Mel Register has always considered herself the black sheep of her family.
She was seen as the "weird kid" in school, but it didn't occur to her until much later that her oddities might be worth embracing.
"I’ve always looked at it as a negative, but I decided I was going to turn it into a positive and use it to help people," Register said. "By doing that I found out that’s my path and purpose."
Register recalls zoning out as she sat in class. And no wonder. When Register looked at her classmates, she said she saw them surrounded by colors.
"I just assumed it was my imagination, but it turned out I was seeing people's auras and I didn't even know," said Register, who reads tarot cards as owner of Mystic Mel's Tarot and Healing.
This wasn't welcome news in her family.
"I was raised as a Christian so I wasn’t really allowed to believe in this kind of thing," she said. "This has been really hard on my family."
Register sought knowledge in other religions to help her make sense of her abilities.
"My belief system is based on a whole lot of different things I’ve read or researched or heard about (and) put together into one thing," she said. "I take parts of it, then just make it my own."
Register, 32, says she is a psychic empath, a person highly attuned to the feelings and emotions of those around them.
"It’s very draining being the kind of person I am," the Erie resident said. "I get nauseous just being around the crowds of people with all of their different energies because ... you kind of suck everyone’s energy to you."
Register said she's learned to use what she calls her "spiritual gift" to benefit others.
"When I embraced it and let go of, 'Oh this is so horrible, why does it have to be me?' and thought, 'Well maybe this is what I’m meant to do,' I started realizing I have a little better control of whose energy I let in," she said.
Answering her calling
About 10 years ago, Register said she decided she could make better use of her abilities with the assistance of tarot cards.
"When I'm getting the messages from wherever I’m getting them from it happens all at once, it’s like a shockwave," she said. "As a human, I can’t decipher all that information at once, so it helps to have the time to lay out cards."
Like an aspiring chef honing her craft, Register practiced readings on family and friends.
It wasn't until she lost her hairstyling job during the pandemic that Register took a chance and started her business in April 2020.
How it works
Though many associate tarot cards today with the occult, the cards were originally used for entertainment.
Tarot cards were introduced in the 15th century in Europe as card games. It wasn't until the 18th century that their widespread use of divination took off, according to playing card maker Bicycle Cards.
Frenchman Jean-Baptise Alliette — under the pseudonym Etteilla — was the first person to give meaning to each of the cards, incorporating beliefs about astronomy and the four elements. of fire, water, earth and air. He created the 78-card deck, which has become the standard for tarot decks today.
Each deck is organized into two categories: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Major Arcana cards deal with big life events and overarching themes, like relationships, career and love. Minor Arcana cards deal with smaller, day-to-day issues, according to an article from The New York Times.
She runs her business out of the sunroom attached to her home on West Fourth Street. Clients are greeted by soothing music and the aroma of incense.
"It’s not a big show, I don’t come to the door in a big gown and headpiece," Register said. "I’m just in jeans and a t-shirt. This is how I meet with people and show them that I'm a real person."
When Register is confident that her client is comfortable, she said that she begins to visualize their energy and turns to her cards, pulling from several different decks.
A misconception about tarot cards is that there are "good" and "bad" cards, but Register believes any card can be interpreted as negative or positive.
"A lot of people assume the death card means they’re going to die, but it doesn’t, it means something in their life is ending, like an ending of a job for something new," she said. "It’s the opportunity for something better."
Registered said she's accustomed to hearing from skeptics. But she's also seen them change their minds.
"Psychics don’t know everything about you the second they see you or hear your voice, it’s just what the universe wants me to know about a person," she said. "And that doesn’t mean I’ll know your whole life story just from talking to you. It’s a two-way street."
Despite Register's confidence in her ability, she knows many people view her readings as a hoax, a way to scam people out of their money.
"It just shows me how important my work is and that it's needed," she said. "I can't give up on trying to help people just because they don't believe in what I'm doing."
Seeking answers
Ryan Goodman has always believed in tarot readings. The Erie resident is part of the Wicca movement, an alternative religion shaped by pagan beliefs and practices with followers who call themselves witches.
While some Wiccans use tarot cards, Goodman never had a reading until meeting Register and becoming her roommate.
Goodman, who had been in an abusive relationship, didn't initially know that Register read tarot cards.
"I didn't post about any of my breakup on social media, so even if we had been friends it’s not something she could’ve seen," he said. "There were certain things and cards she was explaining that were matching up too well with what had happened and what was going through my mind."
Register gave Goodman insight about the path he was choosing, reassuring him that he made the right choices. It wasn't just what Goodman wanted to hear, but a genuine conversation, something he said Register brings to every reading.
"I like how she explains every single deck she deals, it’s not a quick one-and-done thing, like, here’s the cards, give me your money," Goodman said.
'A gift from God'
Register doesn't limit herself to tarot.
A popular service during the month of October is her spirit talks, during which Register says she can connect with deceased loved ones.
"At Halloween that’s what I call it because the spirit is talking to me. Those connections are a lot more draining than a regular reading," she said.
She also practices reiki, which uses touch to promote energy clearing and healing.
"The reason I do it is because it was a gift from God and I don’t want to waste it," she said. "If I’m able to use this ability I have for good, then that’s what I’m going to do."
Baylee DeMuth can be reached at 814-450-3425 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BayleeDeMuth.
source: https://www.goerie.com/story/lifestyle/faith/2021/10/20/mel-register-erie-tarot-card-reader-psychic-empath-abilities/6003733001/
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