The Frogs that Came out in the Rain

Public Domain photo via Pixabay

You may have heard that it's been raining a lot in the Tampa area.  Truly, our yard looks a lot like the lake down the road right now. Here's the view from our front door.
 

And here's the view from the back door.

When the rain really started coming down, we began to hear a frog song that we don't often hear, right outside our window. It turns out, the frogs live near the lake. Apparently, they now think our yard is a lovely lake, too.

I followed the sound of a loudly chirping frog with my camera. This is what I found. Seeing this little guy enjoy the rain made me not mind the weather quite so much.
 

Energetic Cures for Obnoxious Neighbors

Whether you live in an apartment or out in the country, there is always a chance that your peace at home will be disturbed by your neighbors.

Often, when usual attempts at resolution don’t work, folk remedies such as protection magick and Feng Shui become reasonable options, even for people who don't normally seek energetic fixes.

Tarot clients ask me, in desperation, what to do about their horrible neighbors. Often these problems can be solved on an energetic level, but we have to change our energy by changing our attitude about the problem, first.

Here are some suggestions that often work.

1.       Don’t give the problem the weight of your anger.
If you spend time and energy on moral outrage, you are adding fuel to the fire. Your outrage may be justified, but it doesn’t help. Recognize that the problems might stem from cultural differences, mental illness or a host of reasons more complex, and more deserving of compassion, than your neighbor simply and willfully being disrespectful.

2.       Install better barriers.
Robert Frost was correct when he said “good fences make good neighbors”. If you have the wherewithal to make some structural changes that will give you more privacy, security or peace, by all means do. When you do, do it with gratitude rather than resentment. Be grateful that you have the ability to make this change, rather than being angry that you found the change necessary.
This technique also has an internal component. The more internal barriers you have against your anger and frustration, the more quickly you will be able to resolve the situation.

3.       Discover the magickal properties of salt.
Whether you use black salt, pink salt, sea salt, kosher salt or a packet you saved from McDonald’s, salt is a great way to energetically discourage people from coming into your space. Sprinkle a line of salt in front of your doorsteps, and around the perimeter of your property. Do this regularly. As you do, think about how much you enjoy your home, and what you want the energy of your home to be.

4.       Install mirrors.
The idea is to reflect your neighbors' energy back at them, or, to cause them to see themselves as you see them. Install a mirror of any size, either outside your home facing the neighbor, or, inside, on the wall (or floor or ceiling) that faces the neighbor, with the mirror facing in, toward the neighbor. You can be creative about how you do this. The size of the mirror is not important, but a round or octagonal mirror is better than a square or rectangle.

5.       Manifest great things for your neighbor.
I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but when Jesus said “Love thine enemies” he may have known of this self-interested side effect of compassion. You want your neighbors to go away, or at least to desist certain irritating activities. Rather than wishing them ill in anger, wish them great fortune that will change their circumstances, and therefore yours. Cast a spell, say a prayer or set an intention that will help them, and you, at the same time! A great new promotion that causes an out-of-state move, or a whirlwind long distance romance that ends in marriage, might solve everyone’s problems.

Our relationships with other people always include an energetic component. When language and legalities fail to fix a problem, changing the energy around the situation often will.

Fare Thee Well, Fourth Day of July

Although I couldn’t be in Chicago last night to see the July 4th second show of the three-show 50th anniversary "Fare Thee Well" tour, I had front row seats, as did anyone who wanted them. The show was available worldwide, in theaters, nightclubs and on smartphones. I chose to watch the live feed in the comfort of a movie theater. The house was almost full. Although we lost the feed for a few minutes in the first set, I was impressed with how present the real-time feed made us feel. We applauded, danced, sang along, hooted, hollered and had a “real good time.”

Some of the camera angles gave us an up-close look at how the musicians interact with each other; nuances I wasn’t at a vantage point to notice back in the day.

There are certain things you expect from a Fourth of July Grateful Dead show. The boys didn’t disappoint, although I was surprised that “Jack Straw” wasn’t on the set list.

The show opened with an energetic “Shakedown Street.” They didn’t sound exactly like the Grateful Dead used to, and they weren’t trying to. That’s DSO’s job. Neither did they sound like RatDog, PL&F, 7 Walkers, Furthur or even Phish.

At moments, they sounded like bits of some of those projects, as if they we trying to find the right meld, the right balance. The Grateful Dead always played it loose. Even in killer shows, they had some off moments. There were off moments last night, more in the first set than in the second, and none that mattered.

In Shakedown, they did that “shake it down, shake it down, shake it down now” thing. I l thought that was great, and foreshadowed some of the great vocal interactions to come.  I know many older heads prefer to keep it traditional, though.

Overall, the vocal quality varied greatly. Bobby was super-on when it really mattered, but seemed a bit pulled back otherwise. Trey and Bruce were spot on. Their voices blended beautifully, adding weight, in my mind, to the much-debated choice of Trey Anastasio over John Kadlecik.

I was thrilled with Trey in this line-up. I love John Kadlecik, too. Trey Anastasio has been around since the 1980s, though. I remember seeing Phish at Toad’s Place in New Haven when they were just this cool jam band out of Vermont.

I think a lot of the animosity some Deadheads hold toward Trey and Phish involves simply the pain of Jerry’s death. I remember a wry bumper sticker from the time that said, “Jerry’s dead, Phish sucks, cut your hair and get a job”.  The rise of Phish in the vacuum left by Jerry felt hollow to a lot of us. Phish was, and continues to be, a great band. Their sound was different enough that, in a time of grief, Jerry’s absence felt even heavier.

Trey’s musical style has a bit of a schism to it that may be uncomfortable for some. Trey Anastasio is like the musical offspring of Frank Zappa and Jerry Garcia. That’s not a bad thing, but it can be a bit unsettling. Frank was a straight edge musician who demanded that every note and every beat be perfect. Jerry was a drug-addicted improvisational musical wizard.
Last night, Trey didn’t try to be Jerry, or Frank, and he didn’t bring that unique Phish flavor.  What he did was a great job honoring Jerry, and still being himself.

The second song, predictably, was a heartfelt “Liberty”. Bob supplied competent vocals for both songs. The third song was “Standing on the Moon.” I think many people were surprised that Trey took lead vocals on this one, but, for me, it worked beautifully. Trey’s voice was sweet and reverent. As he sang the words, “I’d rather be with you”, it was clear to whom he was singing.

This song, even more than the predictable “U.S. Blues” encore, was the defining moment of patriotism in an Independence Day show honoring a uniquely American phenomenon.

After that deep, sweet interlude, the first set found its crimson, white and indigo Americana stride with a bouncy, happy rendition of “Me and My Uncle”, followed by an intricate “Cumberland Blues”, finally culminating in a rollicking “Tennessee Jed”.

There was no “Grateful Dylan” song this show; the first-set Bobby crooner was “Little Red Rooster.” Back in the day, that was my bathroom song. Last night, it was a nice bluesy tone-down after some serious dancing.

We were quickly back on our feet for a PL&F-up-tempo-style “Friend of the Devil”, sung by Phil. He added the extra Robert Hunter verse at the end, which made me happy.

The first set closed with a smokin’ hot “Deal”, with Trey and Bruce sharing lead vocals. You might say it was a “Deal of a lifetime.”

During intermission, we could see fireworks over the river. The stream included a rockin’ soundtrack, some great stills and footage from fifty years of the Grateful Dead, as well as real-time crowd scenes.

Nothing in the first set prepared me for the devastatingly profound second set, which opened with Bird Song. Some folks too young to have seen Jerry live figured out what song it would be before I did, but they didn’t know the name of the song. “It’s gonna be ‘Snow and Rain’!” That’s good enough for me.
Phil took vocals on Bird Song. Trey could have done it better, Bruce could have done it better, and Bobby could have done it better. It made sense, though, for Phil to take it. These shows are about the “Core Four,” and Bobby had to save his voice for what was coming.

The next song was an almost-over-the-top “Golden Road”, with Trey and Bruce again sharing lead vocals. I really hope that Trey and Bruce play together again; they are such a tasty duo.

After “Golden Road”, the mood changed again, with a sweet, soulful “Lost Sailor/ Saint of Circumstance”. There were a few frustratingly rough moments toward the beginning, but, overall, this was one of the big payoffs of the show for me. Bobby was on, and present, singing in soft, easy way, almost as if he were singing to himself, and to Jerry, as much as to us.

From there, another shift into a raunchy “West LA Fadeaway” in which Bruce Hornsby really shone.

A unique feature of the “Fare Thee Well” lineup was the two keyboardists, Bruce and Jeff Chementi. Both are amazing. Together, they added layers to the sound, and to the vocals, that really made the show compelling.

A fun “Foolish Heart”, with Trey on vocals, took us in to drums and space.

I’ve seen most of the post-Jerry projects, and I love them all. I had forgotten how much the rhythm section of Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann was responsible for the unique sound of the Grateful Dead.

Throughout the first set, Billy looked less than enthused, although he did his job masterfully. During drums and space, he seemed to loosen up and enjoy himself a bit.
I always loved watching Mickey and Bill during drums. The up-close cameras gave me a view I had never had before.

As the band came out of Space, the first notes were unmistakable, but almost unbelievable. The boys went into a perfect, soul-wrenching “Stella Blue,” with Bobby on vocals.  This is why Bobby had been saving himself a bit. He pulled out the stops and owned this Jerry song in a way that was so him, and so Jerry, and so much that broken angel singing.

The “One More Saturday Night” that followed to close the show, and the U.S. Blues encore, were obligatory, but not in the least pedestrian.
Phil’s donor rap, so much a part of latter-year Dead culture, and so close to my own heart (I’m a living kidney donor) was almost as inspiring as the satisfied smile on his face when a second fireworks display, this time directly over the stadium, closed the evening.

He seemed to be basking in it, for a moment. Perhaps he was not so much feeling the weight of fifty years, but the miracle of it. I know I was.

Confessions of a Mystical Fangirl

Most teachers, tarotists, ministers and spiritual advisors I know reference quotations and stories to help illustrate their point. Even Jesus taught in parables.

I draw from a wide range of sources for inspirational and illustrative passages, although I will admit that, while many of my friends often quote Rumi and Kahlil Gibran, I am more likely to quote the Grateful Dead.

Yesterday, I realized that I pepper my language with references from another source. I am a huge sci-fi fan – I always have been. As a kid, I read Bradbury nonstop one summer. While I don’t watch broadcast or cable TV, I do love watching series on Netflix and Hulu. Most of my favorite shows are sci-fi.

I figured I was normal in that. I mean, most of my friends and family bemoaned the loss of “Firefly” with me. However, on three occasions yesterday, my sci-fi reference garnered only blank stares.

One person didn’t know why I was mentioning red pills and blue pills in a conversation about those who are willing to see reality and those who are not. The iconic Matrix reference missed completely.

In another conversation, we were discussing why sometimes divination yields confusing results. “No spoilers,” I said in my best River Song voice. My friend was clearly not a Whovian.

Finally, in discussing a friend’s business conundrum, I told her that she must, above all else, honor her inner Ferengi and not lose sight of her financial interests. The message resonated, even though she didn’t know anything about the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.

I share with others the things that inspire me. Is it odd that stories of time and space different from our own inspire me so much?

Year ago, when I was in the hospital fighting a post-surgical infection, it was an image from a Stephen King novel that kept me grounded and fighting for my life. The Bene Gesserit Litany against Fear, from Dune, was my daily mantra in the early years of my business, when everything felt new and scary.

Many people draw their inspiration only from sacred texts, or lauded philosophers and poets. I find value there, too. I also believe there is much for us to learn from stories that place a human element in an alien setting. When everything else is foreign, it becomes easy to see what is innately human and immediately resonant.

There is a special joy, too, in finding the magic that hides within the mundane.

Pop culture and geek fandom may not be as intellectually or artistically important as ancient works, but they can be every bit as relevant and enlightening. As the Grateful Dead said, “Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”

Everyone is Sensitive Right Now

Anyone who spends any time in an online tarot community knows to be careful about what they say. Tarotists are extremely sensitive.

Recently, a person new to the online tarot community commented on this, saying she had never seen a group of people so easily offended. Many folks offered explanations as to why tarotists might in fact be more sensitive and easy to offend than members of other communities might.

At the time, I questioned the assertion that my tarot community would be more easily offended than, say, my drum community or my music community, for instance. 

Recently, listening to some talk shows on my local radio station, I got the fuel I needed for my argument. On a show about music, a guest proclaimed that no community was more sensitive or easily offended than the community of musicians and their fans.

The following show was about the recent Festival de Cannes 2015. Within the first fifteen minutes of the show, the guest was telling us that the film community was the most sensitive and easily offended community of all.

In each case, each person made clear that they had been members of other communities in the past, and so they knew that no community was as thin-skinned as their current community is.

Meanwhile, the  daily news is full of people all over the world who are offended about something or other, and ready to kill and die over it.

Clearly, the problem is not limited to one community, one fan base, or even one country. Right now, the whole world is easily offended.

On explanation could be astrological. Between June of 2012 and March of 2015, there were seven Uranus-Pluto squares. The last series of Uranus-Pluto squares happened between 1932 and 1934. Then, we saw the Great Depression and the beginning of the Holocaust.

Even a non-astrologer like me can understand how Uranus, with its energy of individual exploration and expression could conflict with Pluto, the planet of subconscious forces, transformation and power.

Heavenly events do not create world events. What happens on Earth is mirrored in the heavens. These events are reflected in each one of us. Right now, each of us may feel more defensive and more sensitive than usual. Each one of us may feel the urgent need to express our unique viewpoints.

Soon, a shift will occur and we will all have an easier time getting along, and forgiving each other. Until then, we would all be wise to remember the second of Don Miguel Ruiz’ “Four Agreements”, “Don’t take anything personally”.

Grateful Dead at the Movies: A Return to Alpine Valley

May Fourth, 2015 wasn’t just Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you). It was also Fathom Events’ “Grateful Dead Meet Up at the Movies”.

This year, the long strange trip down memory lane happened to be from July 19, 1989, a show I attended. This was actually one of my favorite shows ever, at my very favorite venue, Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin.

I remember that show specifically because it was an outdoor rain show. Rain shows aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. I don’t always enjoy them, but that particular night I was dancing on the flat area toward Phil’s side of the stage, splashing in the puddles and having fun.

The best part about rain shows, of course, is that the band would play the rain songs. This show featured “Box of Rain” and “Looks like Rain”. I remember being so excited to hear those songs then, and I was excited to enjoy them again at the movies.

I was a bit sad that my peers seemed to enjoy the cushy movie theatres seats overly much, but almost every head nodded in time. Spontaneous applause resounded after Jerry’s solos, as if we were hearing them for the first time. By the encore, “Turn on Your Lovelight,” everyone in the house was dancing.

I was disappointed at the rudeness of a few of my fellow Heads. A few people talked through the entire movie. I’ve noticed this behavior at other shows. Recently, Bob Weir stopped playing during a show because of loud talkers in the front row. I wish I could blame this rudeness on a younger generation, but I am afraid the loudest talkers in the theater were folks who were older than I am, and certainly old enough to know better.

During the years I followed Dead tour, I always gravitated to the place in the arena with the best sound and the most room to dance. That meant I rarely actually watched the show. One of the best parts of seeing this movie twenty-five years later was watching the boys play up close. I love the way the band interacted with each other, their music and their audience.

I loved seeing Jerry laugh when he sang the line from “Sugaree”, “You still have to stand out in the pouring rain.” He was laughing, of course, because we were standing in the rain.

Having the cameras onstage gave us an intimate look at the boys’ work environment. We saw photos of loved ones on Brent’s keyboard. We saw the way Billy and Mickey worked together to keep the rhythm going. We saw Jerry’s fingers flying over Tiger, the guitar we all knew and loved.

Because I toured in the later 1980s, I heard a bunch of Terrapin shows. For a while, my relationship with Terrapin was tenuous at best. I sang, “Terrible, I hate this song” in place of the actual lyrics “Terrapin, can’t figure out…”

My hatred for Terrapin continued long after my touring days ended. When I was seeing a RatDog, Furthur, DSO or PL&F show once a year, it would make me a little sad that the one show I would get to would be yet another Terrapin.

I truly believe that music is an oracle provided by the Universe for our enlightenment and contemplation. I knew there was something for me to learn from this song.

Finally, at the Bayfront in Miami, seeing Furthur with John Kadlecik, I made my peace with Terrapin. At the movies, when it was time for Terrapin, I dance my heart out, truly embracing the “inspiration” of this song.

Watching my peeps in the theater texting, Instagramming and Facebooking reminded me of how little technology we had back in the day. How did we all make it to each show? How did we find each other’s camping spots? How did we organize rides? Somehow, we managed to do all those things and more, without cellphones or social media.

I had fun with my phone, taking pictures of the movie screen, trying to capture the boys in thoughtful expressions. Eventually, I gave up, put my phone away and danced.

Those who don’t understand the Dead, their music or our intense devotion to the band, often remark that the reason the band was so popular was because of the substances many of their followers enjoyed.

I will admit to being sober in the theater and not sober at the original show in 1989. I am happy to report that the music held up to my sobriety just fine. Substances were never the inspiration for me. It’s always been about the music.

This was not the first time I’ve seen a movie of a Dead show I had attended. “Crimson, White and Indigo” is one of my favorite Grateful Dead movies. I was at that show, too.

The thing about the July 19, 1989 Alpine Valley show was that I loved that venue, and that particular show, so much, and remembered it so well. Sometimes memory improves on things a bit. In this case, I am happy to report that the show was every bit as magnificent as I remembered, maybe more. The only thing that couldn’t stand the test of time was Bobby’s short shorts.

Watching the sea of tee-shirt-wearing, graying Deadheads leave the theater gave me a new appreciation of why many of them stayed in their seats for most of the show. We are not a very physically fit bunch these days. I’ve only recently joined the gym, and now I have a new reason to be dedicated to it.  The lyric “I’m still walking, so I’m sure that I can dance” may not hold up so well over time.

It’s a paradox that I remember well from Dead tour. There were the healthy Heads, from whom you could always buy a good stir-fry or burrito. There were the party Heads, who drank a lot of beer and ate a lot of chips.  You could buy interesting things from them, too.  At the time, we were young, invincible and seemingly immortal. Now, some of us have serious health issues, but find ways to get to shows anyway. Some of us could use some kind of “Sweatin’ with Jerry” exercise program for aging Heads. Oh, right, we call that “dancing.”

E.R. Bradley's Saloon is still a West Palm Beach Treasure

It’s strange that I am just getting around to reviewing E.F. Bradley’s Saloon in downtown West Palm Beach; I’ve eaten there more times than I can count. Bradley’s is such an institution in West Palm Beach that it almost feels that it doesn’t need a review because everyone already has an opinion.

When I lived in downtown WPB, I often enjoyed Sunday brunch at Bradley’s. I had never been there at any other time of day until recently. A Facebook tarot friend, Jenna Matlin, was coming to town, and I would get to meet her in person for the first time, with a few other friends. Where should we meet? She was coming from the cold northeast, so I wanted her to catch our South Florida vibe. E.F. Bradley’s was the perfect choice.

We ate outside, with a view of the water, entertained by the birds, lizards and even a turtle. There were four of us at the table, laughing, reading tarot cards and sharing stories. We didn’t even look at the menus for the first twenty minutes, but our waitress, Piper, was patient with us for our entire two-drink, three-hour lunch.

When we did finally crack open the menu, I was thrilled with the variety of choices. This is a place you can bring all your friends, whether paleo, gluten-free, vegetarian or vegan.

The food itself was fabulous. I took a risk and ordered the Tuna Tartare, with mango, avocado and plantain chips. It was beautiful to behold and even better to eat. My daughter is a connoisseur of South Florida fish tacos (it’s a thing) and loves the Baja Fish Tacos at Bradley’s.

Jenna was pleased that the fried pickles were chips and not spears. They were indeed a guilty pleasure!

E.F. Bradley’s is a saloon. This may not be the best place to bring your grandparents, a business meeting, or a first date, depending on the time of day and the tone you want to set.

For my special lunch event, the menu, food, location and service at Bradley’s couldn’t be beat. It was West Palm Beach at its finest, without a heavy price tag.

They offer valet parking as well. I forgot this fact and fed the meters. One of our group got a parking ticket. Learn from our mistake and valet your car, but don’t let the hassle of coming downtown keep you from this iconic West Palm Beach treasure.

Jenna carefully explained the importance of the shape of fried pickles to Piper.

Jenna approves of these pickles.

The Truth about Being a Solopreneur

Photo Creative Commons, via Pixabay.

The internet is full of blogs and podcasts to help us reach our potential as sole proprietors of metaphysical businesses. Most people will agree that having your own business and doing what you love each day is a great recipe for happiness.

It’s also a recipe for stress! There is so much uncertainty, so much you need to do, and very few resources at hand. Most solopreneurs need to handle virtually every aspect of their business themselves.

This can be a tough thing. If the healer were great at marketing, the healer wouldn’t be launching a healing center. Instead, the healer would be happily working as a marketer. What must the healer do, then?

The answer is clear. The healer must learn to market.

We become solopreneurs because we have a calling, and talent. But to be successful as solopreneurs we have to be willing to leave the comfort zone of our wheelhouse and expand our skill set, sometimes on the fly.

As a solopreneur, you must always be willing to learn something new, and to develop skills outside your comfort zone. What you will learn about yourself and your abilities will amaze you. The difficulty of learning to do things that exercise your weakest muscles will strengthen you.

As a solopreneur, there is no other path to success.

Tampa's Ybor City: Cigars, Chickens and Charm

Although I’ve been living in the Tampa Bay area for almost two years, I just visited Ybor City for the first time this weekend. Ybor City is an historic neighborhood a bit northeast of downtown Tampa.

From Belfast, Maine to Hollywood, Florida, I love cute, historic downtown areas. Here in Florida, and probably other sunny places, there have been attempts to create outdoor malls that mimic the feel of a vibrant downtown.  Although I love CityPlace in West Palm Beach, to me, a good downtown has some history.

Ybor does have an outdoor mall area called “Centro,” with a Muvico, an Improv, and many restaurants. Centro blends effortlessly into the historic area. Centro also boasts a stop on TECO Line, Tampa’s electric streetcar transportation system.

Named after a cigar manufacturer, Ybor City was founded in the 1880s. For more than fifty years, immigrants from Spain, Cuba and Italy lived and worked there together, primarily in the cigar industry.

Today, Ybor City is recovering from the urban blight that has claimed so many once-prosperous neighborhoods.

The afternoon I visited, I met friends at the Blind Tiger, a coffee shop in a building that was once a speakeasy.  In the park was a festival honoring the Cuban sandwich.

Of all the new things I have discovered since moving to Florida, the Cuban sandwich is perhaps the most disappointing. It contains a pickle, and very little else worth mentioning.  The Cuban Sandwich Festival, however, was a lot of fun.

One look at Ybor City’s website will tell you there is always something happening here. Mediterranean food, art galleries, museums, shops and nightclubs line the colorful streets. Live music drifts from courtyards and open-air stages, even in the afternoon.

The rich culture of Ybor City is evident in it’s architecture and its museums. The part of the Ybor City vibe I didn’t expect was the chickens! In the convenient parking lots were colorful roosters and chickens, obviously at home in the city streets.

While so much of Florida is jokingly called “God’s Waiting Room,” Ybor City is youthful. Co-working opportunities and open mics provide opportunities for entrepreneurs and artists.

If you are interested in art, culture, history, food or fun, Ybor City has everything you might want, and chickens, too!

Lowdown and Unworthy: Upworthy Takes on Psychics and Misses the Point

I usually enjoy Upworthy, a clickbait site that featuring interesting and heartwarming stories. I know that at least some of the stories are real, because friends of mine had videos featured on the site.

This week I lost faith in Upworthy. They ran a story that tells half-truths and perpetuates harmful stereotypes about my professional community and me.

The lengthy title of the story is “She dressed up like a psychic and told them what they wanted to hear. Guess what they believed?”

You can imagine the premise from the title. A psychologist with a particular skill at “cold reading” dons some makeup, black garb and cheesy jewelry, and gives readings to people who completely buy in to what she is saying.

This is not original. I’ve seen this shtick done as a gag, as a science experiment, and everything in between.  It’s an interesting study, and one worthy of discussion.

The cold reader in the Upworthy video is a psychologist. She calls herself a scientist, but she makes a serious scientific mistake. She presents herself as someone who wants to prove all psychics to be frauds. A scientist with an agenda is always a dangerous thing.

The Upworthy page ends with this over-generalization. “If you want to ask a psychic a question, try a life coach or a therapist instead. You're much less likely to get ripped off.”

Wow. Just, wow.

I do not deny that there exist many psychic frauds, con artists and criminals. I have written about the psychic scams prevalent in my homes states of Connecticut, Florida and New York.

The Upworthy article uses “Miss Cleo” to call to mind one of the best-known psychic frauds of the past few decades. The entire premise of the article is that every professional psychic is a fraud.

There are crooks and incompetents in every profession, Upworthy, not just mine.

There is a lot of controversy about the word “psychic” in the professional tarot community. One well-known tarot professional was recently quoted in a controversial article saying that all people who call themselves psychic are frauds. Clearly, both Upworthy and this tarot professional have jumped on the psychic-hate bandwagon.

Over the past few decades, I’ve seen the word “psychic” come in and out of favor amongst tarotists and other spiritual seekers. Right now, apparently, it’s out of favor. Not to worry, it will be back soon.

Many professional tarotists prefer the word “intuitive” to “psychic.” Many diviners do not claim to be psychic at all. As a professional tarotist myself, this is my thought. It doesn’t matter whether I call myself “psychic” or not. You will find the information I give you extremely helpful. There are good, helpful readers in the world, and I’m one of them. What word you use to describe my talent doesn’t matter.

That brings us to the topic of cold reading. People think of cold reading as a psychological trick, rather than a psychic experience.  I would suggest that, to some extent, folks who are good at cold reading are people who have a good sense of other people. The cold reader in the video is a psychologist. Why is “having a good sense of other people” not the same thing as “psychic” or “intuitive?” If cold reading were simply a trick that anyone could do, well, then anyone could do it. The truth is, some people are very good at cold reading, and then announce that they “aren’t psychic.” To me, it’s a matter of perspective and semantics.

In the video, the cold reader explains that reading body language and facial expression is a huge part of cold reading, and therefore, part of the way that we “psychics” “trick” our clients. The majority of the work I do is on the phone, where I cannot see body language or facial expression. Many other great readers work by telephone. Determined to discredit psychics en masse, this video does nothing to address this obvious discrepancy in the psychologist’s theory that all “psychic” reading is actually cold reading.

Upworthy is a site that promotes inclusivity. And, yet, for all their noble goals, Upworthy has treated my community with prejudice and propaganda.  

As one who works as a professional psychic, I want to say this to Upworthy. Describing someone’s outfit as “dressing as a psychic” is an offensive stereotype. The actual get-up that the reader is wearing in the video adds insult to injury. I can guarantee you, that is not how I dress for work, even when a costume is requested.

Finally, Upworthy’s assertion that a “life coach” or a “therapist” is always a better choice than a psychic is just laughable.  First, these are completely different job descriptions. You wouldn’t want to hire a therapist to entertain at the prom, would you? Likewise, a person who needs a therapist may not be a good candidate for a psychic reading. Second, there are good and bad in every profession. You can’t know that the life coach you get will be ethical, or that the psychic you hire won’t be.

As with all professions, the potential client needs to do the research. You’ll regret hiring a bad lawyer, a bad auto mechanic, or a bad psychic.

Shame on you, Upworthy, for taking a cheap shot at my community. Psychic frauds have been the bane of my twenty-plus year career. Good people are taken advantage of by slick swindlers in a way that makes every psychic professional look bad. I do everything I can to educate potential clients about the differences between con artists and legitimate professionals. When you paint my peers and me with the same brush you paint Miss Cleo and her ilk, you make us another of their many victims.