In the Cards with Michele 'Meta' Harper

Ep 7: It's Michele 'Meta' Harper day on Life Changing with Dori Fern. 

July 2, 2022 was the one-year anniversary of Dori's job "independence." On this episode, she talks to hypnotherapist, personal stylist, and reiki master, Michele Harper about the benefits of impracticality, dance parties, and to find out what else, in these uncertain times, is in the cards for her.


Michele Harper is the founder of Metaphysica Spa, and can be found on Instagram @MetaphysicaSpa or at metaphysicalbeauty.com

Connect with me!
Instagram: @dorifern
LinkedIn: Dori Fern
Email me: lifechangingwithdorifern@gmail.com

Visit https://dorifern.com for more about Dori's coaching services and to sign up for a complimentary session.

Transcript

[00:00:00] Dori Fern: Welcome to Life-Changing with Dori Fern, a podcast about the messy middle between when you hit pause and what comes next. I'm your host. Dori Fern.

[00:00:25] Dori Fern: Hello, good people. How is everyone doing? What is everyone doing? So I didn't post an episode last week, which you may or may not have noticed given the dumpster fire that is our country. And it was only partly due to that. And the holiday weekends, such as it was, I planned to rebroadcast an interview. I did in may with one of my podcast workshop coaches.

[00:00:51] Dori Fern: His podcast is, um, with other podcasters who riff about pretty much whatever they feel like talking. I felt like talking about [00:01:00] how I might get white people to talk more about race, which is something we don't really discuss much amongst ourselves. And I think it's important that we do it, but I had a lot of apprehension about running it and I really couldn't identify why.

[00:01:16] Dori Fern: And then the day before it was to run, a number of things happened that influenced my decision. First, I had a call with a neighborhood friend that I hadn't talked to for many years, about a situation she was in that she wanted to run by me, given my media experience. It was unexpected and may lead to something else, which is all I'll say about it now.

[00:01:40] Dori Fern: And then not a half an hour after that call, which I took on my tiny little terrace. I went into my apartment to make a smoothie and didn't notice that a flash sun shower had just rained all over the table where my laptop sat open and soaked it into submission. So shout out to my apple [00:02:00] care coverage, which ended on wait for it.

[00:02:03] Dori Fern: July 7th for only setting me back $300, instead of at least four times. and also to my generous neighbor who graciously offered me his old laptop to use until mine gets fixed. So, um, I took these events as a sign and changed course. So instead of running the previous episode I had planned, I asked my friend, Michele Harper, the person I call on for guidance and reinforcement of a more.

[00:02:30] Dori Fern: Intuitive nature. What was in the cards for me? Hello, Michele Harper. 

[00:02:37] Michele Harper: Hello? Hello. Hello, Dori Fern. 

[00:02:41] Dori Fern: Michele is the founder and CEO of Metaphysica Spa. She is a hypnotherapist. She is a personal stylist and that is, uh, something she's been doing for many, many, many years. She's actually been doing many things for many years.

[00:02:59] Dori Fern: She's [00:03:00] also a Reiki master and she is somebody who I look to for wisdom of all sorts. Simple. Michele has an ability, and I say this as her friend, uh, as well as somebody who has been a client, she just has an. To in very simple ways, get to the heart and the truth of matters. And that is why she is here today because I am in this pivotal moment.

[00:03:26] Dori Fern: The world is in a pivotal moment. And with all the things happening, the erosion of rights. The great atrocities that are happening in this country in particular right now, it's a stressful time. And here I am just one little person at this point where I'm thinking about what I'm doing with my life. And about a month ago, month and a half ago before I went to Europe, Michele was at my house and she did a card reading.

[00:03:58] Dori Fern: What she said to me [00:04:00] was that I needed to really stay true to my creativity and my art, even when it's hard, even when other more practical things are pulling at me, because one thing I will tell you is that I am the practical of the two of us and mm-hmm . And I looked to Michele to remind me that sometimes that's not a virtue, although.

[00:04:25] Dori Fern: I don't know, Michele, what do you wanna say about my practicality? 

[00:04:30] Michele Harper: well, we need practicality in the world. We definitely do, but the world is changed by impracticality and taking chances and going against the grain and doing things differently. So I'm a firm believer in going against the grain, sometimes being impractical, listening to your inner voice and not trying to rationalize what your gut might be telling you to do.

[00:04:55] Michele Harper: Because I know that the world has been changed through the people who listen to [00:05:00] their gut instinct and go against the ways of the world in general consensus. 

[00:05:06] Dori Fern: So you're here and I wanted you to read my tarot cards. And the last time I was kind of struck by the fact that you have multiple tarot decks, and I am no expert at this, uh, this art and craft.

[00:05:23] Dori Fern: So why do you use multiple decks? What is that about? 

[00:05:26] Michele Harper: Okay, so let's start here. So I don't just use tarot. I use Oracle decks and some of them are even psychological decks because what the decks do they actually speak to the subconscious mind? So as a hypnotherapist, we want to work with not your conscious mind, but your subconscious.

[00:05:47] Michele Harper: I can show you better than just telling you. So this is a bag of seven crystals that relate to the chakra system and chakras are energy centers in the body, starting with, uh, the root [00:06:00] chakra, which is red going all the way up to the crown chakra, which is purple. So they start with red, orange, yellow, green, blue.

[00:06:10] Michele Harper: Indigo and purple. So think of it as a color system in the body. So what this bag contains, it's seven crystals that relate to the chakras, and then we're gonna pick one. Dori is gonna like intentional and I'm gonna pick it for her cuz we're in a virtual setting. And then we are gonna bring awareness to what we are gonna focus on in terms of the reading.

[00:06:34] Michele Harper: So the reading starts with bringing in maybe unseen things. So maybe we're gonna bring in her ancestors or we are gonna bring in just some unseen energies to guide and direct us on this journey of telling her what she needs to. So you ready to start that part? Dori 

[00:06:54] Dori Fern: I'm ready. 

[00:06:55] Dori Fern: Okay. So you tell me when,[00:07:00] 

[00:07:03] Dori Fern: okay. Now, 

[00:07:07] Dori Fern: Ooh. Okay. So we have, this is orange. 

[00:07:11] Dori Fern: This is the what was in my mind. Michelle Harper. 

[00:07:13] Michele Harper: Orange was in your mind. Okay. So this is the color orange. So if we weren't even talking about chakra, orange is the color of joy, creativity. Following your emotions, joy creativity. It also is how you create abundance.

[00:07:30] Michele Harper: So the orange color is saying, okay, let's bring awareness to Dori sacral, her emotions and her creativity and her abundance. Okay. And how her flow. So the orange is all about flow. Like just like water, you know, how are you flowing with your creativity, childlike, joy innocence, you know, being innocent in your work in your life, but innocent, meaning.

[00:07:59] Michele Harper: [00:08:00] Innocent joy innocent in terms of your true self, like what does your true self need to be emotionally fulfilled? So we start with that. Now, what we are gonna do, these are called chakra insight cards. These cards are gonna relate directly to chakras and energy systems. Now. These cards go from one to 52 and she'll give me a number and I'll count out the number and then we'll see what card comes up.

[00:08:32] Michele Harper: But first I'm gonna shuffle. Dori. You're gonna give me a number. 

[00:08:36] Dori Fern: I don't know why, but the number's 17. 

[00:08:38] Michele Harper: Oh, okay. So now we're gonna count 17 cards. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. Woo-woo grounding. [00:09:00] Okay. So the card that we have, I'm gonna show you the card mm-hmm yeah. Thank you.

[00:09:05] Michele Harper: The card that we have is called grounding. It's a red card. So the grounding is the root chakra, right? The root chakra is how you manifest things, how you're connected to the physical world. This card says nature, presence, practicality, and stability. Wow. We were just talking about practicality. Yes.

[00:09:27] Michele Harper: Practicality and stability. So we're gonna keep going. And then this cards will create a story. So as it relates to the sacral chakra, which is your creativity, your emotions, we're hearing nature, presence, practicality, and stability. So we're gonna pick another card. Give me another number, Dori 

[00:09:53] Dori Fern: 32. 

[00:09:54] Michele Harper: Yeah. Okay.

[00:09:55] Michele Harper: So I'm gonna count out 32 cards. 1, 2, [00:10:00] 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 

[00:10:04] Dori Fern: I need to pick lower cards. 

[00:10:06] Michele Harper: 11, 12 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 18, 19 20 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 31 32. Okay. Well also. What it's also doing is, you know, when we do the counting, it's also, it's, uh, distracting the mental mind. So this card says personal boundaries, choice, assertiveness empowerment, authenticity.

[00:10:40] Michele Harper: And I kind of think that this is. Totally relating to what we were discussing. Authenticity, personal boundaries. We have presence, practicality stability. This is a yellow card. So this card is relating directly to the solar plexus. Your will, your focus, your [00:11:00] power. So were so in regards to the. Sacro chakra, you know, how are you using your power?

[00:11:09] Michele Harper: We're gonna pick another card, so we'll have three cards and then we're gonna change the decks. And I'll tell you why we change the decks. So give me another number 

[00:11:18] Dori Fern: Six. 

[00:11:19] Michele Harper: Okay. You chose a lower number this time. All right, let's do 6 1 2, 3. 4 5, 6. Ooh, love. Hello, love. Hello, love. So this is a green card. So this is relating directly.

[00:11:35] Dori Fern: Is that a creature I'm allergic to? 

[00:11:37] Michele Harper: Hold on. What is it's a dog, but the card says love kindness. It says benevolence sharing and receiving. 

[00:11:48] Dori Fern: And can I just pause here to say that one of the things that you said to me. Anyone who's been listening to this podcast, knows that sometimes it's just a couple of words and it sticks with me and way before the [00:12:00] memes about be kind, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[00:12:03] Dori Fern: I was a little rough around the edges and we were talking about and how to communicate with someone. And your advice was just, just be kind. So whatever you say, be kind. And I think about that a lot. 

[00:12:19] Michele Harper: Well, this card is, is actually reassuring the kindness thing, and it's all about love. So, you know, so this is really interesting because as I look at, so we have, so the grounding card, the first card is a gentleman sitting by a tree.

[00:12:37] Michele Harper: Holding a tree branch and it's a red card and there's a light shining on him and it says nature, presence, practicality, and stability. And there's also a little dove flying in the background too, which I find interesting. And then the second card is personal. 

[00:12:56] Dori Fern: Why do you find that interesting 

[00:12:58] Michele Harper: because okay. In order to [00:13:00] be grounded, Sometimes people, they get too airy. They're like birds of flight and they're not like they're looking at more fantasy than reality. And so the bird, the guy he's sitting in the darkness and it looks like he's imagining things, but then he's holding onto a trunk. Like a tree truck, it looks like, and then he's in the light.

[00:13:23] Michele Harper: There's like a bird flying. So when it says nature presence, practicality, stability, it's like, make sure that you are, what you're doing is grounded and not a flight of fancy. And then the next card is a woman she's in a field like a wheat field. And it's the yellow card and it says personal boundaries.

[00:13:48] Dori Fern: What does it say up top? It's hard to, I can't read it. 

[00:13:51] Michele Harper: It says choice, assertiveness, empowerment and authenticity. 

[00:13:56] Dori Fern: I don't know what that has to do with personal boundaries. 

[00:13:59] Michele Harper: I can explain [00:14:00] that to you, your personal boundaries, you have to protect them. And this is also dealing with your solar plexus. For example, if let's say everybody wants to go for sushi. And you don't like sushi, you're in a group and you just say, oh, okay, I'll go for sushi and go with the flow. And the whole time you're there, you're thinking I really don't like sushi. And you know that you don't wanna go and it's gonna be a really expensive dinner. And you just go along with the flow.

[00:14:33] Michele Harper: And then later when you get home, you're really pissed because you spent all this money on a dinner that you didn't like, and you just felt like you made a choice that was not incongruence with what you really wanted. So your choice, would've been, Hey, you know what guys? I really don't like sushi. I'm not gonna go.

[00:14:52] Michele Harper: I'm gonna go home or I'm gonna do something different. So empowerment, assertiveness choice, [00:15:00] authenticity. Because so many times we do things that are going along with the program that we really don't feel connected to. And so we go along with the program and then we later we have remorse or we think, oh, wow.

[00:15:14] Michele Harper: I, I could have done something different. Why did I go along with it? So with personal boundaries, It's your choice to say, no, I decline. No, I'm not gonna do it. Or it's your choice to say, Hey, I feel like this. So I'm gonna do this and go against the grain. So really when it comes to personal boundaries, it's going against maybe an established idea, or maybe an idea that might seem popular.

[00:15:44] Michele Harper: So with your personal boundaries, you have to be authentic to yourself and not allow yourself to be distracted by the crowd or by what's popular by making a choice, being assertive and [00:16:00] being empowered. So that's what that means

[00:16:03] Dori Fern: I kind of instinctually think it has something to do with love. For me, but do we think, is this a romantic love?

[00:16:10] Dori Fern: What kind of love is this card speaking to, do you think? 

[00:16:14] Michele Harper: Well, the next card is love. So let's talk about that one. The fact that this card has a beautiful, cute little puppy dog face on it, and it says kindness, benevolence sharing, and receiving.

[00:16:29] Michele Harper: So I'm interpreting this based on the other cards as what do you love? Hmm. What does Dori Fern love? Like what is your idea of love? It doesn't really necessarily have to do with romantic love, right? No, I get it, but it says sharing and receiving kindness and benevolence. And so in this world that we live in, I think benevolence is a really strong word.

[00:16:57] Michele Harper: That's saying giving, [00:17:00] giving of love, as it relates to your sacral, your inner, that center, you know, your creativity, how are you sharing and receiving kindness, benevolence giving. We're gonna do another deck because this will give us some clarity on these three card. So this one, we are gonna use this called spirit junkie, right.

[00:17:26] Michele Harper: These cards. And let's see what spirit junkie has to tell us. And you're gonna give me a number again, and I'm gonna pick a card and see if there's a message to relate to the rest of these cards. I'm getting a picture, but let's see what these cards have to say. Okay, you ready to give me number 

[00:17:47] Dori Fern: 14 

[00:17:48] Michele Harper: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9, [00:18:00] 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.

[00:18:06] Michele Harper: Oh, hello. All right. It says my power lies in my peaceful present. 

[00:18:15] Dori Fern: Yes. Ugh. 

[00:18:18] Michele Harper: And so we talked about benevolence, right? And so let's look at that word, benevolence. My power lies in my peaceful presence. And for some reason, the word benevolence is really sticking out. It says serving a charitable, rather than a profit making purpose.

[00:18:37] Michele Harper: No, my God well-meaning and kindly that's what benevolent means. So when I look at these cards, I'm thinking about the work that you're doing, you know, my power lies and my peaceful presence. Well-meaning kindly, now let's see what you need to surrender in order to demonstrate these qualities. So [00:19:00] these are called surrender cards, right?

[00:19:02] Michele Harper: And it tells you the different things that you may need to surrender. In order to connect to this information that you're receiving right now. Okay. So give me a number 

[00:19:16] Dori Fern: four. 

[00:19:17] Dori Fern: Okay. 1, 2, 3. Ooh, surrender to inner peace. Okay. So peace seems to be another theme for you right now. It says cultivate inner peace on, in a very not peaceful world.

[00:19:32] Dori Fern: Yes. In a daily basis in quiet meditative moments, focus on the stillness within and enjoy this inner refuge. Others will feel your good vibes to you and your life will flow more easily. 

[00:19:48] Dori Fern: Yeah. You know, Michelle, I didn't say this at the beginning and I had meant to, but I guess I sort of suggested it in talking about the state of the world.

[00:19:58] Dori Fern: And, and [00:20:00] when I talk again, this pivotal point in my life, and when I talk to other people right now in particular white women, you know, who are like me really, really. Angry and fed up and indignant and spinning a lot about what to do in the world and the person I was. So yesterday was exactly one year since I left my job.

[00:20:24] Michele Harper: Mm-hmm 

[00:20:25] Dori Fern: independence day weekend. I'm at that precipice with work where I need to earn money. And I'm eager now to start getting disciplined about work and just this next phase of my career, whatever it is. And however it comes to light and it's the state of the world. I have a tendency to get kind of like, well, what can I do? What can I do? I wanna do this, I wanna do that. And it gets very chaotic to think about, but I've really learned to appreciate slowness and the peacefulness of just moving forward. [00:21:00] One foot in front of the other, not remembering that change comes slowly and I'm here with you because it struck me that I needed to relinquish a little bit of my intellectual mind in this pursuit.

[00:21:12] Michele Harper: Well, yes. And also what I'm finding here, the message that I'm getting for you is this. So all of this is related to your emotions, right? Because we started with the sacro, which is all your emotions. It's your flow. So considering that we're working with your flow, it's saying ground yourself and practicality, right.

[00:21:39] Michele Harper: Make your choices authentic. Coming from a place of love, benevolence, which is such an important word, and then surrender to inner peace and my power lies in my peaceful presence. So what I see as I'm talking to you, and we are looking at this information, I see you creating a [00:22:00] practice. Of meditation in order to hear the higher voice of what you're supposed to do next, because all of this is saying you have a big purpose, but you can't just be swayed by popular, which we started this whole thing about popular opinion, et cetera.

[00:22:18] Michele Harper: So you will be guided on how to create by going within and allowing yourself to have a peaceful presence versus then a stirred up presence. You know, because everything starts in a small, small way and your emotions are catalysts for change as well. So what I'm gonna do now, I'm gonna pick a card for you.

[00:22:46] Michele Harper: This is another deck, and I'm just gonna pick this card and this card is called divine abundance. Right. And we're gonna just pick one card and we are gonna see what this has to say. This will be our final card. [00:23:00] Ooh, interesting inner child. It says, allow me to give compassion and love to that little one.

[00:23:09] Michele Harper: Let me attend to its deepest needs and feelings. So in that cultivating piece with the inner child, not having a fight within yourself, allowing yourself to hear the most peaceful resolution for the next step, not the fight or flight respond, but to just let go and let it be and listen to the steps that are of the most compassionate, the most kind, the most charitable and is sooth.

[00:23:40] Michele Harper: So, if you feel your feathers are ruffled and riled up and all, everything that might not be the best choice for you. 

[00:23:47] Dori Fern: Right. And it's a well trod path that one, but I I've been trying to, you know, I've been trying to leave that behind. 

[00:23:54] Michele Harper: So the humanistic approach is also a peaceful approach. [00:24:00] Yeah. Especially in these days, we need more peaceful solutions and resolutions and ideas and, uh, instead of ruffled feathers and things like that.

[00:24:11] Michele Harper: So that's what this reading is all about. 

[00:24:15] Dori Fern: Well, thank you. You know what I'm gonna do next, Michele Harper, you know what I'm doing with the rest of my day and what are you gonna do next? I'm going out to a dance party. I'm going out to a dance party. Michele and I met I think it was six at a dance party.

[00:24:30] Dori Fern: And I am going out dancing on this July 4th weekend. And that is my inner and outer peace right there. So I thank you for coming and for, I wish I was there sharing your energy through this digital format? I wish you were here too. And oh, um, how can people find you if they, please tell, please tell the people. 

[00:24:55] Michele Harper: @metaphysicalbeauty.com or [00:25:00] metaphysicalspa@ gmail.com or Instagram @metaphysicalspa.

[00:25:04] Dori Fern: So it's all metaphysical spa, right? Michelle is based in LA by the way, I should have said that at the beginning, you are 3000 miles away from me. 

[00:25:11] Michele Harper: Now I'm based in California. Up here with the hippies.

[00:25:22] Michele Harper: dance for me as well today. 

[00:25:25] Dori Fern: I will, I will. Bye Michelle. 

[00:25:28] Michele Harper: Bye. 

[00:25:30] Dori Fern: Well, that was interesting and illuminated and reinforced some stuff for me. And, uh, it struck me after talking with Michelle that what was bothering me about that previously scheduled podcast that I didn't. Was that it was too much intellectualizing and Naval gazing and talking about what I wanted to do and wasn't actually doing so the reading validated me, staying present, listening to my gut in an authentic way.[00:26:00] 

[00:26:00] Dori Fern: I defined my personal boundaries, according to my own standards. And I stayed peaceful and focused in the face of the unexpected. And it may not be much in the scheme of things, but for now, It'll do wishing you all well, and thank you for listening until next week. Take care.