The Devil Card in the Tarot

I'm not going to lie - when I first started to read the tarot I was always a little cautious of the devil card, probably because of watching 'The Exorcist' at when I was 13 that terrified me beyond belief of 'the devil' never mind picking a card that represented that archetype. As the years have went on, the fear absolutely faded but the card hasn't always had the best reputation, especially with people who have come from a Christian background.


I think it's important to say I don't believe in a 'devil' as such, I do believe negative energy can exist. I do feel that we all have a shadow, a dark-side - an ego. We all have a side of us that can be a little bit thoughtless, cunning or dare I say downright nasty. I don't even dislike the ego - I'm glad I have one, it keeps me in check and If I didn't have it, I wouldn't have learned half of the lessons I've learned at this point. (Thank you ego!) So I believe at this point I'll say - I'm thankful there's a devil card in the tarot too. (Couldn't get more controversial for an Angel expert, right?)


Recently while reading 'Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot' by Lon Milo DuQuette (my new writing hero) I was intrigued by his thoughts on this particular card, he says he feels it's the most misunderstood card in the deck and I would have to agree. Here's a quote to think about from page 137.

"But if the Devil is supposed to be the card that represents evil, which card should we pick to represent good? All the other trumps have the potential of representing the qualities of both good and evil. Why do we need one card just for evil? Can't the Fool be thoughtless enough; the Magus larcenous enough, the High Priestess seductive enough, the Empress wicked enough..." He goes on to make a point to every trump in the deck...

What's your thoughts and experience? Can you see the Devil card as a positive sign? Have you had it come up when visiting a Tarot reader? Are you a Tarot reader? I'd love to know.

Personally I've always read this card as a positive card when my client is happily married as for me it symbolizes a bond that can never be broken. The card in this particular deck as you'll probably know is so phallic (you just need to look at it) so I've always seen the Devil card as a symbol of life force, a passionate lover, the libido, energy - you get the point


Other ways I see this card:

Being held back by your own fears and ego
Feeling chained or stuck in a situation (could be anything from relationships/work/debt)
Being overly materialistic
Sexuality, Sexual attention
The sign of Capricorn

I really seen how this card can have two sides while allowing a client to pick cards recently. She told me about a guy who she really fell in love for quickly but she had been let down off of him twice after 2 long haul flights to visit him. I said "Pick a card from my deck to represent him and we'll see what it says" the card she picked was The Devil reversed;

I personally seen this as someone who can't offer the unbreakable bond of love (at that particular time), that he could be like that Devil on her shoulder that she can't get out of her mind, someone that lured her in with his libido and lust but again, smirking back at her when he can't offer her the commitment she deserves at this time. I pointed out that he isn't a bad guy at all but he really doesn't want to commit himself at this time. She agreed to all of the above.

Would I have changed my mind if it was upright - probably! But the Universe has spoken and I ALWAYS read what the signs say.

Open your mind to the Tarot, it's rich in symbolism and if it scares you - life probably does too, it's time to break those fears friends. It's a wonderful tool.

In this blog I'm giving away a Strength, Heart & Challenge reading. Using the Tarot I will help you discover what your strength is at this time, what your heart is allowing in and the challenge you need to overcome to achieve any goals. Just type a comment why you feel it can help you and you'll be notified by September 21st 2013 (but remember the interaction MUST be about the blog too) x

ARE YOU SPIRITUAL PROFESSIONAL?

 Over the recent months I’ve had an influx of clients who are either spiritual professionals themselves or working towards becoming one. I am all for service and helping other people reach their full capacity as a professional so I thought it would be useful to share some of the ‘things’ I’ve learned along my journey. I have based this blog on my experience as a spiritual card reader but please apply it to your subject or expertise of choice.

When I was first bought Angel cards and got my hands on a tarot deck I never thought once that becoming a professional with these tools was even possible never mind what my life would become. There’s no doubt I was fascinated with the idea of giving readings, being able to foretell someone’s future and make connections with their Guardian Angel but it wasn’t what I wanted to do for an income.

LIFE LEAD THE WAY

As mentioned I didn’t want to do this for a living – but life lead the way. I was just interested in creating a spiritual connection. At the tender age of 16 my accuracy levels were tightening up and many people became aware of my name. Random people would call my home or see me at my local spiritualist church asking if I was available for private sessions. At first I wasn’t – I would practice on them sure but I never thought of charging money. In fact I remember saying “why would I charge someone for this, it’s a love I’m sharing with them!”

I really believe that when you SURRENDER into something, life will begin to lead the way. When I talk about life, I mean God, the Universe, Magick, Miracles – whatever you want to call it – this energy will guide you. So instead of saying “no” I just started saying “yes” and very quickly things took off. When I started doing readings I took a very small donation to pay for my cab home and to support me buying any spiritual tools or books that could help me along the way.  I done this for a good while, practicing my technique, delivery and giving very intuitively to people what I felt about there life. Most of the time, I was right, but every few – It wasn’t as clear as I’d hoped. Needless to say I was learning.

I just started to serve and before we knew it, the phone was ringing off of the hook.

NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED

I have to say working in the spiritual “world” is not for the faint hearted. It isn’t always fluffy, with rainbows and crystals everywhere. This is peoples spiritual growth, their life and even more so their challenges and pain and YOU have to be able to deal with them.

There’s no secret here – I had no fricken idea what I was signing up for or the emotional rollercoaster that was coming with it.

WHAT MAKES YOU QUALIFIED?

There are a lot of one-day courses out there – A LOT! And yes you can learn a wealth of knowledge on them but there’s no way they are setting you up to be a professional. In all of my years I have always believed that a certificate means absolutely nothing – it’s the reputation itself that tells the story.

Right now I can Google ‘Tarot Course’ or ‘Angel Course’ and find LOADS of options for as cheap as 100 bucks to become a ‘certified reader’ or ‘practitioner’ – but does that really qualify me to become a spiritual advisor, teacher or guide?

I delved into the deep end when I was just 16 but I did have a good years practice of reading cards for others under my belt. In fact everyone from teachers in school, my friends parents, family friends, my mothers colleagues all were offered readings and most of them accepted. I learned my craft so hard that it took the space of my schooling and studies (oops).

I really believe the real thing that will make you qualified to practice – is of course your knowledge and confidence in your subject. IF you have dedicated your time to learning everything you can about your subject, reading books on it, going to others for a similar service or practicing on yourself then you are going to be 100% more prepared than the person who got their certificate last weekend and doing readings on a stall this weekend.

Please don’t think I’m discrediting courses that help you become a certified reader or healer – it’s just I think doing them, then gaining a good year of experience (AT LEAST) will be more valuable than anything.

KNOW YOUR SUBJECT

Having a genuine passion for your subject will be seen, heard and felt. Your client and potential client will ask you a number of questions on the spot and you MUST be able to answer them.

For example you are a Reiki practitioner doing a session on someone and it appears to you that your client’s heart chakra is unbalanced. You tell them this and they will instantly hear ‘unbalanced’ and could begin to panic. You are going to have to reassure them that it’s ok and really what an imbalance here means and how you are going to balance it. There’s no point using spiritual jargon if you don’t have a clue what it means.

If you honestly don’t know the answer to their question – that’s fine but tell them the truth. If possible ask someone who knows more or is more experienced and get back to them. They will respect your honesty.

KNOW YOUR PRICES & TIME SCALE

When it comes to developing a practice or client base it’s great to know exactly how long your service takes, how much you are going to charge and how you are going to bring your session to an end.

When I first started to do readings – they lasted around 25-30mins. This was enough time for me to go through how this person was feeling, where they were going and what their cards meant. As time and experience has progressed my sessions now last 1 hour.

At the start of my session I explain what’s going to happen in the reading. I tell the client that I’ll give them everything I can and nearer the end of the reading there will be an opportunity for them to ask some questions, before wrapping up the session with a look over the next 6 months. This is a great way to bring the session to an end. I’ll often say something like “Do you have any questions now we’re reaching the end of the session?” and most of the time they do! I usually ask this 45mins after the session began just to ensure I didn’t miss anything important that I don’t have enough time to speak about. Once you’ve answered the questions, your client knows you’re wrapping things up.

When I started doing readings for money I felt really weird about it. I didn’t know if what I was doing deserved money but at the same time the demands for the services I was good at were in demand. If someone came for a reading and they didn’t come out with my set fee at the end of the session – I wasn’t asking for it. What good is that?

I had to think about this more. I began to realise that I was offering a service and people wanted that service. Like everyone else (and especially now) I have bills to pay and if people are happy to book for my services at the price described then why shouldn’t I take the money.

I really learned to overcome my fear about asking for the payment after reading a book that has become like TREASURE to me. It’s called: ‘Professional Tarot: The business of reading, consulting and teaching’ by Christine Jette. In this book Christine had a section called ‘Are you funny about money?’ and my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I seen it. I was. I just really constructed away around this and have since overcome that fear.

On home visits – on arrival I’d say to the host “If your group can make an order of who’s going first, second, third and fourth that would be great. If you can gather all of the payment I’ll be happy to collect that at the end before my departure.” This gave the host the opportunity to get everyone’s money gathered and when I was ready to leave I would take it and go.

At first I used to count the money but a colleague tarot reader said to me once: “You just take and you trust it’s all there!” I absolutely got her point but after doing this – with no surprise I have been short changed in the past. So what I began to do would say something like “£25 each makes that £100, right?” and most of the time they’d say “Yes that’s right but just check it to make sure!” and that would take away any sense of awkwardness.

Now in my business my fees are a lot larger than they used to but the principle is the same. One thing I do at the end of a session is say “have you paid a deposit?” and it instantly reminds my client I’m looking for a payment. Loads of people go “OH MY GOD! I forgot I need to pay!” I think they just get too excited, especially if they got a really accurate service which of course is my aim.

If you have any qualms about money, get rid of them, especially if you’re in business or about to begin!

HAVE INTEGRITY

As my mum would say “Honesty is the best policy” and I have to agree. Living a spiritual life and being of service means we have to ensure our integrity is in check. One of the most important things for me as a spiritual businessman is being honest with my clients. That means if I can’t help them – I’m going to tell them. If I can’t get what they’re looking for – I’ll tell them and even more importantly I’ll give them a refund.

15minutes into every session I always say to my client “Do you feel like most of the information has been accurate?” if they say yes, I know it’s safe to continue.

There has been many times I’ve just refunded people because I don’t feel I’m getting enough or they don’t feel I’m getting what they’re looking for. Many times I’ve said things that people don’t want to hear but they know it’s the truth – in these situations if it feels right, I will continue with their permission. It’s situations like this I’ve always trusted my intuition and used my discretion to determine what’s next.

DON’T BE THE UNHEALED HEALER

One important thing about working in the spiritual field is not to be the unhealed healer! There’s a lot of them out there. I honestly feel that if we tell someone to do something but we’re not practicing that ourselves we’re being phoney to ourselves and of course our spiritual growth.

This is one thing that I’m always aware of. I’m not going to tell someone an affirmation or to use them If I don’t use them myself. Why should I tell someone to meditate daily to gain deeper awareness if I’m not doing it myself? These are all important factors to be aware of.

Reiki is one of my other loves. It’s a fabulous healing system and I’ve recently just received my Reiki master teacher level after 9 years of practice with it. One thing about Reiki though is anyone can learn and teach it but there’s only so many people that are really staying true to the practice. For example: Reiki’s level 1 is all about self-healing but most people want to learn Reiki 2 so they can be a practitioner, completely missing the point of self-healing and becoming the unhealed healer!! What’s the point???

I have without a doubt worked myself into burnout a few times and I have to tell you that it’s NOT FUN! Both your spiritual energy and physical energy suffer and it really takes sometime to regain your full strength.

PRESERVE YOUR ENERGY

Preserving yourself is the best way forward. I’m not the most organised person but my mother is and she now works on my behalf organising my diary, emails and clients. It means I can turn up and do what I’m good at!

I work 5 days a week (sometimes less) and ensure I have 2 days off in a row. This gives me time to rest. I’ve realised that 4 clients per day is enough for me but will sometimes do 5 – no more than this. Even though 4 hours work might not seem bad for many, there’s a lot that goes on and it can be draining.

Having a personal practice or technique to align yourself is a great idea. My morning includes some yoga and affirmations with short meditation so that I can get in the right frame of mind.

Sleep is essential. I have found I always have better sessions when I’m fully recharged. I make a point of turning off my TV and LAPTOP 1 hour before bed and reading before sleep. It really helps me relax and allows my mind to unwind. Do what’s right for you!!!

Don’t allow people to become VAMPIRES! Yes it bloody happens (excuse the pun) and the next section is dedicated to that. You have to be assertive. If people become attached to your work, you have to encourage them to rely on themselves.

When a session is completed, it is completed. I make the opportunities to ask questions during it. If anything else comes up, they can email me but their life is in their hands – it’s impossible to remember every session, especially if things get busy.

Remember to have a personal life!!! Work to live, don’t live to work!

TIPS FOR PRIVACY

·      Have a separate phone number for your work

I recently had to change my personal phone number as some people managed to get a hold of it and took the liberty of texting me about psychic matters. I love being of service but I also have my own life that I must enjoy!

·      Don’t allow clients to add your personal Facebook!

Again I had to change my Facebook as people would often mail me regarding my work or a session they had.

·      Say no when out in public!

I’m all for having a chat for people when they come up to me in the supermarket or in a bar. I’ll be happy to say hello but as soon as they ask me to do something of my services I just simply say “I’m sorry I’m on a night out or I’m not currently able to with these conditions – but if you contact my office we’ll be happy to schedule a session!”

Other great tips to remain strong, professional and fulfilled:

·      Remember you are of service

·      Love what you do

·      Learn from every experience

·      Read books on your subject

·      Ask for feedback from your sessions

·      Stay affordable but know your worth

·      Be happy and share your happiness

I absolutely LOVE what I do and I really love to help others. I have shared this honest account and experiences in the hope it will help others towards creating a really strong, stable and healing practice. I have nothing to hide and hope that this will help others.

As a giveaway of this post I’ll be giving one blog reader a Tarot Life Path reading to help them on their spiritual quest and development. All you have to do to gain the chance of winning is leave a comment below – saying how you think it would help you. The winner will be notified by 31^st August 2013

ILA - Beyond Organic Products

http://ila-spa.com

Those of you who are on a spiritual pathway know how important it is to use products that are ethical, organic and that are going to compliment your positive mindset. I have always just used products that are on the high street until now. Only a few months ago while visiting the Blythswood Spa in Glasgow I became aware of this new organic and luxurious brand - ila.

ila products are absolutely phenomenal. Energy conscious products that are beyond organic. The are handblended in the Cotswolds, Oxfordshire. Their products are not tested on aminals, they contain no petrochemicals but only natures preservatives.

Their products contain only the finest ingredients including Himalayan Salt Crystals, Damascena Rose Otto and Argan oil.

Not only is this brand turning heads in the world of well-being, but high fashion magazines are also becoming aware of them too!

The founder Denice Leicester has spent a lifetime exploring the dynamics of natural healing. Her skills cover everything from being a qualified nurse, yoga teacher, healer and aromatherapist. The journey of discovery has allowed her to go from England to India.

 (Founder Denise Leicester)

Here's a quote from their website:

"In 2005, following two decades investigating the subtlety of being in the medical, holistic and spiritual worlds, Denise developed a unique concept of well-being that addressed the inner essence through the skin: an absolutely pure product range created in complete harmony with nature and delivered with conscious, healing intent. She named the brand after the Hindu Goddess of Truth and the Sanskrit word for Earth: ila."


ila products not only smell good, but they feel good too. Applying them to your body make your skin radiate, allow your spiritual energy centres to 'bling'.

Here's my top 5 ila products and my comments on them:

1.  Face Oil for Glowing Radiance.

This little bottle of magic lights up your skin. It's like an angel has poured love from her heart into a bottle. Even though Rose is known for it's more feminine connection, I love it. My face after using this lights up, my cheeks have colour and my facial hair is conditioned. This face oil isn't greasy in the slightest, it does exactly what it says on the bottle.

For the girls, it's the ultimate handbag accessory, your skin will have never looked so good!

You can get yours HERE!


2.  Day Cream for Glowing Radiance

Going hand in hand with the face oil this day cream leaves your skin feeling soothed and loved. After wearing this Day cream, my skin is hydrated the WHOLE DAY. I've never been able to find a cream that allows my face to feel soft and loved, especially with these winter nights coming in.

I have to say when applying the cream it isn't too thick or greasy, my skin soaked up the goodness as if it was receiving all it's daily vitamins in one go. DIVINE!

Get yours HERE

3. Body Scrub for Energising and Detoxifying

The scrub that makes my chakras bling!!! This is the ULTIMATE body scrub that makes you not only smell absolutely divine, you feel it too. When I do my work, especially lectures and demonstrations I really like to make sure my physical body is scrubbed of any toxins and old energy. I scrub myself on the points where my chakra points are, this ensures they are cleansed and energised. This scrub is like hidden treasure, I use it like it's going out of style!

Get yours HERE

4. Body Oil for Vital Energy

The same scent and ingredients from the body scrub this vital energy oil contains wild-crafted juniper berry, rose geranium and organic rosehip seed oil. I use this oil all over and have noticed it really hydrates my skin. My tattoos have never looked so good!!!

Recently in a club someone mentioned to me that as I walked by them and this 'fresh and zingy' smell trailed behind me that was 'gorgeous'... IT WAS THIS OIL! I've had it since June and it's not even halfway through the bottle, a little goes a long way!

Get yours HERE

5. Energy Spray for an Aura of Confidence

Take this spray EVERYWHERE! Ensuring your personal space and energy field is surrounded with positivity is so important. I carry this little bottle in my bag, especially if I'm on the move, traveling or doing a lot of meetings. I recently was at a Spiritual Seminar that was really intense with loads of weird and wonderful energies, I needed to cleanse myself as I left. This spray helped pick me back up again. Wonderful, fresh but not too in your face. Great if you're going on a long journey!

Get yours HERE

I LOVE ila!!!!

THANK YOU DROP DEAD CLOTHING!

I'm so blessed to be sponsored by Drop Dead clothing. I remember in my teens being a huge fan of this brand and saving up to buy t-shirts from them. Fast forward a few years and I have a page on their website, call them 'family' and they send me amazing things to wear! They even sponsored the photo on the front cover of my book, sent me my outfit for my This Morning appearance and kitted me out for a photo shoot in Las Vegas.

During my recent trip to London, Julia from Drop Dead HQ organised for me to go in and pick up a few things to wear, here's what I chose:

SIMBA

HAVE YOU SEEN MY KITTY?

CATSBERRY RIPPLE

MOMMY'S VERY ANGRY

EVIL WATCH

FASHION FINDS IN LONDON!

I'm just back from a trip to London with my friends. We rented the most lush apartment in Holland Park from this amazing website I found called One Fine Stay . The Website allows you to rent people's living spaces at a good rate, in sought after areas so you can come and go at your pleasure.
 

Elsham Road Apartment

We were going to London for Nottinghill Carnival but also made time for some shopping too! I absolutely love buying nice things and it was my summer holiday so I was going all out.

Here's some of the things I picked up:

Wolf Scarf by Alexander McQueen

Skull Print Shirt by Lazy Oaf

Long Sleeve Top by Vivienne Westwood

 

Coco Noir by Chanel 

 

Crystal Skulls - Introduction

 

I first discovered Crystal Skulls around 2 years ago when I bought the book 'The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls' from a second hand book collection a family friend were selling. There was piles of different books but when I discovered it was only 50pence I couldn't help but take it.

Half way into the book, I was sold. Although the story is part fantasy there is some 'real' life stories it's based around. I had to get my own skull to get a feel for their energy. I found my first crystal skull 'Charles' or 'Charlie' on eBay (see picture above) who was carved in China from smoky quartz.

Charlie the Smoky Quartz skull joined me for a few weeks while I conducted readings and I enjoyed having him around. Not long later my second skull joined us. Mikey, a flourite carving much smaller than Charlie came to us. He was carved in China and I bought him from my friend Liam's online store Esoteric Earth and we made this instant connection.

After working with them both for a few weeks my connection with them distanced and they took a nice spot on my bookshelf which sits in front of my bed. I even picked up the crystal skull message cards, wrote an article on them for the Scottish Sun and checked out the Indiana Jones film on them. I enjoyed having the skulls there but wasn't really 100% sure why I had them.

Friends and light workers have been speaking about the mysteries of the crystal skulls. There's legends that there are 13 Ancient Skulls all over our planet that are here to teach us special knowledge that can bring about miraculous changes to our beautiful Earth.

Although there has been some speculation around the legend, the age of these 'ancient' creations such as the Mitchel-Hedges skull (see below) the skulls have an ancient feel about them. Crystals & Gemstones are thousands of years old and have seen more on this planet than us, so I don't doubt for a minute they have amazing information from mother earth stored in them.

For me a crystal skull is a physical representation of the divine intelligence offered to us from this amazing planet and heaven. If you think of any skull it contains the brain which is the computer of the body, when you connect to a skull created by crystal it's brain is our amazing universe.

When we connect with the energies of the crystal skulls we may 'download' amazing information about the planet but also ourselves which is an absolute must.

I have met some folk recently who have been unsure of the skulls but I wanted to take this opportunity to say - you have a skull too. They to many people represent death but REMEMBER in spirituality there is NO death, only a transition to the next life which is a very natural process.

Let the skulls be a reminder for you not to fear death, that you one day will return home and connect with all those who have gone before you, the angels and the GOD energy itself.

In the following posts you will see information received during dreams and meditations with the amazing crystal skull family that I keep which has grown to at this time 12 skulls! I feel the 13th is coming very soon, maybe I'll find them at Mind Body Spirit festival in London this weekend...

Wishing you all warm wishes,

Kyle xo

Gratitude Ceremony in a hot tub!

 
(Sean, Ryan, Me, Lauren, Ross, Scott & Teri in the Hot tub)

I'm just back from spending the weekend away with friends at a lodge in Aberdeenshire. We had an absolutely amazing time up there. It was just great to unwind with no mobile phone signal, some drinks, a hot tub and of course great company.

On the Saturday evening we spent most of our time in the hot tub. We were absolutely blessed with a clear night and we could see the moon shining and stars twinkling down upon us. After singing some anthems that reminded us of school and being teenagers I came up with the idea of having a gratitude ceremony.

We went in a clockwise direction to think about 5 things we were most thankful for in our lives. It was absolutely amazing and so uplifting. We all felt so good and couldn't stop speaking about it all weekend.

(Me at the Nine Stanes, Near Banchory in Aberdeenshire)

On Sunday a few of us visited the 'Nine Stanes' standing stone remains near Banchory. I so loved it, I took my angel cards and my favourite lemurian crystal with me asking the angels and ancestor spirits of the place to bless them.

All of my friends who came openly spoke about how great they felt, it was if all the weights, cares and worries of there life were lifted like magic. The true beauty of nature!