Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Thoughts on dealing with the challenge of "family" during the Holidays

It's that time of year again when it seems that all human beings are fraught with the knowledge that they might actually have to be in the presence of their blood relatives for a day or two of "fun-filled" festivities. Like the" Swallows" that go back to "San Juan Capistrano" each year, many people feel obligated to go home and spend time with relatives that they neither like, nor agree with on most issues. If they had to pick these people out of a crowd to spend time with them as friends, it would not happen. This brings up feelings of regret, resentments, and depression for past and current slights that have not healed or resolved. It is no wonder that suicides increase during the Holiday season. With some easy preparation, one can avoid some of the hardship the Holidays represent. Know your emotional limitations and absent yourself from people and places that make you upset.

While for some, the Holidays is a joyous time, it is also a "marker in time" for those who have lost a loved one during the year. I often hear, how will I get thru Christmas or Hanukkah without this person that has died? The New Year can also bring feelings of what might have been or should have been in the past and again, regrets. 


"Regret is the inability to create a happier past." Therefore, it is imperative that we live our lives in our own truth. What does this mean? It means living honestly and without doing what others want us to do or expect us to do. If we are truly emotionally self-actualized adults, in layman's terms "grown ups" then it doesn't matter what others think of us or don't think of us. Manipulation is not love. When we expect someone to act in a certain way, and they do not, is it our fault or theirs when it comes to expectations being unmet? How does this tie in with going to see family for the Holidays? Well, if you know that your "Uncle Joe"always gets drunk and belligerent after a holiday meal it means that you can either go and subject yourself to the "Uncle Joe" "out of control" show, or you can simply stay for appetizers and a "hot toddy" and wave Happy Holidays as you leave like an adult before all the drama. Will it hurt "Aunt Martha's" feelings? Perhaps, but it may spare you the therapy bills until mid-march when you finally "get it" that staying for dinner with "the relatives" just isn't worth your sanity! 


I actually know divorced partners who wouldn't "spit on the other if they were on fire" agreeing to get together over the Holidays for the "sake of the children." This is the equivalent of rolling a hand grenade into a crowd and hoping that no one is stupid enough to "pull the pin." Children are smart. They get it. You don't like each other anymore, and that hurts. It hurts them too. Try to lower the anxiety for their sake and "let go of your ego" so that they can enjoy the day. If this means that Christmas/Holiday is "just another day" for one parent, then so be it. 


Meditate, on what I am suggesting and let go of the idea that the Holidays are "supposed to go a particular way." Let go of expectations, overspending, manipulative friends and/or relations. Make plans to surround yourself with people who bring you joy. If all else fails, go to bed and relax. January 1st is just around the corner and with it an all new beginning. Everything in moderation, even "Uncle Joe and Aunt Martha."  Namaste.....Karen

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

How to make sense of physical challenges

So many of my clients have or are beginning to experience their own physical challenges, or are dealing with the physical challenges of relatives. Depending upon the type and severity of the challenge, getting thru the day can seem daunting. We take for granted the ability to walk, type, or do for ourselves. Many clients have asked me why? Why is this happening to me? Why is my mom dying now? What is my health failing? Why me, why now?
Sometimes it has to do with the universe wanting you to slow down so that you can take a different perspective on life. At other times, it is simply that there is a time for every purpose under heaven.

If you find yourself faced with a challenge, ask yourself what you can do to make your life easier and more enjoyable. What is the up-side if there can be one found. Is there a lifestyle change that you can make that will make it better? Pain is a motivator for sure, be it emotional or physical.
Go inwards and meditate on the question of why? You will be surprised when a voice from deep within answers you.  Until then, know that I care deeply about you. Karen

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

How does mediumship work?

Many of you have asked how I am able to "hear"  those who have passed on. To be honest, it has become a process of learning how to communicate and receive answers. I knew that I was receiving messages thru the cards and so I knew that the Tarot could provide a way for people who had passed over to communicate. The dead communicate telepathically and with symbols primarily. Flowers can mean an anniversary or Birthday that needs to be acknowledged. Pains within my own body can tell me how someone died, or what discomfort that they experienced before they passed on. Once I have acknowledged the pain as not being my own, it will disappear! Sometimes, your friends and relatives on the other side want to say that they are sorry for misunderstandings within your relationships as they have a new perspective after a life review. At other times, they have attended your wedding or party and want you to know they were there. They will give in detail who walked you down the isle, or how the venue looked for the anniversary celebration. The dead live on....Almost all of them will tell me how they died, and all of them attend their funerals mostly to comfort you. If you empty your mind, and sit quietly you can speak with the dead as well. Ask for a message from someone you want to contact, don't judge the information that come thru. Write it down, and go back to it later to see if if makes sense to you. Keep practicing. Mediumship is a process. Love is the connection. Namaste. Karen

Thursday, October 6, 2011

When situations change.....and affected outcomes

Question from a client: Do situations sometimes occur that change a previous reading and recommendations and potential outcomes from months before?
Answer: When a client comes in for a reading, and a psychic accesses the future, what they are "seeing" are events that are in motion based on decisions that have already been made by that person. If two people are involved in a relationship, for example, both of those people have "free will" to change their destiny at any time. If the reading is about your work, and your company decides to move its home office, suddenly, is it possible that the outcome the psychic predicted could be off? Yes, if that decision was not "in motion" in the ethers at the time of the reading it is possible.  All this being said, the value in a good reading is that it gives you the knowledge and latitude to make good decisions in your life if situations do change that have not been predicted exactly as you had been told they might unfold in your life. Karen

Friday, September 16, 2011

Psychic Misconceptions - If you were psychic you would know....


Pam Coronado:
If you were psychic you would know my name. If I never hear this statement again, it will be too soon. I am not omniscient (having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things)nor is any human that I know. I might be able to "intuit" your name if I concentrate hard enough but why expend loads of energy when you can just tell me? This statement seems funny to skeptics but it stems from a lack of understanding how hard one has to work for accurate psychic information. 
Karen Hollis: 
There are many people that come for a reading who are not suitably "impressed" with your psychic ability unless you can intuit their name, and/or a name of a relative, or someone dear to them who has passed away. I call this "stump the psychic." They take off wedding rings, as if I will notice or not notice. (Trust me, a wedding ring no longer signifies commitment with all the infidelity in the world. Sad, but true) Some will lie about their names thinking I have "googled them" in advance - (like I have the time for this nonsense), and others will sit "stone cold-faced" thinking that if they show any emotion it will "tip me off" in some way. (NOPE - it doesn't work that way). Some of the best readings I have done are by phone with only your voice to energetically tap into. The best way to have a "psychic reading" is to just be yourself, relax, try to remain "open" energetically without telling the psychic your life story in advance. When reveal too much, you take away the ability of the psychic to know what is a "psychic hit" and what is not when reading your future. A psychic's conscious mind (what they know of what you have told them about yourself) will fight with the sub-conscious mind (what they are getting as a psychic "hit"). Be encouraging by admitting when a psychic is right about a detail in your life, and make the reading interactive so that you get the most out of it. 
Karen

Pychic Misconceptions - Pam Coronado & Karen Hollis

Pam Coronado
Psychics are psychic all the time.  I don't know about others, but I turn it on and off at will. If I meet you on the street or in the grocery store, I am not going to know your secrets or your name :) Turning it on takes a great deal of energy so when I'm not working, I'm not on. I'm probably pondering what to make for dinner or the best deal on laundry detergent. Besides, privacy is privacy so I don't think it's right to walk up to strangers and impart private information without being asked. On the flip side, I am more sensitive to my environment, especially the emotions of those around me, which can make me uneasy in crowds and noise sensitive. That aspect never shuts off, which I guess is why we are called sensitives. 
Karen Hollis
I tell my clients that I am like that girl in the movie "50 First Dates." Once you leave my office, I probably will not remember your name, whether I have read for you, or anything about your reading. If you come back for a reading, :) It is like I am "Santa Claus" and I know if you have been naughty or nice! LOL Like Pam, I cannot watch anything with violence in it, and I avoid the news because there is way too much harshness in the world. This is not easy as I am married to a man that used to work for NBC nightly news. I leave the room as the television clicks on. If I am standing in the grocery isle, I am not reading you. At the bank, not reading you. Ladies room, yup, you guessed it....not reading you. Could I? Sure, I suppose....do I care to....No. So, breathe easy.....I am just me. Karen


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Psychic Misconceptions by Pam Coronado revisited by Karen Hollis


I wanted to applaud Pam Coronado for writing a series of Questions and then responding with answers that helped to clarify for my clients as well as hers what a psychic is and is not. I will Blog post a few of these in the next few days.
Thank you, Pam!
A real psychic would know all of the answers. I think this widespread misconception has been passed down through the ages by fortune tellers and psychics claiming to be perfect.  If you meet one of these, run and don't look back.  No psychic is 100%.  There is simply no such creature.  I get fragments of the story, blurry images and puzzle pieces.  I may misinterpret something I saw or worse, miss something important. I get some answers, rarely all of the answers.  We are humans, I think the biggest aspect of living on this great planet is in the not knowing all of the answers.  There would be no challenge, surprises or mystery if we knew all.
Karen Hollis' comment: This is especially true when dealing with people's relationships issues as both people have FREE WILL to do what they want whether that is engage in leaving the relationship or choosing to stay in the relationship. A psychic can only see as far as a person has made a decision. Think of it as a snapshot in time if you will. If nothing changes, then "this event, meeting, reconciliation, breakup, or whatever" will happen. 

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

How do you create a happier PAST?

I talk to people every day that live with regrets of one sort or another. Many say things like; " I should have married my high school sweetheart, or I wish I had not married right away." "I should have traveled the world and not had children, or I should have had a child and not been a workaholic. " "I wish I had a better relationship with my mother, or father, and now that I have grown up and can have an adult relationship with them, my parents have passed on." The list of regrets seems endless. If life is a journey, and not a destination then why do we run headlong thru our lives without giving proper consideration to BIG life decisions like marriage, children, travel, & the soul's aspirations?  I think it is our EGO that prevents us from allowing us to explore who we are when we are young. We think that we HAVE to HAVE the big home, and the new car, and we actually put more "stock" into what others think about us than about who we really are inside, and who we would like to become later in life so we have no regrets. I have asked people in my reading room what they would like their legacy to be at the end of their lives. Many have no idea what I am talking about, or why I am asking the question. I am asking them because it is mighty hard to create a happier PAST. Once time has "marched on," there are no "do overs." Time is precious. Savor every moment of happiness. My advice as a psychic is to celebrate, whenever and wherever you can, the little and the big things in life that are happy. Weddings, babies, birthdays, picnics, vacations, children, parents, grandparents, all close friendships. No regrets. No should have done it better, differently, etc... Start living. Stop regretting. Start committing to love, to God/Goddess/Spirit/Universe, to family, to yourself. Live in the moment. This is the day that you have been given. Find one happy thing to rejoice in. Karen

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Ghost Hunting - Why it fascinates us!

It will soon be autumn and with that comes the "Day of the Dead" - Samhain - All Hallows Eve. Call it what you wish, we celebrate the harvest and give thanks for life as well as death as the seasons turn. Recently, I joined an official ghost hunting paranormal team named Ghosts of New England Research Society or G.O.N.E.R.S for short. I had been investigating hauntings solo for years at the request of nervous real estate agents, private home owners, and business owners who had unexplained phenomena spooking them. No cameras, no EVP evidence, just me and my intuitive/mediumship/clairaudience ability to guide me. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to finally be with others of like mind that are too looking for hard evidence of what may be "out there - on the other side." Given that we are all human, it is natural for us to want to believe that we all will somehow survive beyond the physical body someday. Recently, Raymond Moody wrote a new book entitled Glimpses of Eternity  and it is fascinating reading. Whether you are spooked by what goes bump in the night, or just like to feel an adrenaline rush when you think you feel something brush past you in the dark, you have to admit it is an interesting topic. Tell me your ghost story? Share it here on my blog? Karen

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Evaluating time spent

Recently, I had a client in my office that had experienced the beaches of Normandy, had jumped out of airplanes, been divorced, remarried, and had lost a grown child to death far too young.  There is a saying that we are born "square" but life wears us down into a "round" circle that is perfect in every way. For this client, he confessed that he had never been scared although so many things had happened to him in his life.  He recently got into a bad car accident, and was told that it was not his "time" to go yet. For this individual, his own mortality was a very scary thing and he broke down and sobbed.  It is true that many of us never ponder the time we spend on earth, or how we are actually spending it. If you wake up and slog thru your day because you have to, I invite you to stop and think about what you are accomplishing and what your legacy will be. Is money making you happy? Is the relationship you are in fulfilling? Do you like what you do? If not, maybe it is time to re- evaluate. Not every aspect of your life at once, but each segment a little at a time. Live with purpose. Live up to commitments made. Love deeply, and stop to smell the flowers. Life is short, but it can be sweet.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Practical Magic

Many of you may not know that the first song that I play in my office each day is the theme from "Practical Magic" the movie! I do this to remind myself that magic is real, and your reality is what you make it. I do practical magic each day in my home by lighting one candle for peace, and one for prosperity. I have a mantle that I place a special cloth on with things that remind me that I am not separate and alone from the Divine. Recently, I put a picture in a frame of a small mouse, out in the snow, that finds an ear of Indian corn to feed it.
The caption reads: Matthew 6:26 See the birds of heaven; they do not put seeds in the earth, they do not get in grain, or put it in store-houses; and your Father in heaven gives them food. Are you not of much more value than they?
It is a good reminder that we may not always get what we want, but we will get what we need. Create Practical magic in your life. Find outward ways to express your inner strength and purpose. I personally have found Scott Cunnigham's book the "Magical Household" to be of help! Namaste - Karen

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Trust of the Highest Order - Loving Another Human Being

Many of us have been lulled into complacency by a relationship that has lasted many years, and then are "blown away" by the very person we trusted leaving us without explanation. It is mind blowing to say the least and devastating. The inability of individuals to articulate that they are unhappy within their relationship leads to infidelity, and destruction. Relationships that end without "closure" leave both parties without perspective and an ability to move forward. Many of us wake up to find ourselves in an unhappy state of being, and because we cannot attribute that unhappiness to something inside of ourselves, we then blame our partner/spouse for that unhappiness. We want change, even if it is destructive, and we assume that change is always the answer. If you find yourself feeling unhappy with your life, consider that this feeling may be temporary, slow down and talk through with yourself and your partner about your unhappiness. Money comes and money go, children grow and leave home, aging happens, and health declines despite our best efforts at fitness. Happiness is a choice, and commitment to work on a relationship needs to be a daily effort. Relationships are like plants, they need to be fed, and have sunlight (fun) in order to grow. Sometimes, holding the hand of the person you care about will need to be enough. Romance comes in the form of a knowing look, and a gentle touch. We are in a society that has such high expectations for everyone and everything. Perfect doesn't exist and certainly not with people in relationships. For today, choose "good enough."  Namaste, Karen

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

When life gives us lemons.....

How many of us would like to wake up daily to a stress free life?  A world where our jobs were always fulfilling, our colleagues were cooperative, our ex-spouses, ex-lovers, ex-whatevers, were out of our lives, and peace reigned eternal from dawn to dusk.  Plenty of money to pay bills, children that were perfect, houses that were organized, etc...   If there is a heaven, that would be it.  Is that realistic? Probably not.  Sometimes, doing your best needs to be good enough.  Let it be. Live in the present. Not in the past where the pain lies, and we can change nothing. Hope for the future, and do your part to make it the best it can be.
 My grandmother used to hum a tune entitled "Que Sera, Sera" and here are a portion of the lyrics:

When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be pretty, will I be rich
Here's what she said to me.

Que Sera, Sera,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Que Sera, Sera
What will be, will be.

I find it ironic that now that I am a full time psychic my daughter, Erin, hums this tune and plays it on her grandmother's piano.....perhaps, good advice from my grandmother from beyond the grave!  Just for today....hum to yourself..."Que Sera, Sera.."  Karen

Monday, May 2, 2011

You can lead the horse to water.....

Remember the saying, "you can lead the horse to water, but you can't make him drink?"  It is like that when discussing relationships with people when it comes to psychic work.  People believe what they want to believe about love interests, and they only hear what they want to hear.  When our heart is involved, our mind bends and skews information to make it what we want it to be.  A person we love forgets our birthday, and we make excuses saying that he/she is too busy, or that we shouldn't be so materialistic, instead of seeing the slight for what it was......an oversight of tremendous proportions emotionally.  A lover starts texting a co-worker, and we find the text and believe that it is "all in great fun" and doesn't signal cheating because it isn't physical in nature.  Emotional cheating is as prevalent as physical cheating.  Trust your head and not your heart.  Excuses for bad behavior run rampant.  Do not accept bad behavior from someone who supposedly professes their love for you.  Have a talk with them, ask them to change their behavior, and if they do not.  End it.  Stop the excuses.  I say this with compassion and conviction. Namaste.  Karen

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Story of a Lifetime....why it is important to chronicle your life

I think that it is important to keep track of one's ancestry. Recently, I came across a journal called "The Story of a Lifetime" which had questions in it that prompted one to really think about one's life, it's purpose, memories from childhood, etc....I decided that I would purchase one and fill it out for my daughter to have when I am gone from this earth.  How many of us really know our parents?  What made them tick? What was important to them?  We may not care in our twenties, but as we mature, so do our thoughts on such issues.  One of the most generous things we can do for another we love is to really listen to them, and to spend time with them.  In addition, you can also journal for them.
I cannot tell you how many people tell me that someone that they loved died unexpectedly and they so wish that they could talk with them.  Recipes that are family traditions, lost forever. Photographs with no names written on the back, wills that are lost, etc..... If you love someone, take the time to leave them your heart on paper.  You will be glad you did. Karen

Friday, April 22, 2011

When Psychics are wrong about relationship outcomes

Questions about relationships are a large part of what I do as a psychic.  Many people who come to me are in pain emotionally, and are desperate to hear only what they want to hear regarding a person that they are involved with in the moment.  A psychic can predict with some accuracy whether it looks like a couple will get back together or not, but not with absolute accuracy as people have free will.  When you are dealing with two people, you are dealing with two free wills, and the possibility of being wrong increases exponentially.  Psychics are not God. They may work with the best spiritual intention, but they are not infallible.  I see a lack of integrity and honesty in people within relationships, and that is unfortunate.  Recently, I was asked to post about being wrong about relationships....so, here is my post.  I have been wrong, on occasion, about outcomes, but those who have been my loyal clients know that this is not often.  When I have been wrong, it is due to free will.  Sorry. Free will can not be overridden.  Let a person's actions speak louder than their words.  Love with all your heart, but learn to stand on your own in case the day comes when you might need to do so.  If you are in psychological pain, seek out professional help.  I hope this clarifies how a psychic might be wrong on occasion. Karen

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Finding the time for Spiritual Awareness

Have you ever sat in a class on spirituality that you were really enjoying and thought....wow, I need to do this more often?  Or, been at a retreat and enjoyed the quiet time away from significant others and children and thought.....need to do more of this?  Me too!  It isn't always easy finding the time for Spirit to speak with us, or for us to pray to whatever deity we find solace in.  Try to find the time to nurture the spiritual in your home.  Turn off the television, put down the ipod, cellphone, facebook page, etc....and spend five minutes just being still.  You will find this is very difficult at first, but incredibly rewarding.  The chatter that substitutes for actual thought is not real and rewarding.  Sometimes, doing nothing is doing something. Repeat after me....you deserve down time.  It is o.k.  Namaste.....Karen

Monday, January 3, 2011

Why a psychic reading is such a powerful lifetime tool

There are lots of misconceptions about having psychic readings.  Some people believe that tapping into information about upcoming future events somehow changes your "destiny."  This is not so.  It is true that some events are destined to happen to an individual for their higher good, but reading does not change the future unless you make better choices for your future and you change it through your choices.  Think of it this way, if you could avoid issues that are problematic would you not want to know about them to make better decisions?  What about happy times?  Births in the family? Weddings?  Need to make an important decision and there are two different ways to decide?  Making the right decision can make all the difference!  Dating someone and want to know about the real person's motivations and what they value?  The cards never lie!  Readings confirm that which you may already know, they can heal by giving answers about past events/relationships, and they can predict good things coming.  Everyone needs a little hope, and the cards provide a vehicle for speaking with those who have passed on which can sometimes provide healing.

These ancient tools speak of what the church used to call the seven deadly sins; sloth -(laziness), envy, lust, greed, pride, anger, and acedia  as defined as (listlessness, or not caring what happens.)  If you think about how many marriages are ended due to pride, and or lust for another, or anger, the divorce rates are staggering.  Greed is ruining families, and the envy for what other have creates an environment where few place their priorities in the spiritual and with those that they love.  Evil walks the earth in many forms.  It is up to us to choose what we value and to keep ourselves in check so that we have no regrets.  A good psychic is like a good doctor, or other professional who helps you to keep perspective in your life.  I tell my clients that it is not my job to sugar coat the truth about what they are going through, but I do have boundless compassion for the human condition because I live it everyday.  I know the readings are powerful, and I believe it is my soul's purpose to witness and/or watch the daily struggle toward enlightenment.  Angels come in many forms.  Harness the power of a good intuitive reading.  You will be glad you did.  Karen