audio recordings now available!

I am very pleased to announce that I am now able to record readings and make the recordings available as MP3 files for my clients.  If we have a reading and you would like it recorded please let me know (I will be asking for the time being as well!)  A recording is an invaluable tool, especially if you have a longer session and you want to be able to refer back to it again and again.  Recordings cost $5 and are available a couple of hours after our session has taken place.

Pay What You Can Day!

Have you read the latest edition of the Milagro Roots Newsletter--its hot off the presses and you can get it here.  Of course there is always exciting information in the newsletters--why would I write them if there wasn't?!  But this edition was thrilling because it announced Pay What You Can Day--one day, every month, when I make 4 half hour readings available to folks at whatever price they can afford to pay. Each month all proceeds will go to a different charity of my choice--the charity for August is the Humane Society of the United States.  So, here are the rules (soon to be made into a web page)!

• This is a service for low income folks--if you have oodles of cash but just want a good deal please consider your fellow brothers and sisters who may not be as financially fortunate.  I am not doing background checks on your finances but we are working on the honor system here.  Cool?  Cool.
• You cannot book Pay What You Can readings two months in a row--let's give everyone a chance to participate
• If you want to book a Pay What You Can session with me just email me with the Subject line: Pay What You Can Reading
• Readings can only be booked within the month they are offered.  In other words, you cannot book a Pay What You Can reading for September in August, you must wait until September.
• I will announce the Pay What You Can Day at the beginning of each month.

Pay What You Can Day for August is Wednesday, August 24th.  Currently there are 2 1 0 slots left--let's do some good and make some money for the HSUS!

Update: Pay What You Can Day for August is officially full--see you in September!

When good cards go bad...

Typically I wake up to an inbox full of emails with questions, work orders, and a hefty number of "oh my God, I can't believe how spot on your predictions were--you said X would happen and now it is!!!"  I don't feel the need to make exorbitant claims about my abilities or services because my testimonials say it all and then some, but these excited affirmations do give me a warm and fuzzy feeling--unless I predicted something negative and that is what's happening--that just ticks me off!  But every now and then there comes a time in a professional card reader's life when the question must be asked, "Miss Bri, what the @#&* happened?  The cards we got are not describing the situation accurately AT ALL!"  Can the cards be wrong?  Can a reader be off?Being the perfectionist, micromanaging, anal retentive gal that I am--believe me, it bothers me more than you.  And its a darn good question because we all know that even the best readers sometimes give readings that are a little less than spot on.  In my 18+years of doing this professionally, here are the top reasons why a reading may not end up describing future events:

1. Readings describe events that occur in space and time.  Space and time are fluid concepts--they are dynamic and changing.  If you believe in a locked down fate or destiny with no chance of free will then I really don't understand why you are getting a reading.  Ergo, as time changes and space changes the future can also change.  A reader is taking a snapshot of what is happening now and using that information--as well as her intuition, spiritual gifts and guides, divination system, etc, etc to tell the client what will be happening.  But if the snapshot changes dramatically then the reading may be less than accurate.  A good example of this that's true to life is the following: girl calls me to get a reading for a reconciliation case.  She is brokenhearted that her guy has left her--will they get back together?  I read the cards, the cards say--yes, they have a good shot of getting back together.  A few weeks go by without work and then the girl calls again--she has found someone new, someone she is truly in love with and they reciprocate!  Yay! Guess who she's not getting back together with, despite a positive reading?

2.) Misinformation, lack of information, or miscommunication on the part of the client.  While you should be leery of any reader who demands that you "feed" them information, you should also be leery of any reader who just starts reading you, "cold" as it were.  A reader, especially one such as myself that does a lot of diagnostic reading, is going to need some basic background information.  If you forget to tell me that the love of your life is married with children when we talk then that might really change the outcome of the cards.  If you consciously misinform me then the only thing you are wasting is your money and my time.  Typically this is not a huge problem because there are tell-tale cards that can and do show up during a reading to let me know I am dealing with one of the situations described above, but it is known to happen occasionally.  In some cases it is perfectly legitimate too--you may not know that the object of your desire has a wife in a different country--but if they do and we don't know about it, it can effect the accuracy of the reading.

3.) The cards themselves.  Each card is layered with symbols, meaning, and possible explanations.  Interpreting cards is kind of like navigating through an enchanted forest--its beautiful and compelling but there are many paths of interpretation to choose from.  The best readings in my experience are the ones where the client and reader are working together to hone an ever clearer picture of what is happening and what will happen.  Sometimes the cards are interpreted one way and it can seem very "off" when events do transpire, but if you re-examine the cards that were pulled you can often make sense of how one interpretation may seem off, but another is spot on.  In short, my answer to questions like, "were the cards just wrong?" is almost always "no."  Its not because I'm a relativist--I'm not.  I believe in right and wrong and absolutes--however in the world of cartomancy its rarely as simple as the cards being wrong.

 

Deck 'Em

As always there are candle and ritual reports to write up and send out, but I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some ideas that have been stirring about in my brain.  It started several weeks ago when I started realizing that my role as a reader and ritualist for people has led me down some pretty awesome roads and that many of my long term clients have also become friends over time.  This in turn led me to reflect on the role of the professional reader and rootwork ritualist.  I was listening to last week's Hoodoo Rootwork Hour Radio Show hosted by miss cat and Dr. K and miss cat mentioned something in passing that really resonated with me.  She was talking about how the internet has changed the face of Hoodoo and of professional magic--and its true--I get to encounter and read for a number of people and I am different than workers of the past because more of my clients live outside of my town and state than those that do live around these parts--that's because of the world wide web.  However, cat also mentioned that with this broadened exposure we lose one of the primary functions of the old fashioned worker--these were people who were spiritual advisors and when they had a client who had no one else to turn to--no family, friends or churches, they knew they could go to their worker.  This is the nurturing part of our job--nowadays we may call it "client relations" but however you slice it, it has to do with how we nurture and nourish our clients.  I have a very personal relationship with each of my clients.  When I cut cards for someone I become invested in how they are going to receive the information I have to give them and what actions they will take after the reading is over.  I want each and everyone of my clients to lead the happy, fulfilled, beautiful life that he or she is meant to lead.  This goes beyond rootwork know-how--that is important--but an intimate connection between a client and her worker is as if not more important.  The intimate connection I have with each of my clients and the way that my long term clients become companions on this thrilling journey that is life is so meaningful and important to me.  I feel blessed to have such wonderful clients and I pray that each and everyone of you is blessed in turn!  

One of the cards from the Melissa Lenormand

These meandering thoughts then led me to consider the differences between my clients--just as you would consider the differences between your friends and this leads to a query that I get a lot--is there a specific type of reading or card deck that I recommend for specific clients?  My answer to this question has changed over time--at first I felt that I could read for anyone with the standard RWS and I can and have.

The Industry gold standard Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot
 

BUT, I have also come to feel that certain decks really do resonate with different people's energies.  I don't know if they necessarily make for a more accurate reading but the right deck can definitely make a different in how an individual hears the information that I have to impart to them.  The images, language, and associations surrounding each deck are unique and specific so it makes sense that different clients are going to have preferences.  I also find that I will have preferences for a client and want to read from a specific deck for their case.  If you have a connection to a reader or if you enjoy reading for yourself but you find that the readings are not as accurate or on point as you would wish them to be, then you may want to experience with different decks and see if you get more clarity.  Ask your reader what decks they use and if they have a deck that they might recommend especially for your case.

 

The Bohemian Gothic Tarot from Baba Studio

Exciting News, Candle Reports, Spell Reports, and Readings

Hi everyone,

Well crazy times just get crazier over at Milagro Roots!  This weekend our family is moving into a new home and Milagro Roots will have a separate office space--dubbed by Miss cat the "conjure casita."  Phone lines will be up and running by Sunday and I will perform my first readings in the new space on Monday.  I am recovering from a nasty 48 hour virus that hit me last week and has pushed me behind schedule on candle reports, spell reports and a few readings--so for those of you who have been waiting patiently, I'm afraid you will have to wait a little bit longer.  We are thrilled with our new home, but with the chaos of moving, a 1.5 month old little one and all the rest I am juggling a lot of balls right now and I appreciate everyone's patience.  In the meantime my readings have become even more popular and I am now booked pretty much through the end of April.  I am also thrilled to announce that both Momma Hen and myself will be finishing our apprentice week at Lucky Mojo and attending the workshops the first weekend of May.  I will be performing readings in the reading tent so for those of you who are attending--look for me there!

Email Readings

I have been doing a lot of email readings lately and a common question I am asked is: are email readings the same as a phone reading?  Well the answer as you might expect is a bit complicated. On the one hand a reading is a reading--the style that I have over the phone is similar to the style I have via email and the manner in which I read is the same.  Email readings are especially good when folks have quick questions that require either a pendulum or a three card draw.  They can also be useful for clients for whom English is a second language, although I confess, I have always wanted to see one of my email readings translated from the translation!  On the other hand, email is not the best venue for complicated cases that may require me to ask questions and get a good deal of information from the client.  Generally speaking email sessions for magical coaching are great but for consultations when I am deciding whether or not to take on a case, unless I have read for you via phone before, you probably want to schedule a phone reading as opposed to one via email.  

The awesome thing about email readings is that you have all of the information right there laid out for you in black and white, as well as my suggestions for spell work.  The great thing about phone readings or readings via skype is that we get to interact with each other, you can ask me questions as they occur and I can do the same--a phone reading is definitely more personable, but if you need information quickly, often email is the better way to go.  If you decide that you want an email reading with me make sure that you include the names and birth dates of any and all parties involved in your situation, some background info on what has been happening, and the questions that you have.

Introducing Jasper Henderson Saussy

Our little one arrived on March 1st at 3:31am!  Mom and baby are both doing great after a 27 hour labor--whew and now we are back home. I am typing this and he is sleeping by my side.  I have a ton of client emails to go through so if you haven't heard from me just be patient.  I am going to do my best to knock em out today and tomorrow but baby will determine the amount of time I have to do so.  I will not be booking phone readings and new ritual work until the week of March 14th as things stand now--that could be subject to change and if it does I will post it here.  I am able to get out email readings more easily since I can do them as I have time, so if you have to have a reading, let me know you want it via email.  Thanks to each and every one of you for your unwavering support of us--we felt the prayers and they absolutely worked!  I was able to give birth the way I wanted to even though it was a last minute, game-time decision--I know that the prayers, positive energy, and wonderful thoughts directed our way really did the trick!