ancestors
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
The Time I Visited All My Pets In The Afterlife
Life has become much clearer to me over the years. But not in the usual way you might expect.
Having a Near Death Experience (NDE) during surgery at the age of 34, plus practicing as a professional psychic reader fo over 46 years, changes your outlook on life and death in many ways.
One of the questions my clients sometimes ask is, “Do pets go to Heaven?” From my lived experience, the answer is a resounding, yes!
During my NDE, I remember quickly rising up through a tunnel toward a light so bright I had to squint my eyes. I then arrived in a space that felt like the outside of an elevator. It was some kind of ‘in-between area.’
As I stepped inside, every pet I had ever loved in my life up to that moment was gathered around my feet, tails wagging, overjoyed to see me. Dogs and cats…they were all there!
So yes, in my experience, your pets will be there to greet you, just as mine were. On the other side, there are animals of all kinds, peacefully coexisting and filled with joy. I have no doubt our pets in Heaven know when we are coming home to join them. They wait for us with open hearts.
In Heaven, if you wish to have a home, you will. What you think becomes your reality there. So, of course, your beloved pets will once again live with you. They are already running, playing, and waiting for you and you will recognize each one of them.
The Difference Between Soul Rescue And Soul Retrieval
In shamanic and spiritual traditions, soul recovery practices are based on the understanding that a person’s soul essence or ‘life force’ can become fragmented or lost due to trauma.
While these two shamanic arts are closely related and often assumed to be the same practcie, they refer to different contexts of healing. There is a subtle, but key difference.
Soul retrieval is the most common term used in modern shamanism and it is based on the idea of soul loss.
When a person experiences a severe physical or emotional trauma, such as an accident, abuse, grief, or a difficult breakup, a part of their vital essence may abandon the body to survive the experience. This is essentially a spiritual survival mechanism, similar to dissociation in psychology.
This disassociation might be related to the trauma of a car accident or extreme injury, or perhaps a memory of a time in someone’s life when an attribute of their soul felt threatened or fearful.
Other typical examples include physical, sexual or emotional abuse as a child; a feeling of abandonment after the death of a relative; financial ruin; nearly dying; or loss of a job.
Someone suffering from this kind of soul loss might feel “spaced out,” numb, incomplete, or like they are watching their life from the sidelines. Chronic depression or a sense that “I haven’t been the same” since the traumatic event are common indicators.
Wishing You A Blessed Holiday Season
Valued clients, as we approach the close of another remarkable year, our hearts are filled with gratitude for your continued loyalty and support.
Your trust, courage, and commitment to your personal and spiritual growth have made 2025 a year of profound connection and meaningful transformation. We are humbled and honored to walk this sacred path with you every day.
Your calls motivate and inspire us daily. You remind us why we do what we do. Why we show up, hold space, offer guidance, and continue striving to uplift every soul who seeks the guidance of spirit.
Because of you, our mission continues, our purpose endures, and our dedication to service remains with each passing season.
This year, through triumphs and trials alike, we have witnessed your resilience, your breakthroughs, and your beautiful unfolding to live your best life.
It has been our privilege to support you this past year as you navigated life’s shifting tides, embraced new opportunities, and stepped ever more fully into your authentic power.
We look forward to continuing this sacred partnership with you, offering clarity and spiritual insight whenever you need it.
The holiday season reminds us of the things that matter most in life: compassion, love, inner peace, and the quiet miracles that shape our lives. It is a time to cherish the connections that uplift us and to honor the divine spark that flows through us all. May this season bring you moments of stillness, heartfelt joy, and the comforting warmth of those who love and cherish you.
The Subconscious Secrets Of Dream Symbols
Clients sometimes ask me to help them interpret a dream that’s intrigued them, or which has been of great concern to them.
I feel that the best people to interpret dreams are the dreamers themselves, but I will always give my take or feeling on the deeper meaning of the dream, and suggest they take my version on board only if it truly resonates for them.
Our dreams have been a source of fascination since the beginning of time. Many cultures see dreams as life lessons, as a means for our ancestors or loved ones in spirit to connect with, and to communicate with us. Amongst those cultures, much emphasis is placed on dreams as a means of prophecy.
Often these dreams are meant to guide us or to warn us of impending danger, but sometimes they are meant to just to show us that we are indeed loved by those in the spirit world.
Often too, I have found, we can wake up with a sense of peace in our hearts, knowing we’ve communicated things to another soul. This could be something which was perhaps left unsaid at the time of their transition to the other side.
The veil between this world and the next is a thin one, and using our dreams can help us to build a bridge between the worlds.
Although some people tell me they never dream, we all have the ability to dream when we slip into an altered state of consciousness during our sleep cycle. Our dreams are a natural part of life’s rich tapestry, revealing parts of ourselves which we otherwise might fail to see. In opening up to the dream state we can work on healing our deeper fears and issues.
The Mythical Mysteries Of Crows And Ravens
People have been fascinated by crows and ravens for thousands of years. There’s something about their glossy black feathers, their watchful eyes, and the way they seem to understand more than they let on that makes one wonder what they might know that we don’t.
Throughout history and across many cultures, these amazing birds have been seen as more than just animals. They are traditionally seen as messengers, guides, and keepers of spiritual wisdom.
Their stories are all about myth, religion, and folklore, and they give us a pretty interesting look at how different peoples saw the mysterious world around them. Even now, in our modern time of screens and certainty, many still feel a quiet sense of magic when one of these birds crosses their path.
In the ancient Greco-Roman world, birds were a big deal. They were thought to be divine messengers and living signs that connected the heavens and the earth.
The practice of interpreting their movements, known as augury, was very important spiritually and politically. It wasn’t just superstition; it was a big part of religious and community life.
Augurs, the trained soothsayers of ancient Rome, were responsible for “taking the auspices,” or reading the signs that the gods sent through bird behavior. From the way it flies to the sound it makes, every detail could mean something. Out of all the birds we saw, crows and ravens stood out in particular. People thought their appearance held weighty messages, partly because of their dark, striking plumage and partly because these birds seemed unusually intelligent and intentional in their actions.
The Who’s Who Of The Spirit Realm
Communicating and working with Spirit can become confusing when you need to discern who exactly it is that you are engaging with.
Terms like Spirit Guides, Ascended Masters, Angels, Ancestors, among other, are often used in this context, but the distinction between these entities is not always made clear. It can be very confusing.
For this reason, I have compiled a quick guide to the ‘who’s who’ of the spirit realm, and how to best work with each group of spirit energies.
Angels
Angelic beings are pure Love and Light. Angels have never experienced a human incarnation. They serve as our guides and protectors.
Angels are our constant guides, steering us on our journey through life and helping us to achieve our dreams and goals.
They gently nudge us forward along our life path and deliver to us unconditional love from the Divine, but only if we ask for their support.
They never overstep the Law of Free Will, unless it is a life-threatening situation that demands divine intervention.
You know you are in contact with an Angel if you feel warm ‘tingles,’ and a sense of unconditional love, inner peace and well-being.