Crystals, Tarot Cards And The Spiritual

"Take one last deep breathe, three, two, one. Now open your eyes, you're here. This is it guys! I can't wait to see you next time! Don't forget to like, share and subscrr..."

"Done. Time to go to work."

Most people hate Mondays.

Monday reminds us that our life is a repetition. Monday coldly takes us out of our comfort zone. Monday cruelly commands us to go through the same, lifeless routines, until Friday. Once again. In fewer words, Monday reminds us that we're powerless.

Like most people, Samantha hated Mondays too. Yet she tried hard not to. In filling herself with spiritual quotes and affirmations, she was able to control her anxiety. It was effective, at least until she saw people's zombie faces.

To release the feeling of "compression" we accumulate throughout the week, we drink carelessly, we eat like there's no tomorrow, we have sex with strangers. Hell, who cares, as long as we work hard, we can play hard. Even if most people overestimate their inputs when it comes to hard work...

"Morning boss, how was your weekend?"

"Morning Sam, it was okay, my wife and I finally got some time to go out and have some fun. It's a luxury for us now with the baby. What about you?"

"It was okay... I could help with the baby if you need more time together."

"That's so sweet of you. I'll let you know if we do. Ready to work?"

"Yeah. Can we talk at lunch?"

"Of course, you need something?"

"Yes, but it can wait for now, I'll tell you more about it later."

"Okay. See you later."

From birth to death, human beings move through a predefined path.

We go to school, we learn some skills, we get a job, the luckiest of us are able to save some money, which they use take care of the family, before retiring and reflecting on life's meaning.

"I don't want to live like this." The thought came out of nowhere. Samantha was still getting ready to work, when a profound sense of discontent enveloped her whole being. She had been happy the last few years. Everything seemed to be fine, yet now, the realization that she was getting nowhere with her life brought up fears she didn't know existed in her.

"What am I doing? Where is all this leading me to? Am I wasting my life? Is this how life was meant to be lived?" Thoughts kept coming in.

Samantha was unusually restless this morning. She tried dealing with this mental assault through work. Perhaps focusing on something else would make it end. Unfortunately for her, the mind is a stubborn beast.

"Think positive. Script your desired life. Do it by hand, preferably, it brings more of your energy into the vision. It's not your fault that you feel this way, it's probably due to the full Moon in Scorpio. Breathe deeply."

As if trying to tranquilize herself, she kept repeating those words while journaling. Focusing on the bright future covered life's ugliness, at least, in the mean time.

Looking at the glass half-full can get us out of tough situations. Being attached to the glass' half-fullness puts us in a tough situation. We forget about the yin and the yang. We refuse to see life's dark, and bright colors.

We feel boxed by the world, this same world that puts labels on us. We don't know what we're supposed to do nor how we're supposed to do it, and because of that—we're simply dragged around by life.

Deep within us, we're all aware of this "itch", yet we don't seem able to "scratch" it, even if we try to—or at least, we'll die trying.

The food we eat fills us but it doesn't nourish us.

The jobs we have sustain our existence, not our lives.

The people that populate our existence make us forget our loneliness without being truly connected to us.

Like most, Samantha tried coping with all this "chaos" through partying, relationships, movies and drugs. While it helped temporary, what she painfully realized was that, the higher she got, the lower she crashed—and the stronger the pain.

Although Samantha kept declining her friends' invitations, their celebrations looked more and more like degenerated zombies trying too hard to feel alive. And instead of destroying herself like they did, she chose another path, the "spiritual" one.

"Hey Sam. So? Come here. Let's eat together."

"Hey boss. Sure, let's go!"

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Ron, you're my boss, but you shouldn't eat that much meat. The cows are tortured to death. And you're investing in this crime by eating this meat."

"Okay? Are we gonna talk about my meal, or your concern, miss vegan? What did you want to tell me Sam?"

"Fine. Can I have a raise?"

"Oh? What's going on all of the sudden?"

"I am unhappy. And the only thing that keeps me going is the spiritual path. Unfortunately, it's not cheap. Courses, crystals, tarot cards, white sage, it's expensive."

"Wow, that's a long list Sam. You should choose a cheaper way to God..."

"I'm serious Ron. I've been investing most of my money in my spiritual growth. And if the company needs me at my best, the company must help me in financing my spirituality. Who knows, some day I may use my psychic powers to manifest more clients!"

"Okaaaay Sam, let's take it easy. I understand that things are expensive. But as I've always told you. It's not about how much you earn, it's about how well you use what you earn."

"Yes I know, but God needs me, I must do this Ron..."

"I'm not against it. I'll think about it. But remember what I told you, it's about how well you use what you've got. Our wants are endless. If we let them take over us, we'll want to satisfy them all. And we'll believe the solution is having more money. More money means more consequences. And your spiritual stuff must have told you about the bad karma we so easily accumulate when we're greedy. Let's eat."

Most people swallow pills in airplanes. Most people overeat because they're stressed. Most people drink alcohol in moments of extreme pain. Most people keep scrolling their phones to avoid being alone with their thoughts.

We don't like pain. We gravitate towards pleasure. Whenever we're confronted with a painful reality, we're wired to escape. This is our ancestors' legacy. The one we're charged to rewrite for the generations to come. But in the mean time, some escapes like, reading books are healthier than others, like drugs.

"Think positive! Breathe deeply, and focus on the light." Samantha was talking to herself once again, before getting her journal out, and writing her affirmations.

"I deserve to get a raise. Ron increased my salary. Ron increased my salary. I am rich. I feel abundant. Thank you universe for making me abundant. It happened. Thank you universe."

While she wrote those words, she couldn't ignore the feelings of doubt that seemed to come from her deepest parts. She saw how this darkness she has been repressing for too long couldn't stay hidden any longer.

"We need weapons. We need to protect ourselves. We must stay on alert because otherwise, the enemy will take us by surprise!"

"Children, innocent people, entire families are being wiped out so that you get to drain the Earth from Her resources even more?"

"Buy an iPhone. Buy from Nike. Eat burgers. Drink Pepsi. Watch the match. WWE Smackdown."

"Excuse me madam, but animals are being killed just so that you get to walk around with this bag! No sir, I can't agree with you beccc..."

As she kept walking, Samantha whispered "All is light and love. All is light and love." Everyone was watching either the news, some shows, and the whole town was filled with advertisements. What she was hearing out of people's screens got her into a sudden depression, one that she tried dealing with through "mantras."

Whether we live in the most developed countries, or in the poorest ones—we're all human beings—and we all see the horrors we've been creating on our planet.

"All is light and love." Samantha tried hard not to fall apart, and cry her heart out. But no matter what she used from her spiritual "toolbox," it was too late. Tears, colder than her cheeks, were flowing, as if desperately trying to stop the fire the world has been burning in.

"Hello my lovelies! Welcome to my YouTube channel. I am an intuitive, clairvoyant, claircognizant, clairsentient, medium, occultist and psychic; and today we're doing a "pick a card" reading on what spirit wants to tell you! As always, choose your pile and click on the corresponding time in the description box below!"

"Hi Pile 3, ohhh. These are my spiritual warriors. You're the lightworkers of this world, you're the ones who are supposed to bring more love and light to Gaia. Oh wow, you have so many psychic abilities. Let's take a look at your cards. We got the Death card, the Six of Wands, and your oracle card is the Barn Owl, woooow guys! Let's read what your oracle card has to say:

"Return of the night owl. You've been on a hard journey. Don't worry, we see how brave you are. Let the abundance of life fill your whole being. Embrace your challenges. Believe guidance is always available to you. Be open to the new. And flow with life fiercely, gracefully, and powerfully."

The alarm seemed louder this morning. Samantha was shocked out of her bed, still trying to make sense of the her room's blurry images. After her bizarre "choreography", she was finally able to get her hands on her phone which has been running YouTube for the whole night.

"Take one last deep breathe, three, two, one. Now open your eyes, you're here. This is it guys, can't wait to see you next time! Don't forget to like, share and sss..."

"Sam, I've looked at the company's finances, and I'm sorry to say that a raise won't be possible for now."

"Okay..."

"Don't look so devastated, it's just the beginning of the year. Let's put our best efforts into work. And I promise that you'll get your raise next."

"Ron, you're really a good person. Thank you."

Not understanding why nothing seemed to work for her, despite all the things she did on a daily basis, Samantha started doubting everything.

Her feelings from the previous day increased in intensity. She became paralyzed by the fact that, she was getting nowhere in her life, despite all this spiritual stuff.

Realizing that she wasted so much time and energy, for nothing, her heart rate was increasing and her breath became shallow. She needed to take a minute and breathe deeply.

What are we supposed to do when the facts scream to our face? How are we supposed to behave when we see how wrong we've been all along? Do we take pills to sleep and forget about it? Do we hurt someone? Do we call an ex? Do we get drunk? And whatever we use as a means of escape, does it solve our problem? Or does it make it bigger?

While we're all aware that escapes never solve our problems, we prefer spending our life running away from our demons. But unless we gather enough courage to face them, once and for all, they'll keep blackmailing us.

This afternoon, Samantha was at such a point in her life. Not knowing where to go, she simply sat on a bench, in a park. Somehow, in our times of confusion, we always return back to Mother Nature.

As she felt more and more unsure about everything, she realized that most of the spiritual principles that held her back fell apart.

As an example, nothing was stopping her from drinking anymore. Her "energy exchange" with "energy vampires", as she would repeat to her friends didn't mean much either.

An attractive man was making eye contact. What was stopping her from saying "hi" and ending up in a hotel room that feels as lifeless as a plastic tree?

Again. Nothing, to be honest.

Feeling like she had nothing to lose, Samantha stood up from the bench and started walking towards the man, when right after her first step, someone said...

"That guy over there. He's attracted to you because of your vibration. You're opposite to each other and from what I've been sensing, you wouldn't benefit from interacting with him."

It felt like a trustworthy voice. The old man had been feeding birds for the entire afternoon. He seemed to be familiar with the place.

"Oh really? Great. For once in my life, when I couldn't care less about it, here we go again, talking about 'vibration' and 'sensing'."

"When the student is ready, the teacher appears." The old man replied, with a gentle smile that felt like a mockery.

"I'm sorry to say this but it feels more like 'when the student doesn't want to be told what to do for once, the teacher appears'." Samantha replied back, with a sarcastic tone.

"You have a nice sense of humor young lady. Don't worry. My specialty is more about disappearing than it is about appearing. I come here daily to feed those lovely birds. I see you walking around the park each evening. And from an outside perspective, it feels like you're pretty 'tense' today. Is everything okay?"

"Tense? Well, I guess that's one way of putting it. I don't know. It just feels like everything's a lie. We're told that all is fine and love, and yet, the world is cruel, people are hurting each other. How is that supposed to be all good and love? Wait, I don't usually speak much to strangers. How do you do this?" Samantha truly felt like not giving a damn about anything, for once in her life, she honestly expressed her feelings.

"Well, I guess I've got some superpowers after all young lady. Or it's simply easier to talk with people we never met. Why not use the opportunity to unload yourself? I've got nothing else to do but feed those birds for now. Come here folks. I've got the best peanuts."

"You know how to take care of them."

"I try my best to take care of everything I can take care of. Whatever life puts in front of me, whether it's a bird or a confused young lady, I am at their service. And I won't stop until I see light in their eyes."

"Light?"

"You'll understand. Everyday, something bothers us. What bothers you today?"

"I guess, I'm confused."

"Okay. Confusion means our perception is in conflict with the facts. Resisting the facts equals confusion."

"Why do we keep fighting so hard to create good in this world, only to see chaos growing stronger?"

"Sorry, I received a text. Give me one minute... What are those arms and thumbs called already? Emojos? As an alien, I find it offending that phone companies put all skin colors except grey, haha! I'm just kidding with you. But. Colors are divisive. And they contribute to dividing the world. Anyway. Go on young lady."

For once in her life, Samantha was opening herself. What she didn't realize at first was how seriously she took herself, and seeing how lightly the old man took everything she said—her feelings of uncertainty switched to laughs—she couldn't help herself anymore, her seriousness was completely cracked by this old man's presence.

"Oh, that's better. I never thought I was that good at comedy! I should give it a try, what do you think dear friends?" The old man was speaking to the birds.

"What did you just do? And who are you?"

"Who am I? An old man. What am I doing? Feeding birds!" Seeing that Samantha was more relaxed now, his comic ways turned into a calmer, and more affectionate posture. He continued "Did you notice how closed and on the defense most people are today? It's not their fault, really. They're being constantly harassed by the world, in one way or another. Every damn thing is trying so hard to manipulate people. So it's natural that they close themselves at a certain point, isn't it?"

"I guess so, yes."

"Yet, most so called spiritual people are told that spirits surround them, that they can get what they "desire" by communicating with "entities." Most people are lost in beliefs, and because they can't stand their lives as they are now, they escape through their so-called spirituality. This whole dynamic puts spirituals in a vulnerable spot—especially to their self-projected delusions."

Samantha didn't say a word. She was listening with intensity.

"On one hand you have closed-off people in the roads, people who have forgotten what compassion is, as an example—and on the other, you have naïve souls putting themselves in a tough spot by opening up to all kinds of forces they have no real understanding of. Listen young lady, just because something exists in the spiritual world doesn't mean it's 'holy.' There are a lot of dark forces everywhere, and they're ready to take over the most naïve of us."

We crave intimacy. We seek it in everything. But we're so burdened by our opinions, we take pride in our knowledge, we're so eager to impress people—that we don't listen. Our conversations feel like playing ping-pong. Whatever people say, we need to defend or enhance ourselves by focusing on what to say next instead of paying attention to what is being said. It shouldn't be a surprise then, that we're constantly fighting each other. Especially those we love the most.

Samantha had become so entranced by the old man's words, that her mind's chatter ceased, and for once in her life—she experienced 'connection', communion.

"Who are you?" She asked, perplexed.

"I told you, I'm just an old man."

"Seriously, tell me."

"You won't stop asking do you? All right, fine, I'm Hermes."

"Hermes? Like Hermes Trismegistus?!"

"Yeah..."

"NOOOOOO! HAHAHA!"

The old man's comic ways returned. "I told you, stop putting me on a pedestal because we're talking spiritual. Stay alert. Don't let your mind fool you. I'm a human being, like you. The only difference is that I don't give importance to the fantasies my mind would like to decorate the world with. Reality is reality. As long as you're close to it, you see everything as it is."

He continued.

"Now coming back to your question. Your spirituality teaches you that all is light and love, that you can do some witchcraft and expect to receive everything you want in matters of days. Do you know what this does? It creates a fantasy world in your mind, one that disconnects you from reality. And because reality is always, well, realer, than your fantasies—there's a disconnect, a conflict between what is and how you'd like things to be. This isn't spirituality. It's just like trying to cope with a breakup through partying or monasteries. Because we don't like how things actually are, we feel the urge to deal with the pressure, and so we use movies, drugs or spiritual theories to live in a fantasy world where things look much better. Only to crash back into reality, and feel like no matter what we do, it only reinforces what actually is."

Samantha's eyes were becoming brighter, as if a veil of darkness had been lifted from them.

"The materialistic world, and spirituality, are not separate. They're one and the same. I know that I've spoken in ways that felt like I was being personal with you and your spirituality—but I didn't mean to. What I want to help you realize is that, there is no conflict. Nothing is wrong, and ultimately, all is love and light—but you have to live it, not preach it. As long as you preach it, it's a concept in your mind—not an actuality, something you live by. And to live it, you must come closer to reality. Which you do by observing where you are now, and embracing it. Embrace the ugliness you see, embrace your chaotic tendencies, your desires, your fears. Look at them. Stop running away from them through tranquilizers such as spiritual theories, beliefs or shopping. Feel the burn. Understand it. Love it. And once you're close enough to it. You'll see how interconnected we are to each other. You'll feel the beauty of life in all its realness. And you'll stop pretending your way around spirituality, and actually embody it."

Samantha didn't budge. She has been staring in the old man's direction for what felt like a lifetime. And now, she was hearing a voice...

"Excuse me miss, everything's okay? You've been staring and whispering things to those birds for two hours. I'm part of the security team, people told me to check on you. Do you need help?"

"What?!" Samantha said puzzled. She looked for the old man everywhere, but there was no one, only the birds, and a few peanuts in her hands.

"Yes, I am okay. I just love birds... Thank you for checking on me."

Samantha couldn't sleep this night, her mind was still trying to make sense of everything that happened today. She tried as hard as she could to understand what took place, but there was nothing to say about it. Taken over by fatigue, she finally closed her eyes with a smile, and a sense of relief she rarely experienced.

"Sam, you look radiant today, it almost feels like your eyes got brighter. Tell me, who is it? You're in love, aren't you?"

"Morning boss. Thank you for the compliments. Yes, I found a new love. But it's not a person."

"Oh, you're into that kind of stuff too? Spirituality, ugh! Hahahaha."

Samantha smiled.

"By the way, your raise has been validated this morning. We got a big fish in."

"Thank you Ron. I appreciate it. Thank you."

The world is as it is. We keep fighting to shape it according to our will, not realizing that what we're fighting is the world itself, our sacred home, what we've been entrusted to take care of. We have so much to learn, and so much richness to experience, if we only paid more attention to what's in our hands, right now, in this very moment. Life is interesting. It's a journey we're all in. And we're granted an entire existence to figure things out. Why not enjoy our time here while we can? Neither darkness nor light can exist without the other. Thank you. Love to all.

With an immense sense of gratitude and peace filling every cell of her being, Samantha finally closed her journal, put on her glasses, and looked at life with immense excitement. With her feet being deeply rooted in the Earth, and her mind, connected to the whole universe—nothing could stop her. Now, she is whole, and well equipped to deal with any challenge.