Musing Mystical

✨ A Gathering Place for Magical Readers and Writers ✨

Author Archives: PJ Spur

About PJ Spur

PJ Spur is an author, intuitive, spiritual mentor, astrologer, and hypnotist.  She does tarot & oracle card readings, natal chart readings, grief coaching, and relationship healing. She also has hosted a weekly “Coffee & Cards” event with her Soul Compass Community for the past four years. Her book Navigating Grief with Grace is available on Amazon. Learn more at www.dearpj.com

Crystal Body Grids, by Sharon McAllister

Crystal Body Grids: 56 Gemstone Layouts for Energy Healing, by Sharon L. McAllister
Earthdancer Books, 9798888500866, 208 pages, September 2024

In her highly informative book, Crystal Body Grids: 56 Gemstone Layouts for Energy Healing, crystal healer and teacher Sharon L. McAllister provides a helpful guide for using crystals to heal one’s body. From the basic introduction to crystals to the unique crystal key that she uses to reference crystals for the crystal grids and layouts, McAllister presents everything you need to know about healing with crystals.

McAllister has over 30 years’ experience as a holistic therapist. Some of her specialties include soul recall therapy, crystal healing, and reflexology. She has taught reflexology and crystal healing for many years and has written another book about programming crystals and gemstones titled Awakening Your Crystals: Activate the Higher Potential of Healing Stones.

From the minute you open this book, you know that you have found a wonderful reference for working with crystals. The inner flap features a list of 23 crystals with an A-Z key that the author uses throughout the book. The back flap contains another tool: Quick Guide to Setting Up a Crystal Circuit, as well as showing three main crystal shapes. In her disclaimer, McAllister advises how to use crystals safely, including a note about refraining from using alcohol or drugs with crystals.

Next, McAllister shares a complete Table of Contents, broken into two parts. “Part 1: Crystal Healing” gives background information on crystals and energy healing, including how to program them and the relationship between human energy fields, chakras, and the disease metaphysics. “Part 2: Enhance Your Physical Energy with Healing Gemstones” covers different body systems chapter by chapter, teaching how to use the crystal layouts for healing. She covers the whole body: skeletal, nerves, gut, heart, immune system, skin and hair, and head.

After the main body of the book, McAllister shares 25 pages of the key crystals to use in crystal circuits or grids. Next, she presents a complete glossary of crystal and metaphysical terms and a wonderful index for finding crystals, symptoms, parts of the body, and other topics from the book. The structure of the book and all of these tools make the information so accessible and helpful for the reader.

To test drive the book, I decided to research edema, which is a malady I have struggled with for several years. The index took me to a two-page spread on this symptom. She recommends the use of fluorite. Before using the fluorite crystal, McAllister recommends that you program the crystal with this prayer or invocation:

“I ask the Light (or earth energies), please charge these crystals with the highest positive energy to envelope (full name) with the light of flowing harmony, energetic healing, balance, and alignment at this time. Thank the Light.”1

In addition to healing edema with the grid, McAllister also recommends that you tape a piece of fluorite to the affected body part and sleep with the crystal.

I also learned to use a clear quartz crystal at my head to “ignite” or begin the healing for my body and to use a smokey quartz crystal as the “exit” crystal.  On the graphic for the healing grid, McAllister uses the letter key that she presented on the flap of the book. (She also lists the crystals on the page to make it even easier for the reader.)  She also advises you where to place each crystal, either on the body, above the body or below the body, or near the feet. 

Later that same day, when my husband remarked about having trouble sleeping, I recommended a crystal layout to him. The crystals included clear quartz, rose quartz, blue kyanite, and smoky quartz. Luckily, I had each of these crystals on hand. Again, the healing protocol was easy to understand and implement and lasted 10 minutes. McAllister recommends doing the healing process weekly for one month for best results.

She also shares a little background on a “positive sleep pattern”2 and how to make other changes in the bedroom or your personal habits to facilitate better sleep.

Everything in the book is shared from a very positive point of view and includes the “energy” of the symptom or illness.  I love this!  For example, she discusses the “energy of allergies,”3 and the “energy of the throat”4. Within this information, McAllister does a great job of explaining how the symptoms originate in the energy field, so you can better understand how to treat and heal the condition. Throughout the book, she also reminds the reader to check with a doctor or medical professional before proceeding or if you have questions about your malady.

One of the things I really like about this book is that McAllister utilizes fairly common crystals. As I glanced down the list of crystals recommended for the crystal grids there were only two that I did not have on hand and both will be very easy to obtain in a local crystal shop or online with Etsy.

Along with the grids or circuits, which are presented with line art and the crystal keys mentioned earlier, McAllister includes photos of people with the crystals placed on the body. She also includes “holistic tips”5, such as one explaining how to do scalp massage with oil for thinning hair.  This is in addition to the crystal grid she recommends for thinning hair.

Crystal Body Grids is one of the best books on crystal healing that I have seen (and I have about twenty other books in my library). McAllister’s book would be great for a novice wanting to learn how to work with crystals, as well as someone like me with years of experience. The book is easy to read and in case someone doesn’t understand a concept or metaphysical term, McAllister includes a great glossary. Because the book is structured for easy navigation and includes common crystals, it will serve anyone wanting to work with crystals and gemstones for healing on all levels of the mind, body, and spirit.

The Stained Glass Tarot, by James Edward

The Stained Glass Tarot: An Illuminated Journey through the Cards, by James Edward
Destiny Books, 9798888500828, 336 pages, 78 cards, 2024

In this beautiful deck, The Stained Glass Tarot: An Illuminated Journey through the Cards, creator James Edward presents 78 stunning cards filled with rich imagery and breathtaking stained glass images. Calling on the artwork from stained glass found around the world in churches, cathedrals, and other places dedicated to the sacred, Edward accents the cards in black and gold.

Each card features at least one stained glass window, which is usually the backdrop. The 9 of Cups has 13 stained glass windows! It is truly amazing how he creates each card as a masterpiece, with rich jewel tones and rays of light that shine through his creations. 

The Stained Glass Tarot presents a guidebook that shares Edward’s inspiration for the deck, how to use the deck, and numerous ideas for spreads. Next, he includes a brief history of tarot and how tarot blends with astrology, numerology, and alchemy. He also touches on Carl Jung and how the Swiss psychologist used tarot for “self-discovery and personal growth.”6

In the back of the book, Edward provides a list of books on tarot for further information. My favorite on this list is The Devil’s Playbook: The Complete Guide to Tarot Cards by Paul Huson!

Edward explains that when he was taken to church as a child, he would sit and watch “the bright morning light that shone through the glass, dyeing my skin and endlessly enchanting my vision.”7 He further notes:

“I have tested my response to stained glass numerous times and have confirmed that anytime I am in the presence of stained glass, I experience the same feelings — wonder, awe and peace.”8

In addition to the daunting task of creating the stained glass inspired artwork for each card, Edward also gave himself the challenge to write a poem about the major arcana, the minor arcana, and every other card in the 78-card deck! He also includes key words for each card.  For the major arcana, Edward presents the following for each card within the guidebook:

• Poem to capture the elements of the card’s energy
• Card Upright meaning
• Card Reversed meaning
• Astrological meaning
• Obscure meaning
• Jungian interpretation
• Card meanings for each of these situations:

  • Love and relationships
  • Health and well-being
  • Money and careers
  • Spirituality and spiritual development
  • Seeking clarity
  • Answer to:  How is my past affecting my present?
  • Ancestral influence
  • Unknown or hidden influence

For the 56 cards of the minor arcana, Edward devotes eight pages to a study of the suits and extensive information about each one. Next, he shares two to three pages on each card, starting with a poem about the main themes. Then he presents basic meanings for both upright and reversed positions and key words.

To test drive the deck, I pulled a card for my daily card draw. I asked for guidance regarding some goals I recently set. I drew the Star card. What a magical card! In Edward’s deck, this card shows a woman holding a star and accented by stars. She appears to wear a halo and has on medieval dress, complete with what appears to be armor on her shoulders. She is pensive, but hopeful. In the guidebook, Edward shares:

“It indicates that, after a period of darkness or uncertainty, one can have faith in the future and look forward to brighter possibilities. . . In an upright position, the querent will see a clearer picture of the path they must take to resolve their situation or overcome their problem.  . .  moving forward with a renewed sense of hope and inspiration.9

I also did a reading for one of my friends and pulled the Knight of Pentacles card. I shared that this card revealed a message about stepping back and reviewing her progress. There might be a need to be more flexible, also. My friend almost started crying. She told me about a difficult situation at work and that this short message was the guidance she needed to keep going.

The cards are a nice size, at 3” X 5” and feature rounded corners and a white border. The cards are printed on a light card stock, so time will tell how it holds up with shuffling. The back of the cards highlights a beautiful stained glass window, with a round central design and an eight-pointed star. The front of the box honors the artwork from the Magician card. The box includes a magnetic flap, two indented areas for the cards and ample room for the guidebook. 

This deck would be great for any level of tarot reader, including a beginner.  Due to the tarot history and “how to” section, as well as the guidance for each card, a novice would really benefit from practicing with this deck. The poems are a very nice addition to the guidebook, as each poem gives hints to the energy of the card and the rhyming stanzas give the brain something interesting to read, enjoy and retain.

I plan to keep The Stained Glass Tarot on hand for client readings. The extensive guidance will make a nice addition to my readings and the beautiful cards are an extra bonus. I really love this deck!

About the Author

James Edward has more than 20 years of experience in witchcraft, animism and other areas of the occult. He follows the symbology of the Rider-Waite tradition in creating this deck. As a chemist by day who works with a chemical company, Edward also enjoys house remodeling, cooking, and adding to his Tamagotchi collection. He currently enjoys his many cats and his home in southeastern Texas.

The Oracle of Awakening, by Lalania Simone

The Oracle of Awakening, by Lalania Simone
Weiser Books, 9781578638628, 112 pages, 44 cards, October 2024

In stunning The Oracle of the Awakening, the creator Lalania Simone has gifted the world with her guidance, her art, and her magic. From the first time you look at the box cover and its purple foil accents, you know that something special is inside.

Lalania Simone is an indigenous artist, metalsmith, author and creator of tarot and oracle decks.  She has written a book called Urban Soul Warrior: Self-mastery in the Midst of the Metropolis and created two tarot decks.  She currently runs a spiritual boutique called Alchemy Ritual Goods. In this shop she and her partner provide acupuncture/herbs, traditional spiritual healing practices, Usui Reiki, and several types of divination. Simone also creates custom jewelry pieces. You can learn more about Simone on her website.

The guidebook features an introduction which shares:

“The Oracle of awakening was created with the intention of bringing the energy of unconditional love to each person who works with these cards.”10

Simone features a combination of digital art and collage “filled with high-frequency energy and intention.”11 She shares a simple section on using the cards and two spreads. I really liked the spread called “Inner Alignment.”  With four cards, you can get clarity around these key questions:

  1. What do you need to balance? 
  2. What do you need to accept? 
  3. What do you need to release? 
  4. Message advice from spirit.

The guidebook is printed in black and white with a thumbnail and two to three pages of guidance for each card.  Simone includes a one sentence summary of the overall message of the card, key words, and then shares guidance. Some cards include a clearing exercise, while others feature a practice or meditation that compliments the guidance. She also shares an affirmation for many of the cards.

The cards and guidebook are encased in a sturdy box with purple metallic stamping for the type and a beautiful, lacy dragonfly. The cards are a nice weight for shuffling and are a standard oracle deck size at 4 X 5.5”. The colors of the cards are designed with vibrant jewel tones and purple metallic edges.

A variety of plants, people, animals, and symbols fill the cards from Simone’s rich heritage. In addition to her mother’s Mexican history and her father’s Puerto Rican roots, Simone can trace her family back to fifteen different regions of the globe.

To test the deck, I pulled cards for myself each day for three days. It was amazing how the guidance from the guidebook spoke to me. Also, the images on the photos evoked memories or feelings from my past and gave me a way to peel back the layers of feelings and receive healing.

For example, the first day, I pulled the card “Download.”  The woman featured on the card really spoke to me, reminding me of my younger self. The guidance reminded me that the Universe is always guiding me, sending me signs and messages. Lately, I’ve become a little jaded and perhaps not as open to guidance from my own team. This card was the wake up call I needed!

Next, I shared the deck with my friends at my Coffee & Cards group.  One friend pulled the “Fierce-Stand in Your Power” card and said right away that it really resonated with her. “This card for whatever reason has reminded and rekindled the fierce side of me that I can tap into!”

Another friend drew the “Clearing” card, which suggested taking time to “purify, refresh and fortify.”  She shared: “Perfect guidance for the situation I had in mind when I chose the card. Sometimes we need to be reminded to clear negativity instead of feeding it. Was just the validation that I needed.”

And a third friend pulled the card entitled “Gentleness,” which featured the key words “compassion, kindness and soft.” Not only did she love the message she received, but she had this to say about the deck:

“I feel this deck is not only a perfect fit for those who are initially awakening to their intuitive abilities, but also for those who are attuning and integrating the expansion of their intuitive abilities. These cards are so beautiful and are energetically radiant with a centered calm for the inner turmoil and chaos.”

I agree totally with my friend on that note!  As you glance through the deck, you see beautiful images, including flowers, exotic animals, and unusual fruit or plants, not to mention the strong women from many different cultures. Each image evokes a memory or a desire to learn more about the symbol or feeling that floats in.

The Oracle of Awakening would be great for anyone who loves and uses an oracle deck for daily divination. The warm, bright colors are so beautiful and life affirming. The symbolism is rich and multi-layered.  I plan to keep this deck on hand to use as a way to close readings that I do for clients. I’ll also put it in my bag for my Friday group, due to the great response from my friends.

Shamanic Star Wisdom Oracle, by Lisa Biritz

Shamanic Star Wisdom Oracle, by Lisa Biritz and illustrated by Petra Kühne
Earthdancer Books, 9798888501214, 112 pages, 44 cards, September 2024

With her oracle card deck, Shamanic Star Wisdom Oracle, Lisa Biritz has captured concepts and guidance from many of the cultures around the world and the cosmos. This deck is bright and light and carries healing wisdom for life here on earth.

Lisa Biritz, born in Amsterdam and raised in the US and Europe, studied journalism in Boston and built a successful career writing and editing magazines. She has written two books, created two oracle decks, and continues to enjoy writing. While in college, she delved into shamanism, Mayan wisdom, Buddhism, and Hawaiian Huna, and she is also trained in Reiki, Ho’oponopono, shiatsu, and yoga. Passionate about the ocean and dolphins, she has spoken at the UN about their significance and takes people on transformative journeys with marine life in Hawaii, where she lives with her family, dividing her time between Hawaii and Europe.

As a small child, illustrator Petra Kühne started capturing the beauty of nature through her paintings. After studying sociology, she worked for a publishing house, illustrating cards for Chuck Spezzano’s works and later creating the Oracle of the Birds card deck. Now a full-time freelance illustrator living in Germany, Kühne views her imaginative and spiritual artwork as a way to share inner, archetypical realities with the world.

What attracted me to this deck was the cover art, which features a priestess or shaman communing with our galaxy of planets and stars. Who among us has ever looked to the heavens for answers? Our ancient ancestors knew that our origins lie in the stars. This card set, based on ancient shamanic traditions, was created to assist you in discovering insights into your cosmic connections.11

In her introduction, Biritz gives the reader information on many of the indigenous people, including those from Hawaii, Australia, Ireland and Greece. She briefly discussed human DNA and how that might tie-in with other life forms from our solar system. Biritz invites you to learn more about yourself and our entire universe. She covers various star systems such as Pleiades, Sirius, Orion and Andromeda. She also includes notes about the Hopi, the Maya and shamanic wisdom.

I found it interesting that she included many of the “so called ‘negative aliens’”12.  She talks about how people are afraid of these beings and provides information on how to protect yourself from their dark energies. She also discusses implants and how to free yourself.

 Biritz includes two different ways to work with the cards, from selecting a card for the day to pulling out 14 special cards that represent the 14 star groups and working only with those cards. Within the section that includes the card guidance, Biritz shares background on the star being or cosmic or spiritual aspect reflected on the card, as well as an exercise for working with the energy of the card’s focal point.

For some cards, Biritz includes a special section for helping the reader ascertain if they might be one of the star beings featured. For example, for the card called “Andromedans,” she has a section called “How to tell if you are an Andromedan starseed.”13 Here, she lists qualities or life experiences that may mean that you are aligned with the energy of the given star being.

On another card called “Happiness and Joy,” the author shares “How to bring happiness into your life.”14 For each card, Biritz provides what she calls an “Exercise,” which is peaceful, soothing verbiage that you can record and playback for a relaxing meditation.

For example, I drew the card “DNA Stimulation.” I recorded the exercise and then stepped out onto my patio to enjoy a few quiet moments.  The meditation invited me to relax my body and my brain and then ask my brain “to stimulate and activate the dormant DNA in your body.”15 After I finished the meditation, I sat for a while and listened to the birds and felt the cool breeze on my face.  It was exhilarating!

Kühne’s illustrations are galactic, cosmic and truly out of this world. The star beings are depicted as sweet, loving creatures in vivid, rich colors. I connected with many of the images and especially loved the artwork for “Star Child Awakening” and “Happiness and Joy”.

The cards are the standard size for oracle cards at 4” X 5.5” and come with the same size guidebook in a nice sturdy box. The cards are a nice weight and shuffle easily.

I shared the cards with my weekly card group and one friend drew the “Angels” card.  She said that the message really resonated for her, as she has spent the last few weeks getting her son ready to go off to college.

“I’ve called on my angels several times for support. This card really resonates with me, because it’s confirmation that they are really here to help me during this time.”

Another friend drew the card “Cleansing External Energies.” She related that she loved the message, which was a reminder to cleanse her energy after being out in public with a lot of people. She also said that she had been taking more baths lately and now she knew why. She took a photo of the exercise, which included a visualization of cleansing with water, when getting to a bathtub or shower is impractical at that moment.

Shamanic Star Wisdom Oracle would be perfect for anyone who is interested in learning more about beings in our galaxy and beyond. I plan to keep the deck close by for working with clients who have an interest in claiming their heritage as a certain type of starseed or star being.

Shadow Work for the Soul, by Mary Mueller Shutan

Shadow Work for the Soul: Seeing Beauty in the Dark, by Mary Mueller Shutan
Findhorn Press, 9798888500149, 288 pages, April 2024

Mary Mueller Shutan has written a comprehensive guide to the shadow and how to honor it for healing and transformation. Shadow Work for the Soul: Seeing Beauty in the Dark combines information, tools, and quotes from writers and thought leaders, both past and present, to not only explain how to identity, but also to reclaim and integrate shadow aspects.

“By the time we reach adulthood, much of our authentic self is shadow, and we no longer feel vibrant and enthusiastic about life. Yet the shadow is composed not only of the trauma and darkness we have experienced but also the light we have yet to absorb.”16

As a teacher and healer who is trained in Chinese medicine, somatic bodywork and energy work, Shutan began her work as a massage therapist. She went on to study Reiki, Thai bodywork, CranioSacral Therapy, and Chinese Medicine. Her training also includes acupuncture and herbal medicine.  In 2016, she closed her in-person practice and began to focus on distance healing, teaching, and writing. Shutan offers online classes and has written three other books, as well as her blogs. Read more about Shutan on her website.

After an introduction, in which the author uses the analogy of a lake to explain the shadow, Shutan dives into her four-part work:

“Part 1: Meeting the Shadow”
“Part 2: Working with the Shadow”
“Part 3: Collective Shadows”
“Part 4: Embracing the Other: Essays & Contradictions”

Within the 25 chapters of this book, Shutan presents the shadow, explains how to work with the shadow, shares her ideas on the collective shadow and closes with a series of essays regarding how we project our shadow parts.

Throughout the book, the author shares stories, myths, and analogies to help us better understand our shadow aspects. For example, she shares the story of the “Princess and the Dragon” to explain how we often become divided when faced with repeated trauma. One part of us is the “inner child” and the other part is the “fierce protector”, which is mythologically represented by the “princess and the dragon”. While part of us feels small and powerless, another part appears to be a type of protector. She writes, “This protector often shields itself by claiming superiority.”17

Shutan includes many healing tools for a type of self-directed healing process for shadow work. One of my favorite tools is called “Sitting with Emotions.”18 Here is one example of how to sit with grief:

“OK grief, “Let us have 5 minutes together.” Then allow yourself to feel. Keep good boundaries with yourself. It is not necessary to go overboard, which can sometimes be cathartic, but at other times be exhausting and unnecessary.

When you are finished sitting with your emotion, be sure to thank the emotion: “Thank you, grief, for processing a handful of grief with me.””19

She also includes another, longer meditative process for processing emotions that may be more “entrenched”20. In another section, she suggests that when a trigger arises, ask yourself, “What age am I?”21 This question can help us to gauge whether our reaction is current or from childhood.

Another helpful tool includes “questioning if your actions or thoughts are causing you to feel superior or inferior to someone else.”22 Shutan goes on to say that by catching ourselves in these situations, we can begin to stop the competitive judging of other people.

I also enjoyed learning the “Saying Something Nice”23 tool. When you find yourself triggered by someone or their actions, quickly find three things about that person that you like.  The author advises that over time, this tool will help us integrate shadow aspects and “you will find that what you see reflected in the other person changes.”24 Finally, as we “notice the positive qualities in others, we are more open to seeing positive qualities within ourselves.”25

One of the longer chapters deals with the concept of “Loops.”  With the tools in this chapter, you can begin to recognize repeating patterns, conversations and reactions. Shutan explains that these loops begin in childhood, many of which are established when we are preverbal. The steps to breaking down and healing these loops begins with awareness and asking this question: “But what happens before that?”26 Her example is a person who has a migraine.  The process involves dissecting everything that happened BEFORE the migraine, to see what triggered it, which is often more than one thing.

Shutan’s writing is easy to read and well structured. I like the fact that she includes the name of the section or part on the top left-hand page and the chapter title on the top right-hand page.  This makes navigation easy. She also includes a section of book titles for further reading.  

Shadow Work for the Soul would be great for anyone who is currently struggling with triggers, projections, or patterns that keep repeating in their lives. I plan to revisit many of the tools Shutan includes and keep it on hand to share with clients and friends. As she says in the foreword:

“The purpose of shadow work is not to become beings of light, but to revel in the dark. We can become a fully human being– accepting and allowing every aspect of ourselves to become a part of us again. Without our darkness we are only half a person, living a half-lived life. Our darkness is where our passions lie. . . By doing shadow work we can release the primal shame of the body and embrace ourselves exactly as we are.”27

Your Dream Handbook, by Marc J. Gian

Your Dream Handbook: Unlock the Meaning of Your Dreams to Change Your Life, by Marc J. Gian
CICO Books, 9781800653399, 144 pages, June 2024

Author Marc. J. Gian shares his “dream toolbox” with readers in his book entitled Your Dream Handbook: Unlock the Meaning of Your Dreams to Change Your Life. I love that he is offering to support us as we “prepare for dreaming, remember dreams more easily, use a dream journal, and unlock your dream images to change your waking hours for the better.”1 What draws me to this book is the opportunity to learn about my recurring dreams and transform this information into guidance for my life. 

Gian is a massage therapist, licensed acupuncturist and teacher, who has been in practice for more than 25 years. He works with clients in Manhattan and Brooklyn, utilizing massage, acupuncture, essential oils, Chinese medicine, and hypnosis. He also teaches classes on dreams and aromatherapy at the New York Open Center and other venues. For more information about Gian, check out his website.

Gian breaks the book into five chapters:

  1. “Foundations for working with night dreams”
  2. “Your dream toolbox: Getting ready to dream”
  3. “Waking from the dream and mining the diamond”
  4. “Challenging dreams”
  5. “Waking life as a dream”

On the first page of each chapter, he also shares section titles and the respective page numbers for the information he will cover. At the bottom of the left-hand page Gian features the chapter title and on the right-hand page he lists the section title. This is so helpful!!!

In his brief introduction, Gian shares:

“This book is about using your dreams to achieve self-mastery and walk the path of truth. It outlines the integrated mental tools in specific mind body principles that are needed to immerse yourself in the pictorial language of dreams.”22

Gian provides lots of exercises for the dreamer, including many meditations for dreamwork. Gian covers common themes, as well as therapeutic steps you can take to read a dream or change a dream. For example, he shares how to write down your dream, ask three basic questions and then follow up with more questions regarding the elements in the dream. He also shares how important it is to work with just a “blip”24 of a dream and not discount its importance.

It is important to note that Gian cautions against analyzing dreams:

“Throughout this book I have been careful not to use the word “analyze.” Dreams are real and happen of their own accord. When we dream, we are not analyzing waking life. When we wake and read the dream receptively, we are not analyzing the dream, we are seeing analogies in waking life.”25

My favorite section is the one on nightmares. Gian provides a thorough explanation of nightmares and explains that these usually come “in order to alert you.”28 He also talks about night terrors and the difference between the two. Did you know that it is totally possible to transform our nightmares? I particularly love Gian’s wisdom on this:

“In order to disown something, first you need to own it, instead of stuffing it down…. Once you have discovered the meaning of the dream, corrected it, and created a new blueprint, it is likely the feelings associated with the dream will no longer be present.”29

I really enjoyed the list of numbers and potential meanings. For example, twelve may mean “wisdom or discernment”30, while nineteen may represent “grace”31. I also enjoyed the list of colors and their meanings, such as pale blue representing “detachment”, or “shiny black” referencing “rebirth, life, transcendence.”32

In addition to dreams and dreaming, Gian also shares exercise or meditations that can help in our waking life, such as one that can help you to reframe your day. With his six-step process, you can “examine your entire day in reverse” and prevent stuffing emotions and allow yourself to release “feelings of frustration, anger and resentment.”33 I’ve recorded this meditation to use later this week to let go of a busy or problematic day.

The book is accented by beautiful, four-color art that captures dream images, as well as aspects of daily life. Gain also peppers the prose with quotes from mentors and spiritual masters. At the end of the book, he includes four pages on the different types of dreams, an eight-page dream journal, a three-page index and a short list for additional reading on dreams and spirituality. Although I don’t like to write in my books, I can see myself copying the colorful journal pages and using them for my own dream work.

The book features a heavy, card-stock cover with fold-over pieces, so that you can mark your reading progress in the book. Gian’s prose is easy to read, easy to navigate and easy to retrace for information you want to review. I can tell that Gian carefully planned out the structure and layout of this book with the reader in mind.

Your Dream Handbook will be great for anyone who is interested in learning more about their dreams and how the information can add meaning to their waking life.  It will make a nice gift for anyone from a high school or college graduate to an adult who is searching for answers to the dreams that sometimes keep us up at night. I plan to recommend this book to clients and friends alike.

The Privilege of Aging, by Kamla Kapur

The Privilege of Aging: Savoring the Fullness of Life, by Kamla K. Kapur
Park Street Press, 9798888500521, 256 pages, July 2024

In this chronicle of her journey with aging, Kamla K. Kapur shares wisdom and tips for aging  in a way that is both graceful and life-affirming and is also a gift to those left behind. Much of The Privilege of Aging deals with Kapur’s own life adventures, and she highlights the lessons for us as we read her beautiful prose. 

Kamla K. Kapur was born in India and traveled to America for her university studies at Kent State, the University of Iowa, and UC San Diego. She was a professor at Grossmont College in San Diego, teaching creative writing for plays, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Her publications include short stories, poems, plays, and several books. One of her seven other books is a retelling of Rumi’s tales in her own beautiful language. Three of her plays have been staged in both California and New York. She shares her life with her husband Payson R. Stevens, spending six months in California and six months in the Himalayas each year.  You may read more of Kapur’s writings on her blog or learn more about her on her website.

This book includes 34 chapters and a preface that sets out the main ideas in this chronicle of aging. Although it appears that the book has no real structure, no true beginning, and no real ending, the book flows naturally. With each chapter, Kapur peels back the layers of her story, revealing life lessons that will touch, entertain, and teach us all.  She sprinkles in quotes from famous authors, poets, and other famous people.

These are my favorite lines from the preface:

“One of the greatest gifts of aging is slowing down the pace. It allows us to experience and taste life fully with awareness, attention, senses and mind awake. For this we need time and we have it, Hallelujah. Going slowly is also imperative to avoid injuries and accidents. . . . I know the joys of slowing down, for most among them doing just one thing at a time and doing it with attention.”1

What interests me most about the book are the topics she explores, such as growing old with your partner, enjoying simple pleasures like birds in the yard, and dealing with the deaths of parents and siblings. As someone who is looking at her 70th birthday in a few months, aging is now very real to me!  I learned something from every story and every chapter from Kapur’s pen.

She writes as if we are sitting together, she sipping her chai and me enjoying my latte. The stories flow easily and effortlessly off the page. I can feel her presence, her warmth, and her compassion for me as a fellow traveler.  

My favorite chapter is the one entitled “Letting Go,” in which she shares the loss of her beloved sister to cancer. In it she talks of death and grief and the ego’s denial of our own mortality. Such a beautiful and troubling chapter–one I have read and reread more than a few times:

“I go for a walk in the gray darkness of a lustrousless dawn. The flowers blooming cheekily in people’s well tended front gardens are an affront to my suffering. Beauty lies dead and dying around me. I see a heron’s white wings glimmering in the budding blue and gold light of morning.I think, I will use the color of my suffering as I weave my book.”2

I also enjoyed the chapter “Corona Cocoon” in which Kapur shares a time she suffered a “crisis of faith.”31 Her husband supports and encourages her, as he helps her focus on gratitude and her many blessings. Then, as the Covid-19 lockdown is about to begin, they pack and begin driving down the snowy Himalayan mountain in order to board a plane and fly to their other home in San Diego:

“For almost an hour we drove in a snow flurry with large, wet snowflakes lashing our windows. P loved the snow so much he stopped many times to film it. As if one can capture a snowflake. It is a lesson I am only just beginning to learn while knowing full well that I will never learn it fully. Capturing this ever evolving story, which moves on even as I write, is yet another attempt to capture a snowflake.”32

The Privilege of Aging is great for anyone past mid-life. I enjoyed Kapur’s stories and her journey so very much and her sweet prose was like soft music, almost like bells tinkling softly in another room.  This book will make a great gift for anyone staring down a BIG birthday on the far side of 50. I plan to keep my copy on my nightstand and turn to it before sleep on those nights that I feel rudderless and adrift. Her last bit of prose on the last page encourages and emboldens me on my own journey:

“The word, concept, image of adventure has served me well as a survival tool. Only my perspective will be changed by planetary events and our changed circumstances. What is old age but the opportunity to experience yourself and life from another perspective?”34

The Mindful Medium, by Alison Grey

The Mindful Medium: A Practical Guide to Spirituality, by Alison Grey
6th Books, 9781803412658, 248 pages, March 2024

In her book The Mindful Medium, author Alison Grey shares “an inspiring, practical guide for awakening”1 as she relays her journey to becoming a psychic medium, spiritual teacher, and healer.

Grey has been a professional reader for over 14 years and also hosts a weekly spiritual development circle in her area and online. As part of her spiritual training, she has studied reiki, meditation, mental health awareness, crystal healing, Moonology and past life regression, as well as mediumship with several mentors. 

As a twenty-year experienced teacher in primary school and children with special needs, She has also created Calmer-Kids, which is a program for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Grey lives in Cotswolds, UK with her husband and four sons.  You can learn more about Alison, her background and the services she offers on her website.

I was interested in this book because Alison’s journey and training are similar to my own. I was excited to learn more about her and the helpful tips she has to share for living life as a spiritual being.

The book is divided into three parts and thirty-two, easy-to-read chapters: “Part 1: Welcome” (where Grey shares her story), “Part 2: Understanding Spirituality” (where she provides tips, tools and practices), and “Part 3: Mindfulness Approach” (where you learn about her Calmer-Kids Program and how to use mindfulness to navigate your life).

Grey begins the book by sharing the story of her awakening, including some experiences she had as a young girl and well as this passage:

“Being pregnant stirred up my sensitive side, my senses became extra heightened, and I started to get my ‘funny feelings’ of floating again. . .  After my second son was born, images repetitively flashed into my mind. I could see flashes of people I knew were in the spirit world and images of things connected to them.”35

Although she went to see a medium who confirmed that Grey had her own spiritual gifts, she didn’t begin her spiritual training at that time. Later, she began to attend a healing circle with her aunt and learn how to channel healing for other people. After becoming a reiki master, Rahanni teacher, and reiki drum practitioner, Grey began to study crystals.  Lastly, she found a mediumship circle and she and her aunt attended it weekly to develop their psychic skills. 

In “Part 2”, Grey shares many of the tools, practices and resources a person needs to live as a spiritual being.  She covers guides, tarot, healing modalities, numerology, angel numbers, the moon, and past lives, among other topics. I particularly enjoyed the two chapters “Understanding Crystals” and “What Are the Chakras?”. Her explanation of how crystals work is one of the most clear and succinct I’ve ever read:

“This is because crystals have a physical, balancing effect as they realign atoms in our body. The energy our Earth puts into the creation of crystals transforms into power for healing properties. Holding one of these gifts of nature, allowing it to resonate with our own energies, allows it to assist us in our healing.”36

The chapter on chakras is the longest chapter in the book because Grey goes into such great detail. She talks about each of the seven chakras, crystals for each, crystal grids for healing and how to use a pendulum for checking and balancing the body’s energy system. Grey also discussed how to treat the chakras for animals and use crystals to heal plants! 

In the chapter called “The Afterlife,” Grey shares what she has been shown about life after death and includes a very personal story about the loss of her unborn child.  She also touches on suicide and those who die relatively early in life, including two personal accounts. Here’s what she shares about suicide:

“I also believe that there is much learning for the families who are left behind and not only emotionally, but I’ve also heard amazing stories of charities which are formed to raise awareness of people with mental health issues, and this is a good thing which grows from tragedy. There is a higher purpose and the beautiful soul agreed to be that soul who leaves Earth too soon.”37

In “Part 3”, Grey presents the idea of The Mindfulness Approach and talks extensively about meditation, affirmations, prayer and her program Calmer-Kids. This process for teaching children mindfulness techniques came out of her work as a teacher for young children:

“With my carefully designed programme, it offered children the chance to breathe, take time out and build a relationship with themselves, bringing back self-choice and ultimately begin to understand themselves better. . . The goal is for children to be able to apply learnt strategies for coping with stressful situations, to learn about themselves, begin to live their life and become confident.38

In this part of the book, she also goes into much more detail on meditation.  She has included several guided meditations within her book and my favorite one is called “Breathing Technique,” which is found on page 190-191. This meditation helps the reader to be present and connect fully with their body.

Next, Grey presents a chapter called “Putting it All Together-The Mindful Medium” where she discusses life, life’s challenges, and provides a simple grounding exercise.  She adds a few pages of FAQs, where she covers topics that were not discussed earlier in the book.  Lastly, she adds her “Final Thoughts,” including a beautiful poem about time and freedom.

My favorite chapter in the book was Chapter 26 called “Colour Therapy.” She presents nine colors and the energy or qualities of each color. Her meditation called “The Healing Ocean” is another favorite of mine. This guided meditation brings in all the colors of the rainbow, as you use the imagery of the ocean to cleanse your energy.

I really enjoyed The Mindful Medium. It is beautifully written and is a great resource for spiritual teachers and students alike. Someone who is new to studying spirituality, mediumship, or meditation will especially benefit from the wealth of knowledge that Grey shares. I plan to recommend it to clients for whom I do readings and those who come to me to develop their spiritual gifts. I will also pass it on to my husband, who is a psychic medium. He loves to read about other professionals and learn about their journeys. 

Grey ends the book with a beautiful poem, and I’ll share the part which really resonates with me:

“We are one,
From source. 

Feel our hearts beat simultaneously,
Sense our rhythm,
The flow of life. 

Allow our voice to speak
Express how we feel
Never doubt the reason. 

Be free.
Be determined.
Be love.”39

The Jolanda Witch Tarot, by Rosie Bjorkman

The Jolanda Witch Tarot: The Healing Art of Magic, by Rosie Bjorkman and illustrated by Hans Arnold
Findhorn Press, 979888500668, 78 cards, 400 pages, July 2024

I really enjoyed getting to know and working with The Jolanda Witch Tarot by Rosie Bjorkman and Hans Arnold. The symbolism is like the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, although the illustrations are charged with whimsy and fantasy. The guidebook is full of great wisdom, spiritual healing tips, and information on reversals, as well. 

Rosie Bjorkman is a Swedish woman who originally published this deck in Swedish  in 1997. Later, she began to translate the cards and text into English and worked with two different editors to perfect the language. Bjorkman is very well known in Sweden as “Jolanda the Witch” and loves to give tarot readings, workshops, and lectures. She has studied with several Native American tribes in America and a shaman in Siberia. She has also written a book on Shamanism, which is currently only available in Swedish. As a leading expert in “occultism and spirituality,” Bjorkman has also been a kundalini yoga practitioner for over 30 years. She currently lives in Solna, Sweden. You can learn more about Bjorkman on her website.

Hans Arnold (1925-2010) was a gifted artist and illustrator who is well known for his art that blends horror with fantasy and bright colors. Arnold was born in Sursee, Switzerland and moved to Sweden in the 1940’s. He illustrated fairy tales and articles, becoming a favorite in the science fiction community. I was interested to learn the source of this fantastical art that often depicts monsters and found this explanation on a website about Arnold:

“The horror illustrations are said to come from his way of conjuring his own fears. For God, the confinement and childhood in Sursee. It all started when Hans Arnold was a little schoolboy. He then met his first monsters in the form of his teachers at a very strict school. These memories were therefore carried with them later in life.”37

You may be interested to learn that Arnold also illustrated the Greatest Hits album for the Swedish Group ABBA.  For more information and to see examples of his art, visit his website.

The Jolanda Witch Tarot is a standard tarot deck of 78 cards with Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards. However, there is nothing standard about this deck. By working with Bjorkman, Arnold has created quirky, colorful illustrations of archetypal characters, animal guides, and other symbols from witchcraft and shamanic traditions.

Animal guides is a very general term that encompasses sea creatures, insects, dragons, reptiles, birds, and some mythical creatures from Arnold’s own imagination! For example, the 8 of Swords features eight hornets bearing down on a small family and it is a truly frightening image! The rest of the Swords illustrations feature real swords on each card.

The Wands appear as tree branches, carved totem poles, candles, columns, and other images.  The cups are the same across all cards, while the coins feature many different images or symbols on the coin faces. Minor Arcana cards feature the standard card line-up, except that Page is replaced by Princess and Knight is replaced by Prince.

Within the guidebook, Bjorkman includes astrological signs and/or planets that correspond to each Major Arcana card, as well as a Goddess for most of these cards. Key words are shown for every card in the deck. She includes what she calls “four subsections with the following titles: Herstory, The Art of Magic, Medicine for the Soul and Imagination … In Magic Nation.”40 Bjorkman also weaves in a personal story for some of the Major Arcana cards. For the Minor Arcana, the wisdom is similar, although the sections are shorter. Most of the pip cards include a focal word printed on the card.

I took the deck to my Friday Coffee & Cards group and the ladies loved it!  Several remarked about how the fun and whimsical illustrations softened the blow of the often hard-hitting guidance. One friend wrote to me during the next week and shared how the Sun and Moon Meditation for the 9 of Wands really helped her to “lie low for a while”41 and await a solution to a current situation in her life.  Another friend loved the detailed guidebook and took photos of several card entries.

I utilized the deck for a three-card reading for myself and drew these cards:

  • 9 Wands – Reversed
  • 8 Swords
  • Princess Coins – Reversed

Using Bjorkman’s beautiful guidance as a framework, I created the following journal prompts and affirmations for my personal reading:

How am I NOT using my strengths nor acting on ideas for my business? How am I distracting myself? 

I am relaxing into my success by changing distracting thoughts and focusing on my strengths. I am in the perfect position for this next chapter of my life!

This deck is an average size and is just a little larger than I like for shuffling with my small hands.  The cards are printed on nice cardstock that will stand up to repeated use. The cards and guidebook come inside a heavy-duty box with a fold over, magnetic flap. Bjorkman includes a table of contents with page numbers for each card, an introduction to the cards, a note about her own magical practices and information on how the book is structured. She also includes a Bibliography of books and online references.

My favorite card in the deck is the 9 of Wands. It features a female archer on the back of a horse who is jumping over nine animal totems. She is poised ready to shoot one arrow, while her quiver holds an arrow of the sun and one of the moon. I love her confidence and the keyword: Strength. 

Anyone with a basic knowledge of tarot and Rider-Waite-Smith symbolism will enjoy The Jolanda Witch Tarot.  The guidebook is so large and comprehensive that a novice reader may be put off by the sheer amount of information. On the other hand, a new reader could easily use this as a type of “tarot bible” for studying the myth and lore of the symbols, as well as the stories of the goddesses Bjorkman includes. Anyone interested in Shamanism will also enjoy this deck.  The “medicine,” tips and tools that the creator shares are so helpful to anyone wanting to establish a daily spiritual practice.  Bjorkman leaves us with this affirmation at the end of the guidebook:

“I love and respect myself in all my aspects. Others love me just the way I am, and those who do not love me do not know me!”42

Upside Down Tarot, by Joan Bunning

Upside Down Tarot: How Reversals Add Depth to Your Reading, by Joan Bunning
Red Wheel Weiser, 9781578638420, 176 pages, July 2024

When I saw the book Upside Down Tarot: How Reversals Add Depth to Your Reading by Joan Bunning, I knew I just had to have it. I’ve been reading tarot for about twenty years and was taught to “ignore” reversals by my first two teachers. What could this book teach me?  How could these principles strengthen my own understanding of tarot and bring a new light to my readings? I brought these questions to my review of this book. 

Bunning graduated from Cornell with a degree in social psychology and worked as a computer programmer and bookstore manager before becoming an author and editor. She has written five other books on tarot, including The Big Book of Tarot, which I also have in my library. In 1995, Bunning created a website to teach tarot basics:  www.learntarot.com.  Through the website, she supports thousands of people as they learn tarot. Bunning currently lives in Virginia with her husband.

This book is divided into two parts: “Part One: The Hidden Meaning of Reversals” and “Part Two: Reverse Card Descriptions”.

In her Introduction, Bunning carefully explains a little about the 78 cards in tarot, some of her experiences reading tarot, and her approach to reversed cards. She discusses the “energies” in reverse cards. She explains that these energies can be “absent, early phase or late phase.”43 She goes on to explain:

“Upright cards stand for energies that are strong and well developed. They have a clear, active presence…. Reverse cards stand for energies that are absent, weak or undeveloped…. They are not clear and obvious…. An energy does not become its opposite when reversed. A card’s essential nature stays the same no matter what its orientation.”44

This makes so much sense to me!  For years, any teacher I encountered who taught reversals said that a reverse card meant the opposite of the upright card, and I knew on a deep level that this was just not true! Bunning says that when we understand the “energy phase,”45 we can better interpret or intuit the meaning of a reversed card within a spread.

The best clue to identifying the energy phase will come from an awareness of timing. A reversed card is in the early phase if you haven’t really experienced its energy  yet. It may be new or tied to some upcoming event; a reverse card is late if you’ve already experienced its energy. It has been active in the situation in a way you can easily recognize but is now past. In the next section, she shares examples of both of these phases. 

Bunning also discusses “absent” energy.  “Its level is so low that, to all intents and purposes, it doesn’t exist. . . . The energy may be so new that you can’t perceive it yet.”46 She goes on to share that she is also including information on this “absent” energy for each reversed card, as well. 

Next, Bunning goes into more detail regarding early phase and late phase, including questions to ask to figure out in which phase your reversed card may be found.

“Knowing that energy tends to repeat helps you appreciate the subtle shifts that occur at the reversed card stages.”47

Finally, the author provides seven concrete steps to take to evaluate a reversed card. She follows the description of the steps with an example of a question about a problem at work. Bunning ends this discussion with stating, “These steps offer one way to discover the meaning of a card’s energy. The benefit of a strategy is that it helps you avoid floundering during interpretation.”48  I appreciate that she also adds a note about how this system may seem “analytical.”  However, she adds a reminder that the steps will become routine as you allow your intuition to guide you.

The next section includes two pages on each card in the Major Arcana. There are also black and white drawings of each card for reference. The deck featured is a standard Rider-Waite-Smith deck.  However, the book will complement readings for any deck that uses similar symbology or archetypes. Next, Bunning features commentary on each card in the Minor Arcana.  Some cards include two pages and others include only one page of notes.

Note that each write-up also includes the Upright meanings for each card. From this description, Bunning pulls one to four key words or key phrases, listing them along with the Absent, Early, and Late meanings for each card.  

To give the book a test drive, I devised a spread for learning more about a job offer that a friend of mine was awaiting (She texted me earlier in the day to inquire about this situation). I drew 3 cards for a spread I use often called “Mind, Body, Spirit”.  I drew all 3 cards in reversed placement!  (As my husband always says, “You can’t make up this stuff!”) The cards landed in this order for my spread:

  • Mind:  The Magician – Reversed
  • Body: 4 of Cups – Reversed
  • Spirit: 10 of Wands Reversed

Following along with Bunning’s notes for each card, I created the following reading for my friend:

Your mind wants to “do” something, but you can’t take action right now.  It’s time to withdraw and focus on your inner life. No need to struggle, because at this point, the struggle is with yourself.  Allow your Spirit to guide you and take this time to rest and recharge.

I did a FaceTime with my friend, and she was smiling as I shared the message.  She thanked me for confirming what she was feeling about being patient and waiting on the job offer.

It was interesting to me how the right key words seemed to leap off the page and I knew how to combine the notes for one cohesive reading. 

Bunning’s writing is very easy to read and the book is easy to navigate. After reviewing the introduction and section on the concepts of the three phases of the energy of the cards, I was equipped to use the data for informing my readings. While I initially felt that there was a lot to cover for each card, my real-life experience showed me that when I used my intuition with the notes, the answers came easily.

The book is printed in black and white, including the card graphics. I feel that by using the black and white drawings, the card images take a secondary role and help the reader to remember the cards, rather than overshadow them. I like the fact that Bunning used visuals of Rider-Waite-Smith, which is one of the more widely used tarot decks. 

I recommend Upside Down Tarot for tarot readers of all experience levels.  A new reader will really benefit from the information to support any of their readings that contain reversals. Bunning explains reversals in an easy-to-understand style that takes a lot of the drama out of the equation. And for the more seasoned reader, the notes will add another layer to the guidance that they share. I highly recommend this book for tarot lovers and look forward to using it for my client readings.