I received a message the other day inquiring about the nature of the work that I do as it relates to other mysterious and mystical practices.  I get a lot of questions like this and It was an interesting dialog so I thought I'd expand on the subject and share it with you.
Q: I was watching a show the other day. It was about wicca and druids. Is physic reading and the other things you do different than that?
A: I don't think there's anything stupid about that question... not many people know how to separate these subjects.
My understanding is the Druids were an ancient culture of pagan priests... Pagans are those who believe in the powers of the earth and elements and call in these powers in rituals and practices.  Pagans are polytheistic (believing in many gods) and do not look to a single founder, scripture or philosophy.  Pagans believe they are one with nature and the elemental forces rather than separate from the divine as in many other spiritual practices.
Wicca is kind of a sub-culture of Pagans... they are regarded as more "witchy" as the practice involves some type of magical ritual.  Wicca is still grounded deeply in using the forces of nature and has a more duotheistic foundation, believing in the mother goddess and father god.
Both belief structures have a kind of religious feel, although they are pretty loose in interpretation and use.  I think they are much more personal spiritual practices and the nature of the beliefs is such that one is left to their own calling without heavy teaching or guidance from "authorities" in the communities.
All of the practices are based in creating from nature/natural phenomena and aren't demonic or nearly as sensational as they are portrayed on TV or in movies.
In my work as a psychic and medium, I sometimes will call in support from nature or certain deities but I work more with the individual and, as needed, their ancestors and spirit guides.
Q: Right! The show made you realize that it's not demonic as people might think. I'm sure their some that are. Have you always had the ability to do what you do?
A: There are always going to be people who look at the dark side of things but my experience is those who embrace these practices are much more conscious about the energy they send out and attract.
I had a lot of these abilities when I was young but it overwhelmed me, I didn't know how to manage the images and sensations so I cut it off... my intuition was good but the spirits were too intense for me. I'm better at delineating the terms of communication with them now.  I understand that my connection with the spirit world is to serve me and those around me. 
I am a conduit for energy, information and healing.  It feels like the purpose from which I can serve my community and the world.

Feel free to ask me anything you like.  There is an abundance of erroneous and sensational information floating around about magical and mystical subjects.  And there are many of us who look like your aunt or neighbor or mailman who are here to show you that it isn't to be feared - we are here to help illuminate the path for others.

May your world grow brighter, lighter and more loving every day ~ C

I am in a surreal space after returning home from a week with my Dad as he is in the last days of transition into the next phase of his life.  I hesitate to post too much information yet this is the easiest way to update everyone I'm connected with and to express where I am in my own process of grief and reconciliation with death.  The words get tiring when I repeat them and there are too many details to review individually so here's the scoop.

About a month ago, my Dad went into the hospital with pneumonia, which turned into a diagnosis of stage four lung cancer, which perpetuated a series of strokes, and now he's in hospice care, at home with his wife, approaching the hereafter.

It all happened so fast.

I am grateful that I was there, to spend a few days in the hospital with him and then a few more at home.  I got to help him with his meals, talk to him at night when he was scared and uncertain and impatient about "getting it over."  We talked about the angels he was seeing and he knows they are there for comfort. 

I got to see the man who is George to the world, a different person than the man I've called Dad.  My observation has always been that "everyone loves George."  I've said that for years after seeing his interactions with those in his circle of friends and colleagues. 

Our familial relationships were different from this.  As his daughter, I didn't see the generosity, caring and interest that he seems to take in others around him.  He wasn't around much when I was young and if I did see him, it was often a result of my efforts to tag along with him in his world - spending time over Christmas breaks to take inventory with him at the hospital or digging potatoes and learning to drive a tractor - times that I treasure and hold valuable. I've always had an unexplainable loyalty to my father.  Even when he was not available, I felt love and connection to him.  I suspect it was there for him too, he just wasn't able to express it in a way that saw it. 

Being able to step back from my personal experience, the stories I might hold about the kind of father he was vs. the kind of father I wanted, I have the opportunity to see his capacity for giving, for caring about others and for connecting to the world.  He's got it in him.  I am so grateful to know more about his life, how he jokes and educates and serves on so many levels.  And to meet all those who are also his family.

Besides seeing more about my father, I gained insight into who I am, learning more of what makes me tick and where I could make adjustment in my own focus in order to have a deeper and more satisfying experience in life.  In my work as a mystic, I see how death can teach the living, and my wish is to get the lesson in this so I can move past my own blocks to intimacy and authenticity.  What came out most this week was my capacity to be of service, to find happiness and kindness in the face of despair, to be fully in the moment in joy or sadness or gratitude or action, to be patient or to be demanding.  I don't say this looking for any acknowledgement, I say it because these are areas where have felt shallow or lacking and now I know I have it in me. 

In the future, I hope for more gentle vehicles to inspire these attributes.

Until then, I remain grateful for the experience and in love with my life and those who walk beside me.

Blessed be ~