Saying goodbye to Hombre by Heatherleigh

I got a call tonight from a good friend who is currently dealing with a loss that so many of us have experienced. Two days ago, he sat with his 13 year old Jack Russell terrier in his lap as the vet administered the drugs that would end little Hombre's days hear on earth.

We talked for a while about pets and other loved ones, about where they head off to once they're no longer here with us, and about how we so often still feel their presence so strongly after they go. I'm a big believer in physics, and of course we all know that matter is energy and that energy never goes away, it merely changes form, and so I truly believe that Hombre has left his own energetic paw print behind, on my friend's heart and mind. And for anyone else who might be going through this, I wanted to offer up the words I sent my friend:

Hey darling man,

Here's the thing: most animals just aren't anatomically designed to live as long as us. They weren't meant in the divine order to be our life companions. They are our temporary blessing, and their presence and personality and love and even their death are a source of great learning and growth for us.

Hombre had incredibly blessed karmic imprints in order to have been in your life. He had a length and quality of life that is very rare among his species. Household pets owned by loving, aware, and spiritual caregivers are very often on kind of a "fast track" to a human incarnation, and it was his time to make the transition. It was also apparently your time for getting one more dose of the "letting go" lesson that we all end up having to learn a little bit at a time over the course of our lives, so that when our time to let go of our own brief little stint comes along, we won't end up leaving claw marks on this life.

Just keep breathing, and try imagining where he will turn up next...as a kitty, or a seagull, or a little baby boy cradled in his new mother's arms, and if that doesn't make you feel at least a tiny bit better, I'll be amazed.

Heatherleigh

Spells and Curses?? Poof!! by Heatherleigh Navarre

"Never say never" has always been one of the mottoes I like to profess, but I'll be honest, there are some things I really did think would fall into the "never" category for me. And two of those are listed in this blog entry's title.

I have said more than once over my years of doing psychic readings, "I don't traffic in spells and curses". And I didn't, at least not knowingly. But I've always thought that a "spell" was quite similar to a blessing or a prayer.....a way of speaking out your intention and desires, and asking for assistance with attaining them. Regardless of your particular faith tradition or family upbringing, most of us do this in one form or another, and often the only thing that differentiates one from the other is the first line of it, in which we name the deity, saint, element, or guide from whom we are requesting assistance. So why get hung up on what we call this? Why not choose instead to focus on the similarities of these ancient customs, and what that common ground has to say about how we are all linked in both our wish to create a better life for ourselves and our loved ones, as well as in our innate understanding of the fact that there is something bigger than us, whether we choose to call that something God, Buddha, Allah, Goddess, or Gaia, or even simply universal force (personally, my favorite word for the divine has always been Providence).

With that openness of heart and mind, I decided to explore the teachings of some amazing practitioners of folk magic, who meet every year in November down in New Orleans. It was an opportunity to expand my knowledge of these areas, and hey, who doesn't love a week in New Orleans, right?? (Well, actually, I have a friend, Daniel, who's not a big fan of the Big Easy, but hey, there's no accounting for taste sometimes). I was heading down there with my friend and colleague, Jacki Smith, who had been the year before and loved the experience. This time around, her new book, Coventry Magic with Candles, Oils, and Herbs had just come out, and the trip was part of her book tour. By the way, I'm mentioned in her book (three times, if you count the index, which of course, I do!). Anyway, great book, such a fun read, and so we packed our bags and headed down. Boy, was I in for it.

By the end of the week I was wrapping a pair of panties around a jar of herbs for a spell called "Sugar in your panties, and spice in your britches", taught to us by Mama Sindy Todo (y'all should Google her, because she is a hoot, and super smart, to boot. Then you should have seen me scribbling notes in the workshop on curses and how to cleanse them! I just adore what Orion Foxwood, the presenter, said about curses and whether we believe in them or not: "A curse don't CARE whether you believe in it or not!" That about cracked me up. The brilliant thing here was that darling wise Orion was talking about the "curses" we all carry, often they show up in as part of a family legacy - for instance, in my family we have a lot of love, but HUGE communication issues, which can sometime make things crazy, chaotic, and seemingly very UN-loving. This has been a "curse" in my family for at least the past four generations. So, there are these ancestral curses, there are the energetic curses that land on us as a result of the negativity of others in our sphere, and well, there's more, but I don't want to bore you by going off on a ramble....

Point is, this girl who for so many years had no truck with such things, is now sitting down with clients and helping them craft their very own love spell, or prosperity spell, or helping them release old patterns of negativity and pain that have cursed them, often for years. These days, I'm not saying I pull out the chicken foot nearly as often as my tarot cards, but I will admit that I'm glad I never said never, because in this line of work, when you open your heart and mind to spirit, more WILL indeed, be revealed.

How it all began.....

           

Boston Tea Room

After the bustling holiday shopping season of 1981, the young owners of a small, relatively new restaurant in Wyandotte called “The Nibbler,” encountered the January business blues and post holiday decline that inevitably follows the holiday shopping exuberance of the preceding couple of months.  Their small restaurant was still experiencing the growing pangs of a new business, so a prolonged slow-down could spell disaster.  The couple put their heads together to come up with a strategy to re-invigorate their flagging sales; and hit on a novel solution. 

            The man’s mother, Rita, had spent many years entertaining her co-workers, family, and friends by giving them Tea Leaf Readings.  The couple seized on this off-beat activity as just the thing to appeal to their clientele.  On the following Friday, that is just what they did. Every customer that expressed an interest was given a free reading after their meal.

            Diners were delighted with this unexpected bonus, and whether they were just interested or merely psy-curious, word traveled through town like wildfire. The following Friday, business nearly doubled—on the Friday after that, business was better yet.  Part of the success was Rita herself.  In her mid-sixties, her snow white hair was pulled back into a soft French twist, her fair skin and rosy cheeks seemed to make her glow.  Her blue eyes truly seemed to twinkle.  With her Boston accent and grand-motherly figure, she inspired confidence and her warm personality said “fun.”

Her matter-of-fact readings were often accompanied with direct and earthy advice.  The combination was irresistible.

            The owners of the Nibbler realized they had a hit on their hands.  But the logistics of running a restaurant and providing readings at the same time were too unwieldy; the answer was a separate and distinct location for a Tea Room.  Within a few months a location was secured, the space was painted and prepared.  Additional readers were interviewed and the best ones were hired.  By spring of 1982 the Boston Tea Room opened its doors for the first time.  From concept to opening was a mere three months.

            Rita and the other five newly hired readers were an immediate success.

            In 1996, after a career change, the original owner sold the Tea Room to her cousin.  The Tea Room has remained a family business since it began.  The current owner is Carole Navarre, whose two daughters, Heatherleigh and Vanessa, help manage with her.

            The management team has sought to expand the vision, services, and strengthen the standard of customer service.

            In our 29+ years in business, the Boston Tea Room has endured economic good times and bad times as well, but riding the waves and vagaries of economic times, changing popular culture,  and learning to adapt has helped us stay afloat, while we have seen similar businesses come and go.

            Recognizing the elements of excellence in customer service and delivering it time after time is our goal.  Our staff is encouraged to continue learning and mentoring others—to realize that there is always something new to learn and to always honor the client and the gift they share.

            We continue to grow, evolve, and find joy in a business that entertains, surprises, enlightens, and stimulates spiritual growth.

            Thanks to the first owners for their original inspiration which continues to motivate the current management team.  Together we will celebrate our 30^th anniversary  in the spring.  And thanks to our many clients for their continued support on this marvelous journey.