Brainstorming

One of the biggest ways I sabotage myself is this: I am doing something random (dishes, treadmill, whatever), and I have the glimmer of an idea. I examine the glimmer, and it holds up under scrutiny -- at least for the five seconds before I go on to something else and the idea is gone forever!

If I take the time to actually WRITE IT DOWN, I've accomplished a couple of things. One is that I've honored myself and Spirit by taking the glimmer seriously enough to record it. The other is that by writing it down, I've given myself the space for evaluation and exploration that any idea-glimmer deserves. Not every one of them's a keeper, but every once in awhile a real gem emerges from the brain-muck.

As I work on keeping Fog City Psychic a healthy and growing business, I spend some time every few days brainstorming. Here's what's percolating now:

I'm continuing to work on pre-production for the "Out of the Fog" radio show that will debut on Blog Talk Radio in April. This is a weekly show that will feature free on-air readings (and who doesn't love those?), as well as interviews with local and national people of interest to the metaphysical community. More info here, and this will be updated as we get closer to our first air date.

Interested in being a guest on the show? Email me at karen@fogcitypsychic.com.

I'm also working on ideas for a workshop that's tentatively planned for late summer in San Francisco. This would be a half-day class that encourages people who are developing their intuition to experiment and learn in a safe, protected space. Because we are ALL psychic, everyone can tap into their intuitive gifts. We just need someone to show us how. And we need the encouragement and support of like-minded people so we can practice honing our gifts without feeling like crazy people! ;-)

Interested in joining the mailing list for classes, workshops, radio show updates, and more? Please drop me a line at karen@fogcitypsychic.com.

Spot the Psychic Scam Artists! (part 2)

3. Don't let yourself be frightened/hurried/browbeaten into doing ANYTHING. Consider the stereotypical used car salesman. He wants you to drive off the lot in that banged-up 1979 Mercury Comet with "slight" flood damage TODAY. And he'll do or say anything to close the sale. If you ask for a test drive, he'll make you feel silly for doubting his word about what a great car it is. And if you insist, he'll ride with you and turn up the radio so loud you can't hear the engine shedding parts all over the road.

Fake psychics want you to hand over your cash before you've had a chance to think twice. Sometimes they'll say there's a "curse" on you that must be removed RIGHT AWAY or else the consequences will be terrible!! Some will even tell you that your willingness to immediately send them a ton of money in good faith is part of the cure for the "curse"!

I met a woman who was told that if she didn't Western Union a large amount of money to the psychic within 48 hours, her loved one would die. She was terrified, and sent the money right away. By the time she'd calmed down and had a chance to think clearly, the money was gone and the "psychic" wasn't returning her phone calls.

Don't let anyone talk you into doing something that doesn't feel right to you. If the psychic is pressuring you to do anything, or making you feel threatened in any way, hang up the phone or walk out of the session. Don't worry about seeming rude .... just get out of there as fast as you can.

Spot the Psychic Scam Artists! (part 1)

Folks from the Bay Area may have been following this story. Phony psychics are everywhere. They will gleefully separate you from your money and most of the time there is nothing you can do to get it back.

I often meet people who tell me about getting scammed by so-called psychics. Besides taking their victims for a financial ride, scamsters often do tremendous emotional and spiritual harm to the vulnerable people who've turned to them for help.

Here are some tips for avoiding the con artists:

1. Do your research. Take a look at the psychic's website. Does their approach resonate with you? If the website is full of flashing lights, incoherent sentences and misspelled words ... move on. Find someone who is thoughtful about explaining what they do and why they do it. The approach you see on their site is probably a good clue to how they'll treat you in your session. Do you want all flash and no substance? Or someone who knows what they're doing?

What is the psychic's experience and training? Don't take their word for it, either. With the power of Google, you can quickly check out claims of publication, media and personal appearances, for example.

Check them out on Yelp or other sites where you can read online reviews from clients. Don't just pick someone at random out of the phone book or call a psychic hotline on a whim. You don't know who you'll end up talking to.

2. Keep an open mind, but use your common sense. Once you've booked a session and are talking with your psychic, keep an open mind. One of the most frustrating things people can do in a session is to try to stonewall the psychic to make them "prove" their gifts. I call these the "what color is my car?" clients. If you're looking for an insightful answer to whatever question you called me to work on ... ask the darn question, already! The more willing you are to be specific and open energetically when you're expressing your concern, the more in-depth and accurate your answer will be.

With that said, though, you need to remember to use your common sense. Phony psychics often use a technique called "cold reading," in which they gather information about you from what you tell them, as well as your non-verbal cues, and then repackage the information with a few likely guesses to make you think they're magically reading your mind! Do a search on "cold reading" to get some examples of how this works.

(to be continued ...)