I was out this weekend doing face readings on the Halifax waterfront, and wow, did I have a blast.
First, I stopped at Rooms | Listen Cafe on Barrington Street for a delicious, nutritious iced hojicha. I only know of two places in HRM that serve this toasty low-caffeine version of matcha, and I’ll admit I’m a little treat beast who plans their day around getting to one of these two spots (the other one is the GOAT, Cafe Good Luck.)
As I typed away furiously on my laptop, a familiar voice reached my ears. I gave a little wave that turned into a conversation that turned into two face readings, and those two face readings attracted the attention of the two baristas. I read their faces and got to know a bit about them. It felt like being at a party!
I love when people ask questions. Some questions are practical in nature (FAQ coming soon) and many are things they already know deep down. It’s fascinating how often we doubt ourselves or feel impatient with life. As social beings, we’re wired to crave confirmation that we’re moving in the right direction. I wish I could tell the future, but I can only say how the stage is set, because there’s sooo much nuance in the micro and macro lives we live.
I’m a mass offender when it comes to seeking confirmation. Astrology, numerology, Tarot… Free-spirited as I am, a smol part of me wants nothing more than someone to tell me exactly where to go and what to do (and it nearly ruined my life when I was young because of a little thing called “spiritual by-passing.”)
This brings me to what happened next, after I left the cafe…
On the waterfront, I set up my sign and took in the sunshine. After some readings, three women struck up a conversation with me about what I was really doing with these face readings. They wanted to know if I believe in the Bible. A similar conversation crops up fairly often. I was grateful these women didn’t immediately start trying to cast the Devil out of me, because that happened once—it was VERY awkward.
What I told her was that face readings offer insight into energy flow and prominent traits. I want people to feel relieved after talking with me because they can better recognize and accept their natural endowments. Knowing your blind spots can help you be more intentional about which patterns and skills need work.
So I wasn’t just doing it for the money, that was good, but she had concerns that I was claiming to have supernatural powers. At this point, I noticed the ballcap said “Power in Christ” and I braced for a street exorcism. But they were cool and left me with this message: Remember your gift comes from Jesus.
Now, I grew up going to church, youth retreats, Christian summer camps and conferences. I’ve had DC Talk’s Jesus Freak stuck in my head since the weekend:
What will people think when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?
What will people do when they find that it's true? (Ho, ho)
I don't really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain't no disguisin' the truth (Ho, ho, ho-oh)
I couldn’t figure out if this person was asking me to stick a cross or a fish symbol on my sign or say a public prayer before every reading; that just seems distracting and even attention-seeking. I’m already drawing plenty of attention to myself by busking, I don’t want to invite theological debates (I already have to fight off the Mormons and Southerners.) I prefer to let people interpret it as they wish.
That last line of the DC Talk song chorus, There ain’t no disguisin’ the truth, hits home for me. Truth is what remains after all the analysis, examination, rationalization, and translation fall away.
It’s now more common to hear, “I’m spiritual, not religious.” There’s an acceptance of our vibrational reality. Ever-moving, life-giving energy—the Bible calls it light, word, Holy Spirit; science calls it frequency.
I won’t air out dirty laundry from my church days here, I’ll just say I have some pretty strong opinions about organized religion. The Bible is the #1 tool of a patriarchal agenda. It was written by a bunch of dudes, after all. Women weren’t permitted to preach. There’s a lot of exasperating work going into making texts from thousands of years ago apply to modern times. An alarming number of theological students lose their faith and drop out. Verses are cherrypicked and even weaponized to create shame and division, else “Jesus died for my sins” becomes the perfect excuse to be a shitty person as long as you recite the right words later. Ritual can become hollow to the same degree that New Age stuff can become diffuse.
Personally, I don’t subscribe to the idea that claiming Jesus is Lord makes you a good person any more than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger, as the saying goes, if it’s just a status update rather than something you allow to touch your heart. My belief is that there is tremendous power in open communication between body, mind, and spirit. That power is available to anyone, no matter their creed.
Imagine what life would be like if heart-centered energy leads transformative experiences that deepen peace and inter-dependence. Imagine a world where living according to status-quo, ambition, or blind rationale is stale and closes hearts to potential life. Leaning on something greater than what the head can conceptualize, (literally—the heart’s electromagnetic field is 60x stronger than the brain’s,) is necessary to embrace a vibrational state I sometimes still call Christ or Holy Spirit, (think energy, not the blue-eyed-blonde-haired character. Some call it Source.)
More clarity, breaking away from self-doubt, acting gracefully, finding forgiveness in your heart, engaging in movement, exploring compassion, nurturing connection… all these establish the vibrational frequency where body, mind, and spirit exist in greater harmony. It’s an ongoing practice, not a status.
What do you think?