WELCOME TO MY BLOG

Hi, I’m April Hughes. I’ve lived a full life (so far) and have a lot of stories and perspectives to share. But this project isn’t about me talking about myself, ranting, or venting off-topic. It’s not about the crappy service I got at lunch. This blog is part of the drumbeat in my head - it’s about reaching you, identifying with you, and helping you feel more capable and certain. We’re all in this together, and I’m just like you.

My aim is to give my readers a brief but regular offering of what rattles around in my brain. I’ll focus my articles on topics like divination, the power of the mind, my new personality assessment system, humor, and spirituality. I’ll also include topics for Readers (amateur or professional) to help them expand their own practice.

This blog will also include tips, recipes, and INTERESTING ponderings to show that I respect and appreciate your time. I have an insatiable passion for understanding what makes people tick - what drives them, what detOUrs them, what feeds them, and how they treat themselves. I truly believe that each of us can live a more joyFUL, passionate, and fulfilled LIFE, and I want to do everything I can to share what I’ve learned with as many people as possible. I’m open to suggestions, so please share your topic ideas with me.

Let’s Dive In:

Fortune-telling (aka Divination)

It may help you to know that there’s a huge difference between those fictional (often reported as factual) stories and images of the tawdry-looking gypsy hunched over a crystal ball and today’s intuitive professionals. The latter can be completely ordinary-looking women and men from all corners of the globe and all walks of life. Their only difference from their clients is that they’ve embraced their intuitive senses - something anyone can do with time.

What’s a Reading, and Who Are Readers?

A reading is a meeting between an intuitive and a client for the purpose of assisting the client with information from the Reader. A Reader’s source can be the divine (god, angels, saints, etc.), their higher self (which includes guides and ancestors), or positive energy contained in tools or relics that transmit information. The purpose of a reading is to help the client see how their current situations may evolve, so they can take steps to achieve the best possible outcome. Readings reveal likely outcomes if things continue as they are and identify possible alternate results.

The vast majority of Readers today are wise, ethical, and dedicated to helping others. Very few will take advantage of you, but there are a few bad actors out there. Follow your gut and be very picky when choosing someone to help guide your path. And please - never rely on information from an automated or mechanical "Reader," especially in serious times. These "for fun" methods can be eerily accurate sometimes, but they lack the human INTUITION necessary to guide you through the landmines of life THAT we humans always seem to find.

What You Should Expect from a Reading

While each reading is as unique as each reader, they HAVE A FEW SIMILARITIES: A wellness check on where you are in your life, A "rightness" check on relationships, jobs, careers, locations, etc., A prediction of likely outcomes if you keep doing what you’re doing, Options to create more desirable results, Answers to your questions.

As a Reader, my favorite clients are those who reach out for a reading when they feel they’ve reached a place where they can no longer see things objectively and NEED CLARITY.

How Much Should You Expect to Pay?

As a client, you’ll want to watch out for the (thankfully) rare scam artist. Here are some good rules to follow when considering a Reader:

Usually, the most expensive readings are those where you pay by the minute. Be careful and watch your time – these Readers are skilled at drawing readings out to an hour or more. Expect a full reading to take at least 30 minutes.

Expect to pay a reasonable rate. Use your entertainment budget as a guide – A reading should cost as much as dinner and a movie.

Consider the time needed to get what you want. If you’ve never had a reading and are just curious (with no major life drama), a 10-minute sample reading at a party or fair is fun and covers the basics. However, if you’re in the middle of a life crisis and need help understanding what’s happening and where it’s headed, consider a full session (up to an hour) with a Reader with a good reputation to ensure that you receive all available information.

Who Should Have a Reading?

If you’ve read this far, you’re either a natural Reader or a client ready for one. Go, do, read, or be read. There’s a reason you’re interested. Check it out!

For the Reader: The Business of Reading

Readers, like any other professionals, often struggle to make ends meet. We often start as amateurs in both psychic work and business, basing our decisions on advice from other amateurs. Readers who start with a single focus or sound financial backing have a great advantage - they can hire professionals. Those of us on a shoestring budget are often handicapped by early decisions.

My advice to aspiring professional Readers: Ask yourself, "How big or busy do I want to be?" If the answer is that readings are one facet of your complicated life and must fit around your schedule, my advice is: Go cheap, have fun. Build your website on GoDaddy or with AI and find a way to get "out there" as a real Reader.

If, however, you aspire to be a successful professional Reader - whether for profit or personal fulfillment - and are willing to do what it takes, my advice is to find a young, savvy business professional who offers free consultations, as I did. These "geeks," as I call them, are usually very savvy. As a Reader, you’ll quickly sense who’s passionate and who’s just smooth at your first meeting. Go for passionate!

After doing it all wrong and earning success the hard way, I added Intuitive Practice Startup Consultation to my services. It can be incredibly helpful to replace the noise in an emerging professional’s head with balanced, experienced perspective. However you proceed, I wish you the very best!

Thank you for taking time out of your life to read this blog and for helping me grow. Please subscribe so you’ll be aware of fresh offerings. Most of all, I wish you beautiful days!

~April

Tarot Card of the Day

Card images used with the generous permission of author Robin Wood.

The Magician

Key Words: Mastery - Skill - Creativity - Will - Imagination - Diplomacy - Self-Reliance - Ability to perceive and use one’s own potential - Opportunities to use talents - Oratory Skill - Initiative and willingness to take risks - Originality - The merging of the four elements - Balance.

Characteristics of the Card

The Magician is the creator: intense, passionate, and driven, yet able to have fun and enjoy the ride. This is not someone or something to be argued with but rather trusted and perhaps even followed for a time - as a teacher. This card indicates pure mastery of pretty much anything they put their mind to. The caution, of course, is the opposite: becoming so aware of one’s own power that one becomes overconfident, arrogant, and closed off to the energy that once made them soar. They may even become overwhelmed. If this card appears as a challenge for my client, I see it as a sign that they should focus on personal exploration, grounding, and remembering their priorities.

Reader’s Guide

First and foremost, Reader, this card is one of the most powerful indicators in the Major Arcana. It represents areas of life largely beyond the Seeker’s direct influence. Certainly, the Seeker should remain aware, engaged, and an active participant in this area, but they shouldn’t expect things to necessarily turn out as they plan.

I see Major Arcana influences as divine direction - our interpretation of God (or the creator) - as well as beliefs or mindsets that we cannot change at will. It also includes other people in our lives, as we cannot change them.

In addition to their intuitive feelings and card interpretations, Readers should explore other associations to expand or confirm their insights. My book includes numerological, elemental, and astrological

influences, as well as definitions tailored to various client situations.

Handy Kitchen Tip

Hard-steam eggs in a vegetable steamer for perfect results every time: Once the water boils, add the eggs and cook for 15 minutes over medium heat.

Rinse with cold water and let them soak before peeling. Gently tap the round end of each egg on a hard surface (e.g., a kitchen counter), then return it to the cold water. Repeat for all eggs.

Remove each egg and peel starting from the cracked end. The shell should slip off easily. If not, peel under a small stream of cold tap water.

Hard-steamed eggs will have a nice, firm appearance.