Eve, Unplugged

I have some thoughts on this that may be worth sharing.

Even though I do readings, I have also seen psychics myself at various points in my life, since I first walked into a gypsy reader's shop in College Park (Madame Sylvia.) I was very young and confused about a relationship. In time I learned that Madame Sylvia's penchant for designer purses (Fendi) had little to do with having to use them to validate my sincere "investment" for her "candle rituals." I think I lost several weeks of my minimum wage paychecks on these guaranteed-to-work spells. After that experience I swore off of psychics for a long time and preferred to just study the symbolic, mystic and esoteric meanings behind the cards and astrology. I never lost faith in the mystical truth of ancient crafts, only the people practicing it.

But, I also realized that as hokey as Madame Sylvia was and as much as she bilked me, I did receive comfort at her assurances that the guy I was dating would come back. (which he did, but by that time, I had moved on.) As far as contacting the other side, regardless of her questionable ethics, there was definitely more than just idle chit-chat and swindling going on. I received several astral visitors who yanked me out of my body for a few nights in a row. I just hate it when that happens! I then realized that she had actually done something with those candles and whatever that was, it was real. This showed me the lesson of responsibility and right action when dealing with these tools. It also spooked me away from readers for some time, which is kind of ironic, in retrospect.

My father took me to every pop therapy (Gestalt, Transactional Analysis, Lifespring, I'm OK, You're OK) craze there was. By the time I was a late teen, I (along with my father and sister) had logged on many hours of therapy, which caused me to get interested in understanding more about psychology myself. So, I took several psych classes in college and really did have some epiphanies about how our minds work. But unfortunately, it seemed that in a lot of cases, it took far too much time and terminology to identify different states of consciousness which seemed to me to be bereft of any connection to a larger context. I couldn't find the "beef" in it. I'm sure I studied the tarot on my off-time as much, if not more, than any aspiring psychologist in my classes studied their profession. I went on to study Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell because of their depth when it comes to psychology, symbols and myths and realized that they were taking their work from the ancients that I had a fascination with (in the case of Jung, Greek gnostics and Campbell, the myths and customs of indigenous, ancient cultures such as the Mayan, Egyptian, etc) After that discovery, I felt much more comfortable with studying the products, namely tarot and astrology, of these cultures.

Well, it was inevitable that another romantic crisis was to occur to me and I really didn't feel like hashing it out with a therapist. This was beyond therapy and I wanted more than clucks and scribbles on notepaper. I didn't have time for all that anyway. I was in need of some real guidance and insight into the whole situation, primarily what the other side of the dynamic was about, which was HIM. So, I bit the bullet and decided to go to a very famous psychic for a reading in McLean, VA. Well, she knocked my socks off. The details, the insight and suggestions, in retrospect, were spot on. I couldn't believe it. More importantly, I needed to talk to someone and feel like I wasn't alone in my confusion. I wanted someone to see into my world and tell me straight up what was going on. I needed someone in my corner who would be honest with me.

To my mind, psychics fill a very special and essential need in society (they are routinely used by law enforcement for locating lost people) and one that doesn't get talked about much, which is listening and focusing on an issue while using, not only the brain, but that "other" something - call it intuition - call it divine guidance, call it messages, whatever IT is in service to others. And, apparently, IT is real. Numerous studies have been conducted to prove the efficacy of ESP, remote-viewing, telepathy, and so on. We now know that SOMETHING is happening, it just can't be contained or measured or guaranteed to deliver expected results. Therefore, it's not easy to sell on Wall Street or fit into a college curriculum. Now, like my friend Madame Sylvia, not all psychics are completely candid and well-intentioned so, as in any dealings with people, one must beware. However, for every one of those, there is at least one who has their heart and mind in line with Spirit. I personally have found more sincere, selfless and kind people in the psychic community than in any others I have encountered.

In life it seems when we need people the most, we are the most alone. Friends don't want to hear about our stuff after a while. They got their own stuff and, truthfully, it's uncomfortable for someone to be see a person close to them suffer. Unless you are exceptionally lucky and gifted with very good, empathetic and patient friends, there are few options open when it comes to guide you through your issue. Most people feel out of their depth to help and instead try to cheer you up, which in turn, has the effect of your feeling obliged to put on a happy front (which often makes the situation just that much harder.) Denial. It's more than a river in Egypt.

Psychologists and psychiatrists are bound to stay within their field of study and are trained to disengage themselves from their client's emotions. They are taught to be screens for their subject's projections. After a few weeks, months or years, eventually that person will have talked enough to finally figure out some of their issues (if they're lucky.) Meanwhile, the psychologist gets to give you all the impressions and feedback and conclusions that he got out of your sessions together - in a book that he's going to publish once he decides he has a unique viewpoint (if you're lucky.)

Psychics, like artists, musicians, entertainers, etc., fill a great need for others, but have rarely been given serious recognition for their skills. We've gotten to a point where listening with empathy and attention is rare. Our culture has all your creature comforts covered and, by some reckoning, that should be enough for all but the "dysfunctional" (or whatever label du jour they're using) people. When emotional confusion or crisis hits, how many of us want to invest the time, money and energy to go and see a therapist for help? Many go it alone, but they don't have to. Back in our ancestor's day we belonged to tribes and shared stories, myths and magic. Something primal is missing for a lot of us and society is just now re-discovering how important this type of human-to-human contact is.

Just because (most) psychics don't hold advanced degrees or have a personal secretary, does not mean that they don't provide real benefits. It just means that we are living in a time right now where psychics are not as closely bound, restrained and defined as those in other professions, unlike those skilled, clever psychiatrists who dispense Prozac and say two words in as many years to you. When we think about it, just participating in such a system that is so detached and clinical negates the very thing that allows for Spirit to come in.

Psychics offer the same privacy and confidentiality as a therapist would and have a broader range of tools and teachings to draw from. Also, a good psychic will listen and focus on you and your issue AND with compassionate awareness so as to provide meaningful feedback, which can be applied immediately to change and improve the course of the situation you're in. I believe this is a more accelerated way for the recipient to gain more self-awareness.

And from what I'm seeing today, that's a really good thing!

I hadn't thought of it until now. I hesitated to post this because there are some people who would do just that, but I don't want to do that to anyone. I have gone there and clicked on people's profiles, but it didn't occur to me that they may be charged. I hope Keen has a detection filter or something, but if not, I'm sorry for the times I have clicked on a featured listing. Thanks in advance.

-eve

I've spent the last few days working on an article that was inspired from my counseling a friend. I decided to distill the knowledge gleaned from the various professions, businesses and financial education venues I worked in and put it in context with my studies of metaphysical laws.

The article is in two parts and cost $5.00 each.

From Part I: Clearing the Blocks that Keep Wealth from Manifesting:

"I've studied wealth for some time. When I was in my twenties, I first attended Dale Carnegie's "Think and Grow Rich" seminars and from there, seminars conducted by Tommy Hopkins, Investment Strategy conferences and the like. I sold real estate for Ryland Homes (#2 in the mid-Atlantic in 1996) and worked in a stock brokerage firm. I've owned three businesses and worked on my MBA at Johns Hopkins (I didn't finish because I was too busy running my company.) Money is no longer a mystery to me. It should not be a mystery to you either. There is a lot to learn about it, from investment strategies to financial mechanics and terms, which are important to know and there are many ways (which can be found free on the Internet) to study financial concepts and investment strategies. The most important thing to learn about wealth is investing and making money work for you. I won't go into the how in these articles, except to say that from now on, you should think of everything as an investment before you purchase it. Even the groceries you buy should be bought with maximum benefit in mind. If you had three dollars and could purchase a bag of chips vs. a few organic fruits or vegetables, which are you going to purchase? One provides empty (more like malevolent) calories and one provides living energy and minerals and vitamins. If you still want the bag of chips, at least do it with conscious deliberation. Once you grasp this fundamental principle and apply it to your purchases, you have the proper foundation from which to deal in all areas of finances, no matter how complex.

But what part does our Higher Self have to play in whether we are wealthy or not? Everything. Unlike popular belief, the spiritual path is not about flowing downstream. It's about flowing in your own stream. The stream of the masses is not the way to success. Shamans and masters, as well as the stock market itself, repeatedly warn of going with the majority. It's about being true to the Self and through self-exploration and experience, evolving out of patterns of thought and behavior that kept you in lack, into new ones that will allow wealth into your life. Look around you. Almost everyone has bought into a get-rich-quick scheme of one type or another, whether Amway or a hot stock tip. I'm not saying these things don't ever work but, for the majority, they may as well have flushed their investments down the toilet. Getting rich quick is not what being wealthy is about. You won't suddenly have a great lifestyle if a pile of money fell on your lap. You'll just have what you have now, but more of it. If you are stressed now, the money will give you more stress. If you are lazy, you'll be more lazy, etc. The condition of your happiness will not change with money. It is only possible to change from a poverty mentality to a wealth mentality through inner work.

Manly P. Hall, writer of the great, perennial best seller "Secret Teachings of All Ages," wrote this in a PRS newsletter in 1959: “As a result of a confused and insecure childhood, it was necessary for me to formulate a personal philosophy with which to handle immediate situations.”...

To read the rest of Part I, click on the button below:

Part I: CLEARING THE BLOCKS THAT KEEPS WEALTH FROM MANIFESTING - $5.00.

From Part II: Mastering Wealth:

"It is important to marry your will to succeed with your inner passion and integrity. The ethical person of wealth has reached an inner peace and focus about wealth (which is part of his unique lifestyle) that no one can push over. Truth and integrity are the soil for big money trees. This person, by having clear intent and belief and trust in him or herself is capable of anything, regardless of whether other people approve or not. People like this, ruthless as they may have been seen by the public, have a motor power that eclipses opposition. The ancients taught us that our meditations and prayers are powerful. They intended for us to take these intentions into our daily practice, not just leave them at the church door. Do not choose to work in a field where you have a conflict in ethics, or you will never be the master - it will. Opposition will be there. Guaranteed. Even friends and family will try to make you feel guilty for changing your previous behavior. An unshakable, inner faith is required for real wealth.

Identify and break the habits that keep you from your vision. Would a wealthy person watch tv for hours a day? Join a gym or take in exercise to honor your temple. In taking care of ourselves, we take care of others. When we are healthy, we feel better and have more energy and clarity to give to our goals and to others. Recognize yourself, honor your being and be grateful to be participating in the dance of life. Cultivate your own personal philosophy and fine tune your vision for wealth to include the whole lifestyle you want. The house, the travel, the leisure, the freedom, whatever it is that you want, the more clear and customized that picture is, the better. Accountant or rock star, the path to your personal success is there, it just needs to be discovered. The more you personalize and integrate the lifestyle you choose, the more it manifests.

Make a list of all the things you want and include wealth on that list. If it's not at the top, then re-examine the list and see how the things that ranked higher would be better accomplished with wealth. Keep this list up-to-date and add to and re-prioritize until you have more than a thousand reasons why you want to be wealthy. If something is above wealth, then you won't be wealthy. Because that is the thing that you will spend your wealth on. When you have fully convinced yourself that wealth is your number one priority then the practical work begins.

The part that you may have missed in "The Secret," is the next, critical, part. You have to live as if what you desire is already present. You must get behind the concept of being at ease with money and in order to do so, study. Take time to read and study about finances and wealth every day. Familiarize yourself with the operations and terminology for the activity you wish to participate in."...

To read the rest of Part II, click on the button below:

Part II: MASTERING WEALTH - $5.00,

Hello. Physics is showing us that the Universe is truly holographic. Through studying gravity, physicists have found that it is a bending of the geometry of the Universe. AND that pattern can be broken up into infinite amounts of space. Now, this discovery has brought us to two "event horizons." The one that occurs when a photon crosses the past its own speed, and the one that occurs to us when we grasp the concept internally.

If we were to look at the structure of the universe, we would see a curve, like you would see if there were a square of Spandex fabric stretched out horizontally, with a heavy, small object in the center pulling it down. However, as physicist Nassim Haramein describes it, Einstein only understood part of the physics involved. The other part is that the curve is not really a curve, but a twisting energy, rather like the vortex that is formed when water runs down a drain. This is the physics that compose our current Universe.

Inside this fabric is the same amount of information, infinitely passed down through the hologram that makes up our universe. Each one of us is capable of experiencing this information, which comes to us through the presentation of reality. Each one of us is a conduit between that information, which presents itself through our five senses, intuition, thoughts and feelings. We are the link between heaven and earth.

Instead of looking for an "event horizon" out in space, it would be just as meaningful to consider yourself as the event horizon. The one that brings this field to material reality. Just as gravity twists and turns, our DNA follow the same energy path. We are all connected and equally as important as creators and inhabitants of our Universe. We are all at the center of this Universe, which spreads out in an infinite pattern to create the reality we experience. May you create consciously and well!

Namaste

The four suits found in tarot are wands, cups, swords and pentacles. They are symbolic of the elements of fire, water, air and earth respectively. The breakdown of the known aspects the physical universe into four elements is found within many ancient teachings. The one most closely resembling tarot being the quabbala (of which the tarot is another presentation of the same tradition.) There is also, in some traditions, a fifth element, the aether or prana, that is inherent within each of the four. This unseen and unknown (at this time) energy interpenetrates all dimensions of time space and it is the base from which all the universes arise. The intelligent mind of the Universe, God, Creator, Brahma, etc.

In our individual selves, we have the four elements in play constantly as we go about our day. Our life force, the inspiration to create and play, is represented as wands (fire). The emotions we have about our experiences are represented as cups (water). Our thinking and intellect is represented as swords (air) and finally, our bodies and physical needs is represented as pentacles (earth.)

The elemental breakdown outlined above is the foundation for alchemy. You will find it in all the mystery traditions, from astrology to ayervedics. It is ancient and it also is the foundation for modern science and chemistry. Unlike western science, it includes the part humans have in the hologram, or mandala. The Myers-Briggs personality breakdown is one recent example how this concept found its way into today's use. Reflection on the four temperments (in psychology the terms are sanguine, melancholy, phlegmatic and choleric,) will lead to greater understanding, control and refinement of the aspects within ourselves. This is the true "philosopher's stone." It has been symbolized as the grail, the eye in the top of the pyramid, the alchemical marriage and the restoration of the temple.

Our experiences cycle to constantly challenge us through prana, of being in the illusion, or maya (perceptions and feelings) until we come to the understanding and STAY in the understanding that all is within the thoughts, feelings and sensations we are having and all of it can be transcended through fire (life force.) To the alchemists, the fire is where we have united the elementals and become grounded enough in wisdom and balance to be a living conduit between our earthly realm and that of the Divine will. When our will is in alignment with heavenly will, we are masters (the magician in the major arcana,) The magicians wand is pointed up to heaven and down to earth, the magician being the CONSCIOUS creator of his own manifestations rather than the unconscious one. Our teachers tell us we are manifesting whether we are aware of it or not.

The card that most represents the alchemical process of the individual, is Temperance. You see all the elements at play in this, the card that is right in the middle of the major arcana: the foot of the divine angelic being being in matter (ground); the other foot in emotion (water); the being has wings to guide it through air (intellect) and in the process of working with all of them has become crowned with the fire of wisdom.

Peace and namaste.