The Breakdown That Became My Breakthrough
Growing up, I was never surrounded by people who talked openly about life after death or anything beyond the physical world. Those conversations simply didn’t happen. They were taboo, hidden under a blanket of discomfort and fear — fear of the unknown, fear of being judged, fear of believing in something science “couldn’t prove.”
But things are changing. Quantum Physics is beginning to illuminate what many mystics have known for centuries. And for me, that shift began years ago in the most unexpected way — with an Irish friend in London, a bottle of wine, and her Angel cards.
Every time she pulled them out, something in me lit up. The messages were short, but they always landed with surprising accuracy. Not long after, I was gifted my first pack. I won’t go into the full story, but those cards cracked something open in me… a quiet remembering that perhaps there was more beyond the physical world I’d been taught to accept. And that there was a divine intelligence behind all that existed.
Fast forward through a very difficult chapter of life — one I’ve spoken about in podcasts — I found myself back home in Ireland after years abroad. My intuition told me it was the right move, but emotionally it was anything but easy.
One night, overwhelmed and disillusioned, I sat on the floor in tears and whispered a prayer I’d never spoken before:
“Someone… anyone up above… if there is such a thing… please help me.”
Those were my exact words — raw, desperate, and sincere.
About a month later, everything shifted. I was working in Bohemian Lifestyle pop-up shop when an intriguing woman walked in. The moment she stepped through the door, something in me recognised something in her. Later I’d realise that feeling was my intuition speaking loudly.
Her name was Fiona Greenheart. Within minutes we had moved from chatting about homewares to discussing Angel cards, Tarot, and Auras. I was fascinated, completely drawn in. Fiona was the reason I began looking at Tarot differently — not as a novelty, but as a language.
The very next day, she phoned me urgently:
“Can we meet as soon as possible? I have a really important message for you… from your Spirit Guide.”
Inside my head:
What even is a Spirit Guide? Is she absolutely mad? Am I mad?
Out loud:
“Emmm… okay… tomorrow evening?”
I hung up and immediately spiralled — but then something unexpected happened. A wave of calm washed over me. Despite how bizarre it all seemed, I knew this was meant to happen.
What I Learned About Spirit Guides
When we met, Fiona explained without hesitation: each of us has at least one Spirit Guide throughout our human life, sometimes more. They may be connected to us or not. Their purpose is to guide us toward our highest good, but because of Free Will, they can only intervene if invited.
And suddenly it clicked.
That desperate prayer on my floor a month earlier — my plea for help — was the invitation. I had unknowingly opened the door.
Fiona told me that one of my Guides had reached out to her the day she left my shop. This Spirit had never incarnated, carried a strong feminine energy, and had been with me since before birth. She explained that we usually choose our Guides before incarnating as part of what’s called a Soul Contract. But we each have a Guardian Angel too.
As wild as it sounded, every word resonated. It felt less like learning something new and more like remembering something ancient.
Fiona then shared the message my Spirit Guide had given her. I won’t share the details, but it was about something incredibly specific — something nobody else could’ve known at the time. The accuracy shook me to my core. I still get goosebumps thinking about it, even now.
That moment changed everything.
There was no going back. It was the beginning of me aligning with the path to my true calling.
It was as if something inside me — something I had buried long ago — was suddenly awake. I realised I had been waiting for something tangible to validate what I’d always sensed but never allowed myself to believe: that there is far more to our existence than the physical world.
From that point on, the desire to understand who I truly am and why I’m here only grew stronger.
When you start opening yourself up to discovering who you really are and why you exist, mentors appear on your path….
‘When the student is ready the teacher appears’
-Buddha-
Fiona was that mentor for me — the catalyst who set me firmly on the path of my calling.
In 2019 I interviewed Fiona for my Blog. And here it is…
Naturally it made sense that I invite Fiona along to answer a few questions on all things metaphysical. Fiona is an Intuitive empath. She gets messages from Spirit, is clairvoyant, clairaudient, clairsentient and a medium. She sees, feels, reads and heals Auras. She also reads Tarot Cards.
Fiona, thanks so much for agreeing to do this blog and thanks for all the guidance you have given me on my own journey to date. First things first, tell us your story, how did you discover you could see the unseen and how did you start using that in your life?
Yvonne, thank you for inviting me to tell you a little of my story.
I remember sensing spirits here and there, all over the old country house in which I grew up. I could feel them and hear them (i.e. clairsentience and clairaudience) as well as sensing their genders and personalities, but I could not see them. Actually, I found the latter quite frustrating, as it seemed to me that my eyesight was malfunctioning. What I did not yet realise was that I was “feeling” and “hearing” with my spiritual/psychic senses and that it would take some more time and experience to discover my “second sight” (clairvoyance) as well.
During my younger years I was always fascinated to learn more about the “unseen” and the mysterious. Everything from fairy stories to water divining captivated me. I doubted none of my experiences, but often found it disappointing that seemingly intelligent adults could neither experience the same phenomena as me, nor explain these things to me. With age, I have learned to understand what my father meant when he said: “There is an explanation for everything”. Many questions can be answered in clear and logical scientific terms. Scientific knowledge is expanding exponentially. Many common daily occurrences which confused and frightened our ancestors, hundreds of years ago, causing them to invent various superstitions, are abundantly clear and well understood by humans today, on foot of scientific discovery.
Several decades ago, after many years of exploration into the realms of the mysterious, dipping my toe into studies of the esoteric, of divination and of mysticism, for example, I continued to be fascinated by the seemingly infinite capacity of our minds, but I was still searching for a road map or philosophy of life that would make sense of it all. Then, through a series of personal connections – there are no coincidences! – I had the good fortune to encounter Paddy McMahon and Maura Lundberg, both of whom were most encouraging to me regarding my potential for learning about, and later working in, this field. Their explanations and guidance immediately resonated with me and made perfect sense. Thank you so much, Paddy & Maura! Sadly, for us, Paddy has recently passed through the veil, but he is still with us in Spirit, and he always will be.
So, you read Auras, tell us more about that. What is an Aura? How does that look and what guidance can you give to someone when giving them a reading of their Aura?
The “Aura” is the energy field that surrounds us, and other objects. It comprises electro-magnetic energy, and other more subtle energies, (some of which science does not yet have awareness of) that can be felt by those of us who are sensitive enough to them. Science cannot yet explain all of this, but Quantum Physics is moving ever closer in this direction. Quantum theory and metaphysics are manifesting many parallels. Science is beginning to re-discover truths that our ancient ancestors knew intuitively but could not explain. Sometimes these truths unfortunately got lost during a generation when the oral tradition was broken, long before the invention of writing. The knowledge of how to “read” the Aura would have been passed down in each culture by the initiates, from one generation to the next. Often there was a cloak of secrecy put around the competency, in order for the knowledge to be kept away from those who might use it for selfish or destructive purposes. Thus, the mystery schools and esoteric societies were formed.
Seeing the Aura/energy field with ones physical eyes is easy for most people to learn. I teach this skill in my Meditation classes. The Aura looks like a shimmering, moving, translucent glow around objects. It contains a number of layers of different types of energy, in the colours of the rainbow, just like a light refracting prism, but visible in pastel shades. “Reading the Aura” is, however, a different matter. It is more an art than a science. I can “see” the Aura in two ways: with my physical eyes open but also with my “spiritual/psychic” eyes. I can also feel someone’s Aura when I touch it with my hands. The colours, shapes, textures, movements, holes, flashes etc. in Auras have meanings, and with trial and error, and perhaps some tuition, one learns how to interpret these signs. As one becomes more experienced with these subtle energies, one learns how to receive more complex information from the Aura. This skill should never be abused or used for negative purposes. I only use it when I am invited by someone, in order to act as a mirror to reflect to the person some aspects of themselves that they need help in seeing. Each “message” that I get for someone is like one small piece of a whole jigsaw puzzle. Nobody gets all the pieces. That is the task of a lifetime, or maybe many lifetimes.
You also know how to read palms. You read crystal balls and tarot cards. A lot of people get caught up on the tools and terminology and then in turn write it off, but can you explain in your own words what all of these tools really mean?
Yes, over the years I have learned to read palms, crystal balls, tarot cards, the I Ching etc. Also I practise psychometry, which is the fascinating art of “reading” objects. These tools or “methods of divination” are all ways of helping the mind/spirit to access information, which is not readily available to ones conscious, analytical thought processes. No one of the above tools is better than the others. Each reader gradually ascertains what tool is his/her favourite. My personal preference is for Tarot.
One can “read” anything: tea leaves, clouds, the flames of a fire, the marks on a stone. Like a master craftsman, the accomplished reader will give a good reading, regardless of which tool he/she is using. The purest form of receiving information from the Universe is by direct communication, which I shall later explain. Meditation is one of the keys to opening this portal.
I remember you saying that the day you walked into my pop-up shop you had an overwhelming feeling to go to that location that day. You didn’t know at the time why, but followed your intuition. (Anyway, my popup shop was new and Fiona was unaware it even existed). Tell us more about that and would that type of thing happen to you often? It must be hard if you have a message for someone from spirit to approach that person, as a lot of people may not accept this information at first or at all. How do you handle this?
Yes, I remember being drawn into your pop-up shop and immediately feeling it was important to get into conversation with you. I felt there was some reason for this feeling but as yet had no idea of all that would later ensue. As you know, it was after parting from your company, that first time we spoke, that I was sent pictures and messages relevant to an important issue in your life that was about to unfold, but about which you had told me nothing. Spirit was strongly urging me to help you to prepare for the future, even though you were a total stranger, and I was not asking for anything in return for my assistance. Yet I had a sense from the beginning, that a friendship would develop between us, as in certain ways, we were kindred spirits.
That was over a year ago. I think you would say, that in hindsight, the life challenges which you encountered after that echoed some of the core issues of your existence. That is why I received the relevant images and messages so strongly, and knew that explaining these things to you would help you make sense of a complex and difficult period in your life.
There is indeed a reason for everything, and if we can understand why and how certain life entanglements come into play, then that can help us work with these issues, or at a later stage, come to terms with the consequences of our past actions. Sometimes the reasons for situations can be opaque, invisible or in the “unseen”. This help to gain insight may come via a human or spiritual messenger.
Anytime I have given a “message” from Spirit to anybody, I have always been, at least, listened to politely. Reactions are variable. Some people are immediately bowled over by the unexpected relevancy of the message and they desire you to give more and more insights. Some people reply that what they have heard makes sense to them, but they do not seem ready to engage any further regarding the issue. Other people can appear somewhat sceptical, but many come back several years later, excited to relate how the “message” or prediction has proven relevant and very helpful, in the interim.
It is my job only to be a messenger. Once I have delivered my message, my job is done. Each of us has “Free Will”. With every instant that goes by, choices between new courses of action open up to us. It is up to us to choose, and to try to make good choices. Staying still and taking no action also constitutes a choice.
One of your favourite sayings and one that really resonates with me is: “there is no such thing as coincidences”. Tell us what you mean by this?
I have always had, and still have, a very strong awareness of being part of this Universe we all live in. I feel a deep connection and sense of belonging to everything and everywhere, especially when I am spending time in Nature. I am keenly aware that everything is connected and that there is a reason for everything. It seems to me that the Universe is constantly in a state of flux and that everything, even the movement of the tiniest nanoparticles can influence subsequent events. “The butterfly effect” theory links in with my perceptions.
My experience of life to date leads me to conclude that that there is much more to existence than what we can experience through our five senses. It seems to me that we have a whole other array of subtle senses which operates on another plane or in another dimension (maybe many dimensions). Contemporary “String Theories” are based on the idea of extra dimensions of Timespace. It is postulated that there may be up to 26 of these dimensions.
I know by experience that my mind/brain can have sensual experiences on a non-physical level. Let us call it: a psychic/spiritual level. Science cannot (yet!) explain this phenomenon. I think it is quite possible that we sometimes slide from one dimension into another, either randomly or voluntarily. I find that with practice these capacities can be controlled at will, and I can turn them on and off. I also believe that science will continue to discover the probability of multiple, as yet unimagined, dimensions, that is, if humanity succeeds in postponing the next looming mass extinction, by taking immediate and necessary steps to slow down global warming.
There is clearly much more to existence than our five senses can normally perceive. It seems quite logical to me to deduce that there is even more at work on “unseen” levels/dimensions than here on the physical plane. We are surrounded by all of this, all of the time, but not everyone is aware of it.
If you want to learn about scientific theories and/or hypothetical experiments which have come close to overlapping with “otherworldly” activities, I suggest that you look up the story of “Schrödinger’s Cat”. The Austrian physicist, Erwin Schrödinger, who for a time lived in Dublin, thought up this scenario, sometimes referred to as a “paradox”, in 1935, to illustrate how a particle can exist in multiple energy states at the same time, that is until one observes it. Such paradoxes, I believe, exist also in the “unseen”.
I am certain that there is life after death and life in spirit (without a physical body) on foot of so much evidence and personal experience. However, I could have chosen to deduce that all my ethereal experiences were either random coincidences or tricks of my imagination.
We all have the choice to believe whatever we wish to believe about the supernatural. For me, the evidence is stacked on the side of meaningful consciousness on a level beyond the physical. I consider this consciousness to be quite natural, but simply not well understood by us.
How much of life here on Earth is governed by fate/destiny/circumstance, and how much of it is influenced by our free will/our own chosen actions? We cannot determine a definite answer to this question. “We make our own luck”, some people say. Yes, that is true, but only to a certain extent. Is randomness really random, or is there “a hand that guides” behind it all?
I am convinced that our lives exist in multi-dimensional layers simultaneously, and that if we are sensitive to these subtle energy changes we can notice and communicate with thoughts/ideas projected towards us from other spirits/minds/sources of consciousness. “Everything happens for a reason”. It’s up to you, what you choose to believe.
You are also a big advocator of meditation. The first bit of guidance you gave me was that I needed to mediate. I remember saying to you: ‘Nooooooo, I can’t mediate!!!’ Thankfully I tried harder and it’s been another game changer. Please explain why you feel mediation is so powerful?
My first experience of Meditation was profoundly stunning. Many thanks to my wonderful mediation teacher, Brendan O’Callaghan, from whom I learned so much. That first evening in group Mediation showed me a glimpse into a new paradigm of reality that I had never even imagined. I stepped into a kind of waking dream where I saw crystal-clear images and heard words clearly spoken. I believe I was moving backwards and forwards in Timespace.
Some of the images I saw are still stored in my brain. One was of a number of swans on a body of water, swimming in a particular formation. I seemed to be looking at a colour photo, but I had no idea what this meant. A number of weeks later, a friend of mine returned from holidays. She began showing me her bundle of snaps. Then suddenly, there appeared the exact photo of the swans I had seen in Mediation some weeks previously. I was stunned! How and why did this happen?
Meditation is one way to get us into an altered state of consciousness. Group Meditation can be very powerful, as the energy whole is much greater than the sum of the parts. In that state we can connect our minds/spirits more easily to the Universal Consciousness, which is everywhere, and to which we belong. However, our daily lives are so busy with physical and analytical activity, that we are often quite disconnected from our intuitive, creative spiritual selves. It is when we are relaxed, in a state of reverie, that we are more open to inspiration. We are allowing information from what Carl Jung called “The Collective Unconscious” to enter our minds. We can also connect with even more impressive and remote sources in the Universe. We can find for ourselves links to information, advice, wisdom, learning and whatever we need. Of course, all of this work should only be done to the good of others and self. The motivation behind attaining this access to knowledge should always be positive.
With regard to my photo of the swans, I conclude now that I was allowed to experience a peek into the future, so that I might see what I could do with Meditation, as a tool to help both myself and other people, in the future. I believe I was momentarily floating in one of the other many Timespace dimensions.
I hope to start Group Meditation Workshops again this Autumn in Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland. For information keep an eye to @fionagreenheart on Instagram and/or @ Fiona Greenheart on Facebook.
What is the most profound thing you have done so far with your intuitive abilities? As in, what message had the most impact?
Oh, where do I start? I could fill a book with examples of the above. What never ceases to amaze me, though, is that when I receive messages for other people, either during readings or sometimes quite out of the blue when I’m alone, often the more unexpected and out of place they seem to me, the more accurate and informative they turn out to be for the recipient. Often, it is the incidental details of how the message is presented, that manifest some hallmark of unique authenticity to a recipient. I have had to learn lessons in Faith and Courage in order to have the audacity to deliver a “message” to someone from Spirit, that makes no sense whatsoever to me.
Because of client confidentiality, I obviously have a to be very careful about what I recount, but I shall give you one example.
Some years ago, I got a message, very unexpectedly, while I was working in my kitchen, from the deceased husband of a lady I knew slightly, who had passed on many years previously. The message was clear, , concise, profound and well expressed. He asked for his wife’s co-operation in certain matters. I grabbed a pen and paper in order to jot down a few key words, in case I would forget. However, the gentleman had already decided precisely what I should and should not write down and proceeded to call out a very clear-cut paragraph by dictation. He was extremely explicit about punctuation, spelling and spacing and every word had to be written exactly to his plan. I had never received a message in this way before. A few days later I phoned the lady in question and explained that she needed to get pen and paper as there was something, I wanted her to note down. Following a brief explanation of the unusual circumstances involved, she agreed to carefully take down my dictation and pay faithful attention to every capital letter, dash and semi-colon. This whole scenario seemed most peculiar to me, but I had got used to just doing what was requested of me by Spirit. The lady asked me about the date on which I was given this message. (This is when the “coincidences” began to manifest.) On hearing the date, she was aghast, as “by coincidence”, that was the day when, many, many years after her late husband’s passing, she had finally taken a particular step with regard to her late husband’s interests. Of course, I knew nothing of this. Her husband’s message was also relevant to the above.
A couple of years later, this lady and I finally got around to meeting for coffee. She spoke about how the message her husband had sent her was of great significance to her, particularly because of the moment when it had been sent. In passing, I alluded to his uncommonly meticulous and insistent attitude towards orthography. She replied, “Do you know what he did for a living?” I answered in the negative and reminded her that I had never met him and knew little or nothing about him. “Well, of course he would have been extremely fastidious about how everything was written. He was a typesetter!”
I do not often get messages for myself, but a couple of years ago a profoundly important one was given to me, which will affect the rest of my life. For several decades I had been facilitating Meditation groups and giving “Readings”, mostly to friends. I had never accepted any money for those services. One day, while I was in my study, trying to sort out a heap of papers, suddenly, and most unexpectedly, like a flash lightening, a message came to me clearly, out to the blue! “You should do more work for Spirit! You should work with Strangers who will tell you faster than friends whether you are really helping them. If you are, then you must receive payment. Regarding work, your greatest desires are to help humans on a spiritual level and to help heal Nature on Planet Earth. The solution is simple: have no hesitation in demanding that people pay you for your services and then donate all of the proceeds to organisations who work for Wildlife, Nature and the Environment!”
Thank you, Spirit…for this flash of clarity…this beacon of Light!
What is the best advice you can give for those that are starting on their path of self-discovery? And, do you have any advice for those who have had a spiritual awakening but have become very disillusioned by the world because of this?
I would advise people to be willing to allow themselves to have an attitude of “Openness” to everything that seems good and positive. Cultivate an “Openness of Mind” and an “Openness of Heart”. Keep your eyes and ears open, and if you can put aside your fixed ideas or old prejudices you will begin to notice new pointers or signs showing you unfamiliar pathways that you might like to explore. Be willing to explore some untried experiences. An interesting book may jump out at you from a charity shop shelf. A stranger at a bus stop may tell you about a meeting or talk on a similar, or connected, subject coming up soon. A stray business card or a poster on a wall may prompt you to follow a lead. Sounds exciting, does it not?
The more willing you are to be open to new possibilities, the more connections you will notice. At first you will call them strange “coincidences”. As time goes by you will see patterns emerging. You will be fascinated... Keep your heart open and never give up on your quest!
Learn to mediate! Find a group facilitated by an experienced teacher. Perhaps try out several different types of Mediation.
I wish you many blessings on your journey!
In Love & Light,
Fiona.
P.S. Looking into your future, Yvonne, I see you working less and less with administration, keyboards. As you continue to hone your sensitivities to subtle energies, and therefore your capacity to empathize, people will gravitate towards you for your services and find that you have a special gift for helping them. You will find this work very satisfying. Every good wish! X X