00:00 Mel – INTRO
Hello everyone, join me a small medium at large as we explore the world of Spirit, energy, tarot, mediumship, psychic abilities, Angels, oracles, paranormal activity and basically anything downright spooky. If any, some, or all of those things interest you, then you've come to the right place my friends, I'm Melanie Mahmood and welcome to the Spirit Level podcast.
00:30 Mel – WELCOME
Hello, hello, hello and Merry Yuletide and Christmas greetings- wherever you are in the world. We hope you are all staying safe and well and here we are – at the final episode of Season 2 and a massive thank you to you for joining us and helping us to achieve 4000 downloads this week
I cannot tell you how humbled Mr M and I are because we love doing our little show together and it does take quite some work and organising so knowing that you are all out there listening and supporting us means the works to us so thank you from the bottom of our hearts again.
So, when this episode airs Yuletide will be in full swing, and I though you may be interested in the origins of this time of the year – pre-Christian of course.
We our ancient ancestors, who were much more connected to nature and the seasons knew that this was the time of year, the second of the year where the seasons began to shift, and the days started to get longer. So important was this, that monuments were constructed to mark this turn, think Stonehenge, but there are many others across the world which line up precisely with the Sun at this time. And of course, such a major turning of the seasons and hopefully the end of the bitter Winter requires feasting and merriment galore, any excuse eh!
Who started the tradition is lost in the mists of time but a tree – the Yule log - would be felled and lit in the centre of the settlement, where it would burn for the twelve days that the Sun sat in solstice position. The dwelling fires would all be put out and the relit from the flames of the felled tree.
Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe all have fertility and protective magical properties, and they would be brought indoors to bless the dwellings and cheer them up a bit too – so these traditions are far, far older than we perhaps thought.
So, that’s a little bit about the Pagan origins of this time of the year and now it's on with the show.
Coming up in this week’s show -:
SMOKEY QUARTZ is the featured crystal in CRYSTAL CORNER.
There will be some more of your listener questions.
In MR M’s MENAGERIE, we will have a review of the season.
In HOUSEHOLD HOCUS POCUS, we will be taking a look at some rituals for PERSONAL PROTECTION.
And in TIME FOR TAROT, we complete our Tarot journey with 3 final spreads, a RELATIONSHIP SPREAD, a COMPATABILITY SPREAD & THE TREE OF LIFE SPREAD.
So, if you’re ready, here we go.
03:26 Mel - CRYSTAL CORNER
To end this season of Crystal Corner, I would like to share a very special and personal crystal with you this week.
Very recently, I have been gifted a beautiful ring, left to me by a very special lady, Auntie Norah. So, as a tribute and a thank you to this inspirational and one in a million soul, who was ahead of her time on every level, I am sharing this lovely crystal and its magically properties with you and my dearest friend and soul sister Victoria, who has the sister ring to my gifted and much-loved ring.
SMOKEY QUARTZ is an enticing, gorgeous and truly useful crystal. It is very grounding and linked strongly to the Root Chakra. So, it is very efficient at cleansing. It is also a very protective crystal and shields particularly well against environmental pollutions and electromagnetic stress. In fact, it is a superb stress relieving stone in general and can be useful if anxiety tips over into suicidal thoughts and feelings as it helps to provide fortitude and strengthens resolve even in the most difficult of circumstances. It offers support and hope.
Often naturally irradiated, SMOKEY QUARTZ is a great eliminator and dispels negativity and detoxifies at every level, so great support for anyone undergoing any type of chemical or medical treatment such as Radio or Chemotherapy.
It also is said to assist the transition of the soul to the Spirit realm and is all about acceptance of the physical body and the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.
Physically good for stress headache, hip pain, pain in general anything to do with reproduction and the reproductive organs, muscle and nerve tissue, nightmares, fear related stress and depression.
If you are a healer of any variety SMOKEY QUARTZ is an absolute must to have in your healing tool kit. It’s also very pretty and I am truly honoured to have been gifted such a lovely crystal from such an amazing soul. May God and the Angels bless and be with you Auntie Norah and thank you for your continued support of your amazing Niece and your adopted one! Love yah!
06:03 LISTENER QUESTIONS
Mel – Now it’s time for my favourite part of the show, it’s your questions. What have we got this week MR M?
MR M – Thank you Mel and hello again everyone. This week just the one question Mel
Mel – Oh, ok one
MR M - But it is a good one and comes from Patrick in Newbury who asks -: What obstacles have you faced in your mediumship work, and have you always been open with people about your gift? In addition, have you ever been in a situation where you have deliberately not used your mediumship skills for whatever reason, but have subsequently thought that you should have done?
Mel - Goodness, that's, that's a complicated one Patrick, thanks for getting in touch, right? OK, let me think of it. What obstacles have I faced in my mediumship work? I’ve faced several ones. The biggest one is finding the right training and finding the mentors that chime with me and my energy in order to progress. That's quite difficult and I've had to go far and wide, travelled the country actually to do that. Fortunately, I've got friends all over the place now because of it so that there is a plus side. The biggest obstacle personally is always myself, so, trusting my gut instinct, trust in spirit, trusting what I get through and being confident in what I get through. I think we've talked about that on the show several times. It's one of the common problems for anybody in mediumship training actually, because actually you’re just a conduit. You’ve got to bypass your consciousness if you like and your experience. But sometimes they also use your experiences to give an example.
So, for example, if somebody has, is going through a situation that I've personally been through, then sometimes Spirit will throw that memory up out of the blue, I’ll know then from the feel of it, that that's what the person receiving the message might be going through as well. So, yeah, it's a difficult one that one. So, what was the last bit?
Have I ever used not used it in a situation for whatever reason, and then subsequently thought that I should have?
Oh, that's a good one. I think that there's been several times. I haven't always told people that I have the gift or the gifts that I do have. Some people are not very open to it, particularly religious people. Unfortunately, uh, sometimes they're not open to different faiths or different viewpoints. I'm also careful at work.
Wherever I've worked, I’ve worked in several fields. I'm very lucky where I am now because I am open and honest about it and I can be, and there's no stigma attached to it.
I have problems with my own family members who don't believe what I believe, so yeah, I'm always very you know, you believe what you want to believe. That's fine with me and, and I ask for the same to be reciprocated if you know what I mean.
I can think of several times when I've been working where things have come up and I've just not been able to use those gifts because it would have been highly inappropriate, and I would have been at risk probably of losing my job, so yeah, there are several times I haven't used it, but not one where I've thought that I should have, so I hope that answers that one Patrick. Thank you for getting in touch.
MR M - Yeah, thanks Patrick, and thank you, Mel.
Mel - Yeah, that was a complicated one that one.
MR M - It was. Now, if you would like to send Mel a question or have your question feature is a three-card Tarot reading or want to get in touch with us for any other matter, including suggestions for show content, guests or just to get in touch, then here is how to do so.
Mel - Thank you to everyone who submitted a question.
There are a number of ways you can get in touch with us.
You can get in touch with us via email and the address is thespiritlevel22@gmail.com
On Facebook, on the groups, search for The Spirit Level.
On Twitter search for thespiritlevel.co.uk.
We have a Twitter handle which is @ thespiritlevelU which is a capital U
On Instagram, search for me, Melanie Mahmood or thespiritlevel.co.uk
Or you can click on the SpeakPipe link in the episode notes and send us a voicemail free of charge.
In addition, there are a number of resources for you to download and access on our website totally free of charge at www.thespiritlevel.co.uk we look forward to hearing from you.
10:36 MR M’s MENAGERIE
Welcome to MR M’s MENAGERIE. Hello everyone, and welcome to this episode. As I mentioned last week, as this is the last show in the season, I thought it would be a good way to sign off by letting you know how this part of the podcast came about, have a review of the season and what I hope will happen going forward.
First and foremost, it’s been a real pleasure bringing you a different topic each week, and I am exceptionally grateful for all the comments received regarding this part of the show. Thank you all for taking the time to get in touch.
So, earlier this year, Mel’s stepfather Peter was diagnosed with cancer in his jaw. In the early part of June, he underwent an operation and Mel didn’t have the time to devote to the podcast, and understandably so. So, she asked me if I would step in for episode #22 in season 1 to do an interview she had arranged. Now, it may surprise some of you listening, but I am not someone who likes being in the forefront, I am quite happy being in the background, so producing the show and making the weekly appearance reading out the listener questions suited me down to the ground. So, when Mel asked me to host the show, I have to say that my immediate first thought was no, but I know she was keen to not miss putting an episode out, so, with a great amount of trepidation, I agreed to do so. As many of you know, a lot of our content is pre-recorded, but there are segments of the show that we need to do that week, and as it turned out, one of the things was a guest interview.
So, as Mel had arranged, I did an interview with the host of CAUSING THE EFFECT podcast, Scott Gazzoli, who lives and works in New York City, and I would just like to say, thank you Scott, you walked me through the process and made the job of interviewing you a lot less nervy. I hope you and yours are keeping well Scott, and I know Mel is looking forward to being on your show next year. For those that are not aware of Scott’s podcast, I would urge anyone who has an interest in mind and body matters, to check out his podcast, it really is very good.
Well, as a result of that interview, we received a number of comments regarding it, the vast majority were complimentary!!! At the time, restrictions here in the UK were lifting and it became a bit more difficult to fill the guest interview slot each week, so Mel asked me if I would consider doing a weekly episode on the podcast, and that is how MR M’s MENAGERIE came about, and it’s been brilliant. I don’t have a specialist skill or expertise like Mel, so I had to choose a subject type that I thought I could speak about, that would be interesting to you, our listeners, and hopefully, I have managed to keep your interest, and discuss topics that were either new to you, or added to your existing knowledge of the subject.
Season 2 of the podcast aired on October 3rd, and during the summer break I looked at a number of topics that I thought would fit in with the general theme of the episode, whilst still trying to keep the length of the episode around 10 minutes long. No easy task, I can assure you, but this season we have covered a wide range of topics, starting with the KNIGHTS TEMPLAR and ending last week with the ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM. In between we have visited the ancient MAYAN CIVILISATION, tried to make sense of the VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT, cast a critical eye over the painting of THE LAST SUPPER, dipped our toe into the chilly waters of the Atlantic, in our search for ATLANTIS, crossed Salisbury plain to marvel at STONEHENGE, donned our camouflage and looked at AREA 51, examined the scale and scope of THE ILLUMINATI, and cast a eye back at our planet from space through the BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE. That’s quite an eclectic and varied menu, but it has been a lot of fun doing it, and I have learnt a lot from doing research into the various topics. For example, whilst researching subject matter for the episode on Area 51, I came across references to the BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE, something I had never heard of before. Although I am in no way or ever have been academically gifted, I do have an appetite for knowledge, and it has amazed me during this season, how much I have learnt and hopefully you have too.
What has also struck me whilst researching the various topics, is that although we live in an advanced technological era, there are so many things that even today, with our machinery, equipment, resources and technology, we would have difficulty doing. Take the construction of STONEHENGE or the great MAYAN temples. These were constructed thousands of years ago using rudimentary tools, no electricity, no access to hydraulic or heavy transport machinery, and still stand the test of time. Imagine trying to construct those monuments now. It would still present us with a technological challenge, and even now, we are still not 100% sure how these ancient monuments were created.
Organisations that have been well documented and recorded, THE ILLUMINATI & THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR, have been really interesting subjects to read about. The problem comes with trying to condense so much information into a 10-minute segment!!! It’s been challenging at times, but I hope it has worked.
Looking at THE LAST SUPPER painting and gaining a new appreciation for what is in front of me and using that perspective to look at the images in THE VOYNICH MANUSCRIPT has been a rewarding experience and has certainly given me a better appreciation of looking at illustrations and paintings in another way.
I do like a good conspiracy theory, and AREA 51 provided so many offshoots, including me stumbling upon THE BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE, as I mentioned earlier. The subject of UFO’s and extra-terrestrial life is one that I have a keen interest in, as I’m sure regular listeners of the show are aware, and during our upcoming break, I will certainly be having a look at the recently declassified documents released by the US Government in relation to UFO’s and Alien encounters.
One of the things that I have really enjoyed whilst doing this series, is the vast amount of information that is freely available for people to view, and this was certainly the case when I was researching the episode on ATLANTIS. Now, what I did find whilst doing that, was how many modern day inventions are attributed by academics and scholars to influence from an advanced civilisation, and although many people do not believe in the city of ATLANTIS, there are many more that do, and I have the view that there is no smoke without fire, and just because we cannot definitively prove its existence, doesn’t mean that in the dim and distant past, we were not subject to assistance from other worldly people.
Moving forward, and looking ahead to Season 3 of the podcast, well I know that there are going to be some changes. I’ll let Mel tell you what they are. I have really enjoyed doing these episodes, but it may well be that they become more of a one-off item in the future, who knows.
Please get in contact if you think this segment should be kept in for the forthcoming season, and please send in your suggestions if there are topics you would like me to cover.
Finally, folks, I would just like to say a big, big thank you to everyone for their continued support. It means a lot to Mel and me. I’m more than aware that the topics I have covered may not interest everybody, but even if that is the case, I do hope that that there has been something in the season episodes that has piqued your interest.
Thank you all for listening and may I take this opportunity to wish you all and your families a Happy New Year. Now it’s back to Mel for the rest of the show.
18:32 Mel - HOUSEHOLD HOCUS POCUS
Its HOUSEHOLD HOCUS POCUS time and for the last in the season, I wanted to bring you some personal protection rituals which are designed to prevent, protect and repel danger, so you can keep safe my precious people.
As you know I love my crystals and Black crystals are the best at all kinds of protection, but Black Tormaline is one of my favourite protection crystals as it is actually capable of repelling negative energies and emotions.
I use this one a lot, especially around energy vampires, you know the ones who latch on and drain you of your energy with their negativity. So, you will need a black crystal, but Black Tormaline is the best for this. Hold the crystal in your hands and charge it with what you want it to do for you. Be specific if you wish for a particular person or purpose. Then carry it with you, either in your pocket or in a mojo bag. You must keep cleansing the crystal in this case to keep it up to strength.
Did you know that eyeliner is magical??? Yep, the eyes were considered the body’s weak point for magic or the evil eye and so Kohl was used to protect the eye, think your Ancient Egyptians where both men and women routinely wore it but now, it's become about appearance, but its origins are in magic, and we still use Kohl for eyeliner to this day. So, if you want to protect yourself from the Evil Eye, get your make up bag out and put some slap on!!
Finally, I would like to share another personal favourite of mine and one I have used myself on many, many occasions, particularly when I have been in a tricky situation and am not feeling safe or feeling in personal danger. ARCHANGEL MICHAEL is not only the patron saint of Police Officers but also the guardian and protector of Humanity itself and so he is a very powerful protector to call upon whenever you need help, especially in an emergency. His colour is cobalt blue, like the police light and you can call on his assistance, a spiritual 999 if you like, in this manner – :
Michael to the right of me
Michael to the left of me
Michael above me
Michael below me
Michael within me
Michael all around me
Michael with your flaming sword of cobalt blue – please protect me today.
I swear, I have used this and actually saw the blue flash and an amazing sense of peace and protection came over me and even though I was in a very tricky and dangerous situation, the whole thing flipped, and a way out presented itself to me and boy I took it!!
So that’s a few little, quick and easy ways to protect yourselves my darlings and I hope they help you if you ever need them.
That’s this week’s HOUSEHOLD HOCUS POCUS.
26:29 Mel - TIME FOR TAROT
Well, this is the last in the TIME FOR TAROT season and I'm quite sad about that coz I've really enjoyed sharing my love of the Tarot with you and this week we are going to look at general spreads, but in this episode, we look at a really good general relationship spread. There're loads and loads of relationship spreads, and they can be as simple as a three card up to and including the ultimate relationship, which has 15 cards.
Now I personally prefer a 5 to 7 card spread. I find them more than capable of providing good quality information and support for the sitter. So, a simple and easy beginners 5 card relationship spread would be top row left to right card 1 – You, card 2 – Them, card 3 - The relationship at the current time. The 2nd row left to right, card 4 – Advice, card 5 - The likely outcome, and so it's fairly clear and straightforward and really gets to the crux of any relationship situation and can be added onto any general reading.
A more detailed spread will be something like the 7-card compatibility spread. Good for both new and established relationships and good to see where the energies are or in some cases are not. This is a slightly different layout to other spreads and works first as a square with cards one to four being the corners of the square left to right, top to bottom. Cards 5,6 and seven then form a row between the corners of the square straight up the middle with card 5 at the top six in the middle and seven on the bottom. Now this is useful because you then can read the correlations between cards such as card seven with three and four, and not just the meanings of the cards in that particular position. For example, in Card 7’s case, how the mental compatibility relates between card 3, your differences and card 4 your similarities? Do they work in harmony or is there an obvious mismatch in the card's energies?
So, the full spread would be -:
Card 1: What do you want from the relationship.
Card 2: What they want from the relationship
Card 3: Your differences
Card 4: Your similarities
Card 5: The Emotional Compatibility
Card 6: The Physical Compatibility
Card 7: The Mental Compatibility
So quite an in depth reading that
Finally, I want to talk to you about the TREE OF LIFE SPREAD.
Now, we've achieved a lot on this journey through the Tarot and I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have and I hope you too have got a better understanding, how useful, powerful, and transformative the Tarot cards are and can be for you and the people you may read for. Never underestimate how acutely accurate and precise they can be. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine my life without their wisdom and counsel. I’m not saying I don’t make a decision without them; I do but when I need them to guide me, they are there and that’s how it should be.
So, I wanted to end the season with a very specialist spread and the full 25 card Kabbalah based version is so intricate and detailed. All about an entire lifetime and a spiritual journey, which I was once told could actually only be done once in a lifetime, however, as we have seen before, there are adapted spreads that are not as intricate and are a lot more practical that you can use to get a very in depth analysis of a situation or even use in Shadow Work but again, the Shadow Work version is a 24 card, very long and specific reading. Have a look on the Internet if you want the full details.
For general readings to a deep level, I would suggest the 10 CARD TREE OF LIFE SPREAD. THE TREE OF LIFE SPREAD is based on the Kabalistic interpretation of the 10 Sephirot, the series of Divine Emanations which culminate in the manifest reality. This spread provides a detailed, in-depth analysis of the situation. A big picture view which takes into consideration external and internal influences and forces regarding the matter. As with other spreads THE TREE OF LIFE SPREAD also carries numerological connotations, so this particular spread is most effective in the hands of Tarot readers who are practiced and have a sound knowledge of numerology.
Since this spread uses 10 cards (11, with the Da'ath Card) the reading takes some time to navigate, and you may need to take this into account. So, the cards and the positions are as follows -:
Card 1: THE FORCE – That's right at the top of the tree.
Card 2: Is slightly below but to the right of card 1 and that is FORM.
Card 3: Is on the left side, the opposite side and that’s about what’s FOR THE SITUATION.
Card 4: Is below card 2. That's what's AGAINST THE SITUATION.
Card 5: Is below card three and opposite card 4. That’s the FEELINGS & EMOTION IN THE SITUATION.
Card 6: Is below the line of card 1 in the middle. Card 6 is THE THOUGHTS that are whirling around this particular situation.
Card 7: Below and to the right, that’s THE WORLD.
Card 8: Opposite to card 7 but on the left-hand side and below card 6 is THE PERSONA.
Then in the middle again we’ve got Card 9 and Card 10.
Card 9: Is THE ADVICE.
Card10: Is THE SPIRIT.
Card11: THE DA’ATH CARD (This additional card reveals the hidden connection between all the other cards in the spread.)
So, a really, really intricate reading this one. It's not one that's used regularly, it's one that you usually do for yourself and as I say, it's a very in-depth spiritual reading.
Well, that’s it for season 2 folks. Phew it’s been emotional! I hope you have enjoyed learning about this ancient form of Divination and thoughts or perhaps fears you may have had towards the oracle have been assuaged? I’d love to hear from you. If ever you have any questions at all or ideas for Season 3, or if you would like a free 3 card reading here on the show. Please get in touch.
35:07 Mel – CLOSING
Mel - Well, that’s it for this episode folks and indeed for the current season. It’s been a challenge at times to get the Podcast out to you, due to personal illness and family issues, but both MR M & myself continue to really enjoy bringing you content every Sunday, and we will be back, refreshed and raring to go on Sunday 6th February 2022. In the meantime, please continue to send your questions in, or get in touch with us for suggestions for the next season. We are in contact with a number of people both here in the UK and abroad, looking at show content and collaboration opportunities for the next season, so exciting times.
So, from me, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for continuing to support us. Wherever you are in the world, please look after yourselves and your family, keep safe and I hope that you have been able to enjoy the festive season. I wish you all a very Happy New Year, and before we close, I know MR M wants to say a few words, so over to you MR M.
MR M - Thank you, Mel. Well, I echo everything Mel has said. It is a real pleasure bringing you a show each week, and it is really humbling to receive the feedback that we do, from all over the world. As Mel mentioned in her introduction, we have now passed over 4000 downloads in total, since the podcast started, and never in our wildest dreams, did we think, sitting in our freezing cold loft here in Oughtibridge, Sheffield, that we would ever reach the amount of people we have. So, to all of you who take the time to download and listen to the show, a big, big thank you. Please continue to do so, and during our short break, why not go back through both this season and season 1, to catch shows you may have missed or just to revisit a favourite episode, and please get in touch with us and let us know which episodes you have enjoyed and why. So, until the 6th February 2022, from me, MR M, please keep safe, look after yourselves and please continue to support and review us. Now, here is Mel, for the last closing part of the show.
Mel - A big thank you to BUZZSPROUT for hosting us, and for the technical help and advice from the folks at AUDACITY & AUPHONIC.
A big thank you to my beloved husband and producer, Mr M for his help and support.
A massive thank you to you, our listeners, wherever you maybe for your continued support and your lovely messages. Please subscribe and review our podcast. Your feedback will help us improve the show.
Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Castbox or via your usual podcast provider.
Please visit the website www.thespiritlevel.co.uk where you can book a personal reading with me, wherever you are in the world, enrol on one of the courses, browse the online store, for the crystals that we talk about, crystal packs, power bracelets, aromatherapy and scented candles, or just to get in touch, we always love to hear from you and don't forget you can also send us a voicemail by clicking on the Speak Pipe link in the episode notes or via the podcast page on the website. It’s free of charge and no download required.
So, until next time folks look after each other and love and light to you all.
