A Soul Reading for Jennifer

This article originally appeared on Jennifer Leonard's Blog - I'm Just A Gurl. I had done a soul reading for Jennifer quite some time ago and was deeply honoured and touched that she decided to share it with others. Jennifer's Blog Post:

It started with a tweet about 10 months ago. One day, feeling stuck and tired, I typed “I need a psychic!” I got a Direct Message from Kathy Crabbe (soul reader and artist) and thought, why not?

I have an open mind about all things and I’ve always been curious about psychic readings. I tried an introductory reading. I didn’t tell Kathy anything. I didn’t ask any questions. I never met her in person. Our only communication was through a couple of tweets and emails. Whether you believe in this kind of thing or not, let me tell you about her reading for me, and why one name, Regina, really struck home.

What’s in a name?

When I got Kathy’s reading in my inbox, we were on vacation in Idaho for my husband John’s first Ironman. We got back to the hotel room one night. I decided to check my email. I was excited when I saw a message from her. I opened it up. One of the very first things she wrote was:

I also sense a ghost (earthbound spirit) around you by the name of “Regina”– have you encountered her yet? She likes to stomp around a lot!

If you know me, or have read any of my blogs, then you may know that I miscarried a child about three years ago. When John and I were thinking of baby names, he really liked the name Regina for a girl.

I wrote Kathy about this. She replied,

I am sure that the spirit of your baby was around for this reading, she came in loud and clear at the very beginning (and esp. the fact that her name was mentioned – because I do find that it is very difficult to get exact names – so that is why I’m saying that her spirit was coming through and connecting with you – through me – in such a strong way)

I never really thought a reading would go so deep. I was hit with a wave of emotion. I cried for at least a half hour. I woke up during the night several times with just one name on my mind.

Other “Sparkly Blessings”

Aside from being moved, there were lots of things in her reading that resonated with me. I’m sharing my reading with you below. It was very nicely done. I liked her approach.

About your reading: An intuitive reading will often contain some information that is correct and some that is not. My readings are usually quite accurate, but if anything I say feels wrong to you, it probably is. You know your own information, intuitive and otherwise better than anyone else, so please don’t give that power away to me. You are here to get a different perspective – not the “right” perspective. Anyone who tells you that they know more about you than you know yourself, or that they are 100% accurate is someone to be very wary of. A reading is never set in stone, your free will is always the final determinant.

The reading was signed with “Many Sparkly Blessings…” — enough to make anyone smile.

Well, here it is. My reading in full. Enjoy!

A Soul Reading for Jennifer

- The very first thing I was drawn to in your reading was a gemstone called “Tiger’s Eye.” Tiger’s Eye enhances one’s ability to understand and mediate between the two sides of an issue. It can help one find the middle way of balance, the trademark of a true spiritual warrior.

- I also sense a ghost (earthbound spirit) around you by the name of “Regina” – have you encountered her yet? She likes to stomp around a lot!

- Your energy feels so pleasant, fulfilling, calm and bountiful – I could sit with it for a long time and just rejuvenate…

- Now a dachsund breaks in on things and suggests that I pull a fairy card for you (this is kind of unusual actually – I’ve never had a dog pop in on a reading before!)

The card I pull for you is from my Fairy Herbal Healing deck and is called “Fennel.” The Fairy Herbal deck consists of eighty oracle cards that I created from my Fairy Herbal paintings. Their energy is light, ethereal, airy, and sparkly plus based in the green world, so add in some earthiness and green energy as well.

Fennel has the ability to protect one’s home and family. It was also used by the Saxons and is useful for those who practice meditation. Taking Fennel as a magical tonic will bring the ability to have a long life, face danger and be strong in the face of adversity. It is also said to help maintain fertility and virility.

- Now I am sensing you becoming a bit impatient and anxious that we move along.

- The next stone I suggest that you work with is called Black Tourmaline. It will help you center, stay calm, ground and focus. When Black Tourmaline appears it is encouraging you to undertake a ritual of purification. Perhaps you are holding onto old patterns that no longer serve you. When you purify your self and release worries and resentments, you are making room in your life for spiritual gifts to be received.

- Perhaps it’s this card and what it represents, or the next card I’m about to pull that is causing you some irritation, but I’m also being shown a man, someone you “can’t stand.”

- We’ll put him aside for now as you are asking me about your future.

This next card I pull is from my Lefty Oracle deck and will take a look 6 months into the future and it is called “Nambia pleasantly present”.

- So I ask you this question, “Where do you want to be 6 months from now?”

- I sense that you don’t want to be stuck here. So I ask you, “What part of yourself are you cutting off?” Well you need to do it and give yourself 3 years to develop it.

The next question you ask me is, “What is it?”

So I pull a card called “The Aries Goddess” from my Goddess Zodiac deck.

Aries embodies spring fire; she is erotic and independent, a primal rebel with revolutionary thought. Aries asks us to wake up and remember who we truly are, even if it bothers those we love or work for.

- You need to stay with it…focused and inspired. I see you strong and shining brightly, like the Sun. Your inspiration helps others in a really practical way ie. women that are down and out. Your spirit and strength are put to good use. You are secure and doing a great job.

I am ending your reading by sending you a prayer for good works and feisty determination. (Plus swimming whenever you can – the blue water is good for you.

If you are interested in booking a soul reading please click on the link.

Connecting with the Ancestors (Mediumship)

When I work as a medium to make a connection with the ancestors I find that it stirs up many emotions for my clients: ~ feelings of joy and sadness ~ eternal love ~ recognition of undying bonds with loved ones ~ feelings of security and trust that loved ones are always near by ~ release and forgiveness ~ conversation ~ reconciliation ~ strengthening of bonds ~ connection ~ a deep and peaceful knowing and trust in the Divine

In their own words:

"I just wanted to let you know that I am focusing on what I really want...and working on the visualizing that Grandma communicated to you. I feel more centered, and more on track that I have for ages." Simone, Australia

"Your Ancestor Reading gave me a HUGE exhale moment. Emotions that I have buried far too long are being released...although it is sad, it is also cleansing. I have waited 32 years to exhale. Each day since the reading, I am taking the pieces you handed me and filling in the spaces. You have opened up a whole new world for me...thank you doesn't begin to describe my gratitude." RuthAnn Dickinson, St. Louis, Missouri, USA

"Now I am able to block out unwanted contacts from "the other side" virtually all of the time and when something does get through, it no longer freaks me out...I'm sleeping better and I'm not afraid all the time." Aleta.

This post was inspired by a recent 'spirit conversation' that I held with my own ancestors - my paternal grandparents, Ethel and Jim - a feisty, truthful, and very helpful chat. Thanks dear ones!

Remembering our Ancestors

Maude Angel - a Woodblock Print

In honour of Hallow's Eve or Samhain I held a Facebook Giveaway called "My Favorite Ancestor" and the lucky winner received a woodblock print (pictured above) of my favorite ancestor from the movie "Harold & Maude" as played by Ruth Gordon.

Here's the question posed to my Facebook Fans: What 3 things did you learn from your favorite ancestor? How did they effect you body, mind and soul and in what ways did they touch your heart? To enter this giveaway just leave your comments on my Wall!

And if you don't yet have a favorite ancestor then pick one, any one that you wished you could have known and why.

Let us remember the dead for they are all around us.

Thanks to all of you who shared your very moving Ancestor Stories - I am very touched and inspired and feel very blessed to know all of you and your ancestors too.

Leslie Maltby Burdzy, Hartford, CT - My ancestor is my great-grandfather, boat builder, creative like many on that side of the family. It makes me feel that I am not crazy to want to create, that it's ok to create your own world - one that makes sense to you, and the need to throw in a bit of the down and dirty real-world into the mix, just to survive.

Cathy Parker, Columbus, OH - My favorite ancestors are my paternal grandmother and grandfather. I miss them so very much. I turned 60 on the 23rd so lately I have been thinking about those years when They were with me physically. Even so many years later I can't help but cry because they were such a strong and loving part of my life. I've never heard from my grandmother so I'm sure she came right back down into Life after crossing over. That would be so like her. I can hear her saying,"Let's get this over with so I can rest!". So wherever she is this is her last life, I'm sure. My grandfather has visited me in my dreams and he makes it very obvious for me that I'm on a journey. He sits away in the corner in his rocking chair and I have to step out of my dream to speak to him!

Brenda Mihalopoulos, Boston, MA - I think my favourite ancestor was my Great Grandmother...she got me on the crafting trail and I've been on it ever since...still can't knit or crochet worth a damn...

Ann Marie Hennesey Charest, Hartford, CT - My grandmother was a concert pianist in the 1920's. I never knew her in this lifetime, although I have always felt guided by her as I played musical instruments, especially the piano. I am also named for her. When I channel her, she tells me that she was always there guiding me and will continue to do so as long as I would like her too. She also spoke only French and sometimes her messages are not in English. I find this to be very cool and I am flattered that she has always been by my side.

Colleen Wilhelm: It is hard to narrow it down to one. I loved my maternal grandparents and they were the best influence on me growing up. My grandmother was like an angel to me. She loved me and believed in me when no one else did. She said I was her angel and I told her she was mine. I'm on the side of the light and I give her so much credit for showing me the way.

Jo Lynne Sprouse, Asheville, NC: My favorite ancestor is one I never met and really didn't hear a lot about until I started asking - She was my paternal great-great-grandmother. I have recently learned that she was a 'wise woman' in the hills of West Virginia and figure that it is she who has guided my spiritual path to where I am now. I am planning to do a special ceremony for her at Samhain and hope to contact her and connect with her.

Mary Miller, Columbus, Ohio: My favorite Ancestor. Sigh, I was just looking up everything I could for the last few days on my uncle. being so close to "day of the dead" for some, "Sawain" for others, for native Americans, this is the time of the ancestors and sending prayer bundles.

My favorite ancestor was my uncle/father who raised me, without a doubt. This man took a high road, when many in his family did not. He came from a very disadvantaged background (homeless from the age of 12 and parentless), scrabbled for years to raise himself above almost all odds, including jail, gang relations with the Pachucas in Oakland California in the 1940's, to being a well honored man in the Seattle area. He even has a hospital wing named for him at Group Health Seattle, for the inspiration he gave to folks who knew him. He was a humanitarian who believed that "something was a problem, if you made it a problem," and through his wisdom and love. I couldn't be who I am without him. He touched my soul.

Mon Lukas, Australia:

My favourite ancestor is a fore-mother who I never met, because she lived somewhere in the veils of time in central Europe. She resides in my cellular memory and influence and memory help make me what I am now, and quite foreign to the rest of my tribe.

She has given me:
The courage to speak out, despite a culture that would have it's women passive and obedient (Catholic, Slavic Poland)
Democratic and iconoclastic despite being born into privilege (the family supposedly had money, land and serfs)
Intuitive, psychic with a healing gift (I'd like to imagine that she had visited a gypsy camp, found love and introduced "the sight"into a line!)

Kathy -- the ancestors are truly constantly with us :)

For those of you interested in having an Ancestor (Mediumship) reading I do offer this service on my website at http://KathyCrabbe.com

You can read a sample of an Ancestor Reading here.

"The Visitors" by Guest Writer Cappy Sue

"The Visitors" by Cappy Sue

I am writing this account some twenty-five to twenty-six years after the event and I give you my word that everything I am about to tell you is the truth.

I was four years of age when I met the visitors for the first and only time. I had fallen asleep while lying down beside my mother during her afternoon nap. She often took long naps in the afternoon while I played on her king sized bed with my barbies and books. Some time later I woke to the sound of talking and thought my mother was awake, but realized that she was still sleeping next to me. I was worried that my father was home from work, and I shook her furiously because I was afraid they would fight. The main issue was that my mother had no interest in being a housewife and my father had no concept of how much was involved in maintaining the household.

While shoving against my mothers backside I heard the voices getting louder. My mother was a notoriously deep sleeper due to her partial deafness and managed to sleep right through the noise. I slowly turned toward the foot of the bed and saw three beings real as could be. All three were bald and rather androgynous looking. They wore long choir-like light, lavender gowns.They were speaking to each other in a language I could not understand. The one in the middle was writing something down and they all carried tools or instruments of some kind. I got the feeling they were doing research. They were neither pleasant or unpleasant to me. They also clearly recognized that I could see them and that I was awake, however they never interacted with me or made eye contact. It was a strange feeling, possibly how an animal might feel during its first day at a zoo.

After staring at them in awe for a good thirty seconds, I turned and buried my face in my mother while screaming and shaking her. Finally she awoke and wanted to know what was wrong and I pointed to the visitors, only to realize they had vanished I told her the whole story while pointing to the foot of the bed where they had first appeared.

My mother calmed me down and reassured me that the voices must have come from the T.V. and that I had probably dreamed the whole thing. When we got to the TV room she stopped dead in her tracks, because someone had turned it off. She got very serious and locked every door in the house, not letting me out of her sight for the rest of the day.

I do not know if the visitors were aliens, angels, or beings from the future. It is also possible that I dreamed the whole thing, but I do know that it opened my mind to many possibilities from that day forward.

My art work (pictured above) illustrates the event from a child’s point of view and the images of the beings are as accurate as I could make them.

More about Cappy Sue:
Well my real name is Cathy but I like to write under "Cappy Sue". I am thirty-one and married to a lovely man and I am a mama to a house full of furry babies. My dreams keep me up most nights and often become stories or paintings. I truly believe that we all make choices, but that some things are pre-destined, and that if we keep our ears open and listen, there is always a divine voice whispering and offering us help along the way.

You can find more of Cappy Sue's artwork and writing here:

www.cappysuecreations.blogspot.com
www.cappysue.etsy.com

To read more metaphysical articles by Guest Writers please go here.

Our Special Club - What To Do if Your Child Sees Dead People

Jamie sees ghosts...all the time. So when her oldest son started seeing them too, she knew it was time to face facts and admit what was happening, not just for her own peace of mind, but for her son's sake as well. This is her story.

"Our Special Club" - Jamie's Story

Something I have spent the majority of my life avoiding is ghosts. I have had interactions with them for as long as I can remember and if you ask my mom, even before I can remember. I have avoided them partially out of fear built up over the years, but originally I avoided them because of the stigma and the loneliness I experienced being that kind of “different”.

I’ve decided to stop avoiding them. I’m taking baby steps to embrace this ability and learn what I need to learn to still feel in control of my pragmatic life. Why now? What changed?

My son. My gifted oldest is my main "Why". I have 2 sons, but only one has exhibited signs that are all too familiar to me. It began in his infancy. He woke up many nights screaming and trembling and seeming genuinely frightened by something. He would also tell us how “shadows were pinching him” and how all the talking in his room was keeping him awake. We’ve also watched him play and interact with people we couldn’t see. He has been able to answer questions or complain about orders that haven’t been spoken out loud, but were being thought of at that exact moment. This particular skill has lessened over his five years, but we still have a kid with an extraordinary gift on our hands.

I want him to feel supported and accepted. I want him to know that someone understands what he’s dealing with, but first, I must allow myself to accept my own “gift”. How can I lead and support him unless I do?

In the beginning, my husband and I decided to listen to him and his experiences and make sure he felt heard and never tell him he was wrong or imagining things (because that's what caused my stress as a kid). I didn’t want to ask leading questions or make a big deal of it. I thought just listening would be enough.

I was wrong.

His anxiety continued to grow. What I didn’t take into consideration was the rest of the world’s reactions to his stories. As a parent, sometimes I forget that I am not the entire world to this baby (excuse me, five year old…) anymore. He was still terrified of the dark and being alone and he still seemed hesitant to share what he was experiencing.

The constant feedback he was receiving from the world in general (friends, grandma, television, etc.) was that ghosts aren’t real. Imagine how confusing this must have been for him! What I realized was that I was not helping by simply listening to him without judgment. He needed validation.

One day, I made a choice to have a conversation with him, an event that I thought would happen much later down the road, but I knew it couldn’t wait. It was sad and frustrating to watch him react in such an anxious way to his experiences and, it was bleeding over into all of his everyday experiences, not just the paranormal ones.

We sat down one afternoon and discussed the way he and I are “special”. I explained that I knew what he was seeing and hearing was real, but not everyone else agreed. As the words rolled off my tongue, I could see the anxiety being lifted. He and I had our own special club. For the first time in a while, I saw a child-like lightness in him. We talked about how some people just can’t see or hear what we do, so they don’t believe it’s real. And we talked about the people in our lives that DO believe us, and how maybe we should only talk to those people about our experiences. You may think that this was too much for a five year old to comprehend, but he clearly got it. The smile on his face showed me that.

He was so excited about our special club, that as soon as his daddy got home, he promptly told him that he and I had this club that daddy was not invited to be a part of because he was not special like us.

That simple conversation has changed things for us around here for the better. His general anxiety level with day to day things has lessened dramatically. Now, when he hears a “voice”, being the logical and analytical kid he is, he will check first to make sure it wasn’t another living person in the house. When he learns it wasn’t a friend or family member, he usually just shrugs and goes about his business. He now tells us these experiences in a very matter-of-fact way.

In the beginning it was my gifted son who was my "Why", but along the way I have collected several others and I continue to work with them in our special club on an ongoing basis.

You can participate in Jamie's Special Online Clubs at:

Her Website - ReluctantMedium.com

Her Facebook Page

Readings by Kathy Crabbe - Soul Reader: For those interested in a mediumship reading to connect with the dearly departed I do offer readings at http://KathyCrabbe.com