“So the ultimate goal, really,” the instructor said, brushing back a curly red lock that had broken loose from her bun, “is to start seeing the whole world this way: a universe filled with divinely placed signs and symbols to help guide you.”
I shuffled a large, colorful deck of cards for the tenth time, glancing around the room at the handful of other students. There was the older woman who introduced herself as a teacher’s assistant, a gray-haired man with turquoise beads around his neck, and someone about my age, in her mid-to-late 30’s.
We sat in the brightly colored yoga studio barefooted, having all been instructed to remove our shoes and wash our hands as soon as we had arrived.
“When you first get your cards,” the instructor continued, “you’ll need to cleanse them. For today, you can wave them over one of these candles, but make sure to pause on each one.”
She then explained how to develop our own interpretations of the “oracle cards” in our hands – oversized decks depicting vivid images and words.
“They come in all kinds of themed decks,” she went on, adjusting her blue-framed glasses, “and you can mix them however you’re called to.”
We spent the next two hours learning about the importance of color, challenging our initial associations between words and images, and tapping into our “inner knowing.”
Fast forward a week later, and I found myself registering for this:
Yup. That’s right. Part two. I went back for more.
Before the end of the second class, I was accurately predicting which cards I’d turn over – from a deck I’d never seen before!
So what was I doing there? Did someone drug me? Threaten to steal my dog? Promise free tickets to see Darren Criss and Lea Michele?
Last summer, I started tugging on a thread that quickly unraveled, revealing a treasure trove of paths to explore. By “following my allurements,” as a favorite teacher of mine likes to say, my love of learning and reading returned with a bang, hidden in a pile of metaphysical books and podcasts.
This led to a daily meditation practice, which led to more reading, which led to the aforementioned class and which will soon lead to a “Find Your Spirit Guide” weekend retreat at Omega Institute and a Quantum Hypnosis Healing Therapy session in August.
Along with sharing all of my embarrassing snafus and guilty pleasures, I’m letting this smelly cat out of the bag.
Astrology? Reiki? Past lives? Numerology? Near death experiences? Crystals? Sound healing? Chakra balancing? Spirit animals? Astral projection? Telepathy?
BRING IT ON.
The more I’ve explored, the more I want to know. The humorist in me loves that this is all just another way of following the classic improv mantra, “Yes, and.” The humane educator in me loves that this is just another way to acknowledge we’re all connected. The chipmunk in me loves that this is just another way to guarantee I’ll find some nuts. The project manager in me loves that this isn’t woo-woo at all; as Carl Sagan put it, “science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality.”
I’m finally finding words to articulate the strange things I’ve always experienced. And, the funny thing is, the more I’ve started opening up about this, the more I’ve found like-minded chipmunks everywhere. I mean seriously. Ya’ll were holding out.
Anyhoo. I’ll make sure to send postcards from down the rabbit hole.
~*~*~*~*~*~
All right, ‘fess up. Who’s with me?!?!
~*~*~*~*~*~
Go Jules Go 
Jules ,it’s true about opening up your mind, as you start sharing we have proper words to express our emotions and discover people also go through same feelings and emotions. We are not alone 🙂
Rita, if I could frame this comment, I would! You said it so beautifully!
Jules, we always find others things and situation better than us, I liked yours… Why?
Jules, I love you, but now I am slightly afraid that you have lost your chipmunk marbles (as in, nuts). I’d rather eat a donut than believing in this voodoo stuff, and that means A LOT.
Can you use a tarot card (one last time) and go find those marbles again? 😊
Maike – stay tuned – breakout sessions on How to Find Your Inner Chipmunk and Tarot Cards 4 Non-Believers coming April 2019!
I found that there are a few situations where “yes, and…” improv routine doesn’t work: for example, when your manager is trying to assign you as much work as you let him.
Yes, and…
oooh! I love weird! Weird is wonderful! (Note: I might be slightly drunk while typing this comment…)
But seriously. Why not? Why not believe in these things? Lots of people believe God is a man with a beard that sits in a throne in the sky and judges us for past sins. Not weird AT ALL.
okay…maybe he doesn’t have a beard but more of a soul patch….
BTW…I have “angel” cards. Two decks. Boom.
Soul patch. I just spit my coffee. This was not in the cards.
I had most of my life the new age movement being deceived – you name it I either did it or had knowledge of it. God through his son Jesus lead me out of it all. When you have deep faith there is no need for oracles, demonic “healing” etc. I lost my psychic powers over night when I surrendered fully to God and was spiritually attacked by evil entities for swapping teams so to speak! I cannot describe the joy I feel inside now. My story is pinned on http://www.travellingveganchristian.wordpress.com which I trust may interest someone.
Hi Lana! Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your story – your sense of joy is palpable!
I just feel lead to share truth and hopefully inspire ppl to research for themselves what they are getting into (look into Helena Blavatsky who brought new age tools to the west). I know the new age is shiny and exciting to draw folk in but God wants to be our only source of comfort. Take care 💗
I’m with you, girl! I got a deck of Osho Zen Tarot cards as a teenager and have been hooked ever since. This was before the internet. Thanks to Netflix (Wild Wild Country), I actually know who Osho is and I’m grateful that I didn’t have to dance naked or go to prison to use the cards. My Christian husband kinda looks at me sideways when I talk about something inspiring I heard on Hay House Radio, but I’m just like, “It’s all good, my dude!”
Try reading E-Squared by Pam Grout or she has a blog here on WordPress. Great spirituality and bring in some quantum physics (don’t read a problem in there, you are not expected to know and learn quantum physics – it just works).
Scott
Ooh, I definitely will! I’ve actually watched some YouTube videos on quantum physics and my brain exploded (but in a good way)!
P.S. – I finished E-Squared and am now onto E-Cubed! Thank you so much for the recommendation, Scott – the experiments are blowing my mind!
It is all so fabulous!