Francine Marie-Sheppard

Interview

2008-08-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

An Interview with Francine Marie-Sheppard

Director of The Academy of Clairvoyance and Consciousness.

By Jacek Zimnicka, Poland

Your profession as a clairvoyant teacher and professional clairvoyant is not very common and for many quite controversial.

For me it is not controversial at all, it is simply part of who I am. Once people realize that their extra-sensory abilities are part of who they are, they see the whole world differently. We have been taught, and you can even say programmed, that these senses and perceptions are to be buried and blocked from birth. When you uncover more of your own sensitivity and allow yourself to connect and be conscious of what you are already perceiving instead of being in a state of denial or fear or shame about it, you can connect with a part of yourself that you closed off many years ago. That part of you is: you the eternal spirit. This journey of spiritual self-exploration is a very empowering process where you discover your ability to discern what is truth for yourself.

How do people react when they learn you are a clairvoyant?

Many people react with apprehension when I tell them what I do. They are afraid that I will see something about them that they are ashamed off or in guilt about. Shame and guilt are used to control us as we grow up and learn what is acceptable behavior. I don’t agree with these socialization techniques nor the use of shame or guilt for social control.

Apart from shame or guilt, it’s quite a natural reaction to protect one’s privacy. Most of us wouldn’t like to have our minds scanned by a psychic.

I certainly do not go looking at people’s auras without their permission, just as you do not enter a stranger’s house without their permission. But when I am asked to look at people’s auras, sometimes it is difficult to focus on the problems because there is so much that is wonderful. People do not realize that I am always talking to their spirit beyond the body, that creator being standing there, showing me their light and their enthusiasm for life.

So a person whose mind is full of problems and tensions, whose acts may even be harmful, can be a beautiful spirit at the same time?

People today live a split life, immersed in the material world, cut off from their spirit or being. They are caught up in so many things and believe that they are their problems, whereas, as the saying goes, they are a spiritual being having a human experience and sometimes that journey is fraught with challenges. But that doesn’t mean that you ARE your problem. Your problem is your experience, not who you are, and it is a tiny part of your spiritual life.

If clairvoyants can see our lives from a spiritual perspective and may help us understand our true identity, why are so many people resentful or distrustful towards them?

Just like any other profession, the psychic profession has people who are not properly trained, or have no ethics or no boundaries. A certain amount of skill can be used to manipulate someone and I too have heard stories about such unethical psychics. But you would not have surgery without being assured that your doctor has the proper qualifications. Yet, some people here in the USA hand over their lives to unethical, unqualified doctors and have terrible results merely because they believed in their authority. Sometimes you ask your friends for a good referral before choosing a lawyer, and you should do the same with a psychic. These are important decisions, and more than anything you should follow your intuition. If you are uncomfortable with your surgeon, lawyer or psychic, do not go to them. If a psychic or any person who is supposed to help you, is acting strangely and making strange demands or telling you that for $1000 they will remove your family curse—why in the world would you allow yourself to become the victim of such a person? Why do you believe this so-called psychic over your own common sense? Why do we give away our seniority and our power and then blame someone else completely? These are interesting questions to pursue.

Well, if I met someone who would know personal things about me he or she has no way of knowing, it could also make me trust that this person knows better than I how to handle my life. Especially if I had problems with handling it myself.

Just because a psychic will pick up on some things accurately it does not mean they are right about everything and you should hand over your bank account. People become ashamed of themselves when they have this experience and don’t tell people because they are programmed that seeking this kind of help is wrong. What is wrong is giving secrets power by being ashamed or guilty. Your experience can be a blessing in helping your grow and learn and heal.

Do you mean we should share with others cases when we seek help of psychics or use this power ourselves?

The more people discuss what they are really experiencing, what they really know, the more we will understand why we have been socially conditioned to fear things like clairvoyance. When we are no longer afraid and ignorant of our own power we will no longer tolerate those who abuse others with their power. If we all were more tuned in to our own intuition, we would have less need to rely on other people to tell us what to do, and more ability to spot the truth from the lie. Of course, then world would change radically as we wouldn’t believe the politicians anymore either….

Developed intuition can also let us sense future events, at least to some extent. By the way, is there any difference between a clairvoyant and a fortune teller?

Yes, please don’t put me in the same category, ha ha. A fortune teller, in my opinion, is on the edge of that ethical line if they tell people that what they are foretelling is the one and only Truth, and that what they say is their client’s destiny.

Do you mean to say that future can’t be foretold?

The future is being created every day. It is not already written or set in stone. When I look at this vague idea called the future, I look at what that person wants to create in their life and how their present actions are building towards those creations or destroying them. The answer is always in the now, as in what you are doing right now that is going to create the life you want or not. Also I look at the experiences that spirit is trying to create in their life journey and how it is manifesting, and this can include, health and wellness, family, relationships, careers, etc. In any case, a good fortune teller has some psychic skill, a fraudulent one just tells you what you want to hear, for a price. A clairvoyant is just some one who can see energy. What they do with that skill, what their specialty is can vary.

And what is your psychic specialty?

My area of interest is teaching people, empowering them to find their own connection with their spirit and from there their own truth and creative capability. You have the clairvoyant ability buried in your third eye, or sixth chakra, behind your forehead. It is active enough, but you are not conscious of what you are already seeing. The information may go straight to your “higher self” and in the body you may stumble around through life, not knowing what you know. It sounds funny, but you would be surprised how capable you already are. Whether your clairvoyance just lays there, unrealized, is really up to you. It is a brave but worthwhile journey. What if you could see God for yourself? You would never have to spend money on a fortune teller again!

If everyone already has the clairvoyant ability, is it possible for everyone to learn to use it consciously?

You were born free, you are already light. You have forgotten who you are, become disconnected or shamed or merely interested in experiencing other things. There is nothing wrong with you. Whether you choose clairvoyance or a Guru or trekking across Antartica as your voyage to self-discovery or spiritual journey, it does not matter. All paths lead eventually to the same place, and all paths are equal. I can train any willing and committed person to do a clairvoyant reading in a matter of weeks.

As for myself, I’m not sure if I want to learn it because I don’t know what I’d do with such a gift. But if I made up my mind, would it be easy?

The true purpose to learn clairvoyance is not necessarily or exclusively to become a professional reader for others but to learn about yourself and to heal yourself. It is a voyage of discovery and growth. In terms of seeing energy clairvoyantly, to some it will come easily, others will have to learn to relax a little more and find their sense of humor because perhaps they have forgotten the spirit of play, the spirit of discovery and exploration.

And how was it in your case? Did it take you long to learn it?

I was born a bit “different”, already open to clairvoyance. I did not realize at first that I was experiencing the world in a “different” way, but I caught on and learned to live a double life, trying to be “normal” but having my own energetic experience that I kept quiet about. Eventually, I realized “normal” was not possible for me, and freed myself to just be me. I have always been a teacher of one thing or the other so after nearly four years of training, I naturally began to teach the clairvoyant path, and by doing that I also reach out to others across the world who are like me, or who would enjoy learning these techniques.

What happens after one starts learning clairvoyance?

Soon a student begins to have experiences that they describe as mind-blowing, which means, really that the mind cannot find an explanation, and their consciousness of the universe, of energy, has expanded. To have doubts about everything in the beginning of classes, sometimes for a long time, is normal. Sooner or later you are too busy on this fascinating journey to listen much to the mind and it’s petty chatter, to mind your doubts. The mind no longer dominates the experience, your spirit is in charge. This is all part of the planetary shift to a life where the rational mind is merely a partner, one aspect of you, and no longer the authoritarian boss.

In movies we sometimes see clairvoyants seeing horrible things happening, like committed crimes or disasters to happen. Is seeing beyond the five senses always a gift or can it be a curse too?

I think movies and television do a disservice to society by always showing these stereotypes. They play into peoples’ fears and give them an adrenaline rush so they think they have experienced something. An adrenaline rush gives you a chemical release which makes you feel good. If you are addicted to this type of entertainment, know that you are being manipulated to stay in a state of fear of “the unknown” where there are “monsters” who are stronger than you. You are being lied to and it is the opposite of empowerment.

I asked this question because I think using the third eye could make me see things I didn’t want to see.

As you become adept at using your clairvoyance and other abilities you learn to control them and have a choice about what you look at or experience. I am not interested in looking at crime scenes or disasters. I never see horror shows or anything excessively violent. I turn it off, as in I boycott it. I do not have that morbid curiosity. If I see someone or a being who needs help, I might help them. I live two blocks from a cemetery right now, and I have only seen one ghost, it was not scary, I just sent him on his way, gave him a little direction, and he left. A clairvoyant can help a person find closure after a terrible event or speak to someone who has passed over, and you can have choice what you observe and engage in and not deal with that type of work at all.

Are you not afraid that ghosts or some disembodied spirits can harm you in some way?

A sick spirit does not have the power to harm you unless you give away your power. Most of the entities out there that try to influence people negatively do not want to be seen by a clairvoyant because they might not be able to continue their games, they have, as the saying goes, been busted. Also, I am not interested in engaging in the conflicts those types of beings are interested in so I do not go into resistance. I turn away, and turn my light and the light of my attention to the beings, people, things that I want to encourage and validate. Or, if an angry being tries to affect me I am more likely to try to give it a healing—sometimes this makes them run even faster!

So what are threats or dangers involved in learning or using clairvoyance?

I can’t think of any. I do not know any clairvoyants who are totally victimized by their ability, forced to look at “horrible things”. If I do meet one, I will try to help them, because they are suffering unnecessarily and this can be changed. There are always people who are threatened by clairvoyance. What if everyone in the world was empowered to tell the truth from the lie? There would be very few manipulative games left to play, and the world would be a completely different place. So, the only danger is that if you are not diplomatic and become egotistical about your ability, you may lose a few friends. Or you many choose to end a few relationships over the course of your life. But new, more genuine friends will take their place.

When doing a reading, how can one tell images of one's own imagination from contents of somebody else's mind?

In the beginning of training, for a while, one is not sure what to do, what to say. There is a period of uncertainty. The only cure for this is more experience. To practice reading as much as possible. Read auras instead of books! Slowly the mind becomes less dominant, the fear and concerns subside, and you are more in the flow. This is a typical question that is answered by experience. You learn that you see what you see, and the only thing in doubt is your interpretation of it. The mind wants to interject its opinions and theories, but you learn to quiet the mind and observe and eventually “download” your own information about what you are seeing. It is no longer a matter of your imagination—after all what exactly is that? There is only one way to answer your question for yourself, to learn the techniques and just start doing readings, learn through experience.

What kind of issues do your clients usually ask you to help with?

I am open to everything, and hopefully, in judgment of nothing. The questions vary so much. Everything you can think of. I have seen many things people would consider crazy, or extraordinary and bizarre, but it’s a big universe and there are many fascinating things going on in it. I hope I build a trust with people so they feel safe to ask anything. I hope to create a space where they can safely let go and heal.

In what ways can a reading help a person seeking advice?

A reading can help bring clarity to any situation. Some people don’t even know what they are looking for and I help them clarify their search. I do not direct them what to do though, but help them get achieve clarity so they feel more confident and making their decisions.

People often find decision making difficult, especially when it comes to life issues. Human mind can produce so many pros and cons towards any idea, and life seems so unpredictable. Can you see which option is best for your client?

It is not my place to decide for them what to do with their life. That is my ethical boundary. Together we can look at what will help them create the changes they want in their life. There is sometimes tremendous pressure and demand for me to just take responsibility for their life and give them a list of things to do. But this is not empowering for the client. You are the artist in creating your life, I can advise you on methods but cannot tell you what to create. Sometimes I make suggestions, I talk about what their spirit is showing me, the direction their spirit would like to go. I do see very specific things for them, but I am careful not to program them so that they just wait for things to happen instead of being the creative force for their own life. For me, when I get a reading, I use it as a tool to clarify my choices, and bring to light issues I wasn’t aware of or ideas I hadn’t considered.

Being a creative force in one’s life seems to be a key idea of the New Age movement. But many of us experience recurring life patterns, huge obstacles, personal dramas, and wonder if we really have free will. Maybe everything is already planned and you can't change your destiny?

We have been taught to forget our free will, a wonderful gift on this earth plane. Free will is about the ability to change and transmute any choice and energy. Used consciously it has infinite potential. We are just unlocking this gift as we are just beginning to understand it, yet there are examples of it around us every day. We are still struggling to understand the true power of forgiveness as well.

So, for now, no, everything is not already planned and anyone who tells you this is lying. That is another piece of dogma that has been floating around disguised as truth to put people in fear or control them. Just ask Jesus or Buddha or any other great teacher. Yes, there are some patterns and there are the repercussions of karma or universal laws but if we truly engaged our free will and the power of forgiveness…again, a very different planet.

The idea of ‘pay’ or ‘karma’ means that you must experience consequences of your past acts and you can’t escape it.

People talk about that idea of karma as if it is some kind of punishment for your sins. But the great Indian mystics did not simplify this idea the way we see it tossed around today. It's interesting how that idea of a punishing universe has transferred down the ages from the idea of a punishing God. Karma does not automatically mean a burden, or a punishment, since we reap good karma all the time. Because we have been so programmed to fear, we don't see the positive or validating return of our actions coming back to us every day. We deny the miracles, the good news, in the false humility we have been told will save our souls. To view karma too simplistically is too create another rule in the mind to obey, to create fear and shame us or disempower us.

The concept of free will implies that your past or your life circumstances don’t matter, that you can be what you choose to be and create what you decide. Is human will really free of any limitations?

Free will does not imply that your past or your circumstances don't matter. Free will is anchored in the truth that all energy can be transmuted into something else. If everything is energy, as the physicist also tell us, everything is in the process of changing from one form into another or from form into energy or energy into form, or from one energy vibration to another energy vibration. Your past only exists as an energy, and, you can transmute that energy into another, different energy. You can heal your past, and pull your energy, your spirit, out of the past and into the present. Where is all your spiritual energy? Some of it is involved in or invested in games and stories of the past. It is more useful to have this energy with you now, in the present where you can create new miracles with it or heal yourself or do whatever you choose.

So ‘karma’ is connected with our energetic involvement in what happened and we must somehow take this energy back?

To the extent that your energy is involved or still resolving issues in the past, either by you clinging to it because is has become your identity, or because you are still hurting, in pain, that is people call your karma. When you have these unresolved energies around you, they attract electro-magnetically similar vibrations like velcro or a magnet. Similarly, when you have left your energy in other places or around other people, you must encounter these people or places to collect this energy. Good or bad energy, it doesn't matter, we don't need to judge it. You could say that your energy eventually finds it's way back to you. Self-healing is also an exploration of what is in your space and aura that does not resonate at your truth, your vibration or needs to be resolved or transmuted.

How can one apply one’s free will to dealing with karma?

When you explore your past and your ‘karma’ as a clairvoyant and then begin to heal yourself and transmute your pain energy into something else, you engage your free will.

Free will is the ability, the choice, the permission, the gift that we have that gives us the space to make a different choice. Free will is the space this universe gives us to change. It is infinite in it's scope and limited only by our minds, which have been conditioned to dominate our choices according to the limits and fears we have been socialized with.

And how to deal with the past to get it healed?

When you act as a detective in your own healing, you can discover where some of your choices have led you to the present day or where you have lost your seniority to pain or lies and have fallen victim to programming. This is not something to be ashamed of. Rejoice instead that you are waking up to your creations and your ability to heal and change. You will not make these discoveries from a place of judgement but from a place of neutrality. Neutrality, another powerful vibration, is found in the sixth chakra which can generate that vibration. Much of your spiritual information about neutrality can be found there. And of course, the sixth chakra is home to the ability of clairvoyance.

To many people neutrality or forgiveness seem to be as difficult to achieve or apply as clairvoyance. You call them vibrations, which I understand as states of the mind or states of consciousness. Are there any special ways to learn them?

Clairvoyance, neutrality, forgiveness and awareness are the essence of the training in our Academy of Clairvoyance and Consciousness . This is not a school necessarily only created to train a professional clairvoyant reader, but about healing yourself and taking part in a shift that is happening all over the world. Sure, we are still pioneers, exploring the next frontier, but that also makes it exciting. To engage the gifts that the great teachers talk about, such as neutrality, awareness, forgiveness and free will along with clairvoyance, which is a natural tool of this type of exploration, is incredible. These gifts are part of our natural spiritual inheritance, and once you remove the limits of the mind you can see that all the great teachers that we revere were seers and seekers and blazed the path for us to engage our free will, heal ourselves, our "karma" and change the world. To become conscious and enlightened and full of our own light.

This looks like a common goal of many spiritual teachings.

The Clairvoyant Path training is just one path. I try to encourage people to seek their own way and if clairvoyant training is helpful to them, that's great. If through engaging their free will they have found a different way, that's great too, isn't it?

You've recently visited Poland for a series of lectures and workshops with your clairvoyant colleague Debra Katz, the author of a unique book on developing the skill "You Are Psychic". What brought you to our country?

Instytut Wiedzy Waleologicznej hosted us because they recently published Debra’s book. I co-teach with Debra a few times a year. We have fun teaching together. The type of teaching we do on international retreats can be very intense and it’s good to team teach. We looked at Poland clairvoyantly and we were drawn by the Polish people who seemed to have a desire for the information we had to share and teach. I had never been to Poland, though I have traveled to many countries, so I was also curious, of course.

Have you noticed any difference in how the lectures and workshops went in Poland or in how people reacted to them?

I was very happy with the way the workshops went. I so enjoyed watching people change over the course of a few days. Some women in particular changed their energy, their wellness so much. I wish I had taken photos of them before so we could a comparison with a photo at the end. Extraordinary change. I feel such gratitude to witness these types of things. This happens every time when people are being validated in their being and reconnecting with their spirit. The Polish people in particular I found to be very warm, friendly and generous. As the weekend progressed they became more open and they astonished us with their warmth and generosity. I was happy they understood my jokes because I like to laugh to relieve the tension that grows when making changes. We were extremely fortunate to have had great interpreters, all of them, who rose to the occasion and went beyond the call of duty. Often, Americans I think take the bounty of what they have available to them for granted, but in general I think when people free themselves in any way, they feel joy and this is a universal emotion common to us all. But generally I find more similarities between workshop participants across continents than differences. I feel very grateful for my experience in Poland.

Many of the workshops participants were very excited to learn with you and Debra. Many other people in Poland could be interested in contacting you to ask for a reading or for hints related to learning clairvoyance. Is it possible?

Certainly. At the Academy of Clairvoyance and Consciousness, we have a long distance training program called THE CLAIRVOYANT PATH, where training takes place over the internet and the phone. We now have a contact point in Poland where you can email in Polish or English for more information on getting training or getting a reading from Debra or myself. Email Mariola at ACCPoland@gmail.com . You can check our websites: my personal one www.francinemarie.com, to get more of a sense of “my vibe” as we say in the US, or the training structure available through www.clairvoyanceacademy.com. The readings take place over the phone (preferably skype.com, so the phone call is free). Our Polish interpreter, Mariola can translate for you during the reading from me or Debra Katz or translate during the training sessions. Additionally we will be having some international teleconferences (classes over the phone) that you are all welcome to join in. These are described on the website www.clairvoyanceacademy.com/events.html Or get in touch with me via email at: francine@clairvoyanceacademy.com

New Moon of Powerful Intentions

2008-04-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here is some info from Claudia at Moonsurfer

This is the dose of go-juice you've been waiting for!

The Aries New Moon is the most powerful New Moon of the year for granting wishes! You've got to go for it...dare to take charge of your life...step out fearlessly and make a fresh start.

So of course, the universe in its infinite wisdom has concocted a tense socko boffo set- up forcing your fears and no-longer-acceptable limitations to the surface, so you'll face and clear them.

The set-up is a 3-way face-off made up of the Sun and Moon in fiery just-do-it Aries, assertive Mars in emotional (re-e-e-ally emotional now) security-oriented Cancer, and expansive Jupiter in responsible achievement-oriented Capricorn.

Mars in Cancer both rules AND squares this New Moon ramping up emotions and general moodiness, then big-thinking Jupiter makes it all...well bigger...and it could have you over-reaching, overextending, or blowing things out of proportion. You may feel these energies absolutely propelling you to take action, but remember to be a bit cautious. You don't want to throw the baby out with the bath water...meaning you want to keep the positive structures in your life as you identify and release old attitudes and limitations.

Part of this tug-of-war energy will stay in play throughout April and this means that improperly expressed emotional energy and selfish egos could be running rampant. However, if you can re-channel the power being usurped by the anger and focus on something really positive and constructive... then what you set into motion now is guaranteed to pay off BIG time as you move on through the year.

If you're feeling driven to upset apple carts and burn bridges willy nilly, remember to slow down...take a beat and reflect on this image. Think of a crossbow with great tension on the string. The Sun and Moon in Aries is your magic arrow and you're a sacred archer. Using your courage and will... really pull back that arrow and let it fly (fueled by the divine fire of spirit) straight through the opposing open airy skies of Libra focusing on balance, harmony, beauty...and peace. Those are the antidotes for these conflicting energies.Welcome peace and of course...love... and come out of your head and into your heart.

As it was at the time of the last Libra Full Moon, relationships are once again a major area of release and insight. Treasure those that are working and know that you have cosmic support and opportunities to heal old wounds now.

Those of you with planets in Aries, Libra, Cancer, or Capricorn are especially feeling the call to transform your personal lives and express your potential in new ways. All of you have some areas of your life primed for rebirth and a fresh start.

I always think of Aries as Star Trek energy...the energy of "boldly going where no one has gone before." Also..."to pioneer new worlds". That's what's happening now to you and me and everybody on the planet.

Pluto began a retrograde journey 2 days ago on April 2nd demanding we all take responsibility for the methods we’ve used to deal with limits and resources...both personal and planetary. The whole world has begun a critical time of MAJOR rebalancing...after all 2012 is just around the corner, so EVERYthing's gotta shift. That, of course, begins with you and me.

This New Moon indicates it's time for a real leap of faith...time to reinvent yourself and your life. Give it all some thought and then...make a wish.

check moonsurfing.com to get Claudia's newsletter

lost and found quotes

2008-04-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

"You can think of the groundlessness and openness of insecurity as a chance that we're given over and over to choose a fresh alternative. Things happen to us all the time that open up the space. This spaciousness, this wide-open, unbiased, unpredjudiced space is inexpressible and fundamentally good and sound. It's like the sky." --Pema Chodron,

"Practicing Peace in Times of War"

"When an old culture is dying, the new is created by a few people who are not afraid of being insecure". --Rudolf Bahro

And here is a poem about where to find security, in the NOW.

Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you

Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,

And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,

Must ask permission to know it and be known.

The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,

I have made this place around you.

If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.

No two trees are the same to Raven.

No two branches are the same to Wren.

If what a tree or bush does is lost on you,

You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows

Where you are. You must let it find you.

David Wagoner

This poem by David Wagoner was read by Oprah on one of her class sessions with Eckhart Tolle, that take place every Monday evening right now (spring 08) via her website. If you haven't already checked out this class with Eckhart Tolle, it's free and fantastic. When I first heard Oprah and Eckhart were going to do this worldwide free class I felt so joyful that Oprah had chosen to do this. It's great to see this information discussed and spread around the world. www.oprah.com. The classes are available to download and watch at your leisure.

Enjoy.

Francine Marie-Sheppard

www.francinemarie.com

hello@francinemarie.com

good quotes

2008-03-20T09:11:00.000-07:00

"The capacity to blunder slightly is the real marvel of DNA. Without this special attribute, we would still be anaerobic bacteria and there would be no more music"

Lewis Thomas, "Lives of a Cell"

"Our longing for the eternal kindles our imagination to bless. Regardless of how we configure the eternal, the human heart continues to dream of a state of wholeness, that place where blindness will transform into vision, where damage will be made whole, where the clenched question will open in the house of surprise, where the travails of life's journey will enjoy a homecoming. To invoke a blessing is to call some of that wholeness upon a person now."

John O'Donohue, "To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings"

"The criteria for success: You are free, you live in the present moment, you are useful to the people around you, and you feel love for all humanity"

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

All around the world people are waking up to a new sense of urgency to discover who they really are beyond the world of form and materialism. What if the exploration they set out on was one of remembering their true selves rather than one of problem solving or the endless corrections of imagined inadequacies? Maybe you are just perfect the way you are. Maybe we have all been heading towards this time of collective remembering and all one really has to do every day is choose what is true and act from that. Trust your mistakes, they have led you to this moment, where you can manifest a miracle--and where the real you resides.

Francine Marie-Sheppard

www.francinemarie.com

hello@francinemarie.com

Find your voice--be positive

2008-03-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

"Stop thinking this is all there is. Realize that for every ongoing war and religious outrage and environmental devastation and bogus Iraqi attack plan, there are a thousand counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale, from flower box to cathedral. Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh and just throw in the karmic towel. Realize that this is the perfect moment to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal volume; right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious and conflicted and bilious....there's your opening.

Remember magic! And, finally, believe you are part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift, the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable."

--Mark Morford, from his column in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper

Follow Your Bliss

2007-12-31T08:51:00.000-08:00

"Follow your bliss. If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while waiting for you, and the life you ought to be living is the one you are living. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in the field of your bliss, and they open doors for you. I say follow your bliss and don't be afraid, and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be. If you follow your bliss doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.
--Joseph Campbell

"If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it's not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That's why it's your own path."
--Joseph Campbell

"Path maker-there is no path, we make our path by walking."
--Spanish poet Antonio Machado

Intentions

2007-12-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

Here is some great info about the current growth period we are all in and the importance of setting some intentions right now! This is from Claudia's newsletter at www.moonsurfing.com. Go to her website and sign up for her free newsletter if you like the free info she offers below.

Five planets and one asteroid are all gathered in optimistic generous Sagittarius and that's a LOT of fire-power to put under your intentions... joy to the world indeed! This is BIG stuff... and the whole sky seems geared to support you in taking a risk to make your dreams and bigger picture of life come true. (If you've ever thought of buying a lottery ticket... now's the time.)

Here are just some of the gifts this planetary line-up brings...
Juno (relationships based on shared beliefs get new life), Mercury (enthusiastic thoughts and words), Sun (spiritual expansion), Moon (reach for it) Jupiter (wisdom, joy and whatEVER you focus on increasing and expanding), and Pluto (power and all its trappings) are ALL in Sagittarius telling you to take a risk... any efforts to leave the limitations of the past behind will be well-rewarded.

This is a multi-layered multi-leveled lunation... I have too much to say... too much universe to cover... so I'm going to try to put some of the huge news in a nutshell. I don't really think you can put evolution in a nutshell, but that's what this New Moon is really calling you to do... evolve.

The energetic build-up you've been feeling will be peaking just two days following this New Moon, two giants energetically speaking... don't tell me Pluto is a "dwarf" planet. Jupiter (good fortune) and Pluto (wealth and power) (also, death and rebirth) have a rare rendezvous. They last met in Scorpio on December 2, 1994, but they haven't met in Sagittarius since 1758!

To give you an idea of the power this pairing of planets can foretell...two financial giants... Bill Gates and Warren Buffett... had these two heavyweight planets united when they were born, so financial expansiveness marks their whole lives. However... you've got a personal window into this kind of expansion now... in all the ways in which you define wealth. Your imagination and your belief in what's possible are your only limitations.

By the way... giant Jupiter is about spiritual expansion and Pluto is transpersonal... meaning that it deals with collective evolution, so notice that both of these men are huge philanthropists. Likewise, your successful vision and each step you take to realize your big vision must be dedicated to the highest good of all concerned.

Look at the giant seed ideas you're planting now as a rose that will blossom over the next 13 years wih care and cultivation. Remember... whatever seed you plant now has greatness in it.

To add another higher greater momentous evolutionary layer... this meeting is closely aligned with the Galactic Center... considered the Sun of our Sun... the central point in our Milky Way galaxy. (Some also call it "the great attractor".) Exactly what this means is debated, but not really known. What IS known is that it's the center, it emits an enormously high level of energy, AND it represents a primary source of awakening and enlightenment. Remember, these energies are peaking now, but the effects will be very present through the first part of January. You are at a vital stage of evolutionary development... so get excited!

Yes, it's quite a super-charged wind-up to this "9" year... and to a whole 9-year cycle! Next year will be a "1" year, so the push to dump the old is happening to everybody and old beliefs and familiar patterns could be real bones of contention. This New Moon shows you where you still protect immature emotional needs and old ways of being... it's now time to overcome those old fears and grow up.

With such enormous energy and potential being beamed from the center of our universe, you could feel really scattered. Focusing your energy positively and constructively is super-important. Deep full breathing and connecting with spirit as nature are big keys.

Faith is your biggest ally now, so keep opening your mind and heart to become the powerful being you're intended to be. You mustn't let yourself get side-tracked...you'll find your lunar journaling process to be more indispensable than ever.

A whole cycle of shifts and changes continues to keep the volume turned up on your growth and possibilities. Jupiter moves into Capricorn, the lunar nodes change signs, Saturn backs up, the seasons change...and that's just a sample. I won't be writing a Full Moon ezine this month, but not-to-worry... our Sagittarius Lunar Journal gives you all the insider information you need regarding every cosmic happening, including an eclipse check-up, so you'll definitely have a handle on what's happening and how to use this exciting energy.

This is a super special New Moon for you Sagittarians, but Virgo, Gemini, Pisces, Cancer and Aquarius energies are also receiving special attention. That means that everyone has the opportunity to work the high side of this amazing energy...it's all a matter of focus. What a perfect time to empower yourself with a personal reading! It's also a wonderful gift of insight to give those special friends and someones on your holiday list.

The road is rising to meet you, but if you feel stuck, or have been ignoring all the signals, avoiding the challenges and gateways this year has brought, then this could be a real tense time. This time may seem more overwhelming than usual (wasn't it Charlie Brown who said... "There's nothing so terrifying as the burden of a great potential."?) Remember..."Every sixty seconds you spend angry, upset, or mad, is a full minute of happiness you'll never get back."

Ritual is a truly powerful way to focus your energies now. Enjoy gathering some of the ritual tools listed in your lunar journal and allow your imagination and your feelization to soar, because your potential for manifestation is huge.

Earlier in this ezine, I mentioned the planetary alignment with the "great attractor". This means that your intentions can have enormous magnetism. As always, gratitude and a generous spirit gets your magnetic mojo working BIG time with those big intentions.

Gods Cofffee

2007-12-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

God's Coffee

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor. The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and soon returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: Porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal - some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite. Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering. "You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems."

He continued.. "Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups. Then you began eyeing each other's cups..."

"Now consider this: Life is coffee - Jobs, money and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live, often by concentration only on the cup we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!"

The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.. So please remember: LIVE SIMPLY, LOVE GENEROUSLY, CARE DEEPLY, SPEAK KINDLY, LEAVE THE REST TO GOD. And remember -- the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

The Passion Test

2007-11-07T08:20:00.001-08:00

Hello again,

I just found a website called The Passion Test: www. thepassiontest.com, which is all about giving you a wake up call on following your dreams. On the website is a little--as in short-- test you can take that will give you a few wise words of analysis on following your passion. And a few words of wake up call if you are not living the life of your dreams. Naturally the website owner is a speaker and writer, with a book out, and if you bet it is called The Passion Test, you're right. I haven't read the book, so I can't endorse it here, but I might check it out. I took the test and got a few good pointers, that's why I mention it here. So, the questions for the day: ARE YOU DOING WHAT YOU LOVE? IF NOT, WHY NOT?

Francine Marie-Sheppard
hello@francinemarie.com
www.soulspsychic.com

The Free Prophets Conference

2007-11-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hello out there!

If anyone knows somebody whose house burned down, or who was badly affected by the Southern California fires last month, there is a FREE conference available to them this weekend, Nov. 10 and 11th. I put a few widgets (links) on my website to the conference websites. There are all kinds of great, inspiring speakers talking about creating the life you want, manifesting a rich life, following your passion and your dreams. The conference organization wants to offer the whole conference free to people who are distressed and need to be inspired to start over after the trauma they have suffered of losing their homes. Most people have to pay around $300 for the weekend, so Free is very generous. Please pass the word on to anyone you know out there who could benefit. My website is www.soulpsychic.com and there is a link widget to The Prophets Conference on several pages, and a phone number for Southern Californian fire victims to call on the Prophets Conference website. (I haven't figured out how to add a link widget to the blog yet, so if any of you can give me a tip on that!) I'll dig up the phone number for the fire victims and put it on here later--just want to get the word out.

Update: Just heard from The Prophets Conference people. At this point the people affected by the fires can just show up at the conference and be admitted FREE.

Be inspired!
Francine Marie-Sheppard
hello@francinemarie.com

Unfathomable Mystery

2007-10-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

"Words, no matter whether they are vocalized and made into sounds or remain unspoken as thoughts, can cast an almost hypnotic spell upon you. You easily lose yourself in them, become hypnotized into implicitly believing that when you have attached a word to something, you know what it is. The fact is: You don't know what it is. You have only covered up the mystery with a label. Everything, a bird, a tree even a simple stone, and certainly a human being, is ultimately unknowable. This is because it has unfathomable depth. All we can perceive, experience, think about, is the surface layer of reality, less than the tip of an iceberg."

--Eckhart Tolle

What a delight to read these words by Eckhart Tolle this morning when I opened one of his books. I relate totally to what he has said here because it speaks to my experience of living life on a clairvoyant path.

The key to understanding the passage above is realizing how deeply entrenched we are in relating to our world with our "minds". This mind is only one aspect of our true selves, our energetic, spiritual self. We are in a human phase of evolution during which we are beginning to realize that there are other ways of perceiving the world and that there is so much going on beneath the surface appearance of things. We have trusted rationalism and intellectual inquiry and science to give us all our answers as to the nature of LIFE and organized religion to create our rules for living, when neither one can give us the "whole picture". We are beginning to discover that in fact we have the ability within each of us, to look deeper and to see further and discover our own truths. And therefore the ability to recognize for ourselves what is authentic for us, what holds meaning and value, what we feel connected to, and have faith in.

When you have the courage to look beyond the word of a thing, the name and facade of a person, there is an incredible amount of information and life force to explore and get to know. There is the unique story of every human and how it connects to every other story out there. There is the incredible life force of every object and how no object or thing is stagnant but like us, changing every second on a biological and energetic level. Yes, we are all an "unfathomable" and "unknowable mystery" but it is possible to peek below the surface of the words and symbols and be startled by the beauty of it all.

--Francine Marie-Sheppard
www.soulpsychic.com
hello@francinemarie.com

Miracles & The Big Bang

2007-10-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

"The big bang is so preposterous," says renowned astronomer Allan
Sandage, co-discoverer of the quasar, "and the chain of events it set off
so unlikely, that it makes most sense when thought of as a 'miracle.'"

"For the sake of argument, let's assume Sandage is right. If the very
beginning of the universe itself was a miracle, then everything in it is
impregnated with the possibility of smaller but equally marvelous miracles."
--Rob Brezsny

Just for today, try to look around, observe your life and everything in it, and notice the
outrageous amount of small miracles.
As I wrote that, the sun suddenly came streaming through my window. Of course, that was just a coincidence, but I certainly welcome the warmth on this brisk fall morning.

Francine Marie-Sheppard
www.francinemarie.com
hello@francinemarie.com

Poem by Ghalib

2007-10-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Let the ascetics sing of the garden of Paradise-
We who dwell in the true ecstasy can forget their vase-tamed
bouquet.

In our hall of mirrors, the map of the one Face appears
As the sun's splendor would spangle a world made of dew.

Hidden in this image is also its end,
As peasants' lives harbor revolt and unthreshed corn sparks
with fire.

Hidden in my silence are a thousand abandoned longings:
My words the darkened oil lamp on a stranger's unspeaking
grave.

Ghalib, the road of change is before you always:
The only line stitching this world's scattered parts.

By Ghalib

Inspirational Quotes for Change

2007-10-15T14:58:00.001-07:00

Act boldly and unseen forces will come to your aid.
-Dorothea Brande, Writer

If you play it safe in life, you've decided that you don't want to grow any more.
-Shirley Hufstedler, Lawyer

That's the risk you take if you change: that people you've been involved with won't like the new you. But other people who do will come along.
-Lisa Alther, Novelist

To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.
-Bernadette Devlin, Writer

Goals are dreams with deadlines.
-Diana Scharf Hunt, Writer

Your goal should be out of reach but not out of sight.
-Anita DeFrantz, Olympic Rowing Medalist

We need to remember that we are all created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed.
-Maya Angelou,Poet and Writer

Making art is a rite of initiation. People change their souls.
-Julia Cameron, Writer

Be yourself. The world worships the original.
-Jean Cocteau, Writer

And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more.
-Erica Jong, Writer

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
-Hellen Keller, Activist

Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.
-Anais Nin, Writer

The full life is filled with vulnerability, not defense....You face whatever feeling there is.
-Virginia Satir, Family Therapist

When you come to the edge of all the light you know, and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: There will be something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.

About Exoricism

2007-10-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

The root to the word healing is in the word whole, and to heal is to engage yourself in becoming whole, becoming yourself. When you heal, at least energetically speaking, you are releasing what is not you and making space for you or your energy. With your energy you and your body are more capable of healing physically and energetically. It is easier to enter into a state of wellness with your own healing energy flowing through your aura, not somebody elses. I like to say wellness is that state when body, mind (awareness) and spirit are in harmony and in communication.
When an entity comes into your space through your body, there is less space for you to be there. Sometimes when you become that other energy we call that being possessed. Some other entity other than the one that came with this body (you) is in possession of that body or in control of it. There are many many reasons why this can happen and sometimes it is because an agreement was made, a spiritual contract, for that exchange to happen or "possession" to take place.
Exorcism is a form of healing where on some level that spiritual agreement is "renegotiated" and ended or in other words the "possession" is ended. When a person has lost their seniority completely to the foreign spirit and becomes the victim, sometimes they need help and turn to a healer who is capable of having seniority over the entity or spirit.

I do recommend that people seek help and that they take their healing seriously enough to want to find their freedom. They should keep looking until they find someone who can help them. Unfortunately in this day and age energy healing is still looked down on in many places and people with problems are invalidated and punished. If people were validated for their psychic abilities and intuition long before a problem develops, then we wouldn't call them crazy or losers for having a problem they are unable to to solve. They would have the certainty to be able to find a solution because they would know their problem is real. They could trust their perception and perhaps avoid falling victim to a creation that they are no longer in agreement with.

It is the absence of validation of spirit that causes so many problems--particularly the inability to have seniority over troublesome spirits. If we cannot validate that we are spirit, how can we solve a problem that we do not believe really exists? If a sensitive person is considered crazy how can that person function when he is no longer sure of what he is experiencing due to a lifetime of invalidation for seeing things that are not there. We cannot expect a person to have seniority over a spirit when we tell that person, in essence, that they do not exist. Because when you believe that spirit does not exist then you are also saying to a "sensitive"that they do not exist, because a "sensitive" knows themselves as spirit, and the world as energy first, and matter second.
The next thing you know, you've got a schizophrenic on your hands, lost between their experience/perceptions and everyones elses definition of the world.
And if that person loses seniority to another spirit, now they have an entity telling them they are crazy too so the entity can keep them away from a healer and channel through the body as much as they want.

What a world we live in. Maybe one day there will be exorcism specials for $19.99 at the spa and it won't be such a scary thing. After all, most programming for fear is just a lie that found it's way into your space for one reason only: to control your behaviour. If we really validated spirit and the ability of all persons to achieve spiritual healing, versus trying to control who is healed and who has the knowledge or the"Truth", well, a lot of not so nice entities would have a lot less playground space in the world.

That's all I have to say about exorcism today.
Francine Marie-Sheppard
www.francinemarie.com
hello@francinemarie.com

About the Mandalas

2007-10-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

I started painting these watercolor mandalas when I when to a very special conference in October of 2004. It was a gathering of tribal elders, healers and grandmothers to create a Council of Indigenous Grandmothers comprised of wise women from around the globe. I attended the pre-conference where the women were getting together and then the conference where these Elders were meeting with western women leaders like Gloria Steinem for discussion and healing. It was a remarkable week where we were treated to prayer rituals from many cultures at sunrise and sunset and the wise and healing words of many people. The was dance and celebrations too. Anyway, sometimes in the late evenings or early mornings I would pick up my paintbrush and start painting a mandala. These were not the type of painting I was used to doing, but I finally understood their power in creating a meditative and calm focused vibration. Each of the mandalas I painted that week represented to me, one of the grandmothers. Every one in while I find myself wanting to paint another one. It's very relaxing and as I said, meditative. I definitely recommend it. They don't have to be perfectly round or symetrical either to have power. Funnily enough, since I never got around to getting a compass drawing thingy, I just take various cups and saucers from my cupboard to pencil in some circles of varying sizes on my fresh page, and then just go from there with no particular design in mind. Sometimes I just think about the person the mandala is inspired by, sometimes I just follow my own tastes in colors and see what emerges. Some of my mandalas remind me of certain chakras.

Francine Marie

The Psychic Training Cruise!! To Mexico!!

2007-09-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

Hello ---Calling all people out there interested in developing and owning their psychic abilities!!

I'll be hosting a fantastic and fun cruise to the Mexican Riviera with my colleague and fellow teacher Debra Lynne Katz next year which will focus on clairvoyant training and psychic development. This ship will be a fun atmosphere to celebrate being spirit and enjoying abundance. You are guaranteed to increase your confidence about your natural psychic abilities. All levels are welcome. We sail on March 1st, 2008 from Los Angeles California and return March 8th. The majority of the curriculum will be taught on the days we are at sea and there will be plenty of time for port excursions, socializing, meditations, spa treatments, gambling games, yoga, shipboard shows and an abundance of all-inclusive delicious food. There will be a variety of learning experiences with a focus on clairvoyant development. This adventure promises to be an incredible, memorable week spent among like minded souls having fun learning, creating and celebrating. All you shy psychics and sensitives out there, this is a safe, grounded and fun time to come out and meet people just like yourself and have some fun learning tools that can help you navigate the world and enjoy your clairvoyant reading ability.

Hope to see you there!

If you'd like more info, email me at hello@francinemarie.com, and check the website www. francinemarie.com where I'll be posting all the details. You can read more about Debra Katz, author of You Are Psychic, The Art of Clairvoyant Reading and Healing, at www.debrakatz.com.

Please don't hesitate to give either of us a call. Our numbers are posted on the websites.

Have a blessed day.

Francine Marie-Sheppard
www.francinemarie.com
hello@francinemarie.com

Introduction to my Blogs

2007-08-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This is the blog for Francine Marie-Sheppard, professional clairvoyant and psychic skills development teacher. I'll be posting occassionally about things related to being a psychic explorer in this wacky wonderful world we live in.

If you'd like to know more about me and you haven't checked my website it's
www.francinemarie.com.

I have two other blogs which you might be interested in.

I administer the FREE clairvoyant advice column, www.askeve.blogspot.com for my friend Eve Applebiter, known as Eve-She-Who-Knows, a psychic wonder woman of a certain age who graciously answers questions sent to her from her fans, friends and the simply curious. She can be reached via email if you want to ask her a question, at EveApplebiter@hotmail.com. All replies are confidential and fictional names substituted for real names if your question is used in the column.

My other blog is a teaching blog for clairvoyant students and people interested in psychic skills development. This blog is available through my website with password access only for students and clients of mine. The blog has psychic tools, stories and articles on it. As a student you are encouraged to ask questions and make comments and use the blog as a resource. If you are interested in psychic exploration and would like to check out the clairvoyant training blog, just drop me note vie email at hello@francinemarie.com. I teach a long distance clairvoyant training program and local classes as well as the occassional psychic camp and weekend workshop. Keep in touch or check back www.francinemarie.com for up and coming special events. I wish you good luck and lots of fun on your clairvoyant adventures.

Francine Marie-Sheppard
www.soulpsychic.com
hello@francinemarie.com
www.askeve.blogspot.com