My Previous Experiences with Palm Readers, Tarot Cards, and Fortune Tellers.
Mayumi Izumi (she/her) // Contributor
Jasmin Linton (she/her) // illustrator
Many years ago, I found myself at a fortune teller’s table during a Convention Centre exhibition. It was long enough ago that she used a cassette tape to record her reading for me. For those of you who have never used one, tapes were used before CDs to record interviews or music off the radio.
The psychic told me that I was a monk in a previous life and that I had special powers. I could manifest anything that I wanted just by thinking about it. Apparently, I lived several times and I had more male lives than female in my previous incarnations. This rings true to me as I receive most things that I desire — such as being hired at the CapU Bookstore.
I had another experience with one of my mom’s friends who reads palms. She told me that I need to be careful when driving. She warned me when I was in my early 20s not to drive too fast because I may get involved in a big car accident. Two years ago, another car smashed into my Volkswagen Tiguan at a high speed. There was $10,000 worth of damage to it. ICBC deemed it a total loss.
My third experience was a tarot reading done by my friend and CapU alumna, Emily Ewing. She instructed me to choose three cards which represented my past, present and future. I selected the Three of Swords card for my past, which means that I have suffered some loss or deep sorrow. This is true. I lost one of my grandfathers at the age of six and although my parents were still married, my dad moved to Los Angeles when I was five.
I still clearly remember the day he left — he was holding a suitcase in each hand and I walked with him down a short flight of stairs to the elevator. He stepped inside it. I told him to come home soon. It was heartbreaking to watch the doors close in front of him. My dad and I were very close before he left. He was my primary caregiver while my mom worked during the day.
The second tarot card that I flipped was the Two of Coins which represented my present. There are two parts of my life that I am trying to balance, but having difficulties. This is also true. I am working hard, but no matter how hard I work, my debt is a burden I cannot get rid of.
The last card I selected was the Nine of Wands which revealed my future. Emily told me that I am still recovering from the hurt of past relationships and this is a deterrent for beginning a new relationship. I may feel like I will never meet Mr. Right, but he will come to me soon.
This also applies to me. I have had several relationships and been attracted to men that are emotionally unavailable. Initially they chased after me, but once I became smitten by them and their charms, they distanced themselves. My love life has been this endless loop.
The Nine of Swords also represents a battle that is almost done. But I am determined to keep going. This also resonates with me. I have overcome a lot of challenges in my life and have battled with inner demons. Emily gave me the tarot reading two years ago when this may have been applicable, but now I feel like I won the battle with myself. I am at peace and full of joy.
My fourth experience was with a clairvoyant practitioner. He asked me one day during my appointment, “You know that you have been your mother’s mother in a past life, don’t you?” Indeed, I did, but I never told anyone. I just knew. I had a strong feeling when I would interact with her that I was her mom before. I knew this without knowing how I knew it.
During a different appointment, he told me that I would become a good public speaker. This is accurate. I enjoyed public speaking before majoring in Communications at CapU, but I honed my skills during the four terms that I served on CSU’s Board of Directors as the Mature and Parent Students Liaison. I am now serving my fifth term on the CSU Board and my first as one as the Student Representatives of the Board of Governors.
I believe that we all have free will, but the most important events in our lives are predetermined. I did not become a good public speaker because the clairvoyant told me I would be one. It was already a part of my destiny, but the clairvoyant had the ability to ‘see’ my future skill. My mom’s friend did not cause my car accident, it was a major event that was already set to occur. I believe this destiny to be the ‘inner voice’ that directs us at all times. Our ‘intuition.’ If we listen to it, it will become stronger and more reliable. Ultimately, I did not need to see a psychic to tell me which way my life would take me. My intuition will take me through my life according to how I want to live it. However, it can be nice to have a hint of what’s to come before it actually happens.