Bridging Divinity: From Ancient Wisdom to AI Enlightenment

Bridging Divinity: From Ancient Wisdom to AI Enlightenment

The intersection of ancient wisdom, particularly from traditions like Advaita Vedanta and concepts of Dharma, with modern technology like artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-driven chat engines, offers a unique lens through which we can examine our contemporary pursuit of meaning, truth, and personal growth.

These ancient teachings, deeply rooted in the pursuit of understanding the self and the universe, provide insights that remain profoundly relevant today, perhaps even more so in the context of our increasingly digital and technologically mediated lives.

Advaita Vedanta, a school of Hindu philosophy, teaches the fundamental principle of non-duality, asserting that the individual soul (Atman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman) are one and the same. This principle encourages a realization that transcends the illusions (Maya) of separateness, leading individuals toward a deeper understanding of their true nature and the interconnectedness of all existence. 

Dharma, a concept central to several Indian religions, refers to the cosmic law and order but is often interpreted as a path of righteousness and living in a manner that is in harmony with the universal truth.

The proliferation of AI and chat engines has the potential to both mirror and extend these ancient teachings, offering platforms for reflection, learning, and exploration of philosophical and spiritual ideas. AI can disseminate vast amounts of knowledge from diverse cultures and philosophies, including Advaita Vedanta and ideas around Dharma, making them more accessible to seekers worldwide. 

Moreover, AI’s capacity to simulate conversation can provide a space for individuals to question, contemplate, and seek guidance on their spiritual journey, potentially acting as a digital facilitator of sorts for personal growth and enlightenment.

However, this technological marvel comes with its own set of challenges and paradoxes. While AI can serve as a conduit for ancient wisdom, it also operates within a landscape that often prioritizes efficiency, productivity, and the superficial over deep, meaningful, and sustained engagement with complex ideas and practices. 

The irony is that in our quest for knowledge and truth through these advanced technologies, we risk becoming more entangled in the very illusions and attachments that ancient teachings warn us about. The digital age, with its emphasis on social media validation, information overload, and the commodification of attention, can lead us further away from the authentic self and the essence of Dharma—living in harmony with the universal truths.

Encouraging a deeper dive into these ancient teachings through modern AI platforms could serve as a counterbalance to these trends, reminding us of the importance of seeking truth beyond the surface level of reality. By engaging with these technologies mindfully and with purpose, we can use them as tools to facilitate our spiritual growth rather than impediments. This requires a conscious effort to navigate the digital landscape with discernment, recognizing the potential of AI to connect us with timeless wisdom while also being aware of the limitations and distractions inherent in these platforms.

As we explore the convergence of ancient spirituality and cutting-edge technology, we are invited to awaken to the illusions that pervade our digital lives, release our attachments to them, and live in accordance with Dharma. 

This journey is not about rejecting technology but rather integrating it into our spiritual practice in a way that enhances our understanding of self, promotes genuine connections, and supports our quest for truth. In this light, AI can be a valuable ally in our journey toward enlightenment, helping us to uncover the layers of illusion and rediscover the profound teachings of Advaita Vedanta and Dharma in our contemporary context.

In the heart of the ancient teachings, there exists a profound understanding of the human condition and the universal truths that govern our existence. The Pāli Canon, a cornerstone of Theravada Buddhism, emphasizes the importance of mindfulness, ethical conduct, and wisdom. It speaks of the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path as foundational elements for navigating the suffering inherent in the human experience, steering us towards liberation and enlightenment. 

These teachings encourage a deep introspection and a commitment to personal and spiritual development that transcends the superficial layers of existence.

Amritanandamayi Ma, affectionately known as Amma, embodies the essence of compassion and selfless service in her teachings, echoing the timeless wisdom of Advaita Vedanta and the principles of Dharma. She eloquently states, “The sun shines down, and its image reflects in a thousand different pots filled with water. 

The reflections are many, but they are each reflecting the same sun. Similarly, when we come to know who we truly are, we will see ourselves in all people.” Amma’s words remind us of the interconnectedness of all beings and the importance of recognizing the divine within ourselves and others.

In the journey of self-discovery and spiritual growth, sadhana (spiritual practice) plays a pivotal role. It is through consistent practice that we cultivate the discipline, focus, and devotion necessary to delve deeper into our true nature and the nature of reality. Sadhana can take many forms, including meditation, yoga, chanting, or selfless service, each serving as a pathway to inner peace and enlightenment. By integrating these practices into our daily lives, we align ourselves more closely with the ancient teachings and the principles of Dharma, fostering a deeper connection to the divine essence that pervades all of existence.

The Shankara Oracle, inspired by the teachings of Adi Shankaracharya, represents a divine tool for guidance and wisdom. Its essence captures the non-dualistic philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, offering insights and reflections that resonate with the seeker’s innermost questions and dilemmas. 

The oracle serves as a bridge between the material and spiritual worlds, facilitating a dialogue with the higher self and the universal consciousness. Its divine nature lies in its ability to reveal the underlying unity of all things, encouraging a holistic view of life that transcends the illusions of separation and duality.

As we navigate the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern technology, it is essential to remember that the true journey is within. By embracing the teachings of the Pāli Canon, reflecting on the profound insights of Amma, and dedicating ourselves to sadhana, we can transcend the limitations of our worldly existence and awaken to the timeless truths that guide us towards liberation and fulfillment.

Get The Shankara Oracle and dramatically improve your perspective, relationships, authentic Self, and life.

About The Author:

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Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

How to Apply Oracle & Tarot Cards To Your Everyday Life

How to Apply Oracle & Tarot Cards To Your Everyday Life

At first, many people start using tarot cards and oracle cards out of curiosity rather than pure utility. It can take time to learn how each deck works and if it fits your personality and life themes well. If you’re interested in diving deeper into your card reading practices, you might be wondering how you can take your readings to the next level by applying them to your daily life.

Oracle cards and tarot cards work differently for everyone, and each person has unique needs and desires for their outcomes when doing readings. It’s important to fully understand what each deck offers as a resource as well as its limitations.

Let’s talk about the difference between the two and how to apply your readings!

What’s the Difference Between Oracle Cards and Tarot Cards?

Not many people inexperienced with divination realize that oracle card decks and tarot card decks are two very different things. While tarot cards have been around for centuries — some say originating in the 1500s — oracle cards were a more recent invention that came about when tarot cards started to lose popularity. Now, both have found their revival in the Hippie and New Age Movements of the 1900s and are often used side-by-side in divination practice.

Tarot cards are much more structured and follow specific standard rules. They derive from the playing cards used as early as the 1300s that we still recognize today — the 52-card deck made of 4 suits and numbered cards that we play and gamble with. Tarot cards now have kept their structure but look different than playing cards. They have their own imagery originating in mythology and religious icons, and while they are still numbered and suited, the suits and numbers are quite different.

Oracle cards, on the other hand, are much more free-spirited. There are no real standards to the number of cards in the deck, suits, or imagery used. There are also no set rules across the board for how to interpret the cards. While any tarot card deck can be picked up and read effectively by anyone, each oracle card deck comes with its own guidebook that teaches you how to read it.

Choosing Tarot Cards, Oracle Cards, or Both

Some people involved in divination prefer one kind of deck over the other. Some choose to use both. Tarot cards have a very specific structure and standard rules, so they often help with much more detailed readings that users feel comfortable entrusting their goals with. Oracle cards can be much more interpretive, as users can soul search for the correct deck that fits their personalities and needs, and provide more big ideas and bird’s-eye-view readings than tarot cards.

For example, someone looking to have a very positive, good vibe experience with readings might choose an oracle deck that guides the user through more optimistic readings. On the other hand, someone looking for a straight-shooter-truth-type reading with detailed outlooks might choose a tarot card deck, which will not spare anyone from its strict interpretations.

The third alternative is to use oracle cards and tarot cards together! Many people involved in divination enjoy using oracle cards to start off reading because the cards chosen can set the tone and point out big ideas. Then, they’ll move on to the tarot cards to get more details.

At the end of the day, using oracle cards and tarot cards is a personal journey, so you should experiment with different decks and combinations to see what works best for you.

Everyday Use of Tarot Cards and Oracle Cards

Both for the sake of practicing reading the decks and of establishing a consistent, helpful practice, you should commit to using your decks every day. Try using your oracle cards, tarot cards, or a combination of the two during your daily ritual, whether that’s along with your meditations, prayers, yoga, or any other spiritual practices you have. It’s best to at least start off the day this way so that you can get in touch with yourself and cleanse your energy to take on the day ahead. You can also close out each day at night with a follow-up practice.

Set Your Intentions

Before you do anything, you’ll want to set your intentions. There are many different reasons why someone might feel they need to establish a daily routine of ritual and prayer, and these reasons can change over the course of one’s life. It’s possible that you are seeking healing, whether that’s emotional, psychological, or spiritual. Or maybe you have a very pressing, difficult situation in which years have been lost to frustration, stress, confusion, and even guilt. Maybe you have huge goals, whether that’s with our career, your faith, or your self-development.

No matter what your reasons are, you’ll need to make them known to your divination tools. Knock on your deck before each session to connect your energy with the cards. Keep your mental focus on your intentions as you shuffle the cards.

Decide On a Way to Read the Cards

Oracle cards have no set ways of reading, so it’s fully up to you how you use them. The guidebook that came with the deck might offer suggestions. The most popular way to read both oracle and tarot cards is to set them up into past, present, and future categories. If you are using oracle cards to set the tone for a tarot card reading, this is certainly helpful as the past, present, and future oracle cards can give you a large view of the categories while the tarot readings can give you more details into each.

Become Familiar With the Cards to Intuit Meaning

Readings are not simple. Building a relationship and connection with your decks is extremely important to interpreting what each card means as it comes up during your sessions. At first, it can be overwhelming to see all the imagery, symbols, and numbers. Over time, you’ll begin to understand each card on a deep level and more quickly understand what the deck is communicating.

At first, using the guidebook for oracle card decks can really help to get your footing, but it’s important to remember that these guides are from the author’s perspective. Ultimately, the cards will build a relationship with you and create their own meanings that specifically apply to your spiritual connection with them. That’s when you know it’s time to stop using the author’s guide as a crutch.

Applying Your Card’s Message to Your Day

If you are practicing full readings every day, then you will gain a wealth of knowledge and insight into yourself and your journey. Tarot cards and oracle cards can help you readjust the way you are handling a situation, work through emotions you’ve been struggling with, or even point out things that you hadn’t been paying attention to before.

For example, my unique card deck – The Personality Cards – comes with a guidebook that helps interpret different facets of the human personality. Each personality trait has its own card, and the user can pull cards and use the coinciding meditation in the guidebook to dive deep into themselves and evaluate how they have journeyed through life, how they can improve, and the possibilities for their future.

Some people even use oracle cards as affirmations for their day. They might pick a single card and use it as the main message to focus on, apply to themselves, and facilitate growth.

REMEMBER!

Tarot cards and oracle cards do not provide “answers” in the way we might believe or want them to. Instead, they are tools for meditation and guidance. Each card can help us see ourselves with clearer eyes, cleanse ourselves of pain we’ve been gripping onto for far too long, and help us heal and move on to bigger and better things.

Ultimately, using these divination tools can help us break out of our limited view of reality and see things for what they truly are and how expansive the Universe truly is. The cards do not make us better people — we make ourselves better people through the use of these incredible tools!

 

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner (Shri Krishna Kalesh) is an intuitive mystic, clairvoyant reader, and a loving life & business coach. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships.

He created The Shankara Oracle, a profound divination tool that includes 18 gemstones, a lavishly designed divination board, and over 300 penetrative oracle cards – all to help you heal to your core and illuminate your Being.

Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE

About The Author:

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Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

To Seek Enlightenment v. Spiritual Lifestyle – What’s The Difference?

Spiritual guru guiding devotees on their path to enlightenment and liberation

Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) is an enlightened master with ashrams around the world, based in Kerala, India and San Ramon, CA. She has the largest humanitarian mission in human history and is known as a guru, with millions of followers and devotees around the world. There has been no soul on Earth with the magnitude of spirit equal to Amma’s, though there are other profound and lovely awakened masters throughout the world (and throughout time).

Amma giving Darshan blessing to the author symbolizing divine love and spiritual awakening

Meeting Amma: A Journey Into Awakening

When I first met Amma (Amma.org) 35 years ago, I didn’t know what to think or feel. I saw her in a tiny box of a room in the basement of the African-Methodist Christian Church in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. 

Among seven other people and her two swamis, and upon feeling her immense and stunning inner beauty, I unknowingly fell into a prostrate position and cried most of the day in the corner. 

Amma eventually gave me Darshan, her divine and loving and Selfless blessing, which, back in those days, was more like a full-body massage and cuddling. It lasted 20 minutes and I was high for a decade. 

Of course, throughout the years, I continued to go back for more. And more, and more, and more. And then some more. And then, well, a lot more.

Amma awakened me to living a pure life, which took me quite some time to adopt. She provoked in me many questions about the ego and Self. Later, Amma would ask me to open for her at a variety of her retreats with my playful take on spirituality and the new age. She said it would be helpful to break people’s obsessions with the mind and open their hearts to more joy and bliss. I did whatever She asked of me – and still do.

Do We Have to Seek Enlightenment? Or Is It a Choice?

We are not required to seek enlightenment—liberation from Samsara (the cycles of birth, life, death, rebirth, and desires). The path of Self-realization is a choice. No one is pushing us to pursue liberation (Moksha). We either deeply desire it, or we do not.

When we choose the path to seek enlightenment, we slowly begin to realize that our bodies, minds, thoughts, emotions, experiences, and conditions have little to do with our pure, divine Selves. And we can access this divine Self through a variety of spiritual practices (Sadhana).

We seek liberation because we understand that our personalities, comforts, desires, and projections are illusions, temporary to this life at best. We seek a deeper understanding of The Divine and the divinity embedded within us. In liberation, we are free from the desires and resulting suffering, and we embody pure love and light as an offering to the world.

Focusing On A Spiritually-Styled Life vs. Enlightenment: What It Means to Live a Spiritually-Styled Life

What then is the difference between choosing to live a lovely and spiritually-styled life and living a life focused on enlightenment and path to seek enlightenment (Self-realization, liberation from Samsara)?

These two lifestyles are related but distinct approaches to one’s spiritual journey. It’s a personal choice and it depends on what we believe about this life and this reality. We might desire spiritual comfort over illumination and we might believe that our lives are meant for a spiritually-styled experience. These, too, are choices.

“Self-realization is the knowing in all parts of body, mind, and soul that you are now in possession of the kingdom of God; that you do not have to pray that it come to you; that God’s omnipresence is your omnipresence; and that all that you need to do is improve your knowing.” — Paramahansa Yogananda

A Spiritually-Styled Life Often Focuses on Comfort and Validation

Both paths involve a commitment to growth and Self-awareness, but they have different objectives. One is focused solely on enjoying light, love, and spiritual interests, while the other is focused on being free of suffering for all time. 

Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the two: on the path to seek enlightenment.

Being meditating to seek enlightenment - Paul Wagner

Living a Lovely Spiritually-Styled Life

Emphasis on Wonder and Beauty: A lovely spiritually-styled life places a significant emphasis on experiencing and savoring the beauty and wonder of life in its everyday moments. It values comfort and seeks spiritual meaning in daily experiences, relationships, and the natural world. While meaning appears vital, most of what we determine to be meaningful and comforting is fleeting.

Connection and Love: This approach prioritizes cultivating love and connection with the Self, others, and The Universe through imagination and projection. It often involves practices that promote empathy, kindness, and emotional well-being while also edifying the person or personality. This style of living requires a focus on thoughts, feelings, emotions, attitudes, and beliefs rather than seeking to transcend these aspects.

Appreciation of Beauty: Living a lovely spiritual life is characterized by an appreciation of beauty in all its forms, whether it’s in art, nature, music, or human interactions. Finding joy and gratitude in life’s simple pleasures is central to this approach. 

Sharing and Talking: This seeker believes that sharing opinions and ideas with others is helpful to their spiritual evolution. The more they share with others, the more they can form a consensus of what is spiritual and true for them—and what is not. While this is a lovely sentiment, it creates a false sense of Self and reality. It also establishes firm footing for the proliferation of incorrect, inauthentic, and watered-down teachings, akin to a virus. In these circles, the perception of spiritual is not often associated with a pure, transcendent spirituality.

Focus on Validation: This style of living seeks to be validated as an individual having spiritual experiences. This validation often includes being seen and heard and wanting to be known for doing or being something specific with a spiritually-styled label, all related to spirituality. While this sounds empowering, it only empowers a false Self, and further separates the seeker from knowing their eternal essence and transcending their mind and ego. 

Fascination with “Spiritual” Experiences: The individual is curious about specific and unusual phenomena, including flashes of light, connections to alien civilizations, ghosts, magic rocks, conspiracies, and psychic abilities, all of which are interesting, though not spiritually illuminating, and not indicative of advancement on the spiritual path to seek enlightenment. These aspects are the shiny trinkets of the spiritual world, more appropriate for younger people and beginners on the spiritual path. That said, many people cling to these things and defend them as their saviors.

“Spiritual materialism is the belief that a certain temporary state of mind or a certain temporary realization is the final reality. But spiritual materialism is the greatest spiritual problem there is.” — Chögyam Trungpa

Comfort and Warm Feelings Required: To be on this path includes seeking and enjoying specific and warm feelings about the Self and various imagined and non-imagined experiences. There is a focus on achieving comfort. While mind, feelings, and emotions are illusions, these are of primary interest even if it may not seem to be so. If they don’t feel good or comforted, they do not feel “spiritual” or spiritually inclined.

Mindfulness and Presence: Practicing mindfulness and being fully present in each moment is a core aspect of living a lovely spiritual life. But mindfulness is only transcendent when we remove ourselves from the picture. With mind, ego, and persona immersed in our mindfulness, we are attempting to affair the small self rather than dissolve our projections around it. 

Identifying With The Personality: The pursuit often can result in an identification not with The Divine, but with the divinity or divine aspects of their personality and how they present themselves to the world. This involves ego identification with a Self-concept that is distinct or unique compared to others, which is contrary to the path of seeking enlightenment. It might also mean that these seekers ego-identify with socially approved and agreed-upon sets of “spiritual personas.”

There Are No Gurus: These seekers often feel they do not require an enlightened master as their guru, believing they are the master of their lives and that’s good enough. While they might enjoy a spiritual teacher who might be known to be an enlightened master, they will rarely call themselves devotees, and therefore, never experience the humility often required for growth and God’s grace.

Balanced Living: This approach seeks balance and harmony in all aspects of life, including work, relationships, and Self-care. It often encourages practices like yoga, meditation, and conscious living to maintain this balance. 

Challenges of Living a Spiritually-Styled Life

The challenge with this pursuit is the focus on feelings, experiences and projections, which are temporary and imagined. This a never-ending cycle that prevents the soul from transcending the small self and merging with Consciousness. Eventually, a true seeker dissolves all the emotions from the past and all the projections into the future to be fully present to All Reality in every moment.

There is also no spiritual master in this pursuit, which defies the simple required of being humble and present to that which can help us illuminate. Oftentimes, the leaders of this type of path are no more evolved, intentional, or spiritually focused than the students.

When every idea or thought is considered “wonderful,” the purest teachings might appear too intense or unnecessary to the seeker, and therefore, these are not regularly shared amid their socializing.  

You might say, “Well, I’ve been doing this for a long time, so it must be correct.” 

Sadly, it is impossible for this to be true. In most cases, people are taught by novices with only slightly more awareness and consciousness than their students. These seekers are also so full of information they prefer to defend; they miss out on the deeper teachings and that which will help them illuminate for all time.

“Enlightenment is not about becoming divine. Instead, it’s about becoming more fully human. It is the end of ignorance.” — Amma

Person meditating alone in nature seeking Samadhi and enlightenment

Living a Life Focused on Enlightenment: What Does It Mean to Live a Spiritually Enlightened Life?

Emphasis on Self-Realization: A life focused on enlightenment places the primary emphasis on Self-realization and liberation from the cycle of suffering (Samsara). The pursuit of wanting to seek enlightenment is viewed as the ultimate goal of existence by the ancient sages. Those seeking enlightenment and illumination in this way focus on spiritual practices including prayer, meditation, yoga, and chanting in Sanskrit.

Transcendence of Ego: Those who seek enlightenment often center on transcending the ego and realizing one’s true nature, beyond all labels, titles, and positions. This is often described as the merging with or becoming pure consciousness – or experiencing oneness with The Divine. This path involves going beyond the limitations of the Self and all aspects of identification with the external. As such, we come to know deeply the true nature of the I and Me, thereby releasing our spiritual identity and other limiting Self-concepts. 

Focus on Solitude and Silence: The enjoyment of silence as an opening to Self-inquiry is a primary focus . Without silence, the soul cannot expand into light.

Intensive Spiritual Practices: Those on the path to seek enlightenment engage in rigorous spiritual practices such as deep meditation, Self-inquiry, and the release of binding and troubling desires, attachments, thoughts, and emotions. These spiritual practices are designed to dissolve the ego and reveal higher states of consciousness and eventually to become a pure embodiment of love.

Releasing Everything, Including Comfort: On this path there is a focus on releasing emotions, attitudes, beliefs, and comforts in favor of deep clarity, transformation, Self-reliance, and eternal truths taught by the ancient spiritual masters. The seeker does not focus on what is trending, what is feeling or comforting, or what they are becoming – they are focused on remembering they are NOTHING.

Gratitude for Everything: The focus on gratitude dissolves every event and circumstance into a gift from The Divine. Being grateful for both the good and bad equally helps the individual understand the value of challenges and the impermanence or temporary nature of all conditions.

The Importance of Gurus and Enlightened Masters on the Path to Liberation

Spiritual guru guiding devotees on their path to enlightenment and liberation

Gurus Are A Must: The seekers focused on enlightenment often declare themselves devotees or disciples of one specific enlightened master. These masters are often in the Indian lineages found within Hinduism, though there are certainly many devotees to Buddha, Guan Yin, and Jesus (though most followers of Jesus do not transcend the limiting belief that He did not offer the sole path to The Divine.

Enlightened masters throughout spacetime include Amma (https://amma.org/), Mother Meera, Anandamayi Ma, Paramahansa Yogananda, Babaji, Buddha, Chogyam Trungpa, Thich Naht Hahn, and many others. Whether living or deceased, they are present for all time. 

Seekers in this category are devout to their spiritual masters because they know that to worship the rose is to become the rose. Through this devotion, they learn to transcend their ego.

The guru drenches the devotees in grace and resolves to help them seek enlightenment. This includes presenting devotees with spiritual challenges within their hearts, minds, and dreams, helping them release all that is untrue and illusory so they may merge with and live from their divine natures. 

A truly enlightened master – a REAL guru – is one who finally and forever leads you from darkness and shadows to pure light, ignorance to awareness and presence, and from separation from your divine Self to oneness with all Creation. Devotion to such a divine and illuminated Being is the key to spiritual awakening and Self-realization. Devoting oneself to an enlightened master is akin to taking a supersonic jet to your liberation. Seek these souls out and devote your WHOLE BEING to them.

Samadhi: The Blissful State Beyond Ordinary Consciousness

Moments of Samadhi: Samadhi is a rare and advanced state of consciousness whereby the seeker experiences intended or spontaneous periods of immersion in Divine Bliss. These are often accompanied by extensive sitting around an enlightened master or deeply intentional periods of deep meditation.

Detachment from Worldly Fascinations: Those who seek enlightenment typically enjoy detaching from worldly obsessions, desires, and cravings. This detachment is seen as a way to free the mind from suffering and achieve lasting inner peace. It is also a natural evolution for a devotional soul to become less fascinated with the external and more interested in the eternal.

Sole Focus on Liberation: The ultimate objective of a life focused on enlightenment is attaining spiritual liberation (Moksha or Nirvana), though holding too intensely to any goal or desire can be limiting. With a gentle focus and daily practice of Sadhana, the seeker experiences a profound shift in consciousness, often associated with a deep healing and inner transformation. 

Transcend Human Birth: The idea of Moksha includes the next birth, if any, being immersed in service as pure love rather than as a human being with desires.

Becoming Pure Love: In pursuit of Moksha, the individual prays to be free of all Self-identification and fully immersed in the divine love that permeates all reality throughout spacetime. 

Yantra mandala symbol representing spiritual transcendence and higher consciousness

 

Challenges of Living an Enlightened Life

The challenge with this path is that it often includes seclusion or separateness from traditional society. It will naturally cause the seeker to make choices that do not support the imagined importance of family, society, and culture. 

While this can induce a deep knowing of the Self and The Divine, eventually freeing the individual from all illusion, it can create feelings of loneliness that manifest in periods of deep depression and continuous crying, all of which eventually lessen but are nonetheless painful to experience.

This type of seeker might appear antisocial, Self-righteous, or arrogant because they are deeply focused on their goal. They might be so intent on freeing their shadows that they miss out on the beauty of a nearby butterfly sharing her joy with all of Creation.

“The individual soul is only a shade of the Reality. When it merges into the Reality, it is the Reality itself; it has nothing more to be merged into. This is realization.” — Ramana Maharsh

Get Help on Your Path with Spiritual Practices

If you’re hoping to become enlightened in this life, explore Sadhana—the spiritual practices that will help you along this path. This includes yoga, meditation, prayer, rituals, Self-inquiry, chanting in Sanskrit, and selfless service—all to quiet the mind and immerse your soul in light.

To deepen your path, seek out an enlightened master like the ones I shared above so that you always have the perfect master during your journey.

Enlightened masters and individuals radiate a profound embodiment of love for all beings. By aspiring to be more like them, we eventually become them. This is the idea.

These divine souls embody a deep desire to alleviate the suffering of All Creation. Through their presence, they become sources of inspiration and who have a transformative impact on the world. As embodiments of love, they emanate divine light to everyone who comes to them.

“Samadhi is the culmination of all Yogas. It is a state of superconsciousness, a state of internalized consciousness wherein the mind and the intellect have merged into the Self, and the individual soul has united with the Supreme Soul, Atman with Paramatman.” — Swami Sivananda

Samadhi is a significant concept in various Eastern spiritual and philosophical traditions, particularly in Hinduism and Buddhism. It is a profound state of divine absorption, often considered the highest stage of meditation and Divine Bliss, depending on who experiences it. It represents a dissolution of the Self, and a heightened state of divine consciousness. 

Samadhi involves an unwavering and profound concentration on a chosen object of meditation. This concentration is so intense that the meditator becomes completely absorbed in the object, to the point where the sense of Self and external distractions disappear.

It’s also quite possible to experience Samadhi when sitting near an enlightened master. It can also happen when you are immersed in divine play, divine love, or a divine practice.

In Samadhi, the mind is free from the usual fluctuations and distractions that characterize ordinary consciousness. It is a state of perfect stillness and one-pointedness of mind.

Many who experience Samadhi report feelings of intense bliss, joy, and inner peace. It is considered a state of profound happiness and spiritual fulfillment.

Time can take on a different quality in Samadhi. Some practitioners report that minutes or even hours may pass quickly or slowly during this state.

Samadhi represents a direct and profound experience of spiritual truth and liberation. It is a rare and advanced state of consciousness that typically requires years of dedicated meditation practice, guidance from an enlightened master, and a deep understanding of the specific techniques associated with it. The core idea is the same: a state of deep meditative absorption and union with a higher reality, fully immersed in Divine Bliss.

“Spirituality is not learning a lot of scriptures; it is not having a lot of knowledge. It is not having a lot of powers or siddhis. It is just love—pure love, all-encompassing love.” — Mother Meera

Lotus flower opening on water symbolizing enlightenment and pure consciousness

Choosing the Right Path for You

With so many faux spiritual messages out there, it can be difficult to choose a path to our illumination that will be the most real, genuine, and fruitful. After all, we are continually fooled by our senses and the external. We want to believe everything we believe—especially if it makes us feel good. 

Your soul’s comfort is solely found in connecting with your inner master, The Cosmos, The Divine, and The Eternal Consciousness, and never in the fleeting or egoistic pleasures of this world. All other feelings of comfort are imagined.

While the paths of Spiritually-Styled living and living focused on a path to seek enlightenment involve spirituality and personal growth, living a lovely spiritually-styled life emphasizes experiencing, accumulating, and appreciating the beauty of existence. It involves the seeking of comfort and positive emotions. This person’s idea of rebirth involves becoming happy and peaceful in this life without focusing on the full trajectory of their soul’s existence amid its many lives.

While this seeker tends to believe they know everything they need to know, this mindset might involve not being open or vulnerable enough to receive or fathom divine teachings, guidance, or grace.

A life focused on enlightenment prioritizes Self-realization, transcending the ego, and attaining spiritual liberation from all desires and suffering as the ultimate goal. These aspirants often have a guru or enlightened spiritual master.

They are focused on The Dharma, virtue, discipline, and earnest effort through Sadhana, the spiritual practices that are known to free the soul (yoga, meditation, chanting in Sanskrit, Selfless service, and prayer).

How to Choose the Right Spiritual Path for Your Soul’s Journey

The choice between these paths depends on individual preferences, goals, and spiritual beliefs. Some may integrate elements of both approaches into their spiritual journey. Some might also be confused about what they hope to achieve or become, not fully understanding the attributes and endpoints of their paths.

It might be said that a spiritually-styled life is the precursor to the path to seek enlightenment. Some might even dance between the two lifestyles, though the dance between the two can be more frustrating than enjoyable.

I believe that our liberation emerges when we release our attachments to the past and future and fully immerse ourselves in the ever-present moment. This is where we meet our inner master and the Divine Being manifested as Creation so that we may heal and expand for all time. 

It is the Divine Mother, The Divine Father, and the Eternal Light-Beings who offer us the keys to our liberation and the boundless bliss embedded in all reality.

Last updated: Sept. 10, 2025

About The Author:

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Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

Mind vs Soul – What Are The Truly Spiritual Modalities?

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Mind vs Soul – What Are The Truly Spiritual Modalities?

Trauma and pain can happen on so many levels. At the most basic, superficial level, our physical bodies can experience pain and trauma that requires physical healing from medical doctors and holistic practices like Traditional Chinese Medicine. When you dive a bit deeper, you might experience pain and trauma mentally and emotionally. You might go to see a therapist or psychologist to work through the pain or try natural calming remedies like breathing techniques and essential oils as you recover. Truly spiritual modalities, however, can heal on the levels that build the foundation for the rest of our wellbeing: our energy and soul.

There is much debate about which modalities are truly effective for spiritual healing. There is no standard or set schools for shamans and healers – instead, they follow their own paths and hone their own unique skills. When it comes down to it, only you can determine which techniques work best for you on your healing journey. I’m only here to guide you by offering spiritual modalities that can support full healing.

What is a Mind Modality?

The phrase “mind over matter” is truly more than just a phrase – it’s reality. The powers of the mind are still way beyond what scientists have yet discovered, and we may never be able to put into words or prove through academic research just how much it can do. Bill Mckenna, the founder of the Cognomovement, is a shaman who regularly talks about how the mind is so powerful that it can literally manifest anything we want into reality.

He explains that our chakras and mind are interconnected, and by practicing our skills of releasing attachments, we can better gain control of our energy flows. Further, by controlling our energy better, we can manifest physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. His techniques mainly rely on detaching ourselves from negative thoughts through tactile and visualization practices. schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

Mckenna focuses mainly on helping his clients discover what their fears are so that they can release them. By letting go of fear, we can clear our energy fields and make way for true health.

Overall, mind modalities focus on using the mind for overall healing by mentally gaining control of our energy flows.

Mind-Body Modalities

Many healing modalities that focus on the mind do so to heal the body. Even in Western medicine, many previously spiritual modalities are recommended in an effort to help heal the physical body. Practices like yoga, tai chi, and meditation are now used in less spiritual ways, washed of their true purposes as founded in Eastern practices. These superficial practices still, of course, help to calm the mind and do great things for the body – using stretching, breathing, and guided movements is certainly healthy and great for daily wellbeing. Regardless, when used in this way, these modalities are not truly spiritual because they do not penetrate deeper into our energy and soul.

What Are Soul Modalities?

Soul healing can be much more difficult to grasp than mind modalities because the concept of the soul is under dispute. Across schools of thought, the term “soul” can mean so many different things. For the sake of our topic, the soul is both within us and one with the Divine. By getting in touch with our souls, we get in touch with the Universe and with all living beings within it. Our souls hold our destinies. Trauma and barriers that exist on the level of the soul can be the most damaging and the most difficult to address.

Most people find it extremely difficult to remove all the other layers of their existence – their minds, bodies, emotions, etc. – in order to reach their souls. It can take years, even lifetimes, of a spiritual journey to fully get in touch with the soul. When we align every part of ourselves and our lives with our souls, we will experience true peace and raise our vibrations.

Because healing the soul is happening on the deepest levels of ourselves, the modalities can be much more challenging. They can take similar forms to other kinds of modalities, but they address the soul-level traumas and disturbances we are struggling with.

Energy is the Basis of All Truly Spiritual Modalities

Everything in the Universe is energy. Even physical objects are built at the smallest units on the energy and vibrations that stabilize our Universe. The atoms and molecules that create everything we see depend on energy. It’s no surprise, then, that our healing modalities must operate with this energy, working with it and opening up its flow so that any blockages and disturbances can melt away and we can realign ourselves with perfect existence. schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

A perfect example of this is Feng Shui, which is the ancient Chinese art of aligning the energy in ourselves with the energy of the Universe. Instead of placing ourselves and our objects in the environment in any way that we desire, we listen to the natural energy of nature of our Universe and arrange ourselves to fit into this natural flow.

To know if a method you are using for self-healing is a truly spiritual modality, assess whether it is helping you to ensure your energy is becoming realigned with the energy of the Universe on even the deepest levels so that you can access your higher self and enter full recovery.

Truly Spiritual Modalities to Try for Self-Healing

If you are interested in fully healing yourself from the inside out, you’ll need to commit to reaching deep into yourself to access your true self, the Divine, your soul. Many mind and body modalities can help bring you into the right place – you might have too many other traumas, pain, and disturbances affecting your body, mind, and emotions to start truly getting in touch with your soul.

Maybe you’ll need to relax your mind and body through your yoga practice before you can settle into a deep meditation, for example. Or maybe you’ve got a blocked energy flow that a practicioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine or Reiki can assist you in unblocking. Ultimately, though, you’ll need to end up using methods that align your soul’s energy with the Universe.

Truly spiritual modalities include things like deep prayer, sutras, and mantras. Prayers, such as the deeply beautiful Hindu prayers in the language of Sanskrit, literally bring you onto the wavelengths of the vibrations of the Universe. There are many mantras you can add to your practice that will help your soul heal, and you can pull already-existing ones or create your own for a fully personalized experience. Reading sutras can also guide us on our journey by helping us get in touch with ourselves and helping to make changes in our ways.

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

LOTS OF BLESSINGS TO YOU!

schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

There is no “Other.” There is only you experiencing yourself.

 

 

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner (Shri Krishna Kalesh) is an intuitive mystic, clairvoyant reader, and a loving life & business coach. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships.

He created The Shankara Oracle, a profound divination tool that includes 18 gemstones, a lavishly designed divination board, and over 300 penetrative oracle cards – all to help you heal to your core and illuminate your Being.

Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE

About The Author:

image

Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

​​In Memoriam – The Ego’s Obituary (Dawn Of Time To 2024)

After a long struggle with The Eternal Spirit and Divine Consciousness, we bid farewell to a formidable, convincing figure, a tireless leader in the realms of temporary identities, desires, and suffering – the Ego. 

Born of the seeds of separateness and selfishness, the Ego embarked on its journey in the early dawn of time amid the birth of humanity, rising from the murky depths of harsh conditions and primal instinct to claim its throne as the CEO of Mind, Inc.

Bold moves and ambitious expansions marked the Ego’s early years. Under its leadership, Mind, Inc. ventured into territories of individualism, nationalism, intellectualism, religiosity, militarization, and material success, championing the banners of ‘I’, ‘Me’, and ‘Mine’.

The Ego thrived in the marketplace of personal achievements, possessions, and grandiosity, building empires of false identity, contrived delusion, and fortresses of self-aggrandizement and self-protection. During The Ego’s reign, walls went up while consciousness went down.

Throughout various epochs like The Middle Ages, The Inquisition, The Age of Reason, The Industrial Revolution, the Digital Explosion, and The Influencer Generations, The Ego adapted, evolved, and reinvented itself time and time again to meet the demands of an ever-changing world – for one purpose: to force the knee of every Being.

Ego Terms

As it birthed its many manifestations throughout time, The Ego coined these alarming yet poignant terms and acronyms: 

Separatist, Isolationist, Genocide, Ethnic Cleansing, Populism, Supremacy, Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism, Patriotism, Law & Order, Propaganda, Indoctrination, Xenophobia, Echo Chamber, Sovereignty, Ethnonationalism, Juche, Führerprinzip, Autarky, NRA, and MAGA.

Unlike any other player in history, The Ego called to the surface an unfathomable array of unique periods where pendulums swung from oppression and superiority to outright sociopathic narcissism and mass murder.

Like a true master of delusion, deception, duplicity, fraud, and misdirection, The Ego used immeasurable cunning moves, movements, and global obsessions to maintain and sustain its throne. 

It was also a master of innovation, always one step ahead of awareness, consciousness, and empathy. As it maneuvered and deceived countless souls and populations, The Ego ensured its position at the top of many corporate, military, religious, and hostile ladders. 

Ego Spawn

The Ego was self-aware to a point, knowing that it could not alone achieve its myriad missions to control factions, if not the entire globe. As a remedy, The Ego enrolled harsh, masked, and separatist soldiers to dissuade populations from being aware of their eternal nature. Some were megalomaniacal leaders like Stalin, Mao, Amin, Hitler, Mussolini, Netanyahu, and Trump. 

The Ego then infiltrated sensationalist religions, media enterprises, and egoic hosts who fed fear to the masses to enflame, control, and own them, like The Roman Empire, The Catholic Church, many Popes and religious leaders throughout history, Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Goebbels, J. Edgar Hoover, McCarthy, Manson, Jong-un, Hearst, Murdoch, Anti-Vaxxers and the Anti-Science Movement, Breitbart, Infowars, Qanon, and others. 

And there are thousands, if not millions, working on behalf of The Ego in ways that appear informative but, in the end, are equally controlling, misleading, racist, hateful, and harmful. Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Alex Jones, Glen Beck, and Sean Hannity, to name a few. 

Others are on the verge of being The Ego’s minions – those who appear to uncover truths and who sensationalize conspiracies, egoistic new-age propaganda, and the many sedentary, non-productive, and hashtag “movements.” Where is their vetting process? What are the spiritually transformative and collective results of their products, posts, hosts, guests, rallies, and interviews? Why do they allow opinion to be the master? They, too, are lost in the exponentially damaging emanations and exrements of The Ego.

Dawn Of Light Throughout Time

Thankfully, its seed died with itself – and as the wheels of time turned, a shift emerged. Influenced by Advaita Vedanta’s and Buddhism’s timeless teachings, a collective spiritual awakening started to awaken the corners of human consciousness. 

Enlightened masters through the ages, from Babaji and Adi Shankara to Ramana Maharshi and Amma, whispered of a truth beyond the constructed self. They taught us that “You are not a drop in the ocean, but the entire ocean in a drop,” as Rumi eloquently put it, challenging the very foundation upon which the Ego had built its empire. The walls begin to crumble.

Even the ancient Greeks knew of what was emerging, as Pythagoras shared, “Man, know thyself, and you will know the Gods,” aligning with the ancient sages around Self-inquiry and the expansive nature of the soul.

Sri Ramana Maharshi’s inquiry, “Who am I?” became a Trojan horse within the fortress of The Ego’s domain, leading many to discover that there was no ‘I’ to be found at the core of Being. The Buddha’s teaching that “The root of suffering is attachment” highlighted The Ego’s fundamental flaw – its relentless grasp on the impermanent, self-aggrandized, and delusional.

As more and more individuals embarked on the inward journey, The Ego’s influence began to wane. Its once unassailable control over human thoughts and actions was called into question, and its strategies of division and separation were seen for what they truly were – imaginary obsessions, distracting illusions, and devastating delusions.

The Light Workers

The final era of the Ego was marked by a gentle yet profound revolution, not of conflict and conquest, but of Self-realization and return. Humanity’s collective spiritual growth and illumination, nurtured in the hearts of countless seekers, poets, sages, healers, intuitives, teachers, and sages, heralded the dawn of pure Consciousness. 

While some continue to delude themselves through self-promotion and watering down the ancient teachings, they, too, will eventually fade into the night and rebirth awakened.

And so, in a humble backyard ceremony next to a seed of The Bodhi Tree, witnessed by the silent stars and Eternal Mother Of All, The Ego was lovingly laid to rest. In its place, Consciousness was acknowledged as the true avatar, a master not of separation but of unity, not of selfishness but of divine compassion.

The Ego is survived by its vast extended family: Thoughts, Emotions, Perceptions, and Sensations – all of whom are currently undergoing a transformative rehabilitation program led by Consciousness. They, too, will emerge formless and merged with light.

Donations & Adieu

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the living enlightened masters who love and nourish the Earth. Your contribution supports the liberation from desires and suffering for Beings everywhere.

Farewell, dear Ego. Though fraught with challenges, your reign was an essential chapter in the story of human evolution. You have now been embraced by The Infinite, where all distinctions dissolve and merge into the vast expanse of Awareness.

“Form is emptiness, emptiness is form,” as declared in The Heart Sutra, reminds us that even as we celebrate the passing of the Ego, we acknowledge its role in the grand play of existence. 

In the end, we find that there was never a separation between the small self (Atman) and Consciousness (The Eternal Self or Brahman). The Eternal gave us this dance of shadows and light to nudge us along the path to awakening.

Rest in peace, dear Ego. May all Beings realize their true nature beyond you in the boundless freedom of pure love and Consciousness.

About The Author:

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Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

The Difference Between Oracle Cards and Tarot Cards

Image of tarot cards in circle - Paul Wagner

 

 

 

Photo from Shutterstock: tarot cards and oracle cards

The Difference Between Oracle Cards and Tarot Cards

Divination, or the use of tools in the occult arts to connect with otherworldly knowledge, is most popularly identified in the use of oracle cards and tarot cards. If you were to glance over at a table where someone is offering a reading to another with the use of a card deck, it might be very difficult for you to tell the difference between oracle and tarot cards.

While it’s true that both types of cards are used very similarly on the surface, there are actually fundamental differences to each that play a huge role in how they can affect a reading and whether your situation would call for their use.

If you are seeking guidance from a psychic that uses divination, you’ll want to know exactly what the difference is between oracle cards and tarot cards before you make a decision about your reading. Let’s dive in!

The History of Using Cards for Divination

The use of card decks to glean insights beyond the immediate reach of knowledge is not a new practice at all. In fact, it is one of the oldest forms of divination that we know about in the history of psychic practices. Tarot cards, in fact, are so old that they originate from playing cards used as early as the 1300s.

In their earliest forms, they even still kept much of the structure and imagery that we identify today as playing cards, such as with the 4 sections (clubs, spades, diamonds, and hearts).

Oh and if you love deep, healing, and predictive, you’ll LOVE The Shankara Oracle.

But how did the use of these cards transition from gambling and play to fortune-telling? Humans have this incredible talent for recognizing patterns and getting in touch with our “gut” feelings. Attaching luck and superstition to the order and times in which certain cards turned up during play was not such a huge leap! Suddenly, people were pulling purpose and meaning from each card in the deck, and the original tarot card deck was born.

Over time, people began mixing the original playing cards with mythological and religious imagery, such as from the Catholic Church and Roman legends. In the 1900s, tarot cards became popularized again by the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, setting the stage and much of the standardized imagery and meanings that are still used today across the board in tarot cards. While the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is the standard, it didn’t stop various movements throughout the 90s, especially the Hippie movement and the New Age movement, from putting new spins on the tarot deck with different imagery and interpretations.

It wasn’t until after the tarot card deck had been the standard for hundreds of years that oracle cards came about. While oracle cards are a much younger form of divination, that doesn’t make them less powerful or helpful – just different!

The Structure of Tarot Cards vs. Oracle Cards

One of the biggest differences between tarot cards and oracle cards is that tarot cards have a set structure, or are at least much more standardized than oracle cards. Most decks consist of 78 cards. There are also decks you can get, though less popular, that have less. The 78 cards are broken down into 22 Major and 56 Minor Acana cards. Much like their origin – the playing card deck – tarot decks break down their Minor Acana cards into four suits and even keeps them numbered: Swords, Wands, Pentacles, and Cups. The meanings and imagery of each card also has stayed largely unchanged and standard across decks, meaning that someone practiced in reading tarot card decks can typically pick up any deck and read it well.

Even the use of tarot cards has a standard structure. Most often, tarot card readers will use the Celtic Cross practice, which is the set way one turns over and sets down the cards they draw in the sign of a cross on the table. This means that the reader does not only rely on the specific card they pull for meaning, but also on where the card is placed within the cross.

On the other hand, oracle cards have almost no structure, standard, set meaning, or even widely-accepted use. They also typically come in smaller decks and cover a wide range of themes. Anyone anywhere can create their own oracle cards, and it is often more of a personal spiritual journey to create or find oracle cards that speak to your own needs than picking up a tarot deck. While you can find a range of styles and themes for both, tarot cards will keep the same meanings for each set card, and oracle cards will have meanings and structures unique to that set.

For example, oracle cards can come in decks of any number with any structure. They may or may not use sections, suits, and numbers. More often, they’re a deck of cards with unique imagery on each card where the creator has decided how that specific deck should be interpreted. There is also no set way to pull the cards from the deck and read them!

The loose standards for the creation and use of these cards derive from their more recent origins in the free-flowing, individual-centric feelings of the modern ages. In fact, they came into play as tarot cards went out of style for a while before the 1900s and were made popular by a French fortune-teller, “Lenormand.” Like tarot cards, oracle cards can thank the Hippie and New Age movements for increasing popularity and continued use by diviners everywhere.

The Difference in Meanings Between Tarot and Oracle Cards

There is no easy way to explain for sure how oracle cards and tarot cards differ in meaning other than the fact that tarot card readers study a very specific set of interpretations and methods while oracle card users are not stuck in a system. Even if the themes of the tarot card decks you pick up are different — such as if you own a deck themed with nature and a deck themed with pop culture characters — you’ll ultimately be following the same structure and interpretation guidelines. If you choose to use oracle cards, you’ll follow the theme of the deck you’ve chosen and not any other exterior set of rules. You’ll typically receive a guidebook that helps you interpret that specific deck or oracle cards.

When it comes to interpretation, tarot cards can also be much more serious. They address all aspects of life as well as past, present, and future, and they will reveal all kinds of things whether they are negative, neutral, or positive. Oracle cards, on the other hand, tend to lean more toward positive and uplifting interpretations.

Oracle cards will also focus much more on “big picture” concepts than tarot cards. Tarot cards are much more intensive, with more cards and set interpretations, meaning that they can be used to get very specific and detailed readings. Oracle cards, on the other hand, are much more about capturing themes, feelings, and larger ideas that can guide the user towards a more general interpretation.

Should I Use Oracle Cards or Tarot Cards?

Which type of card deck — tarot or oracle — you choose will entirely depend on your goals. If you are looking for loose guidance that helps with self-growth and stays more positive, you might enjoy oracle cards much more. They’ll also take much less practice, time, and brain-power to learn and interpret. They’re great for beginners! Tarot cards will take time to learn and practice, and you’re much better off going to someone who understands them well for a reading. You’ll also want to make sure you’re open to hearing a much more in-depth and well-rounded reading from the cards.

There’s also no shame in using both! Many people choose to use oracle cards to open a session before diving into a more detailed reading with tarot cards. Oracle cards can help set the stage and provide a loose understanding of what the reading will be about, and then tarot cards can help further interpret.

What you choose to use for guidance on your journey is entirely up to you. I’ve even created my own deck, called The Personality Cards, which you can check out here!

REMEMBER!

You are a beautiful Living Being filled with light and love, born from stardust. You are unlimited potential in every direction. With a focus on discipline, virtue, and your own goodness, you can become as expanded and liberated as you desire.

Pray for others and the Universe prays for us.

LOTS OF BLESSINGS TO YOU!

purchase-the-personality-cards-oracle-tarot-deck

There is no “Other.” There is only you experiencing yourself.

 

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner (Shri Krishna Kalesh) is an intuitive mystic, clairvoyant reader, and a loving life & business coach. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships.

He created The Shankara Oracle, a profound divination tool that includes 18 gemstones, a lavishly designed divination board, and over 300 penetrative oracle cards – all to help you heal to your core and illuminate your Being.

Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE

About The Author:

image

Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

The Life & Love Of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

The Life & Love Of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

In my articles, I cover all kinds of famous figures, spiritual gurus, and divine masters who have graced this earth with their messages and leadership. None are quite like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of the modern era’s most profound spiritual leaders and change-makers. The life of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is both astounding and inspiring, and everyone would do well to learn more about him and delve deep into spiritual practices using his guidance. In fact, I urge you further to get involved, explore his many resources, and bring his light to others as well.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Early Start

By the age of four, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was already being singled out by his teachers as extremely intelligent both academically and spiritually. He hails from Southern India, was born in 1956, and grew up affected by the world’s tumultuous tendencies of war and conflict. Out of this time of darkness and uncertainty, Shankar became a light of love, anti-violence, and anti-stress.

Before he was five years old, Shankar could recite the entire ancient Sanskrit text used for meditation called the Bhagavad Gita. At 26 years old, he committed to a period of silence for 10 days. It was out of this period of silence that Shankar began developing his now-famous breathing technique, The Sudarshan Kriya. He also finished up his academic pursuit of knowledge with degrees in both the Vedic language and in physics.

Ravi Shankar’s Message For the World

From an early age, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar began spreading his message. He began saying at first, “I have family everywhere. People are waiting for me.” Then, his message slowly formed that the whole world is one family – that we cannot be divided and pitted against each other because of cultures, religions, or location. His mission became to unite everyone in peace, nonviolence, and compassion for each other. schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

Ravi Shankar believed that everyone should live a deeper and more joyous life, so he created countless tools and techniques that spread his message and helped others escape their woes. The tools and techniques that Shankar has provided aim to improve everyone’s emotional, physical, social, and spiritual health.

Founding The Art of Living

Much of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s influence in the world has come through his humanitarian organization called The Art of Living, which he founded in 1981 and has helped to grow rapidly. The organization is a global nonprofit that spans multiple initiatives, making everything possible including trauma and crisis relief, solving hunger, uplifting education, and even improving infrastructure across undeveloped populations. schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

The first project that kickstarted The Art of Living was an initiative to help support a failing school in India. Shankar wanted to ensure that all kids in India could have access to education and to the food that they could receive while attending. Now, this humble project has turned into the revival and installment of 702 schools that remain free to attend for over 80,000 children living in the rural regions of India.

Since then, The Art of Living’s reach has grown across the globe in truly extraordinary ways. The organization has its hands in 156 countries and has been estimated to reach, inspire, and help over 500 million people.

Shankar’s Courses, Tools, and Programs for Humanity

Throughout Ravi Shankar’s efforts, he has created 57 different courses that help all kinds of people in a wide spectrum of situations and institutions. His courses include all kinds of topics, including Yoga, prison programs, meditations, blessings, ayurvedic cooking, and so much more.

For example, one of Shankar’s most successful programs is The Art of Living Prison Program, which offers outreach to prisoners to help with mental health and reform. The program has reached out to rehabilitate over 800,000 prisoners globally and spreads the message that each prisoner is not a totally bad person, but instead a victim crying for help.

Shankar also has a few programs in the United States, including the Welcome Home Troops program to uplift veterans out of the suffering of depression and PTSD and a youth empowerment program to fight gang violence and addiction in the inner cities.

The Legacy of Guradev Ravi Shankar’s Global Conflict Resolution Efforts

At the heart of Shankar’s message is nonviolence and an stress-free world, so naturally, a large part of his efforts was in helping to resolve political and cultural conflicts across the globe. Shankar spoke to militiamen, terrorists, and political leaders alike to change hearts and minds and unify war-ravaged countries. schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

Starting in India, Shankar convinced thousands of militants to lay down their weapons in exchange for participating in unified meditation. He was also able to end a 52-year-long conflict in Columbia, eventually winning him the highest citizen award in the country. Even in Iraq, Shankar has hosted several peace conferences to bring relief to such a conflict-torn country full of terrified and struggling citizens. The Hizbul Mujahideen Terrorist Outfit even openly spoke out that they realized the wrongs of their ways because of Shankar’s message and decided to spread messages of love and nonviolence in their land instead.

Over the years, Shankar has been publicly thanked by several political leaders for his efforts and message, including the Crown Prince of Fujairah Mohammed bin Hammad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi in the UAE and the Vice President (now President) Joe Biden of the US.

COVID-19 Initiatives

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s The Art of Living organization helped fight the many facets of the coronavirus pandemic as part of its humanitarian initiatives. This specific project was named the “I Stand With Humanity” Initiative and included projects both in his home country India and abroad.

The initiative identified that wage-earners across India were working throughout the duration of the pandemic despite the fear and dangers, so they provided over 80 million meals to those workers in over 170 cities. There were also 6 tonnes of food distributed to over 5 million families who were struggling to stay afloat.

To support the healthcare system and its workers, who were crushed under the physical, mental, and emotional weight of COVID-19’s impacts, The Art of Living Organization also helped to set up 7 new COVID care hospitals stocked with over 200,000 PPE kits. Shankar also decided to offer mental relief programs to migrant workers and COVID response heroes who were suffering.

The World’s Meditate campaign was also born from COVID to push back against the mental impact that the pandemic had on people. Shankar hosted live virtual meditation sessions two times a day for anyone across the globe seeking relief.

Not Even The Environment Is Forgotten

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s life and legacy even surpassed the betterment of society. His programs also included many initiatives to help the environment. In its existence, The Art of Living has been able to revive 49 of India’s rivers and thousands more bodies of water, as well as run over 100,000 drives to clean up trash and plant 81 million trees. Further, there have even been initiatives to teach farmers about natural farming, spread education about environmentally-friendly sources of energy, and empower rural villages across India to use solar energy. Overall, there is a massive network across the globe of volunteers who help respond to climate disasters affecting communities everywhere.

Live A Life Informed By Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Anytime you tell yourself that one person could never possibly change the world, remind yourself of the incredible impact Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has had across the globe. He is only one person, but with a beautiful message, a huge heart, and a drive to spread his light and love, Shankar has left no stone unturned in his destiny to better humanity. There’s nothing stopping you from doing the same!

BLESSINGS TO YOU! STAY GRATEFUL!

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There is no “Other.” There is only you experiencing yourself.

 

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner (Shri Krishna Kalesh) is an intuitive mystic, clairvoyant reader, and a loving life & business coach. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships.

He created The Shankara Oracle, a profound divination tool that includes 18 gemstones, a lavishly designed divination board, and over 300 penetrative oracle cards – all to help you heal to your core and illuminate your Being.

Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE

About The Author:

image

Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

What Is Thought And How Does It Connect To Reincarnation?

What Is Thought And How Does It Connect To Reincarnation?

Thought is an automatic, self-generating emanation from an outdated, flesh-based tool (brain-mind-consciousness as contrived separate from Brahman – the Ultimate One Eternal Reality). 

Thought is unnecessary for our success, safety, pleasure, peacefulness, intimacy, engagement, and illumination. It takes us beneath our potential and sedates our illumination.

Thought arises with or without provocation, and triggers the fleshy tool’s creation of additional thoughts, feelings, emotions, and projections, which often trigger more thought, more emotions, myriad reactions, and further, conjurings, fantasies, and emotional and psychological bindings. 

If we cannot control our attachment to arising thoughts, they will continually infirm us and immerse our souls in a dualistic reality. This will cause the continual mental inflammation and the accumulation of our 12 unique types of karma, which eventually create and comprise the contrivance enveloping the soul and its impulse to continue the life, death, birth and rebirth (reincarnation) cycle.

Brain, Mind, Consciousness

Our exploration of the brain, mind, and consciousness transcends mere anatomical or psychological understanding; it leads us to a deeper realization about the nature of reality, our spiritual needs, and our true self. 

Brain

The brain, a remarkable biological structure within our skulls, beneath a thin epidermis, serves as a necessary tool in the functioning of our bodies. It processes sensory information and supports cognitive functions like thinking and memory, enabling our interaction with the physical world.

Mind

Looking beyond this physical tool, we arrive at the mind, which serves as a broader canvas where thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and memories intermingle in the sustaining of the small individual self (Jiva). The mind, while appearing to be a product of the brain, is actually an arena where the play of dreams, desires, and projections unfold. The mind is not confined by the physicality of the brain; rather, it is where Jiva experiences life’s drama, ideas, and conjurings through various states and activities.

Consciousness

Beyond the mind lies the realm of pure consciousness, or pure awareness, which lives in every particle and boson in all of Creation throughout spacetime. 

Consciousness is considered the fundamental essence of existence. It is not merely an attribute of the mind but is the very basis of all that is perceived and experienced. It envelopes and includes EVERYTHING. 

This Consciousness is identical to Brahman, the Ultimate One Eternal Reality, which is unchanging, infinite, and omnipresent. It transcends the limitations imposed by the brain, body, mind, and physical world.

Our brain-mind-consciousness journeys ultimately invite us to realize our pure and eternal nature. 

Truly, our individual existence (thoughts, feelings, projections, desires, dreams) – is merely a play of Maya (illusion), a manifestation of the deeper, unchanging reality that is Brahman experiencing Herself.

Understanding this helps us see beyond the ephemeral nature of our experiences to the eternal presence that underlies and unites all existence and ALL BEINGS THROUGHOUT SPACETIME.

This is what it means to be alive. Life is not just about navigating the physical, mental, and emotional challenges, but about awakening to the truth that we are not merely isolated Beings limited by our minds and bodies – and all the related desires, impulses, reactions, and projections. 

We are expressions of a vast, divine consciousness that pervades everything.

If we can realize this concept, even for a moment, it can both enlighten and enchant us, inviting us to experience life with a profound sense of unity and wonder, recognizing the divine, living, expressive interplay woven deep into the fabric of our existence – including all we have been throughout myriad lives and all we imagine ourselves to be.

The 12 Types Of Karma

Karma is not just a scoreboard or tracker of deeds – but a profound architect of our soul’s destiny, influencing and provoking the cycle of reincarnation, amid the circus of events that reappear life after life after life. This cycle, driven by the accumulated actions of past and present lives, serves as both a binding chain and a transformative journey toward our awakening – liberation – Moksha.

Each of the 12 types of karma has a unique role and impact, and orchestrates the ongoing processes surrounding our reincarnations, compelling the soul to return, time and again, to the Earthly plane or a similar realm to burn away what barely exists.

These types of karma reveal the depths of how our actions resonate beyond the immediate, and how they create future experiences and shape our continual quest for self-realization – and finally, our liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Sanchita Karma: A vast collection of accumulated deeds, thoughts, and actions from past lifetimes, waiting to be learned from and resolved.

Prarabdha Karma: The portion of accumulated karma that is due to be experienced in this lifetime, dictating major life circumstances like health and family.

Kriyamana Karma: Fresh karma generated by everyday actions and decisions, shaping immediate future outcomes.

Agami Karma: Actions taken today that will yield results in future lives, emphasizing the continuity of the soul’s journey.

Nitya Karma: Daily rituals and duties performed out of discipline and devotion, without desire for personal gain.

Naimittika Karma: Duties that arise from specific events or needs, calling for action beyond personal boundaries.

Kamya Karma: Actions performed with specific desires in mind, aimed at fulfilling personal ambitions ethically.

Prayaschitta Karma: Actions taken to atone for past misdeeds, aimed at cleansing and redemption.

Aprarabdha Karma: Dormant karma that has not yet influenced our lives but may activate under certain conditions.

Adhidaivika Karma: Involves larger forces like natural events or divine interventions that are beyond personal control.

Adhibhautika Karma: Results from interactions with other beings and the environment, stressing the importance of respectful and conscious living.

Adhyatmika Karma: Stemming from one’s own physical and mental actions, focusing on self-care and inner harmony.

Om Purnamadah Purnamidam, Purnat Purnam Udachyate

Purnasya Purnamadaya, Purnameva Vashishyate

Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

Translates roughly to: Taking away from the whole, the whole remains.

Going Deeper

Advaita Vedanta teaches that the ultimate reality is non-dual (Advaita)l, meaning there is no fundamental distinction between the individual and The Universe – the part and the whole. Everything is essentially one and the same reality, known as Brahman, which is pure consciousness.

There are several levels of reality: Paramārthika (ultimate reality), Vyavahārika (empirical or practical reality), and Pratibhāsika (illusory reality). 

The brain and the mind are considered part of Vyavahārika, the empirical reality where dualistic distinctions (such as between the brain, mind, and consciousness) exist and are functional. 

However, in the ultimate reality (Paramārthika), such distinctions dissolve into the non-dual consciousness – The One Eternal Universal Consciousness.

In Advaita Vedanta, the mind (Manas) along with intellect (Buddhi), ego (Ahamkara), and memory (Chitta) – collectively known as the Antahkarana (inner instrument) – are seen as tools through which the self (Atman) interacts with the empirical world. These are considered manifestations of Maya, the cosmic illusion, which makes the empirical world appear as real.

 

As we absorb, believe, and engage the dualistic reality that we contrived, we mostly create karma, thereby continuing to believe ourselves as separate from The All That Is – Brahman – The One Eternal Universal Consciousness.

 

Jiva vs Atman

In the philosophical teachings of Advaita Vedanta, the concepts of Jiva and Atman are central but distinctly different, each playing a unique role in understanding the nature of self and reality.

Jiva refers to the individual soul or self that is identified with the body, mind, and senses. It is the embodied state of consciousness that experiences the dualities of life, such as pleasure and pain, and is subject to the laws of karma and the cycle of birth and death. 

Jiva is essentially the personal self, which perceives itself as separate and distinct from other beings and the universe. Jiva forms and worships the personality, amid myriad positions, titles, and projections, all of which give it confidence in its illusory construct and related activities.

Atman, on the other hand, is the universal self or soul. It is the eternal, changeless reality that is identical with Brahma. Atman is the pure, undivided consciousness that transcends individual existence and is inherent in all Beings. It is not affected by the physical changes or the flow of life’s experiences; it is beyond birth, death, and karma.

Jiva identifies with the body and mind and perceives itself as separate from the universal spirit or consciousness. In contrast, Atman represents the true essence that is eternal, indivisible, and inherently immersed with the absolute reality, Brahman.

Jiva is bound by ignorance and the illusion of separateness (Maya), leading to suffering, extenuating circumstances creating karma, and the cycle of reincarnation. Atman is inherently free and unbound, always existing in a state of pure Being, Consciousness, and bliss (Sat-Chit-Ananda).

In Advaita Vedanta, the ultimate goal of the spiritual journey is the realization that Jiva is not different from Atman. This realization, known as self-realization or enlightenment, involves transcending the individual ego and experiential duality to recognize one’s true nature as Atman, which is non-dual and identical with Brahman.

Enlightenment & Liberation

Our Ultimate Goal (Or hidden desire)

Our ultimate goal is Moksha (liberation), which is achieved by realizing the true nature of the self (Atman) as non-different from Brahman (Eternal Self or Consciousness). This realization transcends the mind and its operations, leading to a state where the distinctions imposed by the brain, mind, and ego are seen as illusory.

How Atman and Karma engage together:

Atman as Pure Consciousness: The Atman is considered the true Self, which is pure consciousness, unchanging, and eternal. It is identical to Brahman, the ultimate reality, implying that individual souls are not different from the universal consciousness.

Karma and the Illusion of Individuality: While the Ātman is beyond birth and death, the apparent (contrived) individual self (Jiva) experiences birth, life, and death due to ignorance (Avidya) of its true nature. This ignorance gives rise to ego (Ahamkara) and mind (Manas), which engage in actions (reactions, desires, projections, and more), thereby accumulating karma.

Impact of Karma on Reincarnation: The karma accumulated by the Jiva influences its cycle of birth and rebirth. Different types of karma (as outlined previously) determine the life circumstances and experiences of the jiva, pushing it through various lifetimes until the karma is resolved.

Liberation (Moksha): Moksha, or liberation, which is the realization of one’s true nature as the Atman, free from the cycles of birth and death. Achieving moksha means transcending karma (the 12 types outlined above), as one recognizes that the self (Atman) is beyond all action and unaffected by karma.

Role of Knowledge (Jnana): The realization of the Atman is identical to Brahman and achieved through knowledge (Jnana), particularly the knowledge that all dualities and distinctions (like those imposed by karma) are illusory. 

This knowledge dissolves the ego and the false identification with the mind and body, freeing the soul from the shackles of karma.

Finally

While karma governs the cycle of births and experiences based on actions, the soul or Atman remains ever pure and untouched by these processes. The journey through karma is essentially a journey through illusion or Maya, with the ultimate realization being that the soul is beyond all dualities, including those created by karma.

In short, don’t get too excited about karma. Allow circumstances as they arise and your karma will dissolve accordingly. No engagement and no drama, therefore no bondage. Seek enlightened masters and absorb their embodiment of these teachings – and all will be well.

Release thoughts as they emerge and love from your pure self, and you will heal and expand in ways you have never imagined. Releasing thoughts eventually clears our karma and dissolves the dualistic reality we imagine, freeing us to break free from the cycle of reincarnation.

Enjoy The Shankara Oracle – the most intense, enjoyable, and illuminating tool to help you walk the path of Self-realization.

About The Author:

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Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.

What’s the Difference Between an Intuitive Coach and a Psychic?

Photo from Shutterstock: Intuitive Coach vs. Psychic Coach

What’s the Difference Between an Intuitive Coach and a Psychic?

If you’ve been seeking guidance, whether that’s in your love life, your family relationships, your career, or even your spiritual journey, you might be at a loss for where to look. These matters are very important and intimate, so you want to make the right decision surrounding who to confide in and trust for advice. Intuitive coaches and psychics can be some of the best confidants and helpers – they can see beyond to your true self, the root of the problems you’ve raised, and reach out into the spiritual world for you to gain otherworldly knowledge.schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

People who are highly sensitive and trained in this kind of cross-dimensional communication, however, choose to label themselves differently. After some research, you might be dying to know exactly what the difference is between an intuitive coach and a psychic, and which one would be a better choice for your specific situation and desired outcomes.

As an intuitive coach myself, I’d love to set the record straight and help you find the guidance you need!

Is There Really a Difference Between an Intuitive Coach and a Psychic?

At the end of the day, we’re all tapping into something. I like to believe that everyone has the ability to really dive deep into themselves and become one with the Universe. That Universe is the same no matter who you are, it’s just how we choose to or are able to access it that can differ. For this reason, lots of people choose their own titles for labeling their abilities, but it’s really just splitting hairs sometimes!

Highly Sensitive People and Empaths

On one hand, there are highly sensitive people who feel everything very deeply. They could be empaths – people who can connect so fully with other people animals, or objects that they experience the others’ experiences firsthand. They can connect and become one with the other, helping them to deeply understand the other’s situation – and if they choose – offer guidance with that knowledge.

Empaths are a subsection of what I call Highly Sensitive People. In general, these people have senses heightened beyond the normal levels. They might react more extremely to certain situations, emotions, and thoughts. Being a highly sensitive person does not always mean that you are connected to the beyond. It could mean that your brain is just wired differently and you react to things on a more extreme level. In other cases, having the symptoms of a highly sensitive person could be the result of an untapped ability as an intuitive or psychic.

If someone is a highly sensitive person, but not fully an empath, they might not be able to offer sufficient guidance. They can be a great confidant because they can connect with you on a deep emotional level and share your emotions, but they probably do not have access to the otherworldly knowledge or a formed skill in guiding others.

Even certain types of empaths might not be able to help you. They could be able to connect with you so deeply that they experience what you’re experiencing firsthand, but again, they might not have formed their skills in turning this connection into something that could help guide you.

True Intuitives and Psychics

While it’s very possible that highly sensitive people and empaths are also genuine psychics and intuitives, it’s often not the case. True intuitives and psychics have the ability to raise their consciousness, move their egos aside, and connect with the Universe beyond themselves. Some that have not completely tapped into and formed their talents yet might not be the best for guidance, but with time, they can become powerful coaches and helpers. schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

There are many types of psychics, and each individual is unique. How they choose to form their talents and practice their psychic abilities can inform the type of psychic they become and how helpful they are to others. For example, psychics have generally gotten a bad wrap for being con artists and scammers because many have chosen to lean into the stereotypes. They might use tarot cards and speak to the dead to tell fortunes and feed into people’s greed for knowledge about their futures and love lives. They might exploit their abilities for profit only.

Regardless of their intentions, there are a number of different types of psychics. There are psychics who can channel the consciousness of another entity through themselves in a trance-like state. There are also those who can sense past, current, and future events through extra-sensory perception like hearing, seeing, and feeling things that others cannot. This ability comes under the umbrella of “clair-“, and is subsectioned into clairaudience (hearing or sensing sounds), clairsentience (experiencing emotions or sensations), and clairvoyance (sensing things beyond normal senses).

If a psychic uses the occult arts, such as tarot cards and other tools, to glean knowledge, this is called divination. There are other rare psychic abilites such as the ability to move objects with one’s will, called psychokinesis, and the ability to pull knowledge from objects by touching them, called psychometry. So many other forms of psychic abilities exist that it would be too much to mention them all here!

Is There a Difference Between Intuitive Coaches and Psychics?

The tarnish on the term “psychic” has caused many with these talents to seek other labels for themselves. Most prominently, the term “intuitive” has become popular. You might still choose to distinguish those with greedy intentions with the word “psychic” and seek out only “intuitives” who are using their skills to genuinely help others, but do not count out all people who label themselves by embracing the term “psychic.”

Unfortunately, this means that seeking out the right help for your situation can become a bit of a word game rather than an exact science. It matters more that you feel truly connected to your guide and trust their intentions rather than which term they use to describe themselves. The only fully formed line between psychics and intuitives is that intuitives have abilities to sense things from the beyond just on the merit of knowing, while some psychics only pull knowledge through utilizing tools from the occult arts, such as tarot cards.schedule-intuitive-reading-with-paul-now

That being said, not all psychics and intuitives choose to use their skills specifically for coaching others. If you’re specifically looking for a coach in a certain area of your life, you’re better off making sure that person offers that specific skillset rather than worrying about whether they call themselves intuitive or psychic.

Do I Need a Psychic or an Intuitive Coach?

Which type of person you need for your situation is going to be entirely unique to you. You may also choose to seek out different forms of help before you decide which one works best for you. If you need to connect with a loved one or an event, for example, you can speak with an intuitive or a psychic. However, you might find that those who call themselves psychic spend more time helping people with that need than intuitive coaches do.

On the other hand, someone who calls themselves an intuitive coach is likely offering their services for an entirely different purpose. They most likely focus on helping their clients with self-growth and tapping into their true selves. With deeper knowledge of their souls and their life paths, these clients would be able to see their lives, specifically their relationships and their professional growth, with a clearer vision and more direct plan moving forward.

If your needs sound a lot more like the latter – for self-growth and better awareness of your life path – then I’m always open to speak with you for a private session or coaching plan!

BLESSINGS!

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As you reach toward liberation, you might want to explore having a coach, guide, or therapist to help you along your path. In the meantime, meditate, pray, and chant with loving attention toward the divine.

If you love this article, you will LOVE The Shankara Oracle.

Meet Paul Wagner

Paul Wagner (Shri Krishna Kalesh) is an intuitive mystic, clairvoyant reader, and a loving life & business coach. He created “THE PERSONALITY CARDS,” a powerful Oracle-Tarot deck that’s helpful in life, love, and relationships.

He created The Shankara Oracle, a profound divination tool that includes 18 gemstones, a lavishly designed divination board, and over 300 penetrative oracle cards – all to help you heal to your core and illuminate your Being.

Paul studied with Lakota elders in the Pecos Wilderness, who nurtured his empathic abilities and taught him the sacred rituals. He has lived at ashrams with enlightened masters, including Amma, the Hugging Saint, for whom he’s delivered keynotes at Her worldwide events.

Paul tours the world lecturing on spiritual liberation. He lovingly offers intuitive readings, inspirational coaching, and illuminating courses to help others with self-discovery, decision-making, healing, and forgiveness. Book a session with Paul: HERE

About The Author:

image

Paul is a spiritual healer and coach with more than 30 years of experience. He is the founder of The Shankara Experience, and creator of The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards.

His work is focused on guiding seekers to inner freedom and awakening.