life lessons
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.
The Soul Wisdom Of The Major Arcana
If you’ve ever felt a magnetic pull toward the Tarot, you’re not alone. For centuries, these cards have been used to unlock the mysteries of our life journey and soul path. Among the 78 cards in a traditional Tarot deck, there are 22 that stand out in their spiritual depth and archetypal wisdom: the Major Arcana.
The word “arcana” comes from the Latin arcanum, meaning “secret” or “mystery.” These 22 cards, beginning with The Fool and culminating with The World, chart a symbolic journey of spiritual awakening and self-discovery.
In readings, Major Arcana cards often speak to life-changing lessons and soul-level growth. These archetypal cards form the backbone of the Tarot, guiding seekers on their journey of self-realization and spiritual refinement, known as The Fool’s Journey.
When several Major Arcana cards appear in a spread, I often sense that the querent (person receiving the reading) is going through a spiritually significant phase. These cards highlight soul contracts, karmic patterns, and transformative life events. They encourage us to pause, reflect, and connect with our higher self.
In contrast, the remaining 56 cards — known as the Minor Arcana — deal more with the day-to-day. They are divided into four suits representing the elements (Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands) and include numbered cards and Court Cards, often called the “people cards.” When many Minor Arcana cards show up, the reading tends to focus on practical matters, offering insight and advice for navigating everyday challenges and choices.
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.
We Can’t Always Rescue The Ones We Love
A topic that often comes up in psychic readings is the client’s concern for someone they love – a child, significant other, sibling, close friend, or even a co-worker.
The problem? Usually the person has chosen a path that is confusing, destructive, or even life-threatening: substance abuse, toxic relationships, unwise career moves, or a lifestyle that just doesn’t make sense to the onlooker.
If you’re nodding your head right now about someone in your own family or circle of friends, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there – watching someone we love make free will choices that, from our perspective, can only lead to pain, loss, or utter disaster.
Maybe they have moved in with someone who is controlling and abusive, or they dropped out of college to move across the country and get married to someone they hardly know. Or maybe they are determined to put their life savings into a shady Ponzi scheme. Maybe they keep repeating choices and patterns that seem so clearly wrong for them.
Maybe you’ve seen the red flags from day one, and your heart is already aching with a kind of spiritual déjà vu…because you know what’s coming. And yet…you feel powerless to stop it.
This is where spiritual teachings can offer both comfort and perspective. According to many wisdom traditions, it’s often the most painful, confusing, or seemingly misguided paths that lead to the greatest soul growth. Sometimes a person must walk through fire or descend into darkness to find their light. And as difficult as that is to witness, it may very well be part of their soul plan.
Why You’re Absolutely Meant To Be Here!
Lately I’ve been hearing more cries for help from clients saying things like: “I really don’t want to be here anymore,” “No one will even miss me when I’m gone,” or “This world is not for me, I never belonged here anyway.”
This sense of despair seems to have increased in recent times. For many, there seems to be an overwhelming sense that the world is spinning out of control. More and more people are struggling with a deep sense of disconnection and hopelessness, triggered by the relentless pace of global upheaval and chaos.
Some also speak of a deep inner alienation — a quiet pain that comes from trying to reconcile their heartfelt values and dreams with a daily reality that feels cold, uncertain, cruel, and fragmented. They no longer see the compassion, unity, or progress they once believed in, and this leaves them questioning their place in the world, or if they even belong here.
It is a powerful reminder of the urgent need for the world’s lightworkers to rise — to hold space, to nurture hope, to foster connection, and to work toward a more compassionate and sustainable future.
I, for one, do not share this negative view regarding my place and purpose in this world, because about three decades ago I faced a serious illness that nearly ended my life. This traumatic chapter led me to a profound realization: we plan our lives before we incarnate, and we all absolutely belong here!
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.
The Touching Tale Of The Praying Hands
In the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, Germany, lived a family with 18 children. Yes, eighteen! To put food on the table for this mob, the father and head of the household, a goldsmith by trade, worked nearly 18 hours a day at his trade, as well as any other paying job he could find in the neighborhood.
Despite their seemingly hopeless situation, Albrecht and Albert, two of the older children, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they were well aware that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to an art academy.
After many long discussions at night in their crowded bed, the two boys finally worked out a pact. They would toss a coin. The loser would go down to the nearby mines and use his earnings to support his brother, who would attend the academy.
Then, after four years, when the brother who won the coin toss finished his studies, he in turn would support the mining brother to also attend the academy – either by selling his artwork or, if necessary, by working in the mines.
They tossed a coin one Sunday morning. Albrecht Dürer won the toss and went to Nuremberg to study art. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and spent the next four years financing his brother, whose creative work at the academy was almost immediately a sensation.
Albrecht’s etchings, woodcuts, and oils were far superior to those of most of his fellow students and even his professors, and by the time he graduated he was beginning to earn substantial fees for his commissioned works.