I’m going out on a new limb here, offering Chakra Assessments, Chakra Balancing and Healing, and Psychic Readings at this year’s Women At Woodstock. I’m aware that some people may be put off by all of these services, thinking, “Oh, no, not that woo woo stuff. That’s not for me.”
It may not be. And that’s OK. These are private sessions offered over the course of the weekend, alongside but not a part of the Women At Woodstock program. You can partake of them or not. Your choice.
But if the idea of a psychic reading intrigues you, Angela Kaufman, our psychic reader/intuitive coach at Women At Woodstock 2017 and one of the most down-to-earth people I know, would like to talk with you. She’d like to explain what a reading is all about, how she came to be a practitioner, and what one can expect in a session with her. So, here, in the words of Angela, is an explanation:
People often ask how I got started doing Intuitive work. The answer to this question is both boring and significant.
Boring because, no, I wasn’t someone who went around talking to dead people in grade school. Nope, I didn’t have any great cataclysmic awakening during which an exotic Spirit being appeared and opened my third eye chakra….
My early experiences with intuition were probably a lot like yours are.
And therein lies the significance.
Yes, your intuition. The mechanism at work when you knew on a hunch that someone needed your help, or to avoid a certain route to work because there would be a delay, or that instinct that guided you to gravitate toward a mentor or avoid a problem.
That is what my early intuitive experiences were like.
I was fascinated by the spiritual world, but didn’t consider myself ‘psychic’ because I had an incomplete view of what it means to be psychic and intuitive. The reason the answer to this question is significant is that it aligns with my mission- to help others realize the tools of the spiritual world are not reserved for a special ‘gifted’ few, but are within the reach of all of us. As a teen I got interested in the metaphysical world in a more personal way on my spiritual journey. I received my first deck of Tarot cards.
And I was really disappointed at first.
The images didn’t speak to me, nor did they seem to hold any special, miraculous power.
Again, that limited view of things getting in my way!
I learned over time how to connect with the archetypal images in the Tarot as well as how to recognize and trust in the presence of my guides in Spirit. I always knew it was my mission to help others and sought this through a career in social work, but a different plan was set into motion for me after a life changing accident rerouted my course on every possible level. In the years that followed, I was guided to blend the foundation I had as an LCSW with the world of spiritual, metaphysical stuff I had always loved to explore, and which had been a big part of my own healing process. From this blend of two worlds a new life emerged for me and a new sense of purpose.
My passion is blending the mystical and the mundane, the esoteric and practical, to help people find empowerment, solutions, healing and understanding. This became the basis for my coaching practice, and my upcoming book, Queen Up! Reclaim Your Crown When Life Knocks You Down (Conari 2018).
The transition from Social Worker to Intuitive Coach taught me so much not only about my connection to the Spirit world, but also about the hidden layers of strengths I didn’t know I had. Learning to be self-employed taught me how to be resourceful. As my spiritual connection and business grew, it seemed like my life began to expand. Suddenly there were new communities of friends collaborating, helping, inspiring and supporting each other. It was through one of these communities that I first heard of Women At Woodstock. True to what I had heard, the experience was life changing, powerful, and somehow fit into the span of a weekend!
In addition to looking to Spirit for guidance, I firmly believe in the power of trusting your higher self, balanced with the uplifting energy of community, as essential for growth and success – and Women At Woodstock provided this is many ways.
I learned that I was not alone in my experience of challenging life transitions. The Women At Woodstock community consisted of women of all ages and backgrounds whose lives were shaped and refined by their ‘before and after’ pictures. I also found the focus to be deeply spiritual, uplifting, and empowering. I am thrilled to be joining the community again this year and to have the opportunity to share messages from Spirit offering private Intuitive Readings. Just as we all are intuitive, and we all have our ‘before and after’ pictures, there is a lot more that brings us together than we may realize. Women At Woodstock is a unique opportunity to cultivate a stronger connection with yourself, including the deep layers of intuitive power within, as well as forming strong bonds with others in community to continue to uplift your energy and guide you on your path.
What to Expect During Your Reading
If someone had told me ten years ago that I would give up my career in Social Work and fulfill my mission to help others as a self employed Intuitive Reader and Empowerment Coach for women, I would have assumed they were under the influence, or at least gravely misguided.
But the future is funny like that.
From the vantage point of the present, we can only see the path we wish to create as a vision in our minds. Whether that mental image consists of good things (our hopes and dreams) or is anxiety laden, filled with our projections of worst case scenarios, we simply don’t have the bird’s eye view of what may lie beyond the confines of a future imagined, based on what we know about the past and present.
This is the greatest gift of an intuitive reading, to be able to get a glimpse of the patterns of energy, the choices ahead on our path, the potential self emerging as we navigate through the process. A perspective free from our own biases and assumptions.
So what is an Intuitive Reading all about? What do psychics know and how do we ‘get’ that information?
Here is a tour of the Intuitive Reading process which may answer some of your questions about what to expect from your reading.
First, let’s settle some common fears. In order to receive any information about you, your path or those with you in Spirit I need your permission, and Spirit’s permission. This means that unlike what is portrayed on popular television shows, I will not be picking up your secrets with just one look. That wouldn’t help you, it certainly wouldn’t be helpful for me.
Permission comes in several forms. When we are in a session (as opposed to chatting over snacks at a casual gathering) you have asserted you are ready to receive. The second part of permission comes when you give a focus for your session (more on that when we get to About the Session Structure).
Spirit, a general term for the energies that serve the Divine and can include your guides, my guides, loved ones in the spirit world etc., comes through for your highest good. On that note, they are not interested in embarrassing you, or giving you information that would only overwhelm, confuse you, or keep you stuck. So your life is not an open book around me. I follow strict ethical standards and value your empowerment. As such, only information that serves your highest good, with the permission of you, and Spirit, will be brought forward in a reading.
Of great importance to me is respect for your free will. This means that intuitive guidance from Spirit is like a map that shows you the recommended route on your path. Just as when we use a map for navigation, your free will may compel you to take a detour or totally reroute your path. That is ok. Your choices make up the journey as well, and Spirit is always working with you. Whether we take Spirit’s advice or not, they don’t take it personally! They understand that life lessons are presented through various roads on the same journey.
This means that regardless of what comes to you in a reading, you are always empowered to follow the guidance, or to make different choices and allow events to transpire as they will.
Also, as Spirit works to empower you, the information in a reading will focus primarily on your choices and situation. It is natural to be curious about the path ahead for family and loved ones, and while Spirit may have some guidance for your connection with important people in your life, the goal of a session is not to focus on another person. Again, ethical boundaries require that others have privacy.
About the Session Structure
I use a combination of Tarot and connection with my guides and your guides to structure the session. First I will ask for the general topics you would like to focus on. If you have a very specific question (Such as “when will my house sell”) that is helpful to know up front. It is not necessary to provide background information to explain any question or topic. Examples of general topics are relationship, love life, career, wellness etc.
I will initially tune in with your energy while you shuffle the cards. The information brought forth will be in accordance what Spirit shows me (my guides use a combination of images, words, and symbols to communicate). If a message is not clear feel free to ask for clarification. If a message does not make sense I invite you to share this, however please understand that after asking Spirit for clarification if the core message is still the same, yet seems surprising, it could be the discrepancy between what we expect in the present and where we are headed further down the road.
If you have a piece of jewelry, watch, keys or phone that you carry or wear consistently, these items can help me connect with your energy and I may ask to hold a personal item while making the connection.
If you wish to connect with a loved one in Spirit, please specify this at the beginning of the session. I am happy to invite your loved one to join us and would just ask for the person’s name and year of transition into Spirit. Please do not share photos of the individual, as I prefer to get information from them directly to verify their identity and that can include appearance.
You will have the opportunity to take notes and this is encouraged as a session can be emotional and it can be hard to remember details afterward.
But What is a Message Like?
Messages are communicated in symbolic form. Think of a game of charades or Pictionary. That is what Spirit communication is like. While Spirit may not always tell us what we expected to hear, it is not their intention to cause confusion or harm. Therefore the guidance in a reading is always empowering.
While I may be given phrases or wording consistent with a specific loved one while communicating directly with a loved one in Spirit, you will not hear any changes to my voice during the delivery of a message. Also while interesting things can happen during a session because of the energy (I love it when phone notifications go off in sync with an important aspect of a message) these occurrences are not dramatic, scary, or horror movie-like at all.
Now that you have an idea of what goes on in a reading I look forward to meeting you and exploring your path ahead with the help of our guides!
Want to hear from some of the women who’ve had readings with Angela? Click here.