Crystal of the Week: Cavansite

First discovered in India in 1988, this bright blue stone is an amazingly hard worker.  Called the "Stone of the Spiritual Healer," Cavansite will shield the healer during sessions.  It assists those working with Reiki and other spiritually healing modalities.  It can be used to ask that a disease or illness in remission does not return.  It's a great stone to teach acceptance and is known to help children accept any disabilities they may be facing.

When used with meditation, Cavansite will help stimulate astral travel and past life recall.  When placed on the third eye, it will enhance clairvoyance.  When placed on the throat, it will enhance clairaudiance.

Psychologically, this stone brings joy as it works to increase one's endorphins.

It's a great stone for mediums as it encourages one to step aside and speak spiritual truths without any self-doubt.

Because of its beautiful blue color, it's connected to the throat chakra and communication making it a wonderful stone for writers and teachers.

As a stone of spiritual guidance and healing, Cavansite assists one who is breaking through to the next level of their spiritual development.  It helps connect us with our guides and teachers.  Working with the heart, it aids clear, honest communication.

Emotionally, Cavansite increases our optimism and happiness.  It sparkles just like the night stars reminding us that we do have a divine light deep within us and that's its our right and our true purpose to shine on and share our light.

Crystal of the Week: Kyanite

Originating in Nepal and Tibet, the word Kyanite is from the Greek Kyanos meaning blue.  The lovely blue of this hard working stone helps us to speak our truth and greet the world with a sense of true honesty, courage and humility.  Kyanite works so hard for you and yet it expects nothing in return.  This stone will not take on negativity, so it never needs to be cleansed.  It will also help to attune and charge the other stones around it.

As a throat chakra stone, it's a great stone to wear as a necklace.  It will enhance psychic ability, communication and clairaudience.

Kyanite is a peaceful and calming stone which makes it a great choice for meditation.  It will work to gently open your third eye.  When slept with, it's said to increase the vividness of your dreams.

Although it's not a birthstone, it's highly recommended for those born under the sign of Aries, Libra and  Taurus.

Kyanite is said to cleanse the aura and light it up from within.

It's known for its tremendous ability to cleanse and align the chakras.  It will help remove energy blocks from the meridians and cuts through fears that are holding us back.  It pushes away depression, sadness and anger.  Kyanite is known to be a natural pain reliever.

BLACK KYANITE:  Very protective stone.  Will help ground and protect your energy
GREEN KYANITE:  Very healing.  Hard working stone that will heal and cleanse your heart chakra.

Crystal of the Week: Topaz

Topaz comes from the word “topazin” meaning “to seek.”  Known as the “Stone of True Love,” Topaz will help you seek and find love.  It’s a joyful stone that balances emotions and helps the wearer see the bigger picture.

Topaz is said to possess its own inner light and the stone will work to share this light with the wearer.  It imparts feelings of joy, empathy and generosity.  It’s a mellow, calming stone that will encourage forgiveness and acceptance. 

Topaz has a long and rich history for treating ailments and bringing good fortune.  St. Hildegard used Topaz dipped in wine to treat eye disorders.  Doctors also used Topaz elixirs during the Plague.  This beautiful stone has long been associated with the wealthy who would often wear topaz engraved with a falcon to attract more financial abundance. 

These days, Topaz is known to help to balance your emotions and open your heart to love and happiness.

If you’re trying to complete a goal and are finding it difficult to find the energy and self-esteem to see it to fruition, wearing Topaz will give you the motivation and inner resources to achieve your goal with success and speed.

While Topaz comes in a variety of hues, the two most popular and easy to find are yellow and blue. 

YELLOW TOPAZ: November’s birthstone will help you manifest your intentions and bring about positive change in your life.  It helps keep you in alignment with your true purpose.  The happy, positive energy of this stone helps attract new friends and opportunities.  Sometimes called Golden Topaz, this stone is also very healing – especially for stomach ailments.  It works to open your heart to love as it allows you to forgive and trust the process of life.  Golden Topaz will strengthen your faith.  Wear this stone when you’re feeling overstressed and irritable because it will help to calm you and instill deep inner peace and serenity instead. 

BLUE TOPAZ: December’s birthstone is a stone of clear and honest communication.  It’s a balancing stone and will bring the body, mind and spirit into alignment.   Blue Topaz is a stone of leadership that helps you take charge of your life. This is the stone to wear if you have a speaking engagement or important meeting coming up because it helps you to speak clearly and effectively.  Meditating with Blue Topaz enables you to discover the right career path for your highest potential.  It helps you to see where you’ve gone off path and recognize patterns in your life. Often called “the Writer’s Stone,” Blue Topaz will help break up writer’s block while enhancing your creativity.  Wearing Blue Topaz increases your psychic ability.  Blue Topaz brings in angelic energy and helps you connect with your angel for more joy and love in your life.

Wearing Topaz will work hard to increase your self-esteem and courage teaching you to truly believe that you deserve love, happiness, health and success.

Aromatherapy 101

Our sense of smell holds a lot of power.  It can entice us, seduce us, arouse our hunger and evoke memories from our past.  But it can also help to heal, calm and de-stress us.  Here are some practical ways to use aromatherapy in your life.

Calming Spray:  Add 10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil and 10 drops of Tangerine or Lemon Balm Essential Oil to a 4 oz. spray bottle.  Shake and mist around the house, car or office and to effect a calming mood.

Car Sickness:  If your child often experiences car sicknesses, try adding a few drops of Ginger Essential oil or Peppermint Essential oil to a tissue and have your child inhale the scent frequently throughout the trip.

Colds: Add a few drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil to a vaporizer to reduce stuffiness.

Cuts and Scrapes: Mix 50 drops of Lavender Essential Oil with 50 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil.  This can be stored in a small bottle for up to two years.  To sooth a cut or scrape, add 10 drops of the mixture to a 1/2 cup of water and use it to wash off the scrape.  Then add 1 drop to the bandage.

Diaper Rash Cream:  Add 1 drop of Lavender Essential Oil and 1 drop of Tea Tree Essential oil to to teaspoons of Almond Oil.

Earache: Add 3 drops of Thyme Linolol and 3 drops of Lavender Essential Oil to a warm washcloth and hold over the child's ear.

Headache Relief: Add a few drop of peppermint essential oils to a carrier oil such as Jojoba and rub into temples.

Holiday Spray:  To get in the mood for the holidays, try making this lovely concoction that will have you dreaming of sugar plums in no time.  Take a 4-ounce bottle and fill with distilled water.  Add 4 drops of pine essential oil, 2 drops of cinnamon essential oil and 1 drop of mandarin essential oil to the spray bottle.  Shake vigorously and spray.

Sponge Cleaner:  Sponges are teeming with germs.  Get into the habit of microwaving yours for 1 minute every few days.  When it's cooled, add 2 - 3 drops of orange or lemon essential oil.  The oil not only smells great, but its antibacterial properties will keep your sponge (relatively) germ free

Trash Can Fix: To keep your garbage can smelling as nice as possible, mix 2 cups of baking soda and a teaspoon of Lavender Essential Oil.  Store in a shaker container and sprinkle on the bottom of your trash can every time you change the trash bag.


TIPS FOR USING ESSENTIAL OILS:

1) Buy only pure essential oils
2) Store in their original bottles
3) Never apply directly to skin.  Essential Oils must be blended with a carrier oil first.
4) Essential Oils are for external use only.

Crystal of the Week: Green Quartz

Green Quartz works to open, balance and heal the heart chakra.  It transmutes negative energy into positive energy which makes it a great stone to have in your home or office.  Green quartz will increase your creativity, prosperity, abundance and success.  It helps to balance emotions and is wonderful for psychic healing.  It enhances psychic ability.  Green quartz is also recommended for students as it helps them retain the information they studied.


Green quartz is a gentle healer and helps to enhance one's spirituality making it a great stone for meditation.


Physically, it's said to balance the endocrine system.

As it's known to work as a stone of prosperity and abundance, Green Quartz can be used in prosperity grids.  Keep one in your wallet to assure abundance in your life or place one with your check books.  If your bills feel out of control, place a Green Quartz with your bills to help balance the energy and absorb any fears those bills can cause.

The Snowball Effect

Mercery is in Retrograde.  We are dealing with eclipses, and the holidays are fast approaching.  This is not an easy time for many.  So many clients and friends that I talk to are going through lay offs, financial worries, relationship problems and many are just feeling a generic stuck feeling -- stuck in their job, or their relationship or their financial bracket.

Sometimes when we're feeling this way, we tend to talk about it.  A lot.  To anyone who will listen.  In the beginning this is good and therapeutic but after a few days, it tends to build and create a bigger than life problem in our mind.  I call this the Snowball Effect.

Our words hold immense power.  In the bible it says God created the world with the spoken word.  We use words to create vows, contracts and partnerships.  New research proves that words and sound can physically heal our body.  All of this illustrates how important our words are that we say to ourselves and to others.

As we head into the holidays, if you're feeling the stress that's running rampant out there, take a moment each day to be mindful of your words. Good words invite good things.  Negative words invite more of the same.

I hope you all have a wonderful and peaceful week.  To all of you celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday, I hope you have a great holiday.  I am thankful for all of you reading this!

The Doubting Psychic

It happened again.  Just this morning.  I couldn't make a connection with a client and her loved ones in heaven.  Nothing came through.  Well, that's not true.  A few things did come through -- none of which were validated by my client.  In my years of doing readings this has happened to me twice.  Now I can say it's happened three times.

I hate it when this happens.  My client was understandably upset.  I stopped the reading 15 minutes in and said, "I am so sorry but I can't make a significant connection and I don't want to waste your time.  Can I please mail your payment back to you?"  I felt just terrible.  I tried to explain that this had nothing to do with her or her loved ones in heaven who were trying to link in with me.

I wish I could explain to her, to myself, why this happened.  But I can't.  My reading before hers went great and my reading after hers went very well too.  I have no idea why this happens.  I just know that it does.  Thankfully it's not often.

So why am I sharing this sad story with you?  For two reasons.  One, to let you know that if you get a reading with a medium and they can't make a connection with you, please don't take it personally.  I know my client today had family members that wanted to talk to her.  The problem was with me -- not them and not her.  Our loved ones in heaven always want to talk with us.  But the medium has to be perfectly on.  I have to be aligned physically, mentally and spiritually.  The other reason why I'm sharing this is to inspire all you budding intuitives out there who sometimes get a miss and then feel as though you should throw in the towel and stop trying to do this work.  I believe this happens to all of us and who knows why?  Maybe our energies just didn't align.  I don't know, but it happened.  And unfortunately, it will probably happen again. Does that mean I'm going to stop doing readings?  No.

The Scottish medium Gordon Smith tells a story in his lectures of a woman in his development class who stopped doing readings for six years because once she couldn't make a connection with a client.  Six years.  I know how this woman feels.  The first time I couldn't connect with a client, I did throw in the towel.  I stopped doing readings for three months.

Doing this work can be difficult.  It pulls on your energy; it's very emotional and personal.  The messages are sometimes spot on; other times a bit vague.  Sometimes a spirit comes through so strongly, I feel like offering them a cup of tea.  Other times, it's like I'm mud diving in the Cape Fear River.  I can make out the message but it's pretty vague.  I never know why it works so easily and why other times it's so hard.

But it's also very meaningful work.  I've had non-believers write to tell me that they are now considering believing in God.  I've been able to make wonderful connections for parents who've lost their children and give them the assurance that their child is happy and safe in heaven.  I've been able to pass on lovely messages of forgiveness and gratitude from parents to their adult children.  So I will keep on keeping on.

However, I will always be honest about my work with you all.  I want people to know that this isn't science.  It can't be measured or proven.  You have to believe in it and in yourself.  Once that happens, anything really is possible.  So if some of you out there are reading this and you think you're intuitive but maybe you've had a few misses lately, please keep on keeping on.  I hope you take this blog post as a sign that being intuitive is our God given right.  It's our safety net in scary times, our compass in troubling times and our connection with our higher power in all times.

Clear Quartz Shapes

Clear quartz comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, so I thought it would be fun to give a quick overview of some of the varieties of quartz you might encounter and what they can do for you.

Abundance Crystals:  These are large quartz with an abundance of smaller crystals at the base.  This shape helps you manifest more money into your life.  Keep them around your desk at work, place in the kitchen or in your money corner.

Crystal Clusters:  This shape features a lot of crystals clustered or grouped together, so they help groups to work as a team.  It's a great idea to have a crystal cluster at work and at home.  Place it on your desk or in the conference room.  At home, place one in the kitchen, living room or relationship corner of your home.

Bridge Crystals:  These crystals feature a smaller crystal penetrating through a larger crystal.  Bridge crystals help you access the other side for connections with your loved ones as they act as a bridge through meditation.

Channeling Crystals:  If you have a clear quartz crystal with at least one seven-sided face on one side and triangle on the other, then you have a channeling crystal.  They are great stones for meditation and work wonderfully for writers and musicians to help them channel information for their creative pieces.

Dolphin Crystals:  Dolphin crystals feature a large crystal with smaller stones growing up the sides of the larger stones.  They represent nurturing and unconditional love.  They will help your relationship with younger children to grow and flourish.

Rainbow Crystals: These clear quartz stone have a rainbow prism inside them and hold the energy of hope, joy, optimism and forgiveness.

Record Keepers:  These crystals have small triangular marks on at least one side of the stone.  Each triangle is associated with a lesson the holder needs to learn.

Scepter Crystals:  These crystals actually look like scepters with a long, thin base and wider head.  They are to be used when you need to feel powerful and in control of a situation.

There are dozens more crystal shapes I could discuss here, so for more information check out these books:

A Mother's Love

I've made no bones about my relationship with my mother.  Those of you who listen to PsychicTeachers know of my struggles to have a harmonious relationship with my mom.  It's just one of the crosses I have to bear this go around.  Still, an incident occurred this week that made me realize the power of a mother's love.

I've also never hidden the struggles I've gone through dealing with my husband's brain injury.  For the last seven years, I've learned first hand the difficulties of living with someone with a frontal lobe brain injury.  I can handle the headaches, the short term memory loss, the difficulty being in large groups, the disdain for social settings, and the inability to handle stress.  All of that I've taken in stride even though it means I don't get to host as many parties as I would like to -- it's a small price to pay.  What I almost can't handle is my husband's complete lack of empathy.  One of the reasons I fell in love with him all those years ago was because he had such a huge and caring heart.  But with this brain injury, he has a very difficult time empathizing with others.  This is no fun for the spouse -- especially when said spouse has been diagnosed with cancer.

So this past week I had my reconstruction surgery.  My husband forgot the date three times, but eventually he remembered long enough to drive me to the surgery.  It was a horrendous surgery for me.  I woke up in terrible pain and my blood pressure was soaring.  Eventually, they sent me home but over the weekend I developed an infection and had a fever wavering between 102 and 103.  Monday morning, I did my best to get the kids ready for school.  As I ushered them out the door, my husband followed behind and said, "Oh by the way, you'll have to find someone to pick up the kids today.  I have to go out of town."

I just stared at him as my jaw dropped.

"I am sick.  I just had major surgery.  I can't drive for a week.  And you're leaving town?"

My husband smiled and kissed my cheek.  "Yeah, work sucks, huh?  So, call your sister or a friend, okay?"

I nodded and closed the door behind my family.  I should have known by now not to get upset.  He didn't know the pain he was causing.  I think that's the most frustrating part.  I can't even get mad at him.  Although, trust me, I do.  This time though, I settled on a proper pity party and simply sat down for a good cry.  I felt truly sorry for myself.  I knew I could ask my sister or one of my friends, but what I really wanted was my mom.  But we had a falling out over the summer and hadn't spoken since.  I hadn't even told her about my surgery.  She had no idea what I'd been through, and I wasn't about to call her now.  With my mother, well, you just never knew how long she'd stay mad.  So I just kept crying and feeling so sorry for myself with no husband to help me and not even a mother in sight bearing the requisite chicken soup.  I am sure I made a pathetic sight sitting on the bottom stair of my house with my dog Lily on my lap and a box of tissues by my side.

Finally, I said allowed to God, "You know,  I just wish I had my mother here. I really could use some help. You have to send someone to help me."

Almost instantly, the phone rang.  I sniffed and got up to look at the caller ID.  I almost dropped the phone when I saw my mother's name.  I clicked the phone on and said, "Mom?"

My mom said, "Samantha, what is wrong?  I just got the strongest urge to call you.  Are you ok?"

I started in on my crying again and said, "No, I had surgery and I need you."

My mom said, "Give me 20 minutes to put my face on and I'll be right over."

I smiled because my mom will always be my mom -- with her elaborate makeup and designer clothes and angry outbursts -- but she is my mom.  And somehow, in some crazy way, she felt my need for her that morning.  She came right over -- yes, in full makeup and looking beautiful as always -- and she took care of me the whole day.  We sat in my bed all day catching up as she made me lunch and got dinner ready for my girls.  Later, my sister came home with my daughters, and I knew that even though my life is far from perfect, I have my very own imperfectly perfect family.  And together, with God's help, we can survive anything.  Even each other.

Crystal of the Week: Golden Healer

The Golden Healer is a powerful healing stone which will raise your vibration, enhance your crown chakra and open your aura to the healing power of the golden light of the universe.  The Golden Healer will break up and dispel blockages and imbalances in your energy.  Also called a Master Healer, this is a stone of very high vibrations.  Its calming, gentle energy will slowly buy steadily enhance your mediumship ability allowing for spirit communication in its highest form.

Meditating with a Golden Healer crystal helps you connect to your source.  Try placing a Golden Healer under your massage table to enhance the healing energy of your session.  It will increase the healing capacity of the healer and the ability of the receiver to open up to more golden healing energy.

This stone works primarily on the Crown Chakra, but it also enhances, balances and cleanses the Solar Plexus and Third Eye Chakras.

The Golden Healer is associated with forgiveness.

Six Ways Crystals Can Change Your Life

I love crystals and their ability to subtly but profoundly change our energy, health and aura.  We use crystals in computers and clocks but they can be very helpful in our personal lives.  There are six main areas in which crystals can change your life for the better. 

1) Health

Crystals are healing and can work to restore our cells and organs to their optimum functioning levels.  Red stones such as Jasper and Bloodstone can help with blood disorders.  Orange and yellow stones such as Citrine, Amber and Carnelian can help with stomach issues.  Green crystals such as Green Aventurine and Peridot are always healing and will work to help your cells grow in health. Light Blue stones like Blue Lace Agate and Blue Chalcedony heal throat issues.  Headaches are helped by Amethyst.   Unikite helps woman trying to get pregnant.  Blue Chalcedony helps new moms. All of these stones will link in and align with your energy especially when worn continually. 

2) Money

Crystals can help increase your abundance.  If you need to attract money to you, carry Green Aventurine and Citrine with you.  Placing a Pyrite in your wallet assures it has money in it.  If you have a hard time holding on to money, wearing Citrine will help you be more frugal.  If you own your own business, you should keep a Citrine in your cash register because it assures more money coming in than leaving.  Green Aventurine should be worn or carried for good luck.  A gem tree helps remind you that good luck and fortune are within your reach.

3) Romance

There are many crystals that can increase your romantic life.  In general, any pink stone will enhance your romantic energy. If you’re single, place two Rose quartz crystals by your bedside to assure that love will find you.  If you’re in a relationship, place an Amethyst cluster next to a Citrine cluster.  Cluster shaped crystals assure that we all get along.  The Citrine increases our confidence in the relationship, and the Amethyst makes us feel more agreeable and loving toward each other.  Wearing Watermelon Tourmaline helps you feel worthy of a great relationship.  Pink Calcite calms emotions in a heated relationship.  Rose Quartz or Garnet placed under the bed can help increase the romance and passion.

4) Career

If you’re feeling stuck in your career, place a large piece of Garnet on your desk to reignite your passion for your work.  Cluster crystals help groups to get along.  Clear Quartz crystal clusters help to energize a team.  If you’re working toward a project and getting blocked at each turn, buy a Bloodstone paperweight for your desk.  Bloodstone is known to remove obstacles that stand in the way of our success.  Serpentine can help you deal with changes such as a layoff, new job or promotion.  A Jade plant covered with green stones (for money) and red stones (for hard work and passion) will help draw more money, clients and positive work to you and your company.

5) Forgiveness

Many times an inability to forgive ourselves or others can impede our process in life.  Crystals can help to break down barriers to forgiveness such as anger, resentment and sadness.  Rhodonite with its lovely pink and black marbling helps us to embrace the sad or angry situation and release it with love.  Rhodocrosite with its bands of pink and white ribbons helps awaken our heart to surrender and letting go.  Smithsonite helps to heal a painful childhood. Malachite helps us release trauma.  Try working with these crystals by holding them in meditation.  Imagine the person you’re trying to forgive.  Picture handing them the crystal as a symbol of forgiveness and see it turning into a bird and flying away.

Protect Yourself From Energy Vampires

We’ve all met them – those people that just suck the life out of you.  Their problems are always dramatic, over-the-top and more important than yours.  They are needy, complaining, negative and gossipy.  They are Energy Vampires.  Some of you reading this are married to them, work for them and have to face them in your family, neighborhood and work gatherings.  But there is hope; there are ways to protect your energy from being drained by these people.  The following are five effective tools – garlic if you will – to help protect your energy and your sanity.

TIP 1: Cross Your Arms

This is an almost instinctual move many of us do when we’re around negative people.  When you cross your arms in a folded position over your chest, you’re protecting your solar plexus chakra – the seat of your personal power.  You can also cross your fingers.  This will help lock in your aura so their energy can’t effect yours.

TIP 2:  The Mirror Effect

If you know you’re going to be around a negative person, you can protect yourself in advance by visualizing mirrors surrounding you from head to toe.  This deflect’s the person’s negativity back to the source.  Let’s say you have to see your ex at a mediation hearing, and the divorce proceedings have not been amicable.  Before you get into the car, imagine a glittering disco ball in front of you.  See yourself walking inside this disco ball and the little squares of mirrors shining out all around you.  If you have to have your in-laws for a visit, and they’re often unkind to you, or your boss constantly puts you down, hang a disco ball ornament in place where you can see it often to remind yourself to walk into the disco ball.  It works!

TIP 3: Freeze them Out

This is an old metaphysical trick that is very effective.  Take a plastic water bottle and write down the name of the Energy Vampire or Vampires in your life.  Place this slip of paper in the water bottle and put the water bottle in the freezer. This will freeze their energy from effecting yours.

TIP 4: The Prickly Cactus

This tip works great for people going through messy divorces or who have annoying neighbors.  If anyone is bothering you in your home, buy a cactus plant and place it on the curb furthest away from your home – usually by the mailbox.  Write the name of the Energy Vampire on a piece of paper and place the paper underneath the cactus.  This will make sure their energy can’t intrude upon your home.  Don’t place a cactus in your home.  This can create volatile energy that you want to avoid.

TIP 5: Pink Cotton Candy

Pink has a nurturing, calming energy to it, so when you find yourself around an angry, negative person, close your eyes for a moment and imagine wrapping them in pink cotton candy.  Infuse their energy with the loving light of pink, and you’ll see their anger slowly but surely dissipating.

Of course, sometimes the best way to deal with an Energy Vampire is to walk away.  It’ important to love yourself enough that you know you don’t have to put up with their negativity.  At the heart of any Energy Vampire is fear, doubt and insecurity.  No one can change this person except the love that comes from true faith.  You can’t change an Energy Vampire.  Period.  Only their higher power can do that and only if they ask for help.  So know that sometimes the best protection from a negative person is to walk away. The more you walk your truth and live a spiritual life, the less attracted these people will be to you.  Hold your head high, live from a place of love, act with kindness always, and you will always be surrounded by a white light of love, protection and guidance.

Crystal of the Week -- OPAL

October’s birthstone, the beautiful Opal,  is surrounded by as many superstitions as the headlining holiday this month.  Just like Halloween, people used to believe the Opal was bad luck and spooky. Opal used to have a negative connotation because it was said to make the wearer invisible, and so it was known as the “thieves’ stone.” But in reality, Opal is a gentle stone of love, fidelity and loyalty. It helps overcome self-doubt and enhances psychic ability.  It helps create a better work environment. Physically, it’s said to assist the kidneys, stomach and digestion.  It’s said to relieve pain in childbirth.  Opal will help one fight depression while increasing one’s will to live.  It’s a delicate, soft stone that will chip and crack easily.  It’s a good stone for creative people – especially, writers and dancers.  White Opals are great for children helping them to open up and expres themselves.  Opals will absorb your emotions but it’s tricky to clean them.  Run them carefully under a bit of water or clean with virgin olive oil.  Opals are Silicon Dioxide with water trapped inside so the stone helps people who feel trapped or unable to express themselves.  Anything you’ve been suppressing or pushing down will come to the surface when Opal is worn so you can face it and embrace this part of yourself with love and acceptance. Opal will help you to express your true self. It will enhance any emotion you’re feeling, so don’t wear this stone when you’re feeling down or angry. 

The word “Opal” derives from the Sanskrit word “Upala” which means “valuable stone.”  Wearing Opal will help you to realize your own value, your own true worth. It will also help you learn how to increase your wealth and hold on to the new money you earn.

The ancient Romans prized Opal as a stone of prophecy.  There’s a story that when Mark Antony tried to buy an Opal from the senator Nonius so he could give it to Cleopatra, Nonius fled Rome and accepted a life of exile rather than part with his Opal.

It’s also a noted stone of mysticism.  Both Native Americans and Australian Aborigines have used Opals on their vision quests.

There are several varieties of Opal.

Fire Opal: Said to enhance one’s personal power.  Protects against danger.  Helps one to let go of the past and progress through difficult changes. 

Water Opal: Acts as a mood stabilizer.  Helps calm hormonal changes in adolescents and menopausal women. Reduces feelings of stress and anxiety.

Cherry Opal: Also helps alleviate menopausal symptoms.  Will reduce the pain of headaches from Type-A personalities who tend to get headaches when they can’t control a situation.

Black Opal: Very grounding.  Helps one to feel safe and calm. Known as a good luck stone. 

Pink Opal: Often referred to as the “stone of renewal,” it teaches self-love.  It helps the wearer to release old psychological patterns and open to new spiritual lessons. 

Forgiving From Afar

I've met a lot of clients this month struggling with negative people in their lives.  I've heard stories of families opposing marriages, suing family members, and committing all sorts of betrayals.  I think it's important to know how to forgive and walk away.  Some people won't change.  They stubbornly cling to their errant views and seem to get meaner as the years pass.  If you have someone like this in your life, please know that being a good and kind and spiritual person does not mean you have to take this behavior from the people in your life.  You can forgive them for being the way they are, and then you can walk away.  Keep your distance.  Protect yourself.

I've had to distance myself from some negative people in my life, and I've had friends say, "But I thought you were the one who was always preaching forgiveness."  Yes, I do believe in forgiveness, but I also believe in self-preservation.  Negative people are miserable inside, and they won't be happy until everyone around them is as miserable and empty inside as they are.  It's important to maintain your  own health.

I will never forget a reading I did years ago for a woman trying to connect with her sister.  The sister came through and said, "I'm here with mom."  I saw a woman in a straight jacket.  So I asked the client if her mom had suffered from a mental illness.  My client nodded and said, "Mom was in and out of mental institutions my whole childhood."  Then I saw the mother take off  her straight jacket.  She radiated love and light and joy.  I heard her say, "I incarnated this way to teach my daughters strength, resilience and independence."

So, yes, I think we have to forgive the negative people in our lives and realize that they are souls on a journey just as we are.  We are all here to teach and learn.  If you think about the negative people in your life, I think you'll agree that they've taught you a lot about who you are.

Still, we do have to live this life -- difficult as that may be at times.  And doing it with negative people around us trying to tear us down can make life feel unbearable.  So, please, do yourself a favor.  Forgive the negative people in your life and then walk away.  Create distance.  Affirm that you deserve more.  And finally, forgive yourself.  Everything starts there.

What Do People Do In Heaven?

When I'm doing readings and connecting with loved ones, often they'll show me snippets of what they do in heaven.  Here's a brief overview of what I've learned about the other side from these rare glimpses.

1) We create our own homes.  People can live together but many prefer to live alone.  We create the setting too.  I've seen homes overlooking the ocean, a lake, a small pond.  I've seen cottages surrounded in ivy and homes nestled in woods.

2) We hang around with like-minded people.  There are levels to the afterlife.  So if you have a lot of work still to do but are still a decent person, you will probably go to a middle level.  If you were a very good and compassionate person, you will go to a higher level.  Higher level souls can visit lower level souls but not vice versa.

3) We can have jobs if we want.  I've seen teachers still teaching in heaven.  Souls who die young still need to go to school.  I've seen doctors and nurses tending to traumatized souls.  Many young people who've come through that have passed from a drug overdose tell me that their job is to work with drug addicted youths here on Earth trying to get them to stop.  Suicides will work with depressed people here on Earth trying to get them help.  How can they help us you might be thinking?  There are a number of ways.  They can put thoughts into our head.  They can put thoughts into our family members' and friends' heads such as "Call John."  They can make "coincidences" appear.  Let's say, for example, that you're thinking about rehab, but you're scared.  They can help you bump into someone who just got back from a great rehab.

4) Many choose to remain what I call the Family Protector.  They will stay close to Earth and will protect us from things that aren't in our path.  I did a reading for someone recently who went through a traumatic divorce.  Her deceased mother said she couldn't prevent that because it was part of her daughter's path but that she did help her keep her job through a series of layoffs the company was going through.  I had an uncle come through once and show me how he helped everyone escape a fire.  The house fire had to happen but no one was supposed to get hurt.  He made sure it happened just as it was planned.

5) They travel.  I've had many reports of our deceased loved ones traveling.  I saw a client's son climbing a mountain in Italy.  I saw a woman finally touring the Holy Land.  They are now pure energy so they can travel as quickly as their thoughts can think of a destination.

6) They still worry about us.  I've had many reports -- especially from parents -- of worry for their loved ones here on Earth.  Their biggest worry?  It's that we are worrying too much.  They want us to relax, enjoy life and surrender to our lessons while enjoying the time we have. When we're in pain -- from financial stress, relationship woes or health worries -- they are with us sending us love and helping us when they can.  I just had a husband come through recently, and he said that he helped his wife get the best doctor by having two friends recommend him to her.  He couldn't prevent her diagnosis, but he could make sure she had the best care possible.

7) They are learning so much!  Now that they are souls again without the heavy weight of a body, they are learning how to manipulate, create and change energy.  Everything on the other side  is created with thought energy, and they have to learn how to do that.  They also get to meet with many great thinkers who no longer need to reincarnate and learn from them.  Some advanced souls are studying to be spirit guides.

8) They are balancing karma.  Many souls who die with regret such as those from suicide have lots of negative karma to balance out.  I remember years ago, a grandfather came through to tell his granddaughter (my client) that he was helping her get away from an abusive relationship.  My client hated this idea because it was her own grandfather who abused his wife and son (my client's dad).  "Why would he help with this?  And why would I even want his help?" When I explained to her that this was a way for him to redress the wrongs he'd committed against his family, she agreed to ask him for help.  Soon her tumultuous relationship ended and she was able to move on.

9) They are helping lower level souls.  It's rare, but I have come across a few very enlightened souls who take it upon themselves to visit souls in the lower levels of the afterlife and try to help them ask forgiveness and come to grips with some of the pain they caused when on Earth.  For more on this, check out a great book by Helen Greaves called Testimony of Light.

10) They are getting ready to come back.  Many souls take years and years to plan their return to Earth. They have to plan out everything so they can learn the lessons needed for their soul growth.  Sometimes, they have to wait for certain souls to reincarnate with them so they can balance past karma together.  Souls plan their return with the help of a team of guides and angels.

So, the next time you're thinking about your loved one in heaven, ask, "What are you doing up there anyway?"  See what pops into your head.  Who knows? You might see Grandma Irene dancing a jig in Ireland! But always, always remember to ask for their help.  God gives us all free will, so we have to ask for the help in order to receive it.

Crystal of the Week: Hemimorphite

I just discovered and acquired a piece of Hemimorphite this week, and I am in love with its energy.  It's known to increase the amount of light coming into your aura and will aid you on your spiritual progress.  It's especially useful for psychics and mediums as it helps to increase these abilities and to maintain the intuitive's energy while doing readings.  It increases your sense of joy and enhances your communication abilities.

Hemimorphite can be found in Greece, Italy, England, Zambia, Mexico, Algeria and the US.

The beautiful blue of this stone helps bring a sense of serenity and clarity to your spiritual purpose for this lifetime.  It will help your clairaudience and clairvoyance strengthen and will assist you in communicating with your angels and guides.  It also works with the thymus to encourage feelings of forgiveness, empathy and compassion.

It works to strengthen and align the throat, third eye and crown chakras so that they're working in harmony.

If you sometimes lack confidence in your intuitive abilities, this is the stone for you as it will slowly but surely begin to decrease feelings of self-doubt.

Hemimorphite is called The Ascension Stone because as it allows more light to enter your auric field, your spirituality is lifted to the next level.

Everything You Imagine Is Real

This summer, my 8 year old daughter was looking through an art book and came across Pablo Picasso's famous quote "Everything you imagine is real."  This really struck her as something special, and she's been painting and drawing it on everything for the last month.  I particularly love this drawing she did because she left the fairy's body without a face, so that anyone who looks at it can imagine whatever type of fairy they want which leads one to imagine first a fairy and then any kind of fairy they want.

Since she's come across this quote, she's taken it to heart and has started to "imagine things real."  She started with small things.  She hoped, for example, that there wouldn't be a line at her favorite ride at an amusement park and there wasn't.  When we were staying at a hotel recently, one elevator had a huge window that overlooked the city, and the other elevator was just a plain box.  Victoria imagined that window elevator opening for us and every time, that was the first one to open for us.  Next she imagined all her closest friends being in her class, and she got it. Once she imagined a letter for her in the mail and she got an invitation to a party.

She's been imagining parking spots for us, the neighborhood pool being empty except for us, seeing a shooting star, all sorts of things.  Just this week, she came up to me and said, "Mom, I really think I have a special power.  Whatever I imagine becomes real.  I think this could be dangerous and I'm afraid I might imagine the wrong thing."

Oh how my heart clenched when she said this because, really, isn't this the dilemma we all face at a subconscious level? Aren't we all really just afraid of our own power?

In truth, we really do have the power to imagine anything into reality.  The Greeks wrote about this. Plato wrote "Does not like always attract like."  And over and over in the bible, Jesus tries to tell us about the importance of belief.  "If you have faith and do not doubt, if you say to this mountain, 'be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive if you have faith."

Over and over we are reminded by great philosophers, saints, teachers and Christ Himself that we have the ability to imagine what we need into reality, and yet we're afraid of this.  Why?

I said to my daughter, "As long as your heart is aligned with God's, you can never go wrong.  You keep imagining things real, okay?"  Victoria nodded and said, "Okay, but I'm going to stick to small things for now.  When I'm bigger, I'll move on to bigger things."

God, I hope she does.  And I hope she never loses faith that she everything she imagines is real.

What Not To Say

 I’ve met so many brave and courageous people this month who are suffering from a variety of tragedies -- illness, death of a loved one, job losses, foreclosures.  One thing that remains constant in their stories is the lack of real support they’re getting from friends and family.  Many of you have shared stories of things people said or didn't say that was very hurtful.  The following is a brief summary of the top things NOT to say to a friend going through a hard time.

       1)   Don’t ask, “What can I do?”  This person has enough on her plate.  The last thing she needs to do is brainstorm something for you to do to make her feel better.  Instead, suggest something you’d like to do help her such as cooking, cleaning, babysitting, running errands or just listening or praying with your friend.

  

      2)   Don’t say, “Time heals all wounds.” Because the simple truth is that it doesn’t.  I have a client who’s 92, and all she wants is to leave this earth so she can see her son again who died when he was nine years old.  We don’t get over our grief; we get through it.  We learn to carry on with a heavier load. 

         

       3)   Don’t say standard things like, “At least she lived a long life” or “only the good die young.”  Or “At least you had time to say goodbye.” These myths help no one.  When your mom dies, it doesn’t matter if she’s 60 or 90, it’s a hard loss to take.  When someone dies before their time, there’s nothing worse than someone saying, “God takes the good ones first.”

       4)   Don’t suggest vague remnants of helpfulness by saying, “Call me if you need me.” Make specific plans to be there for your friend.  “I’m going to call you in a few days when your family leaves and we’ll have coffee, ok?” And then follow up with that. 

       5)   When a friend’s pet dies, don’t say, “Are you going to get a new one?” For us pet owners, pets are an extension of our family.

       6)   When a friend miscarries or has a stillbirth, treat it as the loss of a child that it is.  Don’t say things like, “You’re young; you can try again.”

Helping a friend through a difficult time is never easy.  Here’s what I know – doing something is better than doing nothing.  Send a card, make a phone call, visit with a meal, be a good listener.  Share who you are with your friend.  When I was dealing with cancer, my crystal therapist friend would set up a crystal grid for me each week.  My writer friend texted me positive affirmations almost every day.  My Catholic friends gave me St. Agatha medals (she’s the patron saint of breast cancer) or St. Peregrine figurines (the patron saint of cancer) and had healing masses said for me.  My artistic friends would mail me beautiful cards with healing messages.  Some sent me books, knitted me shawls and blankets or cooked meals for my family.  You have something wonderful that you do.  Share that something wonderful and you’ll be a beautiful gift during a difficult time.

*Check out the PsychicTeachers Facebook page for stories people shared of the worst and best things people said to them when they were grieving.  www.facebook.com/psychicteachers.

Leaving the Past Behind You

My husband has this frustrating habit of living in the present.  He never ruminates on things that have occurred long ago.  Me? I love to go over things, analyze them, find meaning in them, and discover patterns that make up the memory of my history.  Friends and family are always teasing me fore having a memory like an elephant, and it's something I've always been proud of.

Until recently.

I've been meeting so many clients who are stuck in the past.  They are caught up in their "story." They are afraid to move on.  I think their fear stems from a false belief that if they leave the trauma in the past, it means it didn't matter.  We want our life and our experiences to matter.  So we're afraid to drop the pain of a death, the anger over a divorce, the shame of a fight with a parent before their death. But we can't move forward until we can let these things go.  I have a client who comes to see me every six months and always to talk about her %#** ex-husband who left her five years ago.  Five years ago!!  She can't let it go, and yet she comes to me and wants to know why his life is going spectacularly while hers has stagnated.  I keep telling her it's because she hasn't left 2007.  She needs to join us here in the present and get on with her life.  Another client brings up her lost inheritance every single time I see her.  Yes, her sister stole her inheritance.  Yes, it was wrong.  But she can't do anything about it, so why not move on?

You've probably heard that old story about the two monks:

Two monks were making a pilgrimage to venerate the relics of a great Saint. During the course of their journey, they came to a river where they met a beautiful young woman -- an apparently worldly creature, dressed in expensive finery and with her hair done up in the latest fashion. She was afraid of the current and afraid of ruining her lovely clothing, so asked the brothers if they might carry her across the river.

The younger and more exacting of the brothers was offended at the very idea and turned away with an attitude of disgust. The older brother didn't hesitate, and quickly picked the woman up on his shoulders, carried her across the river, and set her down on the other side. She thanked him and went on her way, and the brother waded back through the waters.

The monks resumed their walk, the older one in perfect equanimity and enjoying the beautiful countryside, while the younger one grew more and more brooding and distracted, so much so that he could keep his silence no longer and suddenly burst out, "Brother, we are taught to avoid contact with women, and there you were, not just touching a woman, but carrying her on your shoulders!"

The older monk looked at the younger with a loving, pitiful smile and said, "Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river; you are still carrying her."

How many of us are still carrying that woman around?

I just finished Paulo Coelho's newest book Aleph  and wanted to share with you some things he had to say about the problem with memory:

"It takes a huge effort to free yourself from memory, but when you succeed, you start to realize that you're capable of far more than you imagined.  You live in this vast body called the Universe, which contains all the solutions and all the problems.  Visit your soul; don't visit your past.  Just as the cells in your body change and yet you remain the same, so time does not pass, it merely changes."

He goes on to say, "People want everything to stay the same, and yet the consequence of that is pain."

I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said, "Let the dead bury the dead."  Move on, leave it behind you.  Better things, people, experiences and opportunities await you in the future.

If this is resonating with you, try asking yourself this question:

1) Is this memory/past experience helping me today?
2) What am I gaining by ruminating on this experience?
3) Who will I be when I let this go?

It's also important to point out that that our subconscious mind knows no time, so when you think of a painful memory, your body reacts as though it's happening NOW.  This is why people get upset stomachs or headaches or panicky feelings when they think of painful memories.  Your body is living and reacting as though that memory is happening right now.  This increases your stress and risk of depression and lowers your immune system greatly.

The next time you find yourself going over a past painful memory or talking about it with a friend, say to yourself, "This is in my past.  It's not who I am today.  I am a new person and good things are coming to me now."

Crystal of the Week: Holy Stones and Fairy Crosses

Ever since my youngest daughter found a holy stone on the beach a few weeks ago, I've been obsessed with finding as many as I can whenever I'm at the beach.  So far, I've collected 11.  Holy Stones are said to be very protective stones, especially to the one who finds the stones.  People have hung Holy Stones over their homes and barns for protection for generations.  Some believe that when you sleep with a Holy Stone under your pillow, you will never have another nightmare.  It is even said that if you look through the hole of a Holy Stone on a full moon, you will be able to see into other dimensions.

So how do you know if you've found a Holy Stone?  It has to be a stone, not a shell.  And it must have a hole that runs clean through the stone. When you find your own Holy Stone, keep it near you for protection.

Fairy Crosses are stones shaped like a cross.  They are typically found in the Blue Ridge Mountains and across North West America.  They've also been found in Brazil, France, Italy and Scotland.  Also known as Staurolite Crystals, Fairy Crosses are made of iron aluminate silicate crystals and have an unknown origin.  Some believe they were formed between 60 and 500 million years ago, but a more popular story says the Fairy Crosses were formed when the fairies learned Christ had been crucified and their tears hardened into Fairy Crosses.

They are said to protect the wearer from disease and are known to bring good luck, good fortune and in some cases to grant wishes.

There are three types of Fairy Crosses to look out for:

1) The Maltese Cross -- a perfectly formed cross and very difficult to find
2) St. Andrews Cross -- made with an angled line
3) The Prismatic Cross -- most easily found

To clean your Fairy Cross, wash it with soap and water and soak it overnight in mineral oil to restore its natural shine.

When I was in the library this week with my daughters, I came across an old book with tales of ghosts in the mountains of North Carolina.  I checked it out because it had a chapter called Fairy Crosses.  Isn't it funny how that happens?  I'd never heard of Fairy Crosses until just this month, and now I keep stumbling across references to them.  The book told the story of a sad, lonely man who worked for an elderly couple in the mountains of North Carolina helping out around the farm.  One night he finally told them why he was so sad and lonely.  His wife was from a communist country, and after she had her children here in the States, she wanted to bring them home to meet her family.  This they did and had a lovely time.  But when the family tried to leave the country, officials there would only let the husband leave.  (The book was published in the 1960's and didn't date this particular story, but it must have been during the Cold War.) He tried all he could to get his family to return but luck was never on his side.  Paperwork got lost and his name kept getting sent to the back of the line.  The older couple felt bad for the man and said they would pray for him.  That night, after telling his story, he prayed too.  When he awoke, there was a Fairy Cross in his hand.  He showed it to the elderly couple and they became very excited.  "You've been blessed," the old man explained.  "The fairies are watching out for you."  The lonely man thought it was nothing more than superstition, and so he slipped the stone in his pocket and went back to work.  But that night, he got a call from his wife.  By some miracle, they had been allowed to return to the States and she and the children were waiting for him to pick them up at the airport.

The book gave no more details and didn't mention the family's name, but it's still a great story and one that reminds us to never give up, to keep having faith, praying and believing.

I hope you all find your own Holy Stones and Fairy Crosses on your travels, and if so, share your story here!

Fighting Over Wills

In the readings I've been doing all month, this one main theme keeps popping up: families fighting over the possessions and money of their deceased loved ones.  I can't think of a more despicable way to dishonor the memory of your deceased family member.  I've met families who have been fighting for years over a couch.  Yes, I am not kidding.  There are siblings out there who haven't spoken to each other over an old couch that they both think they should have.  People fight over jewelry, money, flags, medals of honor, antiques, pictures, pianos, and yes, even a bread maker.  These are just things, useless,   meaningless things.  The only meaning they have is the meaning we give them.

When I was pregnant with my first child, my mother-in-law wrote a letter to her future granddaughter at the first of every month throughout my pregnancy.  She would come by my house and drop off a meal for us, a present for the unborn baby and the letter describing how much she loved this child already and all the fun things they were going to do together plus some tidbits about me and how my pregnancy was going.  I have saved all those letters and I cherish them.  But it's not the pieces of stationary that I cherish; it's the memories I've attached to those slips of paper.  There's a big difference.  Yes, I've held on to them but if they were gone, would it really matter?  Would my children start to doubt their grandmother's love? Of course not.

Fighting over things is silly, ridiculous and a huge waste of time.

The most common fight I encounter is this:  Sibling A has taken care of the parent and seen to all the parent's needs through the dying process.  Sibling B has visited, sent money and helped when able to.  When the parent dies, Sibling A believes she has a right to all the money, the house and the possessions inside.  Sibling B feels hurt, guilty and angry.

This happens over and over and over again.  I've encountered just this month alone people lying about inheritances, changing wills and even taking money outright from their grandchildren.  It's disgusting and mean and just really bad karma.

Does money really mean that much to people?  Do things and stuff really matter all that much?  I've said this before, and I'll say it again, inheritances include things that are not ours.  We do not take care of our parents so we can get a house out of it or some money.  We take care of our parents because it's the right thing to do.  Period.  And if your sister or brother did nothing to help his or her dying parent and they still get half the inheritance, so what?  That's life.  Life is unfair.  It just is.  And it's none of our business as to why this is so.  Our job is to simply be the best person we can be.  Other people's behavior is their responsibility, their karma, not ours.  Please, reread the Prodigal Son if you don't understand this.

I am so exhausted from seeing people who define themselves by transitory things.  Your body, your money, your status -- you can't take any of it with you.  It's meaningless.  Your character, your ethics, your values, your morals, your beliefs and behavior -- that's what you take with you.

So, please, if you're fighting with family over a will and some green pieces of paper called money, stop and think.  Ask yourself: Is this who I am?  Is this how I want to be remembered?  Is this really what matters to me?

And if you have children and haven't got a specific will in place, please, please, please write one. Write down who gets every stinking piece of jewelry and cutlery you own because even though you birthed them, nursed them, walked the floors with them at night and put them through school, at the end of your life it will come down to questions of who gets your rings, who gets the silver and who gets the car.  It's sad but true.  Maybe this is the society we're living in, and I'm the odd one.  Who knows?  But I am tired of seeing people fight over money when they won't even lift an eyebrow to fight over morals, ethics and beliefs or, at the very least, the good memory of their loved one in heaven.

Celebrating a Miracle

Seven years ago today, my husband was shot in the line of duty.  I ran into the medac who reached him first that evening just this week.  Every year during the week before the anniversary of the shooting, I will run into someone from the team that night who helped save his life.  I don't find that coincidence but something else, something more magical at work.  The medac, who's now an ICU nurse, said he writes it on his calendar every July 29 as Mike Fey Day.  I like the thought of that.  Then he looked at my daughters and said, "Your daddy is a very strong man." He turned back to me and said, "We were just talking about that night and about how many miracles had to occur for him to live.  We all agreed that God was present that night."

I have no doubt that God was indeed present that night.  And seven years later I am so grateful that he is still here to be by my side as my husband and to be here as the great father that he is to our three daughters.

This experience has also taught me so much about the power of forgiveness.  The man who shot my husband tried very hard to kill him that night.  He shot him in the neck, and when backup arrived, the shooter had his gun pointed to Mike's forehead trying desperately to unload it as the gun miraculously jammed again and again and again.

I have forgiven this man again and again and again, and yet my forgiveness tends to misfire too.  There are times when I'm reminded of what this shooting has taken from us, and I get angry all over again.  Still, I am a work in progress and I am trying and getting better at this forgiveness thing each year.  Today, after church I walked back to the chapel and lit a candle for this man's soul and prayed that the light of this candle would lead him to a better place, a place of healing and maybe even forgiveness.

What Do Animals In Your Dream Mean?

I received an email recently asking about animal dreams.  The person said he keeps dreaming about riding a horse through a forest.  I told him that since horse symbolize self-confidence and forests symbolize new growth, the dream probably meant that his self-confidence would soon help him blaze a new trail of success.  If you find yourself dreaming of animals, here what it may mean:

Horses: Self Confidence and Strength.  If the horse is riding free, you're feeling great.  But if the horse and bridled and scared, ask who's stealing your thunder in your present life.  Who's taking away your confidence and making you feel trapped?

Cats: Independence and self-reliance.  If that cat is happy and purring, it means you're happy and secure with who you are.  If the cat is meowing or lost, ask yourself where you may be neglecting yourself.

Dogs: Loyalty and Friendship.  Dogs symbolize our relationships.  If the dog in your dream is fighting or biting, who's attacking you in your present life?  If a dog is following you in the dream, who's hounding you now?

Tigers: Ambitions.  If you dream of a tiger, you might be secretly hunting for a new career.

Birds: Freedom.  If the bird in your life is flying, you're feeling great and in control of your life.  If it's caged, reflect on where you feel restrained in your current life.

Rats: Betrayal.  If you dream of rats, you might be feeling as though someone has betrayed you.

Spiders: Conspiracy.  Is someone at work conspiring against you?  Do you feel trapped in someone's web?  You might if you dream of spiders.

Ants/Bees: Fatigue.  Often when we dream of these worker bugs, it means we're feeling exhausted at work.  Time to plan a vacation!

As with any dream interpretation, you have to look at what the animal or insect means to you.  If, for example, you have a huge fear of spiders, then dreaming about them would represent a time to face a huge fear in your life.

It's important to write your dreams down.  Keep a dream journal and you'll soon find yourself remembering more and more of your dreams.  Happy Dreaming!

I Hear You

Last week, I received a beautiful gift in the mail.  Someone sent me a card with a photo of the mailbox on the beach I shared with you all in my blog entry about facing fears.  I wrote that shortly before my surgery when I was trying to come to terms with all my fears and something about that mailbox with its prayers to God and messages of hope inside really spoke to me.

Someone, some wonderful person who reads this blog, anonymously sent me a card with a photo of that mailbox and inside were stamped the words I HEAR YOU.  I can't think of a better thing to have written, and it really makes me wonder -  isn't that all we need to know?  That someone has heard us, has been there with us through the ups and downs?  I once had a client, who was going through a painful divorce, say to me, "I just need someone to witness my pain so that years from now I won't think this was all a dream." I knew exactly what she meant.

Maybe that's why I write this blog.

Sometimes when I share a few tidbits about a reading with my husband, he'll say, "Wow, you really saw that?" And I'll think, yes, I did.  I am really talking to a person who is now deceased.  And it kind of scares me.  When you really think about it, it's pretty miraculous.  Some days, I look at the angry scar across my breast, and I have to remind myself that this really happened.  I had cancer.  Many times, I look at my family and think, Mike and I created this and it's really wonderful.  But most days, I'm just going through the days.  My moments are filled with reaching out to clients, playing with my kids, paying bills, trying to have an adult conversation at least once a day with Mike, trying to find time to read or meditate.  But it's really rare that I reflect on all these big moments in my life.  So to have someone send me that card.  I HEAR YOU.  Well, it meant the world.  It says to me that I matter, that my experiences, my joys and my pains, might possibly mean something to someone.  Isn't that all we want?  Oprah said that we're all simply seeking validation.  Maybe she's right.  But I'd like to think that what we're really seeking is connection -- the belief or hope that we're all connected, that we all matter to each other.  Everything we are and everything we experience effects those around us and because of that we have a purpose.

So to that lovely person who sent me that card: Thank you.  You made my day, my week, my summer. You've inspired many around me to send out their own cards to others which is great.  And, because my daughters and I went to that mailbox and sent up a prayer for a safe surgery, my daughters now believe that God has written me a card.  So thank you for giving those little girls something very tangible to hold onto with their faith.  I am sure it will see them through their own ups and downs in their futures.

I am feeling very grateful as I write this.  I love writing this blog and I love reaching out and connecting with all of you.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Be Your Own Psychic

Your intuitive ability is a muscle and just as we need to exercise our body and mind to strengthen and improve them, we also need to exercise our intuitive abilities if we hope to reach our full potential.  Following are a few fun exercises you can try to increase your intuitive muscle.

1) Place two stones in a bag -- one black and one white.  Ask yourself a yes or no question, close your eyes and pull a stone.  Black means no; white means yes.

2) Before meeting someone new, say their name aloud three times and try to picture what the person will look like.  Try to guess hair color, height and what color shirt he or she will be wearing.

3) When you wake up in the morning, take a few moments to center yourself before your feet hit the floor.  Breathe deeply and imagine the day unfolding as you hope it will.  Try to guess how many emails you will have when you get to work.  Ask your intuition who will be the first person to call you.  When you get in the shower, imagine the water becoming a healing shower of white light and feel it cleansing you of any and all negative energy from within and without.

4) When you go to bed, take a few moments to go over your day and review where you followed your hunches correctly and where you didn't.  Make note of your feelings throughout the day.  Were you given intuitive nudges?  Did you follow them all?  Select a crystal to place under your pillow and ask your guides to give you instruction while you sleep.

5) Lie down, close your eyes and scan your body.  Mentally focus on each body part, then your organs and then your chakras.  Notice if you feel any blockages or see any colors. Gray, black or brown areas can often indicate a blockage.  When you're done scanning your body, imagine a beam of white light going through your body beginning at the head and slowly scanning down to your feet cleaning and clearing away any negativity, blockages or imbalance.

6) Create an imaginary sacred space.  For me, it's a crystal cave.  My crystal cave is an amethyst geode looking giant cave at the top of a large mountain.  Inside my cave are two pillows, candles, and a crystal clear bridge that leads to the other side.  Some people imagine a temple as their sacred space, some pick the beach.  Others create a boat for themselves.  Be creative and have fun.  But make sure to create a space that you can go to quickly and easily for information, advice and meditation.

7) Learn how to ground yourself.  Imagine tree roots coming out of the soles of your feet and going hundreds of miles down into the earth.  Or you can picture an anchor line coming out of your lower back and going deep into the earth to ground you.  If you're really feeling disconnected, walk outside by yourself.  Breathe the air, take your shoes off and feel the ground beneath you, touch the grass, flowers and trees and really listen to the sounds of the birds and insects around you.

8) Practice opening and closing your chakras.  You always open from the root to the crown and close from the crown to the root. Some common visualization techniques include imagining flowers opening and closing or windows or doors.  Some people like to picture lights coming on and shining out.  Others visualize shades opening up.  I like to remind people that our chakra centers sit inside our bodies and shine out in front of us and behind us, so don't forget to visualize the colors shining out both in front of and behind you.

9) Think of a friend you haven't talked to in awhile.  Picture that friend in her home.  Send her the thought, "Call me."  Picture the words and send them right to her head.  Then visualize this person sitting down on a chair or couch in her home and picking up the phone to call you.  If this person calls you within three days of this exercise, it means you're a good sender of information.  If you call someone and they say to you, "I was just thinking about you!" That means you're a good receiver.  Most psychics are either a strong sender or receiver.

10) Practice meditation every day.  Take at least 10 minutes to sit in silence, breathing deeply and going within to feel centered and in touch with your higher self.

11) Join an intuitive development circle.  Check out your local metaphysical store or Unity Church for classes.  If you have four or more like minded friends, start your own circle.  Begin each circle with a grounding and white light protection exercise.  Then open your chakras and practice different techniques such as psychometry, muscle testing, automatic writing, and pendulum work.

12) Get in touch with your nutrition.  Pay attention to foods that seem to deplete you of energy and to foods that make you feel good. Drink lots and lots of water.

13) Get a dream journal and write down your dreams each morning.

14) Practice guided meditation techniques to meet your guides and angels.

15) If you need help making a difficult decision, go to your imaginary sacred space and picture two or three doors.  Let's say that you've been offered a job in California and New York, but you don't know which one to take.  In your sacred space, picture two doors.  On one, it says, "California" and on the other, it says, "New York."  Tell yourself, "When I open the California door, I will see what that choice will bring me."  Imagine yourself opening that door and let your mind go.  What do you see?  How do you feel?  Pay attention to everything.  Even if you just see a color, that means something.  Green means growth, for example, whereas red can mean passion and energy.  Repeat with the New York door.

And, lastly, don't forget to read!  Read, read, read everything that interests you on the subject.  For some of my favorite books on intuitive development, click here. Practice, practice, practice and awaken the intuitive you're being called to become!