In 2007 I bought my first set of Intuitive Cards—a pack of 52 spiritually inspired messages created by Melisa Pearce.

At the time, I was going through a painful separation from my husband and (as an added bonus) found myself having to work my way through an unexpected love affair.

The truth was, I was in love with two men at one time.

None of this was in the owner’s manual to my glorious life.

It was painful.

And beautiful.

And necessary.

Within months, my personal identity was stripped away, leaving me completely exposed.

So when I found Melisa’s cards offering words of compassion and wisdom, I bought two sets—one for myself and one for my best friend, Debbie.

It seemed fitting.

Deb had watched my whole life blow apart in a spectacular rollover scene that had shattered my worldview, leaving my most cherished beliefs strewn across the pavement.

When I finally crawled out of the wreckage, she was there—ready to take the long journey of recovery with me—knowing we would both need to leave behind most of the things we had learned on the crooked path to adulthood.

The cards were a touchstone. A way to gauge where we were in the brand new landscape that stretched out before us.

We used them in our daily meditations and marvelled at how . . . well, intuitive they were.

There was something reassuring about the messages.

Something steadfast and reliable.

They spoke to a deeper part of us, giving us a daily dose of clarity and comfort.

Until Deb started pulling the protection card.

Of course, she kept this to herself in the beginning.

Because . . . maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe she hadn’t shuffled the deck properly.

But as the weeks crawled by, she couldn’t ignore the frequency.

“Presently you are being called upon to protect another person or project”

Deb had a strong feeling that the card was about me, and this put her in a terrible position.

How could she possibly protect me from heartbreak or failure?

Or shield me from the criticism and judgment of others?

The whole thing felt off.

She called to share her thoughts and as we talked about it, we realized that neither of us were comfortable with the word “protection”.

There’s just something about it that tilts the table.

It can imply a sort of superiority that does more damage than good.

When parents try to protect their children from all of life’s scrapes and bruises, it weakens them and keeps them from their own personal growth.

Deb knew it wasn't her job to keep me from the dark valley I needed to walk through.

And yet, she couldn’t deny the urgency of the message.

That’s when we had a revelation.

The Protection card was not about a stronger person helping a weaker one. It was a call to see the other as their HIGHER SELF—reflecting that back to them again and again so they could remember their truth.

Deb was being asked to hold the anchor, that golden thread of conviction that I was strong, capable and divinely guided.

Whenever she pulled the protection card, it was her reminder to let go of her worry about me and say with conviction, “She’s GOT this!

It was a pivotal point in our relationship.

We agreed to always “protect” each other by standing firm in our faith that life is always supporting us and working in our favour. That neither of us are ever without guidance from a higher wisdom.

That we are never alone.

Years later, I would read an essay called “In the Service of Life” by Rachel Naomi Remen and to this day, I still feel the powerful truth of her words.

“When you help, you see life as weak, when you fix, you see life as broken. When you serve, you see life as whole. Only service heals.”

THIS is what the protection card is really about.

Seeing the other person as whole.

You can't empower anyone until you see their light instead of their darkness—their ability instead of their limitation.

Deb and I know this now.

We’ve replaced the word "protection" with connection because really, that takes care of everything, doesn’t it?

I’ve found that it does.

As for my set of cards . . . I let them go in 2010, along with the two men who I thought I could not live without.

Now, when I look back at this time in my life, I can see the valley for what it is.

A guided tour that led me straight into the heart of myself and on to my true purpose in life.

And who could possibly need protection from that?

Sending you so much love,