Diana McMahon Collis is most certainly accomplished in her field, having been practising for several decades. Diana has a wealth of knowledge and we dipped our toes in the pool to give you a little more insight into the world of Diana McMahon Collis...
How long have you been reading for and what first peaked your interest?
I’ve been reading cards and astrology charts since I was a teenager, though, when I was at junior school, I used to ask my schoolfriends what their birth signs were. What first peaked my interest was probably media content during the 1970’s (I’m showing my age here!) - like the horoscopes in Jackie Magazine, the supernatural themes in a children’s TV series called Ace of Wands, and the beautiful, mysterious character of Solitaire, the psychic medium in the James Bond movie, Live and Let Die (played by the glamorous actress, Jane Seymour).
What is it that you enjoy most about reading for people?
I always feel excited when looking for answers or insights for people! I think it’s the idea that whatever comes forth might help someone with sorting out an aspect of their life, or getting on a better path. It’s always wonderful to hear comments back like, “that really helped me”, “I feel much better”, or “I know what to do now”. Some people are just curious to see what might be there for them, too – which I understand, as I was a bit similar in my early days of reading for myself. I try to think what it’s going to be like to receive that reading, too; that’s maybe the slightly harder part, because it’s possible you won’t be able to tell someone what they’d dearly love to hear. When I first connected with tarot and astrology, I think I was trying to find specific answers - and continue to feel they can come through that connection when they relate to my own decisions and actions; but maybe less clearly when to do with external factors, as those are harder to determine. Where valuable insights do come, they might happen immediately during the reading, or not long after. The delayed version is often to do with feeling a bit blocked to the message in the moment, which can happen quite easily if you have different expectations of what you’re going to see, for example.
What advice would you give to anyone nervous to try reading themselves?
Make sure you go into it from a grounded place, by which I mean play with the cards or astrology chart information when you’re feeling pretty calm to begin with, as you don’t want to start scaring yourself by reading a card from a very hyped up space, emotionally! Also, don’t expect too much, either of yourself, or from what you might see or receive. It’s a strange process at first, because nobody is really telling you what to do, or how to respond.
If you’re attempting to appreciate what a tarot or oracle card could tell you, it sometimes helps to just describe what you see. Reading in this way is a creative process, in my experience, and you’ll find that as you flow with information, so will the card! The deck I often work with is the Tattoo Tarot: Ink and Intuition (which I was fortunate to have a role in developing). It’s part of a gift set, together with an extensive printed booklet, where I take readers through the basic process of reading and interpreting cards. For anyone who wants more practice, there’s a related Tattoo Tarot Journal to help. When attempting to work with your birth chart, it helps to get some basic astrology under your belt first of all. As a starting place, you need to understand what the zodiac signs represent and learn which planets govern them – and then the significance of the planetary order based on the speed at which they travel (the Moon being the fastest). After that, it’s all about joining the dots and appreciating visual patterns and cycles. If any or all of the above sounds too complex, though, you may find Oracle cards (including Angel cards) one of the less challenging ways in.
What’s your favourite colour and why?
I’m very drawn to purple and blue, especially if we’re talking about crystals, as I love Amethyst and Lapis Lazuli! But all the colours of the rainbow appeal, as a whole, since they relate to the chakra energy centres, linking our mind, body and spirit – I love that holistic connection. When I think of nature I also appreciate how different colours work together – sea greens and blues; sky blue, white and grey; bright pink, red, yellow, white and blue flowers with green stems; the greens, golds, oranges and browns of trees. It’s hard to pick just one!!
What don’t we know about Diana?
I grew up on a regular diet of Hollywood musicals, which I used to watch on my grandma’s TV whilst my mum was at work in their clothing shop. When the movies were over, I’d play vinyl records from the ‘50s and ‘60s on their ‘gramophone’ system - housed in an elegant, walnut cabinet. I’d have the records spread all over the carpet, to choose from; I was mortified, once, when I accidently sat on a ’78 rpm’ version of Elvis’s All Shook Up, which cracked in half! Those records were very brittle and it didn’t really stand a chance of remaining intact, unfortunately. My grandmother said it didn’t really matter, though, which was incredibly kind and forgiving of her generous, Leo nature (Leos tend to have big hearts!)
What would you be doing if you hadn’t explored this path?
That’s hard to imagine, as I’ve been a constant seeker, and had strange, psychic experiences from quite an early age. But, when I was a little girl, I wanted to be an actress! - and did go on to study Film, Drama and English at Uni. After that and various jobs in commerce, I was working for a charity in London when a quite separate opportunity arose, through my ‘personal growth’ quests, for writing horoscopes, tarot material and other, alternative content for the media. One thing led to another, but it always kept steering me along the Mind, Body and Spirit path!
Any final thoughts?
I believe it’s really important to connect with light energy when doing this kind of work. One way is to light a candle (using it safely!) whenever conducting, or even receiving, a reading. Or to clutch a crystal that you feel an affinity with. I suggest treating the moment as though you’re entering into a sacred space; take a breath and let go of the outside world for a moment, as you let the truth and essence of the message emerge. Everything is channelled through the mind, body and spirit – and we are mere humans, after all, but with quite complex workings through our thoughts, emotions and physical responses, which includes everything going on in our normal daily dealings, as well. It can be an ongoing challenge to remain grounded, but I find that’s really the best angle to work from, wherever possible. If anyone is connecting with the psychic world, they’ll tend to benefit from good self care and understanding about boundaries and limits. This may be just as true whether you’re a reader, or receiving a reading from somebody else. There are often answers to be found through the processes we use to seek them, but it’s important to know that we’re only given what we can manage at any time, both as readers and seekers. If we don’t have the eyes (or maybe the experience framework) to grasp a particular answer, then we won’t necessarily appreciate the message on offer - or not immediately. Similarly, if trying to push for a specific outcome, and it’s not happening easily, it could be that the universe has something else in store for us – quite possibly something better! So I suppose I’m saying keep an open mind, but also know how to handle the strong energies that may start channelling through, when you open up more – and be willing to consider another angle. Those things will likely all be there to tell you something significant, and may even help with learning some of the life lessons in store (I believe we each have at least a few to grapple with!) I also think life can be a little easier to deal with, at times, if we can consider that we might all be here just as some sort of crazy experiment 😊 Wherever we connect with truly positive energy and good, kind intentions, we also tend to get the best results.
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