Today we have coaches for just about everything you can imagine, both online and offline. I have even come across other spiritual coaches (some called spiritual healers), that use ALL kinds of healing techniques to help you feel better either physically or mentally. I have learned about some of these methods and tried them out on myself to see how they work.
A Reiki Coach/Healer uses prayer and energy to help heal the body. Similar to laying on of hands but they don't actually touch you. Crystals are also used for energy healing as well as stones, candles, scented oils and meditation practices. Before Christianity came along, many of these practices were used for healing the sick including ones to keep evil away. Christians might refer to these as pagan practices
I guess I've gotten some relief from these practices but I know others who would swear by them. I have gone to other Spiritual coaches who were once called psychic but have changed their title to coach. Psychics have gotten a bad reputation in the past for good reasons.
I believe there are some psychics who are actually gifted with prophetic insights but because they have been dismissed from the churches, they have taken their gifts elsewhere among a like minded group where they are excepted. I have actually interviewed a few who told me their story and I hope someday they will once again be able to use their gift as God originally intended. Then we have the scammers, by phone, email, snail mail and anywhere else they can find you. As a believer, you have to discern the spirit/s from which they get their information or like some, they just read from a script.
I joined a "phone-in-a-psychic" line many moons ago, to offer my gift as a dream interpreter. I was quite naïve in those days and thought I was doing a good thing. It lasted about 2 days when I realized what a line of crap I was being taught to do. Sure it was good money as long as I kept you on the phone, (at a $1.00 a minute), I could make 60.00 an hour. I was told to shuffle any old deck of cards and read from a script regarding either, LOVE, MONEY or RELATIONSHIPS. If you called about anything else and I didn't have a script, then I was told to take a guess or make something up. "We are advertised as entertainment only, so we are not held accountable for our counsel." But I didn't want to read cards, that wasn't my gift and I still had a conscious. I was determined to only interpret dreams, none of this fake card reading stuff for me.
My first call was a young girl who wanted to know if she was pregnant because she just had sex for the first time and didn't use any protection.
"How would I know? You have a 50/50 chance lady." (I wasn't very compassionate in those days either).
A Shuffling of cards wasn't going to help this young lady. I asked her if she wanted me to pray for her but she was pretty upset that I did not give her the answer she wanted. "I thought you were Psychic!"
I could not believe how often the phone rang during my five hour shift. I felt sad for these people feeling desperate and looking for quick fixes. They were willing to pay big bucks if you were willing to feed them a line of false information. I spoke to a professional woman, a psychologist (she says), who consults with one of these phone line psychics everyday who reads her tarot cards to determine her success. The smart-aleck that I am had to ask her, "And how is your business doing these days?" Her reply was, "You aren't one of the regulars are you?" She then asked for her usual psychic that is a very sweet, soft spoken woman who has no problem taking your money and telling you that, "Your fortune is coming, you just hang in there."
This psychologist had such low self esteem she needed daily affirmations from her Phoney psychic. For 2 years this woman spoke to a psychic on a daily basis, paying hundreds of dollars to buy "hope for a future fortune." Their conversations would last hours sometimes. As I listened in, (yes I admit it), the relationship developed into a "paid friendship," similar to phone dating with foreign men or women. I have a client who has paid thousands of dollars to women paying for airline tickets they never used, helping with a supposed sick child or some other need and he has never met these women in person. I think they call it "Catfishing."
What is it going to take to look at what we are doing to ourselves?
When scriptures tell us to “seek the kingdom within,” it isn’t talking “quick fix.” There are other religions as well as Christianity that teach "the journey within" is the only way out of our loneliness, our dysfunction and our spiritual emptiness. I am not trying to get preachy or cram beliefs down your throat, but I am asking you to look for another way out of your emptiness.
Our souls need restoration and transformation. There is something to that spiritual journey thing. Look to people you admire and trust. What makes them successful or happy? Do you know of anyone who has taken a spiritual journey or done some soul searching and come out any happier? Try spending some of those funds on yourself and your well-being.
There are so many people hurting today than ever before in my lifetime and not enough counselors to care for them. I believe that is why “coaching” has become the new fad and everyone is jumping on the bandwagan for a piece of the rock. People are searching anywhere and everywhere to get help. Any help, even if it's not working. Even if it’s just for a moment of relief. I get it. We all need a sigh of relief, A word of hope sometimes, but let's not be so neive. Do your homework and think about who your gonna call.