It's been a long time since I've posted, as illness usually takes the wind out of my sails, so to speak. Today I want to address a lot of questions that've come over the years and this year about the media, especially television, in regards to mediumship and Tarot.
Question: Do I agree with Cris Angel's take on Tarot?
Background: In a 2007 show of this illusionist's program Mindfreak, he shows how Tarot is vague and run by the PT Barnum Effect, and how any vague reading is applicable to anyone.
My Take: Yes and No. Some "psychics" take great advantage of clients. I've met quite a few cons. However, there are people like me that truly believe in the gift all humans possess to varying degrees and who try our best to give the most detail possible. It's inexplicable, not quantifiable, and certainly intangible. Completely vague readings most likely apply to a great proportion of people, but it's rare that a talented medium or Tarot reader gives a very vague reading. There's no such thing as 100% accuracy in human psychics, as we're are just that: human. Clairvoyance is a misnomer, meaning clear seeing in French: the real term should be Pas-tres-clairvoyance ;) (Not seeing very clearly!) as sometimes the images can be wrapped in symbolism, bias, and general fogginess. That's the only way I can describe it. Sure sometimes the visions are as clear as day and the deceased speak as if they're on a loudspeaker pointed right at my ear, but many times it's like a whisper in a crowd of whispers. You have to listen carefully for that whisper and ask the deceased to repeat it or "speak" louder. Images are surely clearer when I'm in my "zone" which takes a time of relaxation and meditation before doing a reading. If I were rich, I wouldn't charge anything for my readings, as I used to in high school before my illness flared - as I love what I do and it's my life, my religion, and my goal in life. I want to improve the clarity of my readings, as there is nothing more than vagueness that I hate in readings! I love it when postal codes or unusual names or addresses or stock symbols or entire maps come from readings, or the predictions happen in proper time, in proper order. Although not many things are written in stone when it comes to predictions, I like to be right, and I'm frequently right. I'd say a good 75-80% of the time I'm right on.. but that 25-20% wrong sure gets me angry. Although sometimes I'm happy, as I hope the person changed their fate as I advised - for example when I see someone dying of a horrible car accident (clear as in the road they'll die on) and then they survive.. then I am pleased as pie.
So if your Tarot reader gives you only vague responses to your question, ask for them to look for more detail - especially if it's a longer (detailed) reading. Readers like me welcome this criticism with open arms, myself especially as I dislike having someone dissatisfied patrons. And that's what people are: patrons. Just like in old days when painters had patrons, I see my clients as people who keep me able to do what I love doing - and people who help me pay for my treatments like Massage Therapy, acupuncture; and medications that are not covered under the disability plan. And hopefully I'll win the lottery and be able to do readings 24/7 - oh I'd love to have a big house with a lovely sitting room, we could have tea and I'd read my Cards on red velvet on a beautiful antique table. And yes I've tried winning the lottery. I've come so close to each number on so many occasions, I should scan the tickets and amuse you. Most of the time I tear them up in frustration, but from now on I keep them!
If a reader is angry at you for asking for a non-vague reading... they either need more training, more mental discipline during a reading, or they need to stop reading the Tarot. Now if you only pay a dollar or three for a reading, I can understand a vague general reading. There's only so much you can say in that amount of space.
If you want detail in a small reading, ask one question and make it specific - such as "What will the man look like that I will marry?"
"What specifically should I invest in the long term?"
"My mother is sick: what kind of illness does she have (or what illness does she have?)"
"My girlfriend is distant: why?"
"My son is acting strange and aggressive: what happened to make him this way?" (and if they just say hormones, ask another question or tell them to look deeper as "hormones" in a reading can mean that something or someone is triggering adrenaline abnormally in a case like this.)
"I am having trouble conceiving, is there anything I can do to help conceive?"
If you have a large, detailed, reading and all you get is vague stuff like: "you'll be happy and meet up with an old friend at some point during the next 5 years.." then ask the Reader to try and get more detailed. If you want hardcore specifics, keep all of your questions focused to the area of life where you want a lot of detail. Asking: how is my future? can create vagueness, as so much information comes to the reader all at once. However the reader can pick out some important details, or listen to a spirit that wishes to communicate. That spirit might not have anything truly important to say, so don't be surprised if it's detailed or meaningless. Personally I like to add more to a reading if a spirit has nothing important to say, as even though the subject matter isn't important, the act of communication is. All spirit contact is important in that way.
2) Is your experience with Spirit contact like that of Melinda in Ghost Whisperer?
Background: Melinda in the show Ghost Whisperer sees ghosts as if they're corporeal, and can hear every word they say when they're ready to communicate.
My Take: rarely are ghosts very clear to me. When they are, it means they have something extremely important to say. Ghosts sometimes appear corporeal, but most of the time they're not seen but felt. Like a radar in my mind, I can feel around like a blind person for the "shapes" of the dead. I can sense them like one can sense a wall is close if you're blindfolded and speaking towards the wall. Same concept, but instead of using sound - I use that other sense that I dislike putting a label on. Anyways, sometimes ghosts come in abrupt bursts while I'm reading, like a dream, and I have to keep myself calm and focused to keep listening and make it more fluidic and less sporadic. It's like just waking up and trying to remember a dream. Sometimes ghosts come in my dreams, and then they're as real as anyone else in my dreams. Sometimes ghosts just insert thoughts into my mind and communicate that way - during that, you'll see me trying to sound out the word it's trying to make me say, or I'll start drawing or writing. Very, very, rarely, ghosts will even speak with their mannerisms and accent - and if it's a male, my voice can get slightly deeper - but nothing creepy. This has only happened two or three times all told, as I hate giving over control to anyone, especially someone I don't know!
3) Do ghosts haunt you like in Medium, Ghost Whisperer, or other psychic shows, until you communicate their message?
Background: in a lot of the psychic/medium shows, the spirits torment the medium until their message is brought to the right person. They can do this by physical harm, looping images, or trying to frighten the medium with horrible images and sounds.
My take: yes sometimes that happens. They will say sentences, words, songs, or names over and over again until I understand what they're saying and relay the message accordingly. This results in hours of Googling names or translating from another language. Sometimes I don't figure it out and they, so far, have let those times slip. Sometimes spirits see that I can see them, and they like to just hang around and communicate things: usually how they died. Sometimes after a reading I forgot to tell the querant something their spirit said, and the spirit bugs me until I email them the information or call them. One time I had a very violent contact with someone who'd died violently (I passed out and felt really sick - very rare unless we're talking very violent death) and they (the person asking the question) got spooked and left. The spirit was sad, frustrated, and decided to keep communicating and distracting me from everything I did. I emailed the poor woman who I'd spooked and told her the message, but sadly she was still spooked. Also evil deceased folk, those who relish tormenting people, can hang onto me for a few days or even weeks after a reading.
4) Do you help police like in Medium?
Background: the woman in Medium uses her spirit contact to help police.
My take: I've tried, extended myself tentatively to police.. but I think certain places are more receptive to psychics than others. Plus I try to keep a low profile due to stalkers I've had in the past, so my name is sometimes not known to those who recruit psychics. Also I'd love to try. I'm very interested in police work and hope one day to have a career in forensics or criminal psychology or even secretarial work - just so long as I can help the good cause of protecting us humans.
5) Do you ever see evil spirits like in Ghost Whisperer, the man with the hat?
Background: there's a spirit in Ghost Whisperer that tries to wrangle spirits to stay on Earth and not "cross over".
My Take: spirits are generally uninterested in other spirits. I've had a few experiences with evil peoples' ghosts including a serial killer, an arsonist, and a spirit who actually broke the leg of one of my patrons. However, it's extremely rare. You're more likely to win the lottery or get hit by lightening. Spirits are people, and people can be malicious - therefore spirits can be too. However, for the most part, death is a positive change in peoples' moods. They are no longer swayed by hormones, sickness, pain, and constriction of life or environment. There is also the wisdom of Death and the Afterlife that changes many spirits.. but all that's for another post.
6) Do you "cross over" spirits?
Background: many media psychics help trapped or lost souls cross over from being stuck on Earth to Heaven.
My take: not really "crossing over" - I will describe it differently. Some spirits don't know they're dead. In that case, I will help them realize they're dead, and then they understand why things are so different. The perfect example is Bruce Willis in the Sixth Sense. I won't describe it as it'll spoil the movie for those whom haven't seen it. Some spirits don't know how to go to that place called Heaven, and I can help them find a spirit that can help them. However: once in Heaven - you can come back to Earth any time and see/communicate with humans. It's not like there's a barrier between the next world and this for Ghosts. For us the barrier is our flesh, for them, the only barrier is their thoughts and ideas. If they think they can't come see their family or friends, they won't. Stubbornness sometimes, or fear, or sometimes they're just really happy where they are and at rest. Some spirits go to a calm place where they just exist in bliss, and they know it'll all work out in the end, so there's no need to see or contact their loved ones. I believe most spirits will be in that state at some point or another.
7) How do you feel about the new show Paranormal State?
I think there are aspects of it that ring true.. however if they were scientific about making this kind of docu-series on the paranormal, they would never use mood sound effects and music during the playing of EVP.
I can't give a complete answer as it's a new show - and it's hard for me to watch it. I was excited to see it, but found it was handled far from properly. The example is the little boy who sees Timmy - a dead young man who was killed and buried near to the little boy's house.
I prefer to also have the parents and child(ren) see a psychiatrist/psychologist that is not affiliated with the supernatural or myself.
Seriousness also draws the wrong kinds of ghosts, it excites prankster/bully ghosts. The law of spirits, in my experience, is as many kinds of people there are on Earth, there are those kinds of spirits and more - as they were human at some point. Pranksters in life become pranksters death for the most part. So I would find a way to calm the people around the child first, and if that means sedatives - then the person needs to get them to be calm. Then the prankster ghosts won't frequent the house as much. Next, children are impressionable, and also most of them are partially 'psychic'. The child can sense parents when they're angry, and they get stressed. This draws ghosts, as stress always does. It draws helpful spirits, and it can also draw bully spirits, prankster spirits, or just plain evil spirits.
Strongly psychic or medium children will be more susceptible to drawing these spirits near - as the old rule stands: when spirits see that you see them - they get excited and stick around. I will post later on what else to do about this, but now this is about TV and your question. They take the child too seriously, and in turn - this will make the child serious about the ghost. Taking spirits seriously, especially if they're pranksters, invites the spirits to get serious. Just like when you're in an argument with someone.. if they keep a low tone and add jokes once in a while - it's an easier fight that usually ends in a nicer way. If you get serious, yell, throw things.. the person you're arguing with almost contracts that - they mirror it. Either to speak at your volume so you hear them, or hear how they're serious. Ghosts are the same way most of the time. Keep it light, and they'll usually keep it light.
Holy water also only works if you feel the conviction of Faith, but you could also use anything that you believe in. The child needs to believe in him/herself more than anything, because sometimes you just can't grab holy water. Next, when playing back the EVP (the voice of the ghost caught on tape) there was music/sound FX playing in the background.. which kind of takes away any credibility. Play nothing but the EVP, because if it's real, it's worth a million engineered sound FX. Ug. I'm sure they mean well.
Many people need more than the truth when it comes to TV- they need excitement and they need the experience dressed up.. I blame it on our generation of TV shows that cater to short attention spans. This info blurb society wants every thing now, lots of it, all at once! We need news tickers, double screens, and stock quotes all at once. We need sensation and sparkle too much. It's not a bad thing, but it forces many people to dress up the truth in a sequin dress. In that, we can't sneer at shows that dress things up, we can only be patient and judge for ourselves what is the truth - and sift out the fools gold.
I don't have a full opinion about the show as I haven't seen enough of it. I'll sit down and watch a few more before being solid on my points.
