Sex, death and secrets uncovered! It's all in the stars

I've been taking some quiet time to myself to compensate for the manic-ness of office life and the zillion emails that bounce at me. And as it's Halloween, or, to be accurate, Samhaim (pronounced Sow-en), which is the Pagan name for this festival, the 'veil between the worlds' is said to be at its thinnest, meaning me connect with the realm of spirit, I felt it appropriate to do myself a little Psy-cards reading. 

I got sent a pack of Psy-cards while working on Soul&Spirit, but only began using them after my spiritual holiday in Ibiza last summer at Psychic Retreats, along with my friend and deputy editor Golnaz. The course was led by psychic medium Hazel Lee, who is often on Psychic TV, and at times I found it extremely challenging as we had to give each other tarot readings, including to complete strangers! I felt totally daunted by this, and sure I would come up with a load of nonsense. Incredibly, some of the people I read for said I was really spot on about some things - details about where they lived, what they liked to do, and situations going on for them. And, tellingly, all the relevant things came to me when I was relaxed and not trying hard. Each time I felt stressed that I was not coming up with enough information, and felt I was forcing it, nothing came. 

The last time I did a reading for myself it was earlier this year, and about, surprise surprise, a guy, but this time I didn't ask any specific question, I just picked out The Inquirer card, which represents oneself, and then shuffled until I felt ready to deal the cards.

As above, so below

I have to say, I was shocked by the cards as they reflected so accurately the current astrological climate, and what I was talking about today with an astrologer friend of mine, Orli Lysen, who writes the horoscopes for Vogue and Tatler in Australia. Saturn has just moved into Scorpio, and a host of other planets will also be moving into this dark and secretive sign this month too. According to Orli, the themes of sex, death, money and all things taboo, including secrets coming out of the closet, are linked to Scorpio, hence why the sign gets a bit of a bad rep! 

Beauty

And check out my cards! I smiled when I first turned over the beauty card, as I'd been contemplating how sad I was at seeing little fine lines creeping onto my face with the passing of time, and wondered whether the card was telling me 'don't worry, you are still beautiful'. however, the opposite meaning of this card is vanity! (ego, take note). It's said that the card also represents a flowering of sexuality and implications of danger! 

Death

As soon as I began to turn the next card, and saw what it was, I wanted to put it back: death. But this too is a scopionic theme, as Scorpio is the sign of transformation, and no transformation can occur without the death of one thing to be replaced with a new situation. Scorpio people, of which I am one, are meant to be masters at this too! The positive meaning of the card is rebirth, so there is always an upside to all situations. And I do feel a bit of a rebirth coming on! Then it occured to me that this card is perfect for today - Halloween - as it represents all departed loved ones. My nanna was in my dream last night - she died in 2010 - and was asking me whether all the arrangements were in place for her funeral. I was by her bedside and was comforting her, saying she needn't worry and that everything would be taken care of. It may partly be because I've got a picture of her in my room that I sometimes dream of her, but even before it was there, she would appear in my dreams quite a bit, and never did while alive. 

The Stranger

The next card, not including the Inquirer, was The Stranger, representing hidden parts of ourselves, and also unknown people, or secrets waiting to be uncovered. This perfectly illustrates some current news stories, such as the Jimmy Saville investigation, which seems to keep unravelling, and today's rant from Chantelle Houghton on Twitter about how her ex, Alex Reid, was a cross dresser and turned their home into a sex dungeon! For me, I believe it represents parts of myself I need to own, love and accept, rather than pushing them away, hating them and wishing I were 'perfect' - for who is?

The Stars

Next I got The Stars, which according to the book, represents the cycles we all go through in life, as well as our highest aspirations. Also interesting I was talking a lot about astrology today, and thinking about my own goals and desires. 

The sage

The Sage was the next card, representing wisdom, scientific learning and becoming a master. As cliche as it sounds, we are all on a journey, and though I may lament the loss of youth on a physical level, getting older has so many benefits in terms of knowledge and wisdom gained (though the two are very different, as with knowledge, every day something is added, where as with wisdom, each day something is let go of). 

Union

The final card, which pleased me greatly, was the Union, showing two streams merging together, and a goldern chalice. Maybe it means I'll meet the man of my dreams this week?!?!? Who knows, however, I found this card interesting as not only did I get the image of a wooden grail in my mind while out on a brisk, blustery lunchtime walk today - related to one of the many projects swirling in my brain - but this image of the cup, with the water streaming together, reminded me of how I'd had a bit of a 'moment' earlier at work... while sitting on the loo! I was taking a breather from my overflowing inbox, and trying to centre myself - the loo is as good a place as any to do this - and for a few moments my mind became still; for the first time since I've used that toilet - and I've been working there five years - I suddenly paid attention to the sign on the door, not for the words that read 'now wash your hands' but for the image of hands joined together almost in a meditative position, and receiving water from an open faucet. It reminded me that a) I must meditate more - the hands are often in this position when I do - and b) only when we are still and open, can we receive abundance and be 'in the flow'. 

And now, as it's late and I had aimed to be in bed by 10pm as I've a long day in London tomorrow, I shall extinguish the candle flames and retire to my bedroom. I wonder what my dreams will conjure up tonight! (oh, and I had no trick or treaters either, which was probably a good thing as I'd forgotten to buy chocolate anyway). 

The yin and yang of Ibiza

The Pool at the villa

Ginger the house cat!

 

I just got back from the White Isle (so called for its salt trade some centuries ago), where my deputy editor, Naz, and I spent seven heavenly days at a glorious, historic villa in the north of the island, overlooking the pine-covered hills. It was far better than any modern-day villa because this place had character: lots of old stone steps and over-head beams inside the house itself, with beautiful, well-established gardens surrounding it. Sitting sunning ourselves by the pool was a favourite pastime, as was attending the yoga sessions each morning with Arun, a knowledgeable, highly spiritual teacher who moved from London to Ibiza last year for a change of pace. 

The patio where we enjoyed canapes and drinks on our first night

But our main reason for being there was to attend Hazel Lee’s psychic development course – the final retreat of the spring, hosted by Psychic Retreats – that took place over three intense days of teaching. During that time, we were all challenged to do tarot readings for each other and strangers, often being pushed out of our comfort zones. At times I wanted to give up as I had only ever received readings, and never given them myself; but Hazel believed in us all, and told me I was a natural psychic – I just needed to stop thinking so much. ‘Thinking is bad for you!’ she would bark at me over and over. And she was right. By the time it came to psychometry, I did far better at getting ‘hits’ i.e. accurate information, when I relaxed and just said what had come into my mind, rather than trying to force something to come through.  

Flowers on the terrace overlooking the surrounding hills

The intense teaching was balanced out with relaxing trips to nearby scenic places of interest, such as two beautiful beaches at either end of the island. And at the end of the retreat, we tagged three nights of partying on to our stay. So it truly was like experiencing the ‘yin’ of the relaxed retreat environment, discussing philosophy, life, love and death, with the ‘yang’ of the drinking, partying, up-til-the-crack-of-dawn lifestyle Ibiza is probably best known for. And though I love dancing, I now realise I mostly crave a quieter, more contemplative way of life. I’d choose a week at Psychic Retreats over a week of hard partying any day. Dancing on a beach watching the sun set, to the beat of dozens of drums, was far more enjoyable than sweating away in Space nightclub, being trodden on, having drinks spilled over me and having to fend off lots of weird men! Not good.

But Ibiza has had this dual personality for decades, and will continue to do so. That’s not to say one way of life is wrong, or one is ‘better’ than the other; to say that would be dualistic and limiting. Sometimes a bit of hedonism can be fun after all! But life is always full of choices over where and with whom you spend your time; it all comes down to priorities, which change as you get older and learn more about yourself. And though I can’t predict the future, despite developing my psychic and intuitive skills somewhat, I know I want to return to Ibiza and to the beautiful villa – even though one of the rooms is supposedly haunted by the guy who built the place! – because it was an incredible holiday I’ll never forget.

Katy and Golnaz stayed in Ibiza courtesy of Psychic Retreats. Week-long and four-day weekend courses will be held this Autumn, beginning in October. For more information, visit psychicretreats.com or call Lucia Diamond on +34 615 471 587. There will be a full write up in the August issue of Soul&Spirit magazine, on sale July 15.

Hi! This is my first blog posting and about time too! I've been editing Soul&Spirit magazine for almost three years now, since it's launch at the very end of 2007, and what a journey it has been, not just professionally but personally.
I always had an interest in spiritual things, long before this job; I've been fascinated by astrology for as long as I can remember, and used to pore over a book my mum had about all the different signs. I even gave a talk about it at school!
I then moved on to an interest in feng shui and 9-star ki astrology, when I came across a book by Jon Sandifer. At the age of about 26, I moved on to meditation after so many people told me it would help still my ever-busy mind. And so I joined up to a beginner's course at my local Buddhist centre.
I feel this constant interest in spirituality, and all things esoteric, most certainly helped me get the job on Soul&Spirit, and I've been so fortunate over these past three years to receive so many wonderful books (I wish I could read them all but I'd never do anything else!) as well as attending courses from how to develop my psychic skills, to clearing out the past and creating the future.

But my biggest observation to date, from collating all the information I receive each day and trying to make sense of it in my head, is leading me to believe that we all do have the power to create out lives, on a moment-to-moment basis, the way we want them to be. Some people might use angels, or crystals, or affirmations, or oracle cards, or whatever tool to which they are drawn, to help them on their spiritual path, but ultimately I am starting to truly believe that the power is within us - not 'out there' in the hands of an expert or higher power. I think, perhaps, that WE are the higher power, and can create miracles. And it was Louise Hay's great book You Can Heal Your Life, all about the power of positive thought to heal mind, body and soul, that got me started on the spiritual path back in 2003.

It's all still an ever-evolving journey, and I'll be posting blogs as often as possible on the articles I receive for the magazine, along with books I read, people I interview, and places I go where I discover more about spirituality.
Please email me at katy.evans@aceville.co.uk (my work address) if you want to comment on the magazine - I'd love to hear from you!
Katy x