THE WITCH'S CORNER

The moon bathes you in the silver light of intuition and mystery.  It is, as is all esoteric knowledge, ageless, full of wisdom that is not touched by time as man measures it.  The darkness of the night, that peaceful black pool in which the moon swims, allows you to see that which would be hidden in the brilliance of the sun.

© Amythyst Raine 2007

Divination...

Divination is the art or practise of foretelling the future using different methods that the divinor may decide. The Art of Divination has been practised by all countries, cultures and religions around the world for thousands of years. 



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Crystal Ball Scrying...

Crystal Balls can be used as oracles of divination by those who are clairvoyant. They come in many sizes, shapes, colors, types of crystal, with varying inclusions that sometimes allow a psychic to see things within the images created by the crystal itself, or more to the point, use of a clear quartz crystal ball with few inclusions or imperfections, and watching holographic images appear within. "Within what?" you ask. Within the psychic's mind as guided by spirit or the client's soul imprint.

Psychics are generally attracted to the crystal ball they will use, based on the frequency of the crystal. As with any crystal, the larger the crystal ball, the stronger the energies and viewing area. Gazing into a clear crystal ball opens the third eye and allows the psychic to see images.







 
 

Pendulum Scrying...

Pendulum scrying is a centuries-old divination technique, there are definite references back to the ancient Egyptians and the Romans. Given the simplicity of the method and lack of sophisticated equipment required it is likely that pendulum scrying was in use long before the beginning of recorded history.

A pendulum is essentially just a weight on a string. Almost anything can be used as a weight, it depends on your personality and psyche. You might like to use a familiar, personal object or perhaps buy a special pendulum weight.

Many people believe that a crystal pendulum is best as this can in some way focus psychic energy. Others prefer a scrying ring, either plain metal (gold is popular) or of intricate design. Still others prefer an article of personal significance, either to the psychic or the question in hand. The string can either be just a simple string, a silken thread or even a lightweight chain.











Reading Tarot Cards...

Because the Tarot is such a powerful and flexible magical (or "magickal") tool, it deserves special attention. Reading tarot cards is both an art and a science. Reading tarot cards is a science because magick is a science...At the same time, reading tarot cards is an art form that both requires and enhances the development of intuitive and psychic abilities.

The first thing most people want to find out is the meaning for tarot cards. Because there are so many decks out there, and so many different spreads (or ways to throw and interpret the cards), assigning a specific meaning for tarot cards, across all decks and spreads, is quite impossible. However, it is possible to develop a strong working relationship with specific decks of cards so that the meaning for tarot cards in your specific deck or decks becomes very clear. The more you work with a specific deck, the greater your connection with that deck will be. And the more accurate your readings will be. In addition, the more you practice the more you will be able to intuit the meaning for tarot cards, regardless of the deck or spread.







 



Tea Leaf Reading...

Tea leaf reading is an ancient practice interpreting patterns made by tea leaves in the cup. In addition to the reading of tea leaves, the tradition of tasseography includes the reading of coffee grounds and wine sediments.

Although tasseography is commonly associated with Gypsy fortunetellers, the tradition of tea leaf reading arises independently from Asia, the Middle East and Ancient Greece. Modern tasseography has also been associated with the Scottish, Irish, and cultures throughout Eastern Europe.







 


Palmistry

Chiromancy or cheiromancy, (Greek cheir, “hand”; manteia, “divination”), is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known as palmistry, palm-reading, chirology or hand analysis. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations. Those who practice chiromancy are generally called palmists, palm readers, hand readers, or chirologists.

Palmistry can trace its roots back to Indian (Hindu) Astrology (known in Sanskrit as Jyotish) and Roma (gypsy) fortune tellers. The Hindu sage Valmiki is thought to have written a book, whose title translates in English as "The Teachings of Valmiki Maharshi on Male Palmistry", comprising 567 stanzas, more than 5,000 years ago. From India, the art of palmistry spread to China, Tibet, Egypt, Persia and to other countries in Europe. Palmistry came to China in around 3,000 B.C. It then progressed to Greece where Anaxagoras practised it. However, modern palmists often combine traditional predictive techniques with psychology, holistic healing, and alternative methods of divination.







 
 

The Runes...

Runes are an ancient Germanic alphabet, used for writing, divination and magick. They were used throughout northern Europe, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and Iceland from about 100 B.C.E. to 1600 C.E. Runic inscriptions of great age have even been found in North America, supporting stories that the Vikings arrived in the Americas long before Columbus.

Since ancient times, runes have been used for divination and magic, in addition to writing. The word "rune" actually means mystery, secret or whisper. Each rune has esoteric meanings and properties associated with it, beyond its mundane meaning and phonetic value. Each translates into a word or a phrase signifying concepts important to the early peoples who used them, representing the forces of nature and mind. Each rune has a story attached to it, a relationship to a Norse God.

Runic divination or "rune casting" is not "fortunetelling" in the sense that one actually sees the future. Instead, runes give one a means of analyzing the path that one is on and a likely outcome. The future is not fixed. It changes with everything one does. If one does not like the prediction, one can always change paths.

To receive a free tarot reading, click here. 

To receive a free Runes reading, click here. 

To use the online ouija board, click here.

Essentially, a secret path is a connection between two or more cards.  This connection can be obvious or mysterious.  You can use this technique in any reading where you would like more information than what is readily apparent.  If you really know your deck well and can do this in your head, you can amaze your friends and clients by pulling this information seemingly out of nowhere.

It works like this:

Choose a card (whichever one you like) and find another card in the deck that shares a visual, esoteric, interpretive, or intuitive connection with it.  this second card will have an additional or clarifying message to add to the reading...

The Visual Secret Path

Take a good look at the card you have chosen.  Notice all the details.  What catches your attention?  Perhaps it is a design element, a color, or a piece of clothing.

Let's say you choose the 8 of Cups (Waite-Smith deck).  There is a crescent moon in the sky.  You'll also find a crescent moon in the 2 of Swords, the High Priestess, and the Moon cards.  Depending upon the subject of the reading, one or more of those cards will have a secret message to impart.

Whatever deck you're using, lay out all seventy-eight cards and look for these visual connections.  Make a chart for yourself to help you remember them.

The Esoteric Secret Path

This one requires knowledge of esoteric attributions and correspondences.  The more you know, the more you'll be able to use this technique.  The trick to finding  this type of secret path is to be creative with your associations...

Esoteric secret tarot paths can be found through astrological attributions, shared sephiroth on the Tree of Life, numerology/gematria, esoteric functions, titles, intelligences, etc.  Again, the more you know, the more powerful this technique becomes.

The Interpretive Secret Path

Here you'll be working with the meanings of the cards.  If, for instance, you associate the Death card with transition or transformation, which other cards suggest a similar theme?  The 8 of Cups comes to mind for me, as does Judgement.  If I were looking at the terminal aspect of Death, I would be drawn to the 10 of Swords...

Trust your instincts here.  All the cards have many layers of meanings and each of us has come to our own understandings.  You may find the choices a little overwhelming at first but just relax and don't try too hard.  Go with whatever comes to mind first.

The Intuitive Secret Path

This secret path is the most personal one.  The connection is purely intuitive and can be made for any reason whatsoever.  It may even be that the second card will just come to you without a formal connection at all.  To develop this technique, practice choosing a card in your mind, rather than physically drawing it from the deck.  Then interpret it, looking at the card if you need to.  You might not think that a mental draw is as accurate or random as doing it with the actual cards, but trust me, it works just fine.

The Reversed Major Secret Path

The next time a Major Arcana card comes up reversed, take a look at its numerological partner.  You may find the information you need is found there:

21- The World/3- The Empress

20-Judgement/2-The High Priestess

19- The Sun/10- The Wheel of Fortune

18-The Moon/9- The Hermit

17- The Star/8- Strength

16- The Tower/7- The Chariot

15- The Devil/6- The Lovers

14- Temperance/ 5- The Hierophant

13- Death/4- The Emperor

12- The Hanged Man/3- The Empress

11- Justice/2- The High Priestess

10- The Wheel of Fortune/1- The Magician

This technique is very playful, and the play is to find connections.  There is no right or wrong way to go about it, and no rules as to when to use it...

Personally, I have my best readings using the intuitive secret path.  As I've said before, there are times when a card opens the door for all sorts of random images to enter my mind. And I have learned to relax and go with the flow, don't question it-- you can always sit and ponder the meanings afterwards, just let the images flow uninterrupted once they begin.

Blessings, Amythyst

(From the book, "Tarot Tips" by Ruth Ann Amberstone & Wald Amberstone.  This is tip 30, Secret Paths.)

 To view/purchase this book, click here.

Meet the founders of The Tarot School:

Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone

Fehu (F: Domestic cattle, wealth.) Possessions won or earned, earned income, luck. Abundance, financial strength in the present or near future. Sign of hope and plenty, success and happiness. Social success. Energy, foresight, fertility, creation/destruction (becoming). Fehu Reversed or Merkstave: Loss of personal property, esteem, or something that you put in effort to keep. It indicates some sort of failure. Greed, burnout, atrophy, discord. Cowardice, stupidity, dullness, poverty, slavery, bondage.

Uruz: (U: Auroch, a wild ox.) Physical strength and speed, untamed potential. A time of great energy and health. Freedom, energy, action, courage, strength, tenacity, understanding, wisdom. Sudden or unexpected changes (usually for the better). Sexual desire, masculine potency. The shaping of power and pattern, formulation of the self. Uruz Reversed or Merkstave: Weakness, obsession, misdirected force, domination by others. Sickness, inconsistency, ignorance. Lust, brutality, rashness, callousness, violence.

Thurisaz: (TH: Thorn or a Giant.) Reactive force, directed force of destruction and defense, conflict. Instinctual will, vital eroticism, regenerative catalyst. A tendency toward change. Catharsis, purging, cleansing fire. Male sexuality, fertilization. (Thorr, the Thunder god, was of Giant stock.)Thurisaz Reversed or Merkstave: Danger, defenselessness, compulsion, betrayal, dullness. Evil, malice, hatred, torment, spite, lies. A bad man or woman. Rape?

Ansuz: (A: The As, ancestral god, i.e. Odin.) A revealing message or insight, communication. Signals, inspiration, enthusiasm, speech, true vision, power of words and naming. Blessings, the taking of advice. Good health, harmony, truth, wisdom. Ansuz Reversed or Merkstave: Misunderstanding, delusion, manipulation by others, boredom. Vanity and grandiloquence. (Odin is a mighty, but duplicitous god. He always has his own agenda.)

Raidho: (R: Wagon or chariot.) Travel, both in physical terms and those of lifestyle direction. A journey, vacation, relocation, evolution, change of place or setting. Seeing a larger perspective. Seeing the right move for you to make and deciding upon it. Personal rhythm, world rhythm, dance of life. Raidho Reversed or Merkstave: Crisis, rigidity, stasis, injustice, irrationality. Disruption, dislocation, demotion, delusion, possibly a death.

Kenaz: (K: Beacon or torch.) Vision, revelation, knowledge, creativity, inspiration, technical ability. Vital fire of life, harnessed power, fire of transformation and regeneration. Power to create your own reality, the power of light. Open to new strength, energy, and power now. Passion, sexual love. Kenaz Reversed or Merkstave: Disease, breakup, instability, lack of creativity. Nakedness, exposure, loss of illusion and false hope.

Gebo: (G: Gift.) Gifts, both in the sense of sacrifice and of generosity, indicating balance. All matters in relation to exchanges, including contracts, personal relationships and partnerships. Gebo Merkstave (Gebo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Greed, loneliness, dependence, over-sacrifice. Obligation, toll, privation, bribery.

Wunjo: (W or V: Joy.) Joy, comfort, pleasure. Fellowship, harmony, prosperity. Ecstasy, glory, spiritual reward, but also the possibility of going "over the top". If restrained, the meaning is general success and recognition of worth. Wunjo Reversed or Merkstave: Stultification, sorrow, strife, alienation. Delirium, intoxication, possession by higher forces, impractical enthusiasm. Raging frenzy, berzerker.

Hagalaz: (H: Hail.) Wrath of nature, destructive, uncontrolled forces, especially the weather, or within the unconscious. Tempering, testing, trial. Controlled crisis, leading to completion, inner harmony. Hagalaz Merkstave (Hagalaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Natural disaster, catastrophe. Stagnation, loss of power. Pain, loss, suffering, hardship, sickness, crisis.

Nauthiz: (N: Need.) Delays, restriction. Resistance leading to strength, innovation, need-fire (self-reliance). Distress, confusion, conflict, and the power of will to overcome them. Endurance, survival, determination. A time to exercise patience. Recognition of one's fate. Major self-initiated change. Face your fears. Nauthiz Reversed or Merkstave: Constraint of freedom, distress, toil, drudgery, laxity. Necessity, extremity, want, deprivation, starvation, need, poverty, emotional hunger.

Isa: (I: Ice.) A challenge or frustration. Psychological blocks to thought or activity, including grievances. Standstill, or a time to turn inward and wait for what is to come, or to seek clarity. This rune reinforces runes around it. Isa Merkstave (Isa cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Ego-mania, dullness, blindness, dissipation. Treachery, illusion, deceit, betrayal, guile, stealth, ambush, plots.

Jera: (J or Y: A year, a good harvest.) The results of earlier efforts are realized. A time of peace and happiness, fruitful season. It can break through stagnancy. Hopes and expectations of peace and prosperity. The promise of success earned. Life cycle, cyclical pattern of the universe. Everything changes, in its own time. Jera Merkstave (Jera cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Sudden setback, reversals. A major change, repetition, bad timing, poverty, conflict.

Eihwaz: (EI: Yew tree.) Strength, reliability, dependability, trustworthiness. Enlightenment, endurance. Defense, protection. The driving force to acquire, providing motivation and a sense of purpose. Indicates that you have set your sights on a reasonable target and can achieve your goals. An honest man who can be relied upon. Eihwaz Reversed or Merkstave: Confusion, destruction, dissatisfaction, weakness.

Perthro: (P: Lot cup, vagina.) Uncertain meaning, a secret matter, a mystery, hidden things and occult abilities. Initiation, knowledge of one's destiny, knowledge of future matters, determining the future or your path. Pertaining to things feminine, feminine mysteries including female fertility, and vagina. Good lot, fellowship and joy. Evolutionary change. Perthro Reversed or Merkstave: Addiction, stagnation, loneliness, malaise.

Algiz: (Z or -R: Elk, protection.) Protection, a shield. The protective urge to shelter oneself or others. Defense, warding off of evil, shield, guardian. Connection with the gods, awakening, higher life. It can be used to channel energies appropriately. Follow your instincts. Keep hold of success or maintain a position won or earned. Algiz Reversed: or Merkstave: Hidden danger, consumption by divine forces, loss of divine link. Taboo, warning, turning away, that which repels.

Sowilo: (S: The sun.) Success, goals achieved, honor. The life-force, health. A time when power will be available to you for positive changes in your life, victory, health, and success. Contact between the higher self and the unconscious. Wholeness, power, elemental force, sword of flame, cleansing fire. Sowilo Merkstave (Sowilo cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): False goals, bad counsel, false success, gullibility, loss of goals. Destruction, retribution, justice, casting down of vanity. Wrath of god.

Tiwaz: (T: Tyr, the sky god.) Honor, justice, leadership and authority. Analysis, rationality. Knowing where one's true strengths lie. Willingness to self-sacrifice. Victory and success in any competition or in legal matters. Tiwaz Reversed or Merkstave: One's energy and creative flow are blocked. Mental paralysis, over-analysis, over-sacrifice, injustice, imbalance. Strife, war, conflict, failure in competition. Dwindling passion, difficulties in communication, and possibly separation.

Berkano: (B: Berchta, the birch-goddess.) Birth, general fertility, both mental and physical and personal growth, liberation. Regenerative power and light of spring, renewal, promise of new beginnings, new growth. Arousal of desire. A love affair or new birth. The prospering of an enterprise or venture. Berkano Reversed or Merkstave: Family problems and or domestic troubles. Anxiety about someone close to you. Carelessness, abandon, loss of control. Blurring of consciousness, deceit, sterility, stagnation.

Ehwaz: (E: Horse, two horses.) Transportation. May represent a horse, car, plane, boat or other vehicle. Movement and change for the better. Gradual development and steady progress are indicated. Harmony, teamwork, trust, loyalty. An ideal marriage or partnership. Confirmation beyond doubt the meanings of the runes around it. Ehwaz Reversed or Merkstave: This is not really a negative rune. A change is perhaps craved. Feeling restless or confined in a situation. Reckless haste, disharmony, mistrust, betrayal.

Mannaz: (M: Man, mankind.) The Self; the individual or the human race. Your attitude toward others and their attitudes towards you. Friends and enemies, social order. Intelligence, forethought, create, skill, ability. Divine structure, intelligence, awareness. Expect to receive some sort of aid or cooperation now. Mannaz Reversed or Merkstave: Depression, mortality, blindness, self-delusion. Cunning, slyness, manipulation, craftiness, calculation. Expect no help now.

Laguz: (L: Water, or a leek.) Flow, water, sea, a fertility source, the healing power of renewal. Life energy and organic growth. Imagination and psychic matters. Dreams, fantasies, mysteries, the unknown, the hidden, the deep, the underworld. Success in travel or acquisition, but with the possibility of loss. Laguz Reversed or Merkstave: An indication of a period of confusion in your life. You may be making wrong decisions and poor judgements. Lack of creativity and feelings of being in a rut. Fear, circular motion, avoidance, withering. Madness, obsession, despair, perversity, sickness, suicide.

Ingwaz: (NG: Ing, the earth god.) Male fertility, gestation, internal growth. Common virtues, common sense, simple strengths, family love, caring, human warmth, the home. Rest stage, a time of relief, of no anxiety. A time when all loose strings are tied and you are free to move in a new direction. Listen to yourself. Ingwaz Merkstave (Ingwaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): Impotence, movement without change. Production, toil, labor, work.

Dagaz: (D: Day or dawn.) Breakthrough, awakening, awareness. Daylight clarity as opposed to nighttime uncertainty. A time to plan or embark upon an enterprise. The power of change directed by your own will, transformation. Hope/happiness, the ideal. Security and certainty. Growth and release. Balance point, the place where opposites meet. Dagaz Merkstave (Dagaz cannot be reversed, but may lie in opposition): A completion, ending, limit, coming full circle. Blindness, hopelessness.

Othala: (O: Ancestral property.) Inherited property or possessions, a house, a home. What is truly important to one. Group order, group prosperity. Land of birth, spiritual heritage, experience and fundamental values. Aid in spiritual and physical journeys. Source of safety, increase and abundance. Othala Reversed or Merkstave: Lack of customary order, totalitarianism, slavery, poverty, homelessness. Bad karma, prejudice, clannishness, provincialism. What a man is bound to.

Blank Rune: There is no historical support for a "Blank Rune" in runic divination. It was invented in the 1980's. It should not be used in a rune casting. If you bought a rune set with a blank piece, save it in case you lose another rune piece, but don't use it in rune casting.

At the bottom of this article, you will find a link to this site.  Have fun.

Psychics are generally attracted to the crystal ball they will use, based on the frequency of the crystal. As with any crystal, the larger the crystal ball, the stronger the energies and viewing area. Gazing into a clear crystal ball opens the third eye and allows the psychic to see images.

As with all crystals that come into your life, the right crystal ball just seems to call to you. There is something in the frequency of the crystal that feels right. It is best to see and hold the crystal ball before buying it, rather than shop it online. After selecting your crystal ball, take it home and clean it. I use mild soap and water then place it in the sunlight and moonlight to energize. Other psychics have their own methods for cleaning and clearing crystals.

Next, place the crystal ball on a stand on a table that has a clear surface. To begin the reading, some psychics have rituals, while others, such as myself, just gaze into the crystal ball and wait for images to appear. These images are produced by the third eye of the psychic. Images within the crystal ball may appear as stationary or move around as if viewing a hologram. Two people gazing into a crystal ball at the same time, may see different images.

As with all forms of divination, images often appear as archetypes, whose interpretation is left for the reader or the person having the reading. The larger the image appears in the crystal ball, the closer the timeline for it to manifest in third dimension, and the more significant the information. Images my appear stationary, or move about. They may appear two dimensional or holographic. If you cannot 'see' anything in the crystal ball at first, be patient and keep trying. At the very least a crystal ball will bring energies to the room in which it is placed.

To learn more about Crystallomancy, click on the image below.

Ouija and talking boards were extremely popular from 1900 through the 1950's. At one time virtually every home in America had a Ouija board. Their popularity inspired Norman Rockwell to paint a Ouija cover for the May 1st 1920 edition of the Saturday Evening Post.

An ouija (often pronounced "wee-gee" or called weegee box) is any flat surface printed with letters, numbers, and other symbols, to which a planchette or movable indicator points, supposedly in answer to questions from people at a séance. The fingers of the participants are placed on the planchette that then moves about the board to spell out messages. Ouija is a trademark for a talking board currently sold by Parker Brothers. While the word is not considered a genericized trademark, it has become a trademark which is often used generically to refer to any talking board. In popular culture these boards are considered to be a spiritual gateway used to contact the dead; however, the only evidence for this is the various accounts of users, which have not been scientifically proven.

 For more information on ouija boards, click here. 

 "MEDIUM"

Patricia Arquette  (part 1)

Patricia Arquette  (part 2)

Clairaudience - Intuitive

This is a person who will pick up a thought and hear it. This persons mental or intellectual understanding is very important and they can make good leaders. We all know someone that we would say was a mental person, always having to understand mentally. They carefully think things through. If this person were to become enlightened they would have the ability to become a medium, someone who channels information from entities who have passed over, because their most heightened sensitivity is to hear.

Clairvoyance- Visionary

This is a person who will pick up a thought and see it. This person has the ability to transform a thought into a vision, symbol or in colour by using their mind's eye. If an artist, a decorator, a creative person, someone who mainly uses the right side of their brain were to become enlightened they would have the ability to read auras, our chakras, draw guides and this is how they would channel what they received because the ability to see images is their most heightened sensitivity.

Clairsentience - Prophetic (1)

This is a person who will pick up a thought and just know it. This person is sensitive to precognition and has hunches, dreams and knowings and this person usually deals with the future or present and how it will affect another. If you were to meet an enlightened Prophetic you would be able to get some information about your 'line of probability', tomorrow is not set in time remember. This could be a person who has a dream about something and that dream turns out to happen in reality. They have the ability of prediction because they 'just know' and can tune into and understand their hunches.

Clairsentience - Feeler (2)

This is a person who will pick up a thought and transform it immediately into a feeling. This persons life can revolve around how it feels to them. Their sense of touch is well-developed and they have the ability to know people by feeling what they feel. After enlightenment, this is someone would have the ability to practice psychometry. The ability to put something belonging to someone in their hand and read the energy. Depending on their other gifts, they could tell the past, present or future from the energy. They have the ability to feel how others feel but only on the emotional level. They will be able to not only empathise but experience their pain, loss, grief etc. For instance, if they were to channel energy from a persons past life they would experience the pain and hurt that that soul experienced in that past lifetime.

The day the beautiful tree was cut down...

I was sick about the tree—we all were.  But it was the neighbor’s tree; there was nothing we could do about it.  During early afternoon, I thought...why don’t I throw coats on the kids and we can run into the city and spend the afternoon at the mall.  I thought it would be a better thing to do than sitting here listening to the chain saws and the wood chipper.

But I didn’t feel like going.  No enthusiasm.  In fact, I didn’t want to go.  I was surprised that I felt this way.  I thought this was odd.  There has never been a time since I’ve become familiar with the city, that I didn’t like—no, love—to make a trip in to shop.

I thought—no, this is silly—throw coats on the kids and let’s go.  Vamoose!  Get out of here for the afternoon.

And then something dawned on me, something tapped me on the shoulder.  Something inside my head said...“Wait.  Listen to your inner voice.”

I stopped dead in my tracks in the middle of the living room.  The hair on the back of my neck stood up as I realized fully, in that moment, that I was experiencing an omen or a portent.  I made a quick mental assessment of everything that I told you above, and it hit me, as though someone was actually speaking inside my head.  It’s hard to describe the sensation, but the answer that came to me was:

“Don’t go!”

I knew, without any doubt, that there was a reason that we shouldn’t go.  At the time, I didn’t know what that reason was, but I knew my children and I were not to go to the mall this afternoon.

I’ve always preached in my divination blogs not to question the images, messages, etc. that come to you.  Just go with the flow, even if the information you’re receiving doesn’t make sense to you at the moment.  It was later in the day that I was to learn the meaning and the reason for these feelings, the reason behind this omen or portent.

This was not only the day the beautiful tree was cut down—this was the day of the massacre at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska.

This mall would have been our destination.

 Yesterday evening, between 6:30- 6:40, I was alone in the kitchen.  I suddenly had an overwhelming sensation and thought:

"Isabella!"

A wave of memories and feelings washed over me...my daughter's little face in the hospital that first night.  She looked directly into my eyes and made eye contact, her little mouth formed into a surprised , "Oooo".

I clasped my hands together and went to the back door, overwhelmed with emotion.

I wanted her home.  And I wanted her home NOW!

I continued to finish fixing my lunch.  I opened the fridge and was bent down, retrieving a beer from the drawer.  Something inside of me said, "No-- better not, just in case you have to drive somewhere."  I replaced the can of beer and poured myself a glass of chocolate milk instead.

And then...

I was sitting on the couch, eating my lunch, when the phone rang.  It was between 6:45-6:55.

It was Isabella on her cell phone, flustered and frantic-- She'd had an accident on the freeway coming home from the city.

********************************************

Note:  Isabella and the young man who hit her were not harmed.  They were lucky.  It was rush hour, traffic was heavy-- virtually bumper to bumper at 65 miles an hour.  A car had cut ahead of her. She had to slam on her brakes to avoid hitting it-- and then the car behind plowed into her, knocking her vehicle into the next lane, which was blessedly empty.

Was my intuition a "witchy" thing?

Not necessarily...I believe this kind of second sight is in every molecule of every mother everywhere.

I took my daughter “Blossom” to Dr. Ottun’s office.  As we were sitting in the exam room and he was quietly going over his records, I looked at him and opened my mouth—wanting to say, “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of retiring!!”...but I closed my mouth and said nothing.

Also, I saw in my mind green and yellow farm machinery, and a wooden or metal feed trough—long and set up off the ground.  Cattle were standing there, feeding.  It has taken longer to type the last sentence than the vision lasted; it was only a flash of a few seconds.

Later that week in the local newspaper:  Dr. Ottun is retiring to spend more time with his family and farm and cattle!  I had no idea that he farmed.  My husband had no idea why I was so shocked to read that in the paper. 

I had felt that an ominous message was coming for 2 or 3 weeks.  I did a tarot spread one morning, before the mail came, to see if I could expect something nasty (in-law problems, long story).

An envelope from my mother-in-law arrived.

It gave me a terrible feeling of dread because the tarot spread had told me that “yes”, I could expect unpleasant news.  And also, the “Card of the Day” was the 10 of Swords, never a good omen—backstabbing, surgery, illness, death...that is usually what this card brings to me.  I shudder when I see it pop up in a reading.

I took the letter that my mother-in-law had sent and went to have lunch with my husband during the noon hour.  I gave the letter to him, sitting there on pins and needles while he opened it...

It was information on sporting events!!!!!

(Sigh of relief)

That night my mother-in-law called...my husband’s father was diagnosed with lymphoma.

“Westminster”

This time I made up my mind not to be silent, yet I didn’t want to just blurt out the word and sound like a crazy woman.  So I began a conversation to try to find a way to introduce the word naturally...

“My parents live in Colorado,” I began, “and my sister works in Denver, although she lives in Westminster.”

“Oh, my god!” the pretty little girl began, very excited, “I recently moved here from Colorado, I’m from Westminster!”

I never said a word.  I simply had wanted to confirm my own accuracy. 

I was at the courthouse buying a new license for my vehicle.  The lady behind the counter was very friendly and chatting away as I was making out the check.  We were talking about children—I had my oldest daughter with me—and she began to talk about her daughter who had recently suffered a broken leg.

As I was writing, it just came to me; I had the overwhelming desire to blurt out:

“Your daughter has long blond hair and is very close by.”

As is usually the case, the way it’s been for most of my life, I simply say nothing.  But the desire to do so is sometimes incredibly overwhelming.  I don’t know why I keep silent.  I suppose part of it is the fear of being wrong, and part of it is not wanting to look like some kind of a fruitcake.  Most people don’t understand or respect clairvoyance.

Just as I signed the check, the lady said, “Oh my god, there’s my daughter!”

I turned toward the large double doors at the front of the office.

There was a pretty slender girl with long blond hair, her left leg in a cast.

The lady says, with an incredulous voice, “How odd that we were just talking about her and there she is.  Very odd indeed!”

I left with a smile on my face, because this woman had no idea how odd it really was; but I knew that my intuition, or whatever it is, was quietly working inside of me.

Easter Sunday, 1969, I was 12 years old.

It had been a horrendous winter.  My Aunt & Uncle had been snowed in for months.  We were only able to have Easter dinner with them by driving a long route and coming in from the east as opposed to the more direct west route.  Even then, we had to park our car on top of a hill and walk part of the way to their farmhouse, down a hill, across a small valley and up over the next hill.

It was after dinner.  The women were still in the kitchen chatting.  My uncle and grandfather were sitting in the living room listening to music, along with my sister and me.  We were both perched on the edge of a long piano stool.

I looked across the room at my Uncle, who was stretched out on the sofa, one arm behind his head.  As I watched, I was startled and fascinated to see the back of the sofa suddenly swing forward and close over him.  I realized that I was seeing my uncle in a coffin with the lid being closed.  I shook my head and blinked my eyes to rid myself of this vision.

Later in the afternoon, he left to go outside and check the water levels in the driveway, where the melting snow was beginning to cause flooding.  My sister and I were standing in the dining room window, watching him walk up to the house.

We turned away.

A second later we heard a muffled noise, and my Aunt came hysterically screaming from the kitchen doorway, “Mom!  Mom!”...calling my grandmother.

My Uncle had stepped into the entryway off the kitchen and collapsed. 

They called for an ambulance—which came in the wrong way, the way that was still blocked with deep snow banks, and they had to turn around to come in the same way we did.  They also had to walk a gurney the same path we took, across the valley.  It took so long for help to get there.

My uncle died that day.

For years I thought that by seeing that vision I had caused it to happen.  I spent a great many years deliberately attempting to squelch any psychic thoughts.

It wasn’t until I was in my late teens that I finally told my grandmother about that day and what I had seen.  She reassured me that what I had seen had been a premonition and had nothing to do with causing the event.

It was then that I really began to understand. 

One December my step-son and his wife were going to come for the holidays—for the first time.  I was curious about how this visit would go, so I did a tarot reading.  Normally, I don’t do tarot readings for any individual(s) without their knowledge or permission.  I sometimes find it so revealing that I would consider it an invasion of privacy.

With that said, I wasn’t “looking” for personal information; I just wanted to know how the tone of the visit would be and to know before hand if anything unexpected would come up.

It did.

The tarot reading showed me that my daughter-in-law was pregnant.

I told my husband this and that they were coming to announce the future grandchild.

You know that overwhelming feeling I’ve spoken of to blurt out what you instinctively “know”.  That first evening we took them to a Chinese restaurant for supper and I had to bite my tongue and then eventually sit on it to keep from blurting across the table to my daughter-in-law...  “You’re pregnant!”

I wanted them to be able to give us the news in their own way, and they did. 

It was in the 1970s, my grandmother’s cheery yellow kitchen.  I was a teenager.  My grandmother and I, and a couple of friends/relatives, were sitting around the table having coffee. 

I got up from the table, continuing to speak, and walked around the kitchen, circling the table—I wasn’t really aware at the time that I was even doing this.  I wasn’t thinking.

I stopped ahead of the bright yellow wall phone and picked the receiver up and said “hello”.  They all said, “What are you doing?” and “The phone didn’t even ring.”

My aunt was on the other end of the line. 

She was somewhat flustered.  She said that she had just dialed the number, but the phone hadn’t rang yet.  I laughed and handed the phone to my grandmother.

The music on this page:  "Full Moon"

by  Mannheim Steamroller

CD:  Halloween-- Monster Mix