As I mentioned in another post, I spend a lot of time online.  From the first moment I was introduced to this new-fangled thing called ‘the internet’, I was hooked.  For an information seeker, there is no better place to be than online.

(And yes, back in the day I spent a LOT of time at the library.)

Periodically, I’ll be showcasing some of what I find out there for you.  Some of it will center on intuitive subjects, some on spiritual and some on cool stuff like how to make banana ice cream using just bananas and milk.

Oh yeah, one other thing.  I, um, have a love for all things LOLcat.  A profound love. Some might call it an obsession, even.  Don’t be surprised to see them popping up here now and again.  I just can’t help myself.

ME: “Hi. My name is Lisa. I am a LOLcat addict.”

FELLOW LOLcat ADDICTS: “Hi Lisa”

The Daily Brainstorm

This site is relatively new but chock full of awesome stuff on topics such as Self-Development, Spirituality, Health, Food, Money and Blogging. In fact, it was through TDB that I found the most awesome Banana Ice Cream recipe.  If you hunger for information on a variety of topics but don’t have time to blog-hop, check out this site.  There’s more than enough there to satiate even a info-junkie like me.

Peaceful Planet Communication

Found this site because it had an article posted on The Daily Brainstorm.  I dug around a bit and decided to bookmark it because there’s lots of good tips, tricks and info there.  (She puts a LOT of work into it, that’s easy to see.)

The particular article that drew me in, “The Zen Master’s Unexpected Lesson: 10 Tips for Empathy was interesting for me to read, probably because, as a natural empath, I do a lot of this anyway.  It’s easy for me to slip into the shoes of another and feel what it’s like to be them. (It’s a little  too easy, which is why I learned to turn it off and on, courtesy of Rose Rosetree)

But I forget that most people (8 out of every 10) are NOT empaths and so for them (you?) it’s more difficult to view things through the eyes of another.  Leah McLellan, the author, gives some great tips on how to do that in your day-to-day life. (I particularly liked her comments on how to stop your own road rage even though it’s very rare that I get to that place in my own life.)

She has created a wonderful course called Psychic Awakenings which I will be reviewing in a future post (probably sometime in August).  I can tell you, just from what I’ve read so far, it’s quite different than anything out there.  Like Rose, Anna has the ability to speak on several different levels from beginner to advanced and that’s a rare quality. I’ve learned a few things I didn’t know already!

Her site really speaks to her work – it’s down-to-earth and casual.   She brings that same quality to her writing whether it’s about learning to work with your Guides in Spirit or ruminating on whether psychics are crazy people. (they’re not. Right? hah) If you enjoy what I write here, go now and visit Anna.  Definitely worth your time.

That’s all for this week’s Wandering Around Wednesday.

Have a favorite site you want to share? Comment below so we can all go visit!

My Guides are in touch with me quite often.  In fact, it feels like they are just a thought away.  And they are.  For you, too.  I just happen to recognize it pretty quickly and, as mentioned in the previous post on the magical blue balloons, I know it when I see it.

For several years now (oh, probably about six or seven, I’m guessing), I’ve set the intention to listen to that gentle voice and act upon it.

And now, a story:

Once upon a time, I worked for someone who was quite an ogre.  There was a verbal scuffle in the office, things got out of hand and someone quit. (It wasn’t me.)  When this person went job hunting and was asked about her former place of employ, she gave that information to them as asked.  They called and wanted a reference. Ogre got the call and tore her up one side and down the other just because he could. There was no reason to do that, he was just a spiteful man.  I heard all of this happen and I got angry on her behalf. She didn’t deserve that.

I got the idea in my head that I would call the place where she applied and give her a better reference (I was her direct report so I could speak to her work.)  As I reached down to get something out of my purse before I called, I heard these words: “You will NOT interfere!” I sat up, knowing full well where the words came from.  ”But, but, but …”  I stuttered back to my Guides  ”I can fix this for her. This isn’t right.”  Again, they said “You will NOT interfere.”

Grrrr.  I wanted to interfere.  I wanted to make things right for her.  I know best, don’t I? And yet, I was clearly guided not to do that. Could I have called anyway? Sure.  It’s always my choice.  And long ago, I chose to always listen to my higher self.

After the dust had settled (and I did not make that call, by the way), my Guides told me that I would be taking away lessons that needed to happen.  They don’t always tell me what the reasons behind it are. If it’s mine to know, they share that.  If not, they don’t. I’ve learned to just listen.  Keeps me out of trouble most times.

It’s when I didn’t listen to the nudge or the voice that I ran into some unintended (at least on my part!) consequences.  You don’t have to throw caution to the wind to do this process.  You can start bit by bit (perhaps even just one percent more!) and go from there.

Integrating guidance into your life isn’t hard but it does require you to pay attention and trust what comes through.  And most of all – ACT on what comes through.

There’s so much more to talk about on this topic so look for it to be a continuing theme on Practically Intuitive.

I use my well-honed intuitive skills with great success in my own life and I can help you do the same.

Chat me up and let’s go from there!

__________________________________

(Lovely image from here)

Thank you to all who joined up to receive my monthly newsletter making its debut this very month!  I’m excited about *finally* getting it out there.

And now, the winner of a free reading (email or phone) is: KATHLEEN!  I’ll be emailing you shortly with the details.

If you didn’t get a chance to enter the contest this time around, no worries.  I’ll be having more of these from time to time.  And if you haven’t yet signed up to get my newsletter in your email InBox each month, what are you waiting for?

There will be lots of goodies for subscribers only – discounts for readings, referral bonuses, special offers and more.  You can sign up by adding your name and email address right over there on the sidebar.

See you next week!

My sign from the Angels

(As promised – just a little story from me to you.)

While it’s true that I am clairaudient (i.e.: I can hear guides, teachers and departed loved ones speaking), there are times even *I* need outward signs that they’re with me and we are working on stuff together.

Such has been the case of late. I’ve had a few things rolling around in my head that I’ve pondered to death. (I am a world class ruminator, y’all.) And sometimes, I just need something to keep the junk from overtaking the truth.

Yesterday morning. I asked my angels for a sign – a blue balloon – to let me know I was on the right track and all was well. Usually, I ask and then just forget about it. They are good at reminding me about those signs.

As I was driving home from work, I realized I hadn’t seen my blue balloon and decided to have a pout about it. Out loud, even.  I said “If I don’t see one by tomorrow, I will know things suck.” (I’m a cheery sort, am I not?)

I heard the words “Can you just trust us?” and I replied (out loud because I was alone in car) “I’m afraid to. Afraid that it won’t be what I want.” and again I heard the word “Trust”.

Grudgingly, I said “okay okay okay”.

Just then, something caught my eye on the right side of the road where there’s a jogging path.  I don’t know what it was that caught my eye but I looked up quickly and there it was – my blue balloon.

Someone had tied up a bunch of balloons to a post and they were in various stages of deflation but there, clear as day, was my balloon.

I’m a dork.

I cried.

Because they’ve never, ever failed me when I’ve asked for a sign of this kind.

So, the watchword for the day is TRUST.

And blue balloons.

And cake. (We’re having a birthday at the office.)

But mostly, TRUST.

And so it is.

(P.S.: Signs come in all kinds of ways – I hear songs on the radio, books have fallen open for me – you actually do get to ask for what kind of sign you want. Try it and see!)

What kind of sign will you ask for?

You got questions?

… I got answers! (sort of, anyway)

The Darling Gal asked this question:

“Just woo-woo curious — Do you ever know the final outcome? Do the angels know what’s going to happen and report, or can they change what’s going to happen? Sorry if these are remedial questions, but I’m new to understanding the woo-woo.”

Good question! I have a tendency to think that everyone understands “the woo” in the same way I do so I always appreciate questions that remind me to explain myself better.

N.B.: This is how *I* understand it to be. I am not saying that it’s THE way (mostly since I don’t think there is ONE way for anything) but it’s the way it feels to me.

Guides and teachers cannot interfere with your free will. You are the one who always makes the choices and can change them at any time. Imagine a board of advisors who sit with you at a round table. You are sharing your intentions for the next year. They can offer you suggestions as to what might be a good way to get there. They can also offer alternatives. In the end, though, it’s always down to you to make the final decision.

In addition, they cannot offer guidance unless you invite them to do so. The only time (again, as I understand it) they can jump in unbidden is if your life is in danger and it’s not your soul’s wish to leave the physical plane.

Unless you’re Bella in Twilight, that doesn’t happen too often.

In my case, my Guides know that my heart’s desire (besides being David Cook’s wife and one day being tall and thin) is to broaden my work as an intuitive. I’ve clearly put that intention out there and allowed the Universe to assist me with it.

My part in it is to remain conscious (as opposed to in a coma? heh) and note the “coincidences” that come to me with regard to that intention. Like noticing the blue balloons* that I got as a response to my hysterical whining in the car or that I got two requests for paid intuitive readings in one day.  Those small, seemingly innocuous happenings really are messages, believe it or not.

(They all don’t come as thunderbolts out of the sky. Do they? No, I’m pretty sure they don’t.)

The Gal also asked if the angels know the outcome and because the free will thing comes into play, the answer is no. You put the intention out there and ask for help. Then you pay attention to what comes in front of you – opportunities, coincidences, shifts and changes in things around you.

At any time, you can change your route and your guides will be right there alongside you like a trusted team of advisors and friends who want only your highest good. Doesn’t mean weird stuff won’t happen to you as you move along that path. But if you ask “what is the lesson in this?” and really try to understand it from that perspective, the weird stuff flows through a bit faster.

I hope that answered your questions, G.  Much of this is from my readings but much more has come through my own experience. The readings I’ve done for others have borne out what I know to be true in my life.  The Guides nudge me a bit where I’m slacking off, or help me see things that I might have overlooked.

I truly find that the more I work with them collaboratively, the more things seem to come together and flow.

SO …

What about you, dear reader – what are your thoughts about receiving guidance? Do you find you pay attention to the small things? Or do you wait for something BIG! to show up?

* The blue balloon story is queued up for Thursday.  On Friday, the winning name from the Newsletter contest is announced! Could it be you?

I do.

I don’t know how I know it. But I do. It’s called Claircognizance and it means “clear knowing”.

I can tell what’s going on with someone just by tuning in. Often, I don’t even have to tune in to get pieces of it. It’s just there.

My mom had that same skill. She knew when someone was going to pass away (not often but on the few occasions she shared that kind of info, she was right), she knew when weird stuff was going on in the family that no one talked about. She just knew.

What she didn’t know, though, was how to share it with compassion. I learned that the hard way.

See, I was 16 and my 17 year old boyfriend went off to Germany for a month. He wrote me letters, he sent me gifts. He was very attentive. When he came back, though, I felt something was ‘off’.  One day, my mom blurted this out of the blue: “He met someone in Germany and is in love with her. He’ll probably marry her.”

As you can imagine, that sorta sucked to hear.

As you can imagine, she was right. Down to the getting married part, even.

Took me over two years to tell her she was right. During that time, I couldn’t share with her my heartache or sadness because that meant telling her she was right and as any mom of a teenage girl knows, that’s a fate worse than death.

But that experience taught me a very valuable lesson on how to handle these skills as I got older. Empaths, especially ones with the skill of “just knowing stuff”, are privy to a lot of information if they happen to tune in. When called upon to assist another with life issues, this can be of great help because often people don’t even have language to put to their feelings. In cases like that, it’s a great help to just “know” what’s going on.

Here’s the caveat that I learned from that experience with my mom: never, ever just blurt stuff out that you happen to “know” – especially information that can wound another.

I have no doubt that my mom said this with love because she didn’t want to see me get hurt. I get it. But it did hurt and to have it come from her in such a matter-of-fact way hurt just as much.

What do I do differently so I don’t inadvertently hurt someone? Well, I check in with my higher self and see if this is information that is to be shared. Many times, it’s not. And so I tell no one. It’s not mine to share. There have been times where I’ve wanted to jump in and say “okay, here’s what’s going on” (hey! I’m human, what can I say?) and I’ve been told by my Guides to hush.

I’ll tell you straight up – if my Guides tell me not to speak about something or not to intervene, I don’t. Period. Chances are good that there are lessons involved for the other person and to put myself into the middle of it would be helpful neither to them nor me.

If, however, I am called to share that information (in a reading or with a friend), I’ve learned how to share it compassionately. I will never blurt out “Oh, your husband is seeing someone else” or “Your child is stealing from you.” or something equally awful. If I am given that information to share with you, I do so in a way that will empower you to take action, not wound you deeper. I have a lot of practice and I’d probably make a good diplomat at this point.

Thanks Mama for teaching me how important it is to have compassion when sharing possibly hurtful information with someone. I might not have gotten that had you not shown me in such a visceral way. You taught me well.

"Hi, my name is Steve.  I’ll be your Spirit Guide for the entirety of your life on this planet.  Nice to meetcha."

Hmm, a Spirit Guide named Steve.  Well, that’s not too exciting, is it? Don’t all Guides have cool mythical names like Aloycious or Galactica? Darn.  I wanted my Guide to have a cooler name than just … well, Steve.

Shakespeare said "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" – meaning, of course, that it doesn’t matter what you call it, it is still the same thing, holds the same energy, gives the same feeling.

I get around.  Online, that is. (Ahem!)  And the question about the name of one’s Guide is asked on just about every spiritual forum I visit. Looking underneath the question, though, I see the  need to take the concept of a Guide (which is, admittedly, a pretty broad concept) and bring it down into what it means for them in their life.  Having a name for that big concept helps make it personal. 

Through the Soul Realignment program, I’ve honed my natural abilities to connect with specific Guides in Spirit and get names and ways in which they work for you as part of your team.  In addition to that, I can bring through specific life assignments on which they work with you, soul groups of origination and a whole host of other information that is stored in the Akashic Records.

Now, I’m going to say something that may be controversial, so hold on to your chair.

I don’t think it matters what the name of your Guide is. 

Truly.

You can call that energy whatever you like: Boris, Cookie, or Tom (or Al!).  It’s the same energy, same guidance, same group that works with you, regardless of what you call them.

(It’s a bit different for Ascended Masters, Archangels and guides and teachers of that extremely high vibration and I’ll write about that more as a follow-up to this post.)

The way the Guides present to me (my own and other teams when I contact them in readings for clients) is basically as a "round table" – as if you had called a meeting of trusted friends and family.  They speak to me in a united voice – always using the term "We" as to make clear that it is a collective voice.  In fact, I asked my Guides if it was important to know the name of each one in the group.  They responded that regardless of what you choose to call them, the energy, the intent and the vibration are all the same.

 In the world of Spirit, intention is all. 

If you wish to speak to them, all you have to do is say "Hey Guys … can you come talk to me?"  and they’re right there.

(Here’s a secret: they’re there even if you don’t think they are.)

I have had clients ask for names and the Guides give them, I suspect, to make the person asking feel more at ease about the whole thing.  And that’s fine. No harm, no foul.

For example, one of my clients was given the name Magda for his primary guide.  He resonated with that because close family friends were of Hungarian descent and the name made a connection with him.

Do you NEED to know the name to make contact? No. 

Can you make up your own name for them? Sure.  They’re fine with it.  They all kind of go with the flow.  Which is a nice quality to have in a Guide, I think.

So, what name would YOU give your Spirit Guide and why?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Call to action:  If you’re interested in knowing more about how your Guides work with you on a day-to-day basis, email me and let’s talk.

If you pop over now, she has a special offer for the first three people who email her for a reading: I’m offering my most detailed reading for the first three people to email me for only $50. So, go! Be one of the lucky three people who get a reading from Kara at this great price.  It won’t be around long.

REMINDER:  The drawing for a free reading will end on June 30.

All you need to do is sign up to receive my monthly newsletter and your name is automatically entered in the drawing.  All the details are right here but mostly, just fill in the box over there on the right sidebar.  The newsletter will make its debut in July and features a “Best of PI” section and other goodies including special offers just for subscribers. It’s free and it comes right to your email in box.  How easy is that?

Not the real Sister Dorothy but close!

Do you know Sister Dorothy? If you’re a Catholic grade school survivor, I bet you had a teacher just like her. The one who keeps the whole class after school because no one passed the math test.  The one who smacked your hand with a ruler when you didn’t get your piano scales right. (Oh? Was that just me? Never mind.)  Snippy, foreboding and just plain nasty, Sr. Dorothy was not high on my list of motivational teachers.

Which is why I found myself rather surprised that I resonate so strongly with the work of Caroline Myss.  Well known in the field of energy medicine (she learned early on that she was a medical intuitive – able to detect illness in someone’s energy field), Dr. Myss has moved even more strongly into the spiritual arena in the past ten years with her books Sacred Contracts and Entering the Castle.  All her books are well-researched and she’s somehow capable of bringing really big concepts down into understandable language.

She also does not suffer (spiritual) fools gladly.  Placing blame on your parents, your friend who was mean to you once or anywhere else but sqarely on yourself will earn you a sharp rebuke from her. Sharp enough to intimidate and put off some of those who have listened to her audio books, even. Not me, though.  I revel in her tone of voice, sharp and pointy though it can be.

Perhaps it has to do with my interest in the subject.  Even if I had an amazing algebra teacher, I wouldn’t have cared to learn more. But on the topic of spiritual growth – I thirst to learn and to do and to be the very best I can in this lifetime.  I don’t fear that growth, regardless of where it takes me, and so I think someone urging me to really look at the things I don’t want to see feels good to me in some weird way.  Maybe it’s the way a good coach urges you to push through the pain to get to your potential. They can see the potential that you cannot.  And so they call it forth from you.

Unlike the lovely and talented Sister Dorothy, Carolyn Myss calls forth that potential from me.  But that’s probably because I was ready to bring that part of me out into the sunlight and look at it.  I’ve spent years only looking at certain patterns in my life and running from the others. I did not want to take responsibilty for my choices and their (often unintended) consequences. And I deluded myself into thinking that much of what Myss said didn’t apply to me. I’m not an addict or someone whose life is running off the rails, after all. A comfortable life isn’t ripe for introspection. It’s when it all falls apart that we are forced to say “What the hell is going on and how can I fix this?”.  At those times, a stern teacher may be just what helps you through the muck.

It’s my greatest wish to work with Dr. Myss in person someday.  In fact, there’s a week long workshop in October and again in February 2011  that features up close and personal time with her. It has my name (if not my checkbook – OY!) written on it.  Am I ready to stand in the light of her sharp tone and no-nonsense gaze? Am I doing all I can to look at my own life and make the needed changes?  I’m definitely more prepared to do that now more than ever.

(You can see Dr. Myss in action here on her video page: http://www.myss.com/CMED/workshops/master_class1010/ – lots of good, free videos to watch and learn from.  And she’s not quite as stern in them!)

What about you? Tell me about the stern teacher in your life.

(Special love and thanks to my fairy godmother, Jody, for her encouragement and guidance on this post.  I wish you could all have a cheerleader like her because she rocks in a million ways!)

Chapter One

As the first chapter in an on-going series, I’d like to  share some stories about my experience as a budding intuitive.  Like my mom before me, I had these "vibes" and learned (the hard way, alas) to follow them.  Once I got the understanding of what it meant to be clairaudient and clairsentient, I worked on bringing that skill to another level and enrolled in Sancta Sophia Seminary.

In 2008, I took a class in Advanced Intuitive Development. It was a week long course where a group of students honed their skills through lecture and experiential work, giving intuitive readings to others. 

One of the most interesting aspects of that week was the practice of giving readings while seated, then standing close, then standing a bit further away and finally, standing ten or more feet away from the other person.  It was fascinating to me to see how the flow of energy changed from a seated position to a standing position. It was as if my whole body could pull in information and process it.

But I digress.

The culmination of the week’s work was giving what’s called "platform readings" where you stand before an audience and share what intuitive guidance comes through you for specific individuals. I have done many readings face-to-face, many more via email but never before had I stood in front of a group and just sort of winged it.  And while I trust my skills beyond measure, I had a wee bit ‘o the nerves hit me before I got up on the platform. 

For one thing, the Dean of the Seminary, Rev. Carol Parrish,  was there (she was one of the instructors of the course) and I felt intimidated by her abilities. (I have no idea why but it was all about me and my fears and not a single bit about her.)

On top of that, it occurred to me that the readings were to be done on a Sunday and what if my Angels didn’t work on a Sunday and I’d be standing on a platform without words? Yes, that ridiculous thought really did run through my head – that’s how large that fear was.

Watching the other intuitives work was both amazing and terrifying to me as I sat there on the stage.  They were just able to stand up there and give messages as if they had been doing it all their lives. 

Most amazing to me was one woman who came from a small town and had been raised as an Evangelical Christian.  We all wanted to know how she came to be at a Seminary founded upon mystical teachings given her background.  She said she realized she could see the spirit world pretty clearly and felt called to find out more about this. Watching her talk to those in the audience about their loved ones in Sprit who showed up  was awe inspiring.  And intimidating.  I was a bundle of nerves.

When my time came to stand up on the platform,  I walked up there on wobbly legs, the fear of appearing like a fool wrapping around me tightly.  I took a breath and looked out over the audience of 30 or so people and imagined myself diving into a pool of cool, clear water.

There was no turning back.

I was drawn to go to a woman there who had been through chemotherapy for breast cancer. Spirit had a message for her.  Truly, I cannot remember the exact wording because the message was for her and just came through me. But it was a very profound one because she hugged me and cried and said it confirmed all she had been feeling but was afraid to believe.  I  started to cry myself because the LARGE heart energy of this wonderful woman just enveloped me.  I felt blessed to be a messenger for her, as if she was giving me a gift right from her heart.

There were other messages I gave that day but it’s mostly a blur. I was able to turn off the ego self and the spazzy self (really, the same thing) and just get out of the way of Spirit.  There was no fear there.

I trusted the Universe to support me as I walked along my first high wire.   And, of course, I did not fall. As I never do in service to Spirit.  (Took me a while to get that lesson.)

When I returned to the Seminary in 2009 for Pastoral Counseling Week, I ran into this woman again as she crossed a room to hug me. "I will never forget the message you gave me," she said.  "It carried me through a very dark time. Thank you more than I can say."  She hugged me tightly and I could again feel that enveloping warmth from her heart.  It felt transformational, as if I were the one getting healed.  (I’m pretty sure I was, actually.)

Learning to fly and trust that I will be supported is one of my biggest and greatest lessons.