Personal adventures of my first psychic reading.

I used to write horoscopes. I understand the bullshit that goes into telling the future. Yet, do words determine our fate more than we realize or even want to believe? I’ve been alive 25 years and have never been to a psychic reading. Although there was this one time when a 40ish Native American meth-head claimed she was psychic and told me I’d be famous in five years—that was three years ago so she still has time to prove herself.

Anyway, so, I have never had cards read, or been told my aura, or had my palm examined, etc. I’ve played the Ouija board, but I was twelve and didn’t really have the most developed questions. I’ve flipped over an eight-ball, but the answers were never clear. And of course, I’ve written my own horoscopes—which is kind of like flipping over a tails penny and pretending you found it on it’s head.

So the other night I went to my very first reading at the Boulder Psychic Institute—“A spiritual sanctuary for those seeking healthy ‘aura’ hygiene.”

Before I got there I sat down and reflected on what I wanted to be told. Mainly that everything—my love life, my career, my finances are soon going to make a turn toward awesome.

Also I knew they’d be reading who I was in my past life and I really wanted it to be someone who mattered, (duh, who doesn’t), I wanted to be like Frida Kahlo or Susan B. Anthony or Margaret Sanger or some other badass feminist from the past.

So I will admit to being skeptical about this reading, but also fully willing to give it a go, and be “in the moment”. One friend refused to go with me—scared of inception:  the idea that if given certain information it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy—which of course caused me slight worry especially after watching and debating the blockbuster film staring Leonardo DiCaprio.

And because I constantly question, I use those questions to create my own answers based on the given situation. And though most people find psychic readings to be complete and total hokey-hoola-kabobs I will admit to enjoying the experience and actually gaining a bit of information about myself, hokey or not.

Five Things I Learned at My Psychic Reading.

1) Cleanse That Aura.

The first event that took place was a healing. Basically I sat in a chair while the woman walked around me, snapping and shooing the negativity away from my aura bubble. It looks absolutely ridiculous, which is why I closed my eyes. But, to be completely honest I did feel different after it was over, sort of tingly and heavy—tranquil even. I didn’t realize my aura was so dirty; or that an aura could get dirty—though I’ve never really looked into it so why would I.

A few days later after the reading I could sort of feel it getting dusty. So, I sat down on the floor and tried to cleanse it myself, flipping and throwing my hands all around. I realized at that moment what a joke I had become.

2) Getting My Spiritualness On.

So I wasn’t exactly sold on the words that were coming out of the psychic’s mouth, but was very much intrigued by the idea of being in tune with my spiritual self.

The reading began with a prayer:

“As we read, we recognize the unique spirit that is within each of us, becoming more aware of our own spiritual nature and increasing the communication with the God of our own heart. May it be with the blessings of the Supreme Being that whatever happens during this reading, may it benefit each of us in our spiritual growth, awareness, understanding, amusement and abundance.”

I realized how little I know about that part of myself. Really disappointed in how our culture relies so heavily on a binary system; if there is something in-between physical and mental we avoid it or institutionalize it. I’ve never found comfort in church like settings and thus in a way have avoided anything that comes near that aspect of myself.

3) I’m a Cowboy, Baby.

And not just any cowboy—an animal right’s activist cowboy. Was slightly disappointed that in my previous life I wasn’t a suffragette or Marilyn Monroe. But I also found the past-life reading to be the most obviously phony—in that my friend was also a cowboy in his past life and that section just seems like the easiest to make up.

What I did like though was the discussion on the idea of old and new souls. How a soul can be both old and new but is based on different elements covered in past lives. If energy is neither created nor destroyed the whole old soul’s thing could actually be viable. But then again, I’m just now diving into this after years of avoidance—I think my being a “witch” in 6^th grade really threw me for a spiritual loop—had too many run-in’s with evil (aka demon, aka mean girls) and left that whole scene to become an actress—thus living through other people’s stories instead of creating my own.

4) Too Many Layers and Invaders.

The psychic said I’d be good at poker and she is right. I hold my cards close to my heart. I compartmentalize and hide my vulnerability. I let other people connect the dots on who I am, which can lead to the allure of mystery but can also be frustrating in that everyone else has to do a lot of work and may not take the effort or put me together correctly.

What really intrigued me most was the idea of foreign invasion. Which basically means that other people are getting all up in my aura, polluting my creative energy and my spiritual alignment. Or. I’m thinking about what other people are thinking instead of focusing on myself. Seems pretty zen/mindful/meditative/elephant to me. I can dig it.

5) Quit Playing Hide and Seek.

So whether or not the psychic can really read me, or just says the same sort of bullshit to everyone doesn’t really matter—what matters is an actual internal examination of the self and a realization that some of it is true—whether it’s a general human truth (compartmentalization) or an individual personality truth (my stand-off-ish-ness). And in that truth remains a space for growth and potential transformation; if there is a part of myself I don’t like, for example, I can work on being more vulnerable while still being able to keep my poker face…

when playing poker, at least.

For more information on getting a reading, visit the Boulder Psychic Institute.