Perfection -- nah!

What is perfection?  Everyone has their own answer to that question.  What makes something perfect?  How knit-picky, analytical or critical do we have to be before we say -- enough!  How much input from others, you know a critique that occasionally borders on an insult, should we take to heart?  How many people, who we value as authorities, have been honest with us throughout our lives? 

Twenty/twenty hindsight is our best teacher.  I bet if you look back at your life you will see at least one incident of having been knocked down and kicked (not necessarily physically) by someone you loved or respected.  I would also bet that you may have thought or believed that you deserved it, and then possibly beat yourself up over it.  On the other hand, it may be quite possible that you may have had the awareness to say, "What the ...?"  Age has a wonderful way of showing us the wisdom we have gained through living, and if we are willing, provides us with more opportunity to say, this is as good as it gets.  I'm fine with what I've done.

So, what is my point here?  It's all about self esteem/self worth. 

Many of us go through life beating ourselves up trying to please others, do our jobs, create art in some form, or anything whatever, only to have someone trash us.  The problem is, we often accept other people's opinions of what is good or perfect.  Perfection is as subjective as art.  Everyone has an opinion.  Some we agree with and others we do not.

Everything we do depends upon the standards we set for ourselves or those we abide by, depending on the situation.  What is important is we should be happy with whatever we have done whether or not someone else is happy with it.  OK, so we are graded, judged, appreciated, reprimanded, etc.  That is a fact of life.  We should do our best at any given moment.  If we are having an off day, we can blame it on an astrological aspect or some cycle.  Even better, we should just take responsibility for what we did or didn't do as well as we normally would.  Life's like that.

The most important thing to remember is we have the ability to see what we went through, whether the person who committed the act of trashing us ever realized they were doing so at the time.  Jealousy does exist, but why should we live our lives worrying about the negative stuff.  "Don't sweat the small stuff."

Not every day is perfect.  Not everyone behaves perfectly.  Isn't that terrific?  I think so.  Perfection to me is having things come together and being able to make people ... and myself happy.  If it works, this is excellent, nah, it's Perfect.   

Happy Birthday Dad

Today would have been my father's 96th birthday. I had an emotional moment yesterday...and today. One of loss and remembrance. Rather than wait until Father's Day, or the anniversary of his crossing -- June 26th, I want to celebrate his life on the day of his birth.

Because of his love, wisdom, philosophical nature, willingness to roll up his sleeves to help someone in need, and genuine desire to be a "Mensch," I took his words to heart. He was my first spiritual teacher. In his mind, pursuing my passion, at that time, acting, was unacceptable to him because he didn't want to see my heart broken. However, developing my intuitive and mediumistic skills, participating in his meditation circle, and playing with Tarot cards was very much encouraged.

I once said, "If I had one-quarter of his psychic gifts I would be extremely blessed." Now that I am the age he was when he encouraged me to pursue this path, I realize I have surpassed my teacher in many ways. He enjoyed being the armchair psychic for a small group of individuals. An armchair was was not enough for me. I had to be the performer, even if it was not on the stage. I ventured out into the world with a mission to change the image of psychics, something I don't think he would have ever done. I will continue to entertain, enlighten, and empower as many people as I can using my gifts until the day I can no longer function. I know he is proud of me, even though he is not physically here to tell me that. There are times I "feel" him around...and that, is the best feeling of all!

My present to him, posthumously, is remembering how much he has influenced my life. So, Dad, the acting training helped me be a better entertainer, speaker, and teacher. I'm pretty fearless in the spotlight and grateful for having followed in your footsteps -- sort of.

A few years ago, I found a typed snippet among his clippings. I put it on my refrigerator. It says, "When money is lost -- nothing is lost. When health is lost -- something is lost. When character is lost -- all is lost." I think I would like to replace the word character with the word integrity. My father was a character who read people's character...and so do I. He was a man of high integrity and I am grateful to have learned from the best!!

Relationships - Finding Lost School Friends

There are times when we reminisce and look back at our past relationships. I do not mean love relationships here, I mean old friendships from Grade School, High School, and/or college. Can you count at least one friendship from each school you attended that has followed you throughout your life? Can you count more than one? Can you kick yourself for losing touch with people you cared about due to procrastination, family interference, educational, career, or life choices? If you can freely admit that you miss some people, or want to know they are OK, please read on.

I met many people throughout my life who do not like to attend their high school reunions because they do not have good memories of those years. I must be the eternal optimist. I have always gone out of my way to be a friend to anyone who needed one -- even if they tossed me aside after their crises had passed. It was at a reunion that I really learned my worth as a human being and how many lives I impacted in a positive way, even if I was not the most positive at the time.

I have always been fond of reunions because it allowed me to reconnect and catch up with a few people -- if only for one night. I also reconnected with a few friends that were very dear to me, but due to life choices we had made, we lost touch over the years. Also, I made friends with people I never had a chance to get to know when I was in school. I really find that I am truly blessed in the number of people whose lives I have the privilege of touching in a positive way.

Take the time to search for someone you lost touch with who meant something to you at some point in your life. Whether you just need to reconnect one time or bring this relationship forward, use the Internet to Google them. Maybe they are Linked-In, on Facebook, or listed on Classmates.com.

I reached out to someone today that I haven't seen in over fifteen years. I hope she reaches back and we have time to catch up. Will our lives be better for the contact? I do not know. I just want to tell her, "Hey, I think of you from time to time and I hope you are happy!"

My message to you is simple ... take time to reach out to someone today ... in a positive way!

Relationships - Asking for Help

Just a quick post today. Are you someone who forgets to ask a friend for help when you need it? Are you the person who would give your shirt off your back to someone who needs it? Did it ever occur to you that one day someone might give you theirs? Are you ashamed to ask someone for help? If you are, more than likely fear keeps you silent.

If you are are a giver, have you learned to receive yet? If not, today may be the beginning of is a special day...as is everyday. Today should be the day you decide or affirm that you will ask for help when you need it. If the person you ask is unable to help in the way that you feel you need it, did they reach back in some way? If the answer is yes, you found a true friend.

When you hear the words "God never gives you more than you can handle," do you wholeheartedly believe it? You need to. Living is about having faith and knowing that if you have extended a hand in the past, someone may extend one to you. While it may not be in the way you expected, it will be in the way you need.

When you need help, do not be ashamed to share your journey with someone or ask for assistance. We are all here to help one another. While we may not always be in the most positive mental or emotional space all the time, do know that those thoughts and feelings are what binds us together in friendship.

Reach out to someone you love, or consider a friend who needs your help, and make their day brighter. If you are not having the best day, reach out to someone so they may help make your day brighter.

Life is to be lived and shared. As my late father used to say, "We are all on borrowed time. Make the most of the time the Creator has given you.

Relationships - Blessings from God/Goddess/Creator

Today, I would like to focus on the blessings we receive from God/Goddess/Creator. We are in the middle of a Mercury retrograde that provides us with one humongous, sneaky wallop. Some retrogrades are mild, some are overtly destructive, and others are...well they are all unique. This is a time when communications get snarled, relationship end, jobs end, relationships start, jobs start, computers act up (and I've had them crash and a few have literally burned), and all sorts of communication snafus may arise.

The day before Mercury went retrograde, I felt on top of the world, that I could do anything and the energy was light and perfect. The next day, I was knocked literally on my bottom. Thus, the flow of energy. So, as the avid surfers in SoCal are looking for that perfect wave, I am just riding the wave of energy moment by moment, day by day.

This past weekend, I was in San Francisco having a wonderful time at SFBATS. I enjoyed the company of my peers living in the wonderful world of Tarot. We explored many different concepts, uses, and the history of Tarot, etc. I felt like I was back in the loving, caring arms of old and new friends. When I looked over my notes from a few of the workshops I attended, I discovered that there were gaping holes in my notes and most of what I wrote down did not make sense. Retrograde? You betcha.

Mercury retrogrades are noted as optimal times to clean up old business and take things low and slow. They should be welcomed because they have a purpose -- to bring us back to ourselves and our humanity. Some of us find it a little difficult to stay focused during these weeks. It can be hard to not let our past come and bite us where we sit. Staying positive and optimistic is not always easy when we look down that dark tunnel with a speck of light at the other end, but we manage.

Today was a special day for me. While taking care of some personal business of mine, I became a bit emotional and shared my thoughts and feelings with the wonderful person on the other end of the telephone. I had spoken to her in the past and I know she deals with a lot of people, so I didn't expect her to remember me personally. I'm just a name and an account number. I thanked her after she put in a request to expedite my application. I don't remember what I said next, but she told me, "You always make me laugh and it brightens my day." I asked her, "You remember me?" She said she remembered my name because the last few times we spoke no matter what my day was like and my concerns, I always made her day. I do that a lot and I don't realize the impact I make on people. I like to make people feel better -- lift their burden. My father wanted me to be a mensch. I guess he got what he wanted, posthumously.

When you open your heart and share your spirit with others, you can make a difference in the world. By performing acts of kindness and support, when someone needs it, you will find that when you are in need, someone will give back to you.

Use this Retrograde energy to remove any people from your life that are toxic so that God/Goddess/Creator can replace that negativity with love, understanding and joy. Sometimes we need reminding that as difficult as life can be at times, a little light shines through and someone gives back to you.

Tell someone you appreciate them today ... and every day.

Relationship Insights Series

What is the number one topic that people ask a psychic or professional Tarot reader? The obvious answer is love and relationships. Over a period of weeks, I will blog about various relationship issues that people encounter. Feel free to comment or email me with specific relationship-oriented questions, and I will provide information for you to think about in my intuitive, practical, no-nonsense manner in a future blog. Feel free to agree or disagree with me and offer your comments and insights, too. Those of you who know my work as an intuitive know that I can cut through the bull, present any situation for what it is, and provide more than one way to look at any situation so that you can choose the course of action that will best suit your life and personality.

Here's an example of what to expect in upcoming blog entries:

When I read Tarot cards at an event last year, a young woman asked me, "Can you tell me how my relationship is going to end?" I answered, "Did you want your relationship to end?" She stopped her dead in tracks. The stunned look on her face then turned to awareness.

How often do we let our emotions, fears, insecurities and doubts rule our lives? Probably far too often. I am certain you have heard people tell us that the energy we expend comes back to us--the positive and negative. While the manifestation process is not very complicated, what we often put into it is mixed energy. So, why are we surprised when the universe grants our wishes and we end up with things we don't want mingled with things we do want? We shouldn't be. We need to remember that everything comes about in its own time, and in the form that will best assist us in our personal growth.

Using the young lady mentioned above as an example, her fear that her relationship would end took precedence over what she really wanted to know. I felt that she wanted to know the following two things:

1) Am I going to live happily ever after?
and
2) Is my relationship is going to end?

I asked her, "Did you want me to tell you how to make your relationship flourish and what areas you need to work on to improve it? She said, "Yes." I proceeded to do just that, and I reminded her that her partner also needs to work on the relationship.

Her desire to live happily ever after and her fear that she might lose him created the compound question. Compound questions do not generate clean readings with Tarot or any other form of divination. Short, sweet and to the point generally works best for prayers, manifestation and when consulting a professional intuitive.

Stay tuned for the next installment in my Relationship Insight Series. Perhaps I will use one of your questions.