turn on the lights or the faucet. In the middle of the night she would hear our grandchildren talking and giggling in one of their rooms. They were only two and three years old when he died. She went to investigate, thinking they were up to no good, but only one of them was in the room. When she asked who he was talking to, her boy said, “Daddy was here.”
Practical Techniques For Psychic Protection
Psychic protection, also known as spiritual or energetic protection, is a practice I hold dear because it helps shield me from negative energies, psychic attacks, and unwanted influences.
The concept is not new. Mystical protection practices can be traced back to various ancient civilizations, indigenous traditions, Eastern philosophies, and Western esoteric practices.
In ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, amulets and talismans were worn and protective deities invoked to ward off negative energies and evil spirits. Indigenous cultures in the Americas and Africa used smudging and rituals to summon ancestral spirits for protection.
Eastern religious traditions such as Hinduism and Buddhism use mantras, yantras, and meditation for spiritual protection. Kabbalistic traditions emphasize the use of specific prayers and rituals to create spiritual shields. These practices reflect a deep-rooted belief in the power of divine intervention and sacred symbols to provide protection.
In Catholicism, believers recite prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer or the prayer to St. Michael for protection from evil. They may also use holy water, crucifixes, or medals of saints as protective symbols. In Judaism, the recitation of Psalms and the use of amulets inscribed with Hebrew verses are common practices for protection against negative influences.
Contemporary spiritual communities have adapted these ancient practices to include the use of crystals, energy healing, and visualization techniques. Workshops, books, and teachings offer a wealth of methods for psychic protection, all aimed at maintaining a balanced, protected, and positive state of being. These diverse traditions and modern adaptations underscore the universal spiritual need to protect ourselves from unseen negative energies and dark influences.
The True Spiritual Meaning Of The Pentagram
Perhaps no other spiritual or religious icon is as misunderstood as the pentagram, or pentacle. The true symbolism of the pentagram, a five-pointed star often surrounded by a circle, is commonly misrepresented.
Contrary to popular misconceptions that associate it with darkness, evil, or Satanism, the pentagram has multiple meanings within various spiritual and religious traditions, most notably within Paganism and modern Wicca.
The pentagram has been a spiritual symbol of significance for millennia, long before its association with modern religious movements.
Historically, it has been used by cultures around the world, often to represent celestial bodies, principles of harmony, or mystical concepts. Its use first appeared in ancient Greece and Mesopotamia around the 1st millennium BC.
It is not widely known that there are significant historical connections between the pentagram and Christianity. Prior to the widespread use of the cross, the pentagram was a popular symbol to adorn the jewelry and amulets of early Christians, often alongside an “X” or a phoenix. This symbol was associated with the five wounds of Christ and also represented the concept of Alpha and Omega united, as the star could be drawn in one continuous movement of the pen.
In contemporary contexts, particularly within Wicca and related neo-pagan belief systems, the pentacle has positive connotations. It’s seen as a symbol of protection, spirituality, and the interconnectedness of the elements. Each point of the star represents an aspect of balance, holistic existence, conscious living, and the cyclical nature of life.
The Mystical Symbolism Of The Hamsa
The well-known Hamsa symbol has a rich tapestry of esoteric meaning that spans several cultures and religious traditions, including Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. It is commonly used as a protective amulet, offering protection from the evil eye, as well as a talisman or good luck charm, bringing its wearer blessings in the form of happiness, health, and fortune.
The Hamsa is also known as the Khamsa, Hamesh, the Hand of Fatima, the Hand of Miriam, or the Hand of Mary. The names “Hamsa” and “Khamsa” both refer to the number five in Arabic while “Hamesh” means five in Hewbrew, all symbolizing the five fingers of the hand.
In Islamic tradition, this famous esoteric hand is named after Fatima al-Zahra, the youngest daughter of the Prophet Muhammad and his first wife Khadija. Fatima is known by many titles in Islamic tradition, of which al-Zahra (meaning “the Radiant One”) is one of the most prominent. Her life, devotion to family and faith, and moral integrity are admired and serve as an inspiration to Muslims around the world.
In Jewish culture, the hand symbol is named after Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, who was a prophetess and is an important figure in Judaism. In some Christian contexts, it is also known as the Hand of Mary, although it is less commonly referred to by this name. In this instance it is associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus, who is revered for her purity, grace, and maternal protection.
The Self-Fulfilling Fear Of A ‘Bad Luck Curse’
Some folks who consult with reputable psychics for the first time sometimes believe that the many unfortunate things that have been happening to them is due to some ‘family curse’ or ‘bad luck hex.’ While it may indeed seem like certain people and their families do have more than their fair share of ill-fated things happen to them, sometimes through several generations, this kind of superstition is usually just an overreaction to challenging life events, and too often merely an excuse to avoid personal responsibility for one’s own choices.
An famous example of a so-called family curse is the Kennedy family, who suffered a series of bizarre accidents, premature deaths, assassinations, and various other setbacks and calamities, including several ill-fated romantic relationships that all started out great, but then took a turn for the worse and ended in tragedy and disaster.
Whenever I read for a client who believes they are somehow ‘cursed,’ I always advise them that blaming a so-called ‘curse’ for the challenges and adversities in their life will never solve their problems, nor help them create a better life in the future.
Sometimes people are not ready and open to take an honest look at their own part in creating certain life events through their free will choices and decisions. When a relationship ends badly, for example, it is so much easier and convenient to simply imagine, “Oh, well I am probably cursed in the love department.” Meanwhile, the red flags for this relationship were waving high and bright since the very beginning, but they so desperately wanted a relationship that they ignored the early warning signs.
If we would only listen to our gut, and to the people who truly care about us, we will more often experience the blessing of good fortune, instead of ‘bad luck.’ Spirit always warns us early on when we are making bad life choices and heading for disaster. Some of these messages come courtesy of our intuition and inner guidance, some are revealed to us in dreams, signs, synchronicities and psychic readings, and some warnings reach us through our friends and relatives. Sadly, some people blame everything instead on ‘bad luck’ or ‘curses,’ as they would rather believe they have been cursed than take any personal responsibility by accepting they made a poor choices or decisions.
Throwing The Bones
Before studying various Western disciplines of healing and divination, I trained to become a sangoma some 30 years ago, on the borders of Mozambique and Kwazulu-Natal in Southern Africa, where I learned among other things the divination method known as ‘throwing the bones.’
A ‘sangoma’ casting the bones is the African equivalent of the Native American shaman, the Old Norse rune reader, or the European Tarot reader. To uninformed Westerners, indigenous African methods of divination are often thought of as ‘witchcraft,’ but just like there is good and bad in all cultures and professions, the true calling of the African diviner or shaman is a spiritual one of seeking advice through the wise ancestors. In the same way modern Western diviners rely on spirit guides, angels or the ascended masters for divine guidance, so the African diviner relies upon the ancestors.
My training came about after I consulted another sangoma and was told it was my calling to become sangoma myself. She also cautioned me that until I took up this calling, I would repetitively become ill – and how right she was!
Eventually I heeded the ‘calling’, as unusual as it was at the time for a young English woman to enter the mysterious realm of African mysticism in the country in those days. Training was harsh and intense with my mentor and included coaching in various disciplines, such as divination, dream interpretation, ritual, indigenous medicines, and herbalism over a two and a half year period.
One of the divination methods I was taught is known as ‘throwing the bones’. Since the beginning of recorded history the notion of throwing tokens, casting the dice or drawing lots to interpret the divine will of spirit and the ancestors has been viewed as symbolically linking the diviner to his or her mission. Casting or throwing the bones is an ancient practice native to many regions of the world, including Africa, Asia, and North America. In Southern Africa it is a long-standing ritual among the sangomas of the Zulu, Swazi, Xhosa and Ndebele tribes.
Each bone or token used for casting is part of a kit the sangoma carefully selects with the guidance of spirit, initially with the help of a mentor. Spirit and the ancestors instruct the seeker as to the symbolism and meaning of each sacred item in the collection, and precisely shows the student where to find it and which one to use in a divination. In Southern Africa, a mentor assists the thwasa (trainee sangoma) in the process of learning to receive information from the bones, and in reading the patterns in which the bones are likely to fall.