In my short 1.85 years here in the UK, one thing I’ve been surprised to learn is how many “alternative types” exist here (a term borrowed from my grandmother). I am aware that they’re part of a growing legion of personal development, spiritual, and healing professionals loosely titled “energy workers.” I’ve met Native American healers in forests outside Tavistock; I’ve heard Shamanic hymns at farms in Exeter; I’ve shared pints with Sound Energy Healers (and their gongs); I’ve had my heart opened over lattes. Somehow, I was still shocked when Amanda Jones told me she was a psychic.
I met Amanda, founder of Radiant Love, at the Plymouth (UK) World Travel Group in Plymouth. I arrived late and found her chilled out, chatting about travel and life while reclining in a plush pub chair. Over the next hour I grew increasingly fond of the animated, blond-haired, and quite possibly less-than 5’ tall British lass. Eventually, something uncanny about her cool energy prompted me to inquire, “What do you do for a living?” She is the type of gal with enough wits to be a company executive and enough creativity to be a professional artist (an idea bolstered by her whimsical outfits). “I’m a psychic,” she replied simply, wide-eyed and lips upturned.
Two weeks later Amanda is on my couch, instructing me to “find my curling up position.” When I gushed with excitement upon learning her calling, she had offered me a reading in exchange for a copy of my book and my writing this story. She is wearing a colorful blue outfit paired with fuzzy blue socks and a pink scarf. She explains that during the reading she is delivered messages by the universe (in so many words). The point of a readings is for both parties to explore the messages, rather than “leave the lessons at face value.” Cool, I think, but what is the face value of a psychic reading…
Most psychic readings are not like a bolt of life-changing information. They are more like a gentle sprinkling of wisdom which helps re-frame the issues being examined. Talking to a psychic reader brings in a different perspective. If someone listens with an open mind, they can see issues in a new way and come up with strategies for dealing with problems. Psychics offer the opportunity for people to understand who they are, what is happening in their lives, and their choices for moving forward.
I recall a conversation I had with my friend, Hannah, the week before Amanda and I met. I asked my friend what the term “energy worker” means to her, she chortles. “Sounds like a new name for a sex worker.” When we’ve finished giggling, I ask Hannah, “But seriously. What does the term ‘psychic’ mean to you?”
Hannah says, “At first I think of the stereotypical image of crystal balls and a woman with her eyes closed, waving her hands over the ball, possibly humming... [giggles]…But really, I think it’s somebody who tries to bring peace and closure to people who actively seek out their services and believe in the lessons. Seeing a psychic is a method of healing and guidance for people who have lost their way.” Then Hannah mumbles, “You know…like a cheaper counselor.”
Sitting with Amanda, it seems to me that she combines Hannah’s perceptions with My Psychic Search’s description, bolstered by her own natural inclinations and academic study. “Although I have experienced premonitions since I was a child, it was relatively recently that I became self-employed in it.” Amanda explains to me that after earning her PhD in Psychology, she struggled to commit to a career as an energy worker and instead took high-paying corporate jobs. Despite doing well, she says, “something was always missing. I can’t deny the fact that I had certain abilities. I can see inside people’s bodies, and I can communicate with animals. I’ve done readings all over the world. And I’ve never had to market myself. When I need business, I just pray, and people seem to find me. I’m a Buddhist and Shaman.” She goes on to explain, “Today I just consider myself a radio for the universe. I’m not a medium because I don’t call on the dead. I also don’t analyze other people; I draw a moral boundary there; I don’t think its right to read other people without their knowledge and approval. I don’t use tarot cards. Rather, I act as an intuitive, a channel between you and the universe. Somehow, I was born with the ability to go to the highest source, to that which is all pervading. I just tune in and tell you what I see.”
And tell she does. Much like the full Zodiac reading I received a few years ago when an energy worker made a CD recording that I could listen to later, Amanda prompts me to record our session on my phone. Within minutes I am glad I do because Amanda is loquacious.
“The best readings happen when my clients interact with me,” she explains. “But if you want, I can simply sit here and talk to you.” I am shocked when she talks for the entire hour in a voice that sounds like a therapist meets a goofy radio talk show host.
She starts by saying, “I’m going to shut my eyes. You can too if you want. I’m just going to tell you what I see. When I am reading I get pictures and feelings. Sometimes it’s very hard for me to explain to you what I’m thinking because I’m actually seeing it. So I might lapse into very descriptive statements where I explain colors and situations. It can take a while to describe.”
Because I came to the meeting prepared with a few questions for the universe, so to speak, I do interact with Amanda conversationally. It looks like this: I ask a question about my life, my spirituality, my past and my future; Amanda re-words it back to me, asking for clarification; when she’s satisfied Amanda then repeats my question to the ether. Sometimes the world gives immediate responses. Sometimes, she sits quietly for a moment. That’s when I practically feel the ground reverberate out the top of her head, her spine an ethereal beacon. Only at one point do I break my eyes-wide-shut vow. It’s when Amanda is hit by some intuition that causes her to jump up. “I see you moving, active, teaching your yoga!” she exclaims. “I feel so much energy. Like, I want to stand up. Can I stand up now? Yes, I think I will. I want to explore this!” Through squinted eyes I watch her jump up, smiling, not in a Pentecostal way but an animated dancing-fairy kind of way. It’s just one instance in my reading when I really believe that Amanda feels something others might not.
And yet, despite Amanda’s radiant foresight about my future, at the end of their meeting, I am feeling scared and drained. Amanda told me things I did not expect, and I am upset to realize that I expected certain things at all. I am seeing Amanda at a time when I struggle for concise decisions to problems that are everything but clear-cut. In a moment of reflection, halfway through our session, I find myself willing Amanda to provide me with some panacea that will lay out my future. Or at least the next six months.
“Most likely, you will have already heard the messages a psychic tells you,” Amanda says. “The power in a reading is that it only speaks what is true in your heart and the universe. It sets you back on the track that is right for you. We all know that path but can lose our clear direction. We cannot deny a truth we already know. The reading speaks that truth.”
The truth is that when Amanda walks out my door I feel confused about my path than before she walked in. She notices my moribund attitude. “In the end, you don’t have to do anything with what I tell you,” Amanda states, offering me a warm hug and loving goodbye.
It wasn’t until the next morning that I intrinsically perceived the impact of Amanda’s reading. Interestingly, I had read this on My Psychic Search: “And, sometimes in the middle of the night, while asleep, a psychic can help a person in need. Their soul can fly to the person…”
It was raining when I awoke, something that usually turns my attitude sour. That morning I loved the rain. I even loved my walk in the rain. I felt light, confident, and energized. The world seemed so much brighter than the grey clouds overhead allowed. Amanda had told me that the focus of her sessions was on healing. What she sees can bring a secondary clarity to her customers. I had rolled my eyes at the time, thinking of Hannah’s crystal ball analogy. That next morning, though, everything that Amanda said, everything Hannah said, everything Google said, everything my own heart said combined in the most positive way. I was no longer afraid of my walk—to work and to my own life—even though I was still unsure of the path it would take. Amanda provided a few signposts to look out for. But more importantly, she reminded me that simply walking the walk, heart-first and with intention, was what the universe most wanted from me.
On that walk, I found a £10 note. And then, I found 20p. It was as if the heavens were raining good fortune on me. Or, was it that I finally took the time to look at the heavens and their waterway-grounded gateways?
You can learn more about Amanda here: http://www.radiantlove.co.uk/
And connect with her on Twitter here: @AJRadiantLove
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