​Spirit guides are beings that have incarnated on Earth before, unlike angels.  Before you came to Earth, you made agreements or contracts with the many beings that are currently in your earthly life, your Spirit guide being one as well.  Spirit guides help us to access information not available to us at this level of our unconscious.  They help you on your journey to spiritual awakening.  Spirit guides can help with the most challenging of life's questions, healing, teaching, and guiding you to your highest good.  

As with the Law of Attraction, your Spirit guides are probably on a similar learning path as you and have been assigned to you to help you evolve.  Just because they no longer occupy the Earth, doesn’t mean that their learning has stopped.  Even when we cross to the other side, we never stop learning.  You may work with them your entire life, or they may change as you change.  The Universe is always quick and ready to come to your aid with whatever you need in your evolution. 

Spirit guides can be men or woman, young or old, and any nationality.  However, they will never force themselves into your awareness.  You must ask and invite them to help, that is the key.  They aren't going to give you lottery numbers, but will help you in emergencies, and most of all your spiritual development as your consciousness is raised bringing you into a higher vibration.  They can communicate to us by showing us (clairvoyance), by speaking to us in that still small voice (clairaudience), through meditation or even in the dream state. 

In my experience, each guide has a specific personality that differentiates them, just like the people in our lives.  My first guide was "Jack" which I had from childhood until I was in my thirties.  Once I began developing my psychic abilities, they changed again.  You may know their name, or you may not, but that isn't what is important.  They don't really care as they are no longer operating from their ego anymore.  The important thing to understand is they are there specifically for you and your spiritual growth, and they are excited to get started helping you on your life's journey.

I have different guides when I'm doing readings and healings versus everyday things.  I'm not really sure how many guides I have, and it doesn't really matter, I just know they are there.  Most importantly, I do know that my life has never been the same since I have connected to them.  Believe it or not, they even help me find things that are lost and give me a heads up when something is coming my way.  Everybody has one or many whether they realize it or not, and they are patiently waiting for you to connect, so that you can become inspired and get busy doing what you initially came here to do.  Let them help you to remember what you came here for.

Please visit my website for more spiritual insights.

ReadingsbyShelley.org

The Tarot is an ancient divination tool, and one of my favorites to use during readings.  I use the Thoth in my work and love the beautiful symbolism and colors of this deck.  The deck is divided into two main groups, the Major arcana and the Minor arcana.  The major arcana has 22 cards in it numbered from 0, the Fool, to card 21, the Universe.  These cards represent the "major" teachings or universal principles and laws that we all experience in different aspects of our lives and at different times. 


Included in the minor arcana cards are the Royalty cards; the Knights, Queens, Prince and the Princesses.  The Thoth deck is a little different here with the royalty cards.  The Writer Waite deck has the King, Queen, Knight and Sage.   Whichever deck you use, understand that the "people" cards in the tarot represent your mastery at certain levels of consciousness.   For example the Swords  always indicate activity occurring on a mental level of consciousness; Cups reveal our emotional expressions of consciousness; Wands represent our spiritual and intuitive aspects of consciousness; finally, the Disks represent our external reality of finances, relationships, health, creativity, and career.  So if a Royalty card shows up in a reading, it indicates some level of mastery (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual) that you are developing or have mastered at this time. 


The Minor arcana takes us through life's many opportunities and lessons to experience our life mentally, emotionally, psychically and intuitively. The minor arcana in the tarot represent the Ace through Ten cards in each suit (Swords, Cups, Wands, Disks).  Swords will always indicate the mental state of consciousness.  Any time a sword card appears in a reading it indicates our mental level of consciousness and the quality of the mind that we are experiencing at the time of the reading in our thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes.  The cups often mirror our emotional state of being, our responses and reactions to emotional situations that have become automatic and habitual reactions to situations.  The wands represent our energy or life force, intuition, perception and insight.  Wands represent the spirit of who you are, your own truth and authenticity of who you really are.  Finally the Disks (Pentacles) are always indicators of what is going on in your external world;  your work, health, finances, relationships and creativity. 


The cards kind of tell a story so to speak of your journey and where you are at any given time in life.  The tarot helps to guide us, warn us, bring in more awareness, and helps us to not miss out on opportunities when they do arise.  These cards help to spark initiation and growth.  In the Thoth deck, there are thirteen challenges or negative states that one can experience.  Six of them are mental challenges (thoughts, attitudes and beliefs):  3 of Swords/sorrow; 5 of swords/fear of defeat; 7 of swords/the sabotaging mind;  8 of swords/interference, confusion and doubt;  9 of swords/self-cruelty thru thought; 10 of swords/fear of ruin.  The next three challenges come from the heart and our emotional state of being.  The first is the 5 of Cups/disappointment; 7 of cups/indulgence;  and the 8 of cups/indolence or overextending ourselves.  The wands challenge us energetically, intuitively, and spiritually:  5 of wands/strife , anxiety or frustration; The 10 of wands/oppression.  Next we experience the disk's challenges in relationships, finances, work, health and creativity: 5 of disks/worry and the 7 of disks/fear of failure or success. 


So all together we experience six mental (swords) challenges around our beliefs, attitudes, and thoughts.   Three are emotional (cups) reactions to thoughts in the mind that represent our responses, reactions and difficult feelings, two (wands) affect the energy or vision or how we saw the experience, and the last two (disks)  affect our outer reality in work, health, finances, and  our creativity.  These thirteen challenges or tests are aspects of our Shadow.  The Shadow represents the fearful and negative aspects of ourselves that are difficult to own but need to change so we can evolve.


The Thoth tarot also incorporates the zodiac signs into the deck as well as the elements.  I could go on and on about how sophisticated this deck is and how detailed and concise your readings can be.  Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris really created a beautiful deck to help us to divine our lives.  You can get as deep as you want into these cards or not.  But I love the balance of this deck in all the negative and positive aspects, as I feel it does represent real life situations, both good and difficult and helps us to overcome them and evolve into the beings we came here to become.


Shelley
ReadingsbyShelley.org

Crystals and gemstones are beautiful and powerful and can assist you with finding love, manifesting abundance, health, protection, and emotional and physical healing.  But before your crystals can start helping you, they need to be cared for by clearing old energies from them, charging/energizing them, and lastly programming them for use.  They should also be stored in a safe place.


Most of my stones have chosen me or drawn me to them.   I have always had an affinity for crystals and I own many.  Not only are they beautiful but they have so many purposes.  The Lemurian crystals that I own have been intentionally infused with ancient information that I use to meditate with.  I have crystals that I like to place in grids for things I'm trying to manifest.  I use them during Reiki sessions to increase energy, if need be.  I even have a couple fancy crystals, "Vogel" faceted crystals, that are mathematically cut facets that perfectly direct energies. 


Whatever kind of crystals or stones you may have, they all need our care so they can function at their highest level and for ourselves and our clients most sacred good.   So I will begin with clearing  crystals and why this is so important.  Like my Lemurian crystals that were programmed intentionally, crystals store information from their environment and how you have used them.  If we don't clear them, we may be passing on illness or negative energies to our next client or ourselves. 


Clearing your crystals is very easy, but before you get them wet make sure that the stone can be in water.  I have accidently ruined stones putting them in salt water  baths trying to clear them, they simply crumbled and began dissolving.  Plus, you have no idea how many people have touched your stones before you, and you have no idea what kind of energies have been left from mining, transportation, unpacking and displaying.  So here are some simple ideas to help you clear your crystal friends.


Cleansing/Clearing your Crystals:

1. Salt is always a great go to.  Salt water or a bowl of loose salt works fantastic on clearing negative energies from your crystals and one that I use frequently.  If your stone is not too brittle or water soluble, and can handle the saltwater, you can leave your crystal from 7 hours up to a couple of days depending on how much clearing they are in need of.  Rinse  the salty residue off the stones.  Pour off the salt water, but don't let it get on you as you pour it out.  You don't want to transfer all the contaminated energy that you just cleared off the crystals onto your physical body.  Again, be careful with crystals like Angelite, Alum, Chalcanthite, Halite, and Ulexite and some crystals surfaces can be damaged very quickly in a salt bath, so again make sure your stone can handle it first. 
2. Natural stream water is great for cleansing your crystals.  The water is alive with nutrients and flows freely over the stones leaving them clear.  However, I have so many crystals this just isn’t reasonable for me unless I do just a few.  Transporting so many crystals risks cracking and breakage.
3. Just plain dry salt in a bowl also works.  Leave the stone in the salt until you feel you have achieved the right amount of cleansing.  Some feel that Sea salt works better than just table salt so experiment for yourself.  You can also use a clothe over the loose salt to lay the stones on to make sure you will not damage your crystal.  It will still be able to clear the crystal effectively. 
4. Stones that can't handle water or salt water will need to be saged.  You may use sage, frankincense or sweet grass to smudge your stones.  This method has been used for a long time to clear space, crystals, and just about anything and everything.  It is very affective, quick and easy to do.   I like this method as I have a huge cabinet full of crystals and I can get them cleared quickly and all at once. 
5. Running water may also be used in clearing your crystals.  Hold them under the running water and intend the stone to clear itself from all negativity and be filled with love and wisdom.
6. Other stones like clear Quartz and Carnelian and Amethyst have the ability to clear other stones.  Just put them all together and allow the stones to do their work. 
7. Again, it is very important that you clear all stones and crystals before using them on yourself or your clients.  We don't always know what residual energy is stuck onto a stone ,so this is important not to pass on to the next client or yourself.  Also important, is to clear them with intention that they be used for the highest and most sacred good of your client or for their specific or particular use.
8. You can also use Tibetan Singing bowls or Quarts Crystal Healing bowls with sage to clear your crystals.  Sound vibration is a very powerful tool for clearing energies as well.

Programming or Activating Your Stones:

1. Each crystal has its own calling so to speak.  Some have grounding forces, depending on color some may be used on the chakras.  Now that the stones have been cleared they become a blank database ready to store new information.  We want to make sure that any previous programming on the crystal has been cleared and ready for a fresh purpose.
2. I like programming  my crystals after they have been cleared.  One simple and quick way to program is to hold the crystal in your hand and say something like "I dedicate this crystal to its highest and most sacred good, and I ask that it be used in pure light and love."
3. Holding, handling and even praying over your crystals will also help to activate them and bring them to life.  You can even carry them on your person to better acquaint yourself with their energies.
4. Reiki can also be used to charge your crystals.
5. You can also program a crystal for a specific healing or use.  Hold the stone in your left (receiving) hand and focus on the intention and use of the crystal; healing, abundance, love, protection, peace.  You may say that "I dedicate this crystal for healing a specific disease", or bringing in abundance.  There are also tons of books that will guide you to specific crystals that work best for specific things you are trying to accomplish.
6. Thoughts are very powerful.  If you have a specific desire you want to accomplish, simply write it out on a piece of paper and place the stone on top of it.  You can direct it to heal someone else and the crystal will act as a transmitter and send out the thought in an amplified state to the person of interest in the note.  You can also just place the programmed stone onto the person's photograph to accomplish the same results.  Again, intention is key. 
7. You can also program your stones with the breath.  Breath the intention onto each facet of your crystal.  You can put as many thoughts, intentions, affirmations as you would like into the stone.  When you are done with that programming, you can simply breath the word "CLEAR" into each facet of the crystal and it will be cleared, simple as that.
8. You can program your crystals with affirmations to assist you in life, like: I am healthy, whole, and complete in everyway.  I also program some crystals for protection in my reading room as there can be so much good and not so good energies during and after readings.
9. Charging your crystals activate the healing properties of the crystals by raising the energy levels in them.  All energy within the crystal is passed on by the crystal creating a radiating effect.  Keep them clean and clear and they will be more than happy to do the job you have designed them for.

Charging Your Crystals:

1. My favorite way to charge my crystals is with sunlight.  I select which stones I want to charge and place them in a rubber tub, so as not to break off any points.  I then place them in a safe place outside where they can just chill and absorb the radiation from the Sun.  Doing this will help to restore your crystals and empower them for use.  It depends how long I leave them out in the sunshine.  I use my intuition and mostly just know when they are done.  This will still work, even if there are clouds as the Sun's energy really is everywhere even if clouds are present.  Don't leave them out too long as some crystals may fade in sunlight.
2. My second favorite way to charge my stones is during a full or new Moon.  These are very powerful times to charge your stones with intention as the moon's energies can move and sway the ocean waves so they certainly can amplify your stones.  I usually just leave them out all night.  Again, Moonlight or Moon energy is everywhere just as Sun energy, so don't panic if there are clouds as moon energy is everywhere.

As you can see, there really are no fast, hard rules.  Never forget how important your intentions are and let your intuition guide the way. You can make it as simple or ceremonial as you like.   Working with crystals can be transformational, healing and fun. 


Shelley
ReadingsByShelley.org

There are multiple chakras in the human body, but I will only  cover the seven main chakras that most people are familiar with.  Your energy field and chakra centers fluctuate, expand, contract, and vibrate at different frequencies depending on how you are feeling emotionally or what you might be experiencing.  These frequencies are a direct reflection of your inner state of being and will be reflected by one or more colors to people who can see the aura, or Kirlian photography is also able to capture aura colors.

Keeping your chakras balanced and clear not only helps your physical wellbeing but also your emotional wellbeing.  Our subtle body and our chakras are a storehouse of information about us from this life and our past lives.  Our chakras record all of our experiences both the pleasant and the not so pleasant.  Some psychics specifically read the chakras during psychic readings to help the client remove energies that no longer serve them.  Psychics can see things from past incarnations that may be affecting you in this life as well and help you to clear them.  Clearing these from your energy field promotes healing and releases energies and experiences that are no longer serving you. 

The first chakra is located at the base of the spine and is the foundation of physical survival, personal identity and tribal beliefs. This chakra is where you store your belief systems about religion and family, and supports the formation of identity and the sense of belonging to a group.  The sacred truth for this chakra is "All is One."  Lessons for this center are related to the physical world, such as family, physical health, work and the ability to provide for oneself, social groups, the code and ethics of traditional family and the fear of abandonment.  This chakra is referred to as the root or base chakra and its color is red.  Crystals related to this chakra for healing are Agate, Red Coral, Ruby, Red Garnet, and Bloodstone.  Qualities of this chakra are Survival, tribal power, vitality, passion, grounding, material security, stability and courage.  The musical note is C and the chakra stands for "I Have."

The second chakra is located in the sacral center and is responsible for your creativity, finances, sexuality and relationships.  The sacral chakra also teaches us lessons related to close personal relationships and personal creativity.  When this chakra is not in balance, you may fear a loss of control, have addictions, fear abandonment, guilt, blame, money problems, and loss of personal identity.  The sacred truth for this chakra is "Honor One Another."  The color of this chakra is orange.  Crystals related to this chakra are Carnelian, Coral, Gold Calcite, and moonstone.  Qualities of this chakra are sexuality, personal creativity, primal feelings, procreation, and one on one relationships.  The musical note is D and the chakra stands for "I Feel".

The third chakra is located in the solar plexus and is all about personal power and lessons related to the Self.  When this chakra is out of balance we may experience issues with trust, fear, intimidation, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-respect, ambition, and even anxieties regarding physical appearance.  The Sacred truth for this chakra is "Honor Oneself".  This chakra is yellow and its qualities are personal power, self control, will, influence, acceptance of self, and vitality.  The musical note is E and the chakra stands for 'I Can".

The fourth chakra is green and represents our emotional power, and we experience lessons in love, forgiveness, and compassion.  When this chakra is not balanced we may experience hatred, grief, anger, bitterness, self-centeredness, fear of loneliness.  The sacred truth for this chakra is "Love is Divine Power". The crystals related to this chakra are Emerald, Green Jade, Kunzite, and Rose quartz.  The qualities of this chakra are transformation, unconditional divine love, compassion, understanding and forgiveness, and healing.  The mantra for this chakra is "I Love" and its musical note is F. 

The 5th chakra is light blue and is the center for willpower and lessons in self-expression.  When not balanced, we may experience addiction, judgement, criticism, and strength of will.  The sacred truth for this chakra is "Surrender Personal Will to Divine Will."  This chakra is located in the throat area and and its mantra is "I Speak."  The qualities of this center is communication, creative expression, confidence, wisdom, freedom, clarity.  Its musical note is G.

The sixth chakra is the center for emotional intelligence.  When operating at its best we can self evaluate and are open to ideas from others, and we have the ability to learn from our experiences.  In its unbalanced state, you may experience feelings of inadequacy.  The sacred truth for this chakra is "Seek only the Truth".   The color of this chakra is Indigo and is associated with the Pituitary gland.  The crystals related to this chakra are Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, Sodalite, Azurite, and Calcite.  Qualities associated with this chakra are intuition, clairvoyance, imagination, ESP, manifestation, and insight.  The mantra for this chakra is "I See", and the musical note is A.

Lastly, the seventh chakra is the center for spiritual power and lessons related to the divine.  When balanced we can trust life, have values and ethics, and humanitarianism.   When out of balance, you have issues with trust, values, ethics, beliefs and the ability to see the larger picture.  The sacred truth for this chakra is "Live in the Present Moment."  This chakra is referred to as the crown and it's color is violet.  It is also associated with the Pineal gland.  The crystals related to this center are Amethyst, Clear Quartz, Diamond, Selenite, and Alexandrite.  The qualities of this chakra are unity with the divine, enlightenment, universal consciousness, bliss, and divine wisdom.  The mantra for this chakra is "I Know" and the musical note is B.

Understanding the chakras and how they work is important on our spiritual journey.  In order for us to grow spiritually we must manage and maintain our energy body as well as the chakras.  It is believed that illness first enters through the energy body before entering the physical body.  So if we maintain our energetic health, not only will we remain balanced and calm, but this will ultimately promote better physical health as well.

Shelley
Readingsbyshelley.org

The aura is the subtle field that surrounds the outside of the entire human body and connects with and communicates with the chakras inside the body.  The aura is composed of seven different colors and each color has a different frequency or vibration.  The aura is constantly flowing and changing color and size with our thoughts and feelings. 

Many believe that our aura is important to our physical health and wellbeing.  When healthy our subtle bodies flow with their own rhythm and vibration, but when we experience illness these rhythms become altered or stuck and problems can be intuitively seen within the auric field through a psychic reading.  They can also be removed from our subtle body before they ever have a chance to do harm to our physical bodies, if we become aware of them. 

There is actual photography that can capture a snapshot of your aura called Kirlian photography.  Kirlian photography shows how our auric field reacts to our emotional and mental states.  Our auras are fluid and constantly reacting to the energies around us and within us, such as how we are feeling at that particular moment.

What could the aura possibly be made of?  Barbara Brennan suggests that it is made of plasma, or microscopic subatomic particles that move in clouds.   What about ether, or perhaps electromagnetic radiation or simply our own personal energy signature.  I am not exactly sure what it is, but I do know that many healers can read or see into the aura for problems with our health and even things going on in our lives in general. 

We can also pick up energies from others that don't belong to us but become stuck in our auric field.  Have you ever felt sad or depressed for no reason?  It is important that we are able to identify emotions and energy that belong to us and the emotions and energies that belong to others.  We can release these energies that don't belong to us helping us to feel emotionally better and balanced almost instantly. 

There are many ways to clear your aura.  You can pay to have energy work done in the form of Reiki, Pranic healing, shamanic healing, acupuncture or any healing modality.  Or you can do your own meditation, using your imagination  and watching  the negative energy leave your  body and go into a receptacle like a rose or a bubble.  Once you have cleared the negative energy from your space and into the rose or bubble, you imagine destroying the bubble/rose and allowing the negative energy to transform back to universal energy. 

Why not start every day by clearing your aura and energy centers while in the shower.  Imagine all the negative energy going down the drain.  This is a great way to start everyday with a clean energetic slate.  Keeping your aura clear and clean helps prevent illness and creates greater health both emotional and physically.


Shelley
ReadingsbyShelley.org

Meditation is a wonderful thing.  In fact, this is probably one of the most important tools to beginning your spiritual journey, especially if you want to become a Psychic.  Meditation allows your mind to relax and take the attention off the million things going on in your world, head and life.  Meditation is being still and going inward to peace and calm with or without a focus. There are many, many different varieties of meditation, all beneficial, you just have to decide what feels comfortable to you. 

I like to meditate every day if possible for at least 10 to 30 minutes.  Being a Psychic Medium, this has been essential to my development.  Meditation allows the mind to slow down and creates a space for spirit to communicate.  I like to run my energy while meditating as this helps to clear any negative energies that I may have picked up that aren't serving me.  I also love to meditate while listening to classical music, meditation CD's that consist of directed meditations for specific purposes (meeting your spirit guide, affirmations,  healing, etc.), singing bowls and simple relaxing music.  Sometimes I will just go outside and sit in the grass quietly, listening to the sounds of nature.  There are no clear rules on what makes a good meditator.  You do what works for you.  Not everyone meditates the same, some people have a hard time slowing down there mind enough to be still and sit there for any length of time.  That is alright too, it takes time to develop the mindfulness to just sit still in peace and quite.

I use meditation for many things.  I like to clear my chakras, call my energy back from situations that have depleted it and prepare for giving psychic readings.  Meditation is one way to connect to spirit as well as manage your own energy body which is very important for both physical and mental wellbeing.

Meditation is simple, easy and free.  Start today!


Shelley
ReadingsbyShelley.org

What is energy?  Everything is energy and everything radiates energy.  Everything that we can see, touch and much that we can't see is universal energy.  Energy can differentiate itself into flowers, bees, rocks, trees, humans, the ocean, stars, a single atom, our thoughts and all other forms of matter that exist.  Every form of matter emanates its own unique vibration, including you and I.  Rocks of course have a slower vibration compared to humans, Spirit vibrating even faster.

What if I told you that you are electrical, magnetic, and crystalline just like the universe.  Talk about  "fearfully and wonderfully made".  We have the ability to direct, transfer, and release energies.  When our energies are flowing we create health, happiness, and success.  However, blocked energies create disease, sadness, even failure.  This is why it is so important that we pay attention to our own energy and the energies that surround us.  When we learn how to manage our own energy we become a powerful  force, especially when we have learned to align our energy with our higher self. 

Thoughts are energy and they are very powerful.  When we speak our thoughts out loud it is like sending an order directly to the universe.  Universal law says that we get back exactly the energy that we send out.  So, instead of thinking negative thoughts like, "I will never get what I want!"  More emotion means even more energy like "I HATE YOU."  What ever it is that you think or say goes immediately out to the universe and starts creating that which you are thinking about.

So instead, why not attract better things into your life by thinking positive and loving thoughts.   Remember that energy flows where attention goes.  So why not start becoming more aware of our thoughts especially that are negative and cancel them.  That's right, I cancel that thought and I replace it with another thought that will more positively affect my life.  For example, many people fear illness and worry about it all the time.  What if when those negative thoughts come in we consciously stop them and replace them with "I am healthy, whole, and complete in everyway". 

It takes time to raise your awareness to all the negative mumbo jumbo that goes on in our minds every moment of the day.  However, when you begin to recognize and stop these thoughts, only then will you see positive changes happening in your life.

Shelley
ReadingsbyShelley.org

Smudging yourself and your home have awesome benefits!  Removing negative energies from your home will create a more peaceful and harmonious atmosphere for yourself and your family.  You can also smudge yourself when you are depressed, not feeling well, angry, or just for your basic good health and well being.  

Smudging has been used for centuries by indigenous peoples from around the world from the Egyptians to the Native Americans.  Historically, the Catholic church has used incense during Mass and other rituals; the smoke symbolizing purification and sanctification as well as the prayers of the faithful drifting up to heaven.  

You can use sage in any space to clear negative energies, emotions, and even unwanted spirits.  Sage is inexpensive to buy and can be found in New Age stores or on-line.  I have even made my own, which is even more special, essentially for free.  In a pinch, I have even used the spice in my kitchen cabinet.  You can create a lengthy ceremony or do a simple and quick waft of the sage stick to clear the energy.

The most important thing to do before you begin is to set your intention and focus on what you want to accomplish. For example, "I would like to clear my Aura of negative energies that I've collected throughout the day that don't serve my highest good."  See, it's as easy as that.  Another example might be, "I clear my home of any negative energies and replace them with peace and ease."  There really are no rules.  Energy flows were intention goes.  

When I smudge, I usually make sure to sage each corner in each room of the house. I will begin in the basement and work my way up until each room has been covered.  I have even used a tuning fork after smudging each room to reset the vibration.   It really is quite simple and the benefits amazing.  Happy smudging.

Shelley
​ReadingsbyShelley.org



 




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