1. AlexandraKetterling
Anthropologyof ReligionUCLA
ProfessorDerekMilne
08/16/2016
From the outside,itlookslike a typical condo—white stuccowalls andpeelingbrown painton
the stairwaybeams.Adjacentto the frontdoor isa small garden. Nestled inthe foliageisamarble
statue of an angel—armsclaspedatthe chest,eyesclosed,headslightlyturneddownandcockedtothe
side. Althoughitsposture isreminiscentof the VirginMary,there is nothingtosignifyitasso; it is
indistinct.The earthislitteredwith shiny,pinkpebblesandthe windchime above the dooris tinklingin
the breeze.Iringthe door-bell andwait.Simultaneouslyrunningmytongue acrossthe toprow of my
teethandsquinting,Ilookup,preparingmyselfmentallyinremaininganobjective stance towardsthe
forthcomingoccasion.
The womanwho answersthe doorisin hermid-40’sand at firstglance,notespeciallystriking.
That is,until I realize she issportingaseriousmullet.The crownof hersand-brownhairisheavilygelled
and spiked whilethe bottomlayerflowsfreely.She looksdirectlyintomyeyes,smiles,andthe crows-
feethugginghereyelidsdance.“Welcometomyhome,”she says.I’massaultedbythe scentof burning
sage as I’m ledupan off-white carpetedstaircase intoherlivingroom, paledinthe daylight.Itake a
momenttosoak inmy surroundings.Somewhere in-betweenspaciousandcramped,herapartment
décoris markedlyfeminine—mauve draperyandcreamcoloreddoilies seemtobe everywhere. Three
morbidlyobese andseeminglyindignantfelines loungethemselves invaryinglocales. I’mtoldtoremove
my shoes,andI submit. She leadsme toa segregatedareaof the livingroom.A lime-green, frothy
blanketisonthe floor, and she motionsforme to siton one of twoworncushions placedinopposition
to one another. I positionmyself comfortably,notepadinhand.She isalready aware of the details

2. concerningthe interview (Ihadspokentoheron the phone prior;she isa friendof my formeremployer)
and had alreadyofferedtowaive herusual fee of $150 perhour, due to the nature of my objective asa
UCLA student.
I askedherabout whatI thoughtwere tarot cards,lyinginthe floor.She saidtarot originated
fromKaballah,and it isa “dark, lowerenergywithtraditional archetypes”thatshe doesn’tliketouse.
Jeanette usesangel cardsbecause she referstoherself asahealer,nota fortune teller.The angelic
realmisone of “highervibration,”she stated.Regardless,the procedureisessentiallythe same.
“So,” she said, “I have a fewdifferentdecks,here.Whatsoundsgoodto you?I have goddesses,
mermaids,fairies,animals,[…].”Ipointedtothe deck containedinagoldorganza bag.She respondedto
my gesture,smilingknowingly,“Goddesses.Ithoughtso.” She beganshufflingthe deck.Iwatchedher
hands,and I triedtolookfor any discrepanciesonthe cards,(markingsforknowingwhatcard iswhat)
and couldnotdiscernany; infact, the cards lookednew andunused. She pulledtwocardsoutand laid
themface downon the floor. A slightgrinwasteasingthe cornerof her mouth.Her eyeswidenedand
she lookeddirectlyatme,liftinghereyebrowsasshe spoke. “These twojustseemedto jumpoutat me”
she explained. Herbodylanguage inferredamusement asshe declared,“Thatdoesn’talways happen.”
Fanningthe cards out ina linearfashion,face down, she asked if Ihadany “specificquestions.”Ipursed
my lips,andinternallyscoldedmyself inforgetting one of the mostimportantaspects of the interview.
“Well,”Isearched,“I guess,uhh…well I’ve beenfeelingsomewhatimpassionedlately.I’ve beenfilling
everyspace of my time withproductive activitiesandfeel like the course of mylife hascome toa
positive apex.Yeah,Imean,I’mprettymuchstokedon life,asof late.I’mbusyand kindof stressedbut
ina goodway,knowwhat I mean?ButsometimesIlie tomyself anddilute myself intothinking,‘oh,this
iswhat I wantor need,’soIguessmaybe Ijust want to make sure I’m onthe righttrack.” She’dbeen
noddingherheadandsmilinginencouragementasIspoke.Closinghereyes, she began todriftherarm,
palm-face down,overthe deckof cardssplayedonthe floor. She wentbackand forth twoor three

3. timesslowly, pulledoutacard, and againlaid it face-downonthe floor.Returningtothe cards she
initiallyretrievedfromthe deck,she askedme toflipoverthe firstone myself.Iturneditoverand
staredat a picture of the uppertorso of a womanholdinganemanatingheart. It wasentitled“Bridgit”
and wasaccompaniedwiththe statement,“Don’tbackdown.” Jeanette explained“Bridgit”is
symbolically tellingme totrustmy gut and standup for whatI believein.The nextcardshe flippedwas
“Ostara,” the fertilitygoddesswho isactuallythe “feminizedversionof the Archangel Michael,”andin
regardsto my situation,she toldme,thismeantthe forthcomingbirthof new ideasand“new projects.”
The nextcard, “Eireen”symbolizingpeace,clarified“everythingisworkingout.”Whatis essentialabout
thiscard,” she mentioned,pointingtothe oceaninbackgroundof the picture,“isyouneeddowntime.
Go detox.Take time toclear yourthoughts.”Thistiedintothe message of the nextcard she pulled from
the deck,the dark-skinned andsombergoddess,“Mawu,”orMother Earth, whoJeanette saidwas
expressive of the factI neededto“ground”myself innature andtake the time torelax,whetherinthe
woods,bythe pool,or at the beach. “Guinevere,”withaccompanyingphrase,“True Love,”wasthe last
card she pulled.Atthis,Iwrinkledmynose andshookmyhead.I toldherthiswas definitelywrong,
there is“soooono love inmylife rightnow,”I giggled.She proceededtosay,“[the angels] are tellingme
the card inyour case is an expressionof fallinginlove with oneself;“sometimespassionandlove are
synonymous.”
She ran her handoverthe cards she hadpulledforme and calmly andemphaticallystatedthat
clearly,whateverIwasdoingwas totallyontrack, mypassionswere ina sense,“accurate,”(inreference
to my initial question) andreallywhatIneededwastodesignate timeto“breathe.”Bythe endof my
readingIwas somehow beaminglike adamnedfool.
Of course, Iwas more interestedinutilizingthe time Ihadto learnabouther and how she
became a healerthan actually experiencingthe procedureof gettingmy cardsread. Fortunately(nopun
intended),she obligedinansweringmyfusillade of questions afterwards.Neverdidshe divulgeany

4. informationwittinglyorwithoutwarrant;rather,she didnotseem entirelyenthusiasticabout talking
aboutherself inaboastful mannerandreallywasratherreservedandhumble. Neverthelessthe
answersshe gave were withconvictionandwithouthesitance. She toldme she hadalwaysbeen
“intuitive.”Herpremonitionsincluded“everythingfrommygrandfatherdying,planecrashes,andthe
San Franciscoearthquake.”The exactflashbulbshotof the collapsedBayBridge fromherdreamwasthe
same picture on the frontpage of the newspaper onhertable the morningafter—“andthiswaswhenI
was inMichigan,neverhavingbeentoCaliforniaoranything.”
She had alwaysfeltthe callingtoheal people.Duringthe attendance of aconference entitled
“Celebrate YourLife,”(see endnotes) she noticedadeckof angel cards sittingona table and she felt
compelledtoinvestigate“whattheywere about”and endeduptakinganonline Angel Therapycourse
viaUMSonline.orgin2006; designedandedifiedbyDoreenVirtue (seeendnotes).Jeanettesaidshe was
intuitivelydrawntothismethodof spiritual healing.She earnedherPhD. inmetaphysics(certifiedby
DoreenVirtue) in2011.
Jeanette isanintermediate;she “facilitates”the healingprocess. She channelsarchangels who
aidin divulgingthe problem(s) of the personseekingherservices. These angels,suchasMichael and
Raphael, are non-denominationaland have bothmasculine andfeminine energies.They “come in
whateverstate the healerfeelsthe mostcomfortable.”
Typicallyaclientwill requestthe answertoa specificquestion.If not,Jeanette will ask of the
angels,“tell uswhatwe needtoknow.” Whenshe runs herhandsover the cards she feelsa“pull”
towardsa certaincard, and describesa“warm, tinglingfeeling,”althoughthe sensationcouldbe
differentforsomeone else,suchas“coldness orstickiness.”There are writtenmissivesonthe cardsbut
theydon’tnecessarilyalwaysapplytothe client,inwhichcase the actual picture itself mightbe of
significance.She gave me anexample of one womanwhocame to herwitha cancerouslumpon her
throat.The womanwantedtoknowif she shouldhave it seenbya doctor andoperatedupon.A card

5. Jeanette hadpulledfromthe deckdidnotholdexplicitsignificance initially;however, whenJeanette
askedherto inspectthe illustration itself more closely,the womanwassurprisedtosee a picture of a
huskyon the card whichlookedexactlylike herdogthathad diedacouple monthsprior.Infact, the
lumpinher throatappearedshortlyafterthe deathof her canine companion.Onthis,Jeanette stated,
thiswomanhad “swallowedhergrief,”andwhenIexpressedinterestinheruse of wordchoice inthis
matterspecifically,she saidindeedoftentimesone’s“biographybecomes[one’s] biology.”
Nevertheless,the womanendedupgettinganoperationtoremove the malignanttumorobstructing
hertrachea. Aftertellingthe story,Jeanetteagaininsisted she wasnota psychic,she simplyfacilitatedin
removing“physical andemotional blocks.”Sometimespeople require assistanceinself-reflection or
managinggrief,stress,pain,oranger,because “oursouls/bodies/mindsare actuallydesignedtoheal
themselves;I justhelpinunstickinganyblockage thatoccursfor whateverreason,”she said. However,
she was resolute inthatpeople seekingherserviceshadtobe ready,open,andseriousabout“changing
theirlives.”
People oftencall oremail her demandingaquickfix orimmediate healing,inwhichcase she
oftentimesstatesshe simplycannothelpthemif theyare hurriedornotwillingtomake anappointment
or see herin person.However,she doeshealviaemail if peoplehave movedorlive faraway.Thisis
usuallymore intermsof recapitulatingaprevioushealingsession—shefollowsuponherclientstosee
howtheyare doing.She almostalwaysonlyallowstosee one ortwoclientsdailybecause she’sintent
on healing people;hermethodsare holisticanddonot reallyhave the abilitytooperate likean
assemblyline. She engagesherclientsinadialogue andsometimesittakestime todivulgethe
“blockage.”
Throughoutthe interview,she applied variousreligiousterminologiesdenotingabackgroundor
belief inChristianity.Iexplicitlyaskedaboutheruse of the term, “God,”--whyshe useditandwhatit
meantto her.She statedsimplyshe hadan “openview,”inthe sense thatshe believedin“energy,” but

6. it couldjustas easilybe termed“divine intelligence—The BigBang,Godthe Greater,creative force,
whatever,it’sdivine,there isnospecificlabel necessarily,”and againstated she useswhateverher
clientsare “mostcomfortable withcallingit.” She employsthe use of Reiki, “the universal life-force
energy,chi,Godenergy,[whathave you],”tore-openthe “flow of energyinthe body,”byswinginga
small pendulumacrossapart of the bodyinneedof healing.How effective hadthisbeen,inher
experience?She saidshe actuallyremoved(overthe course of three months) atumorfromher mother-
in-law’sspinalcolumn: “[Hermother-in-law] wasadevote “love-basedCatholic”andfelt comfortable
usingthe VirginMotherand Jesus [intermsof herfaith].”AccordingtoJeanette,the healingprocessisa
willingnesstoenteravulnerable state,and makingthe clientfeelatease isessential. She burnssage in
orderto create what she terms a “sacred space,”and thiscan essentiallybe done anywhere,buther
home/office isutilizedmostoftenasitisone the most“secure locationsforpatients.”
I was verycuriousaboutherreligiousupbringing.She wasbroughtupwith“non-
denominational,basicChristianity,”althoughhermotherwasaCatholicwhohad beenexcommunicated
fromthe church because she divorcedherhusband(Jeanette’sfather). Asaresult,churchactivitywas
minimizedtoChristmasandEasterservices,or“if thingsgot bad.”I thenenquired,“soatthispointin
your life whatisyouropinion, perse,onChristianity andCatholicism?”She respondedthatthispertains
to “self-discovery”anditisup to the individualto“tapinto God,”howeverone seesfit.The notionof
“God is as diverse ashowmanypeople there are onthisplanet.” He may senda “teacher”(i.e.prophet)
but “no one isrightor wrong.”Justas there are “differingparentingstyles— the same goeswith
religion,andasfar as Christianitygoes,well,some peopleneedstructure.”
I askedherabout herviewsonthe abilitytoalterthe course of events.She adamantlyretorted,
“Yes,we signup for the experience.Before ourtime onearth,we seta curriculumforourselves.We
knowthingsaboutourselvesintuitively.”ItoldherI didn’texactlyunderstandherstatementinregards
to my question.She explainedthateverymomentinthe presentholdsacertainamountof power.“We

7. have so many choices,” she said.Since she impliedanotionof predestinationinherchoice of the word
“curriculum,”I attemptedtoprobe furtherbyinvitinghertoexpoundherattitudesconcerning“before
our time onearth.” She mentionedthere are extant “soul groups”and“certainlessonswe needto
learn.”I wasunclear,soI askedher if she believedinthe ideaof reincarnation.She responded
affirmativelybutmaintainedshe doesn’tutilize orspecialize insuchmatters.Jeanette believesone is
not a “slave to pastlives,”rather,one create sense of self byaction,thoughts,andchoices.
The nature of Jeanette’sbelief systemisambiguousand hermethodsof practice are an
amalgamof New-AgeandOldWorldformsthat are opento interpretation, andallow asubjective
experience forthe client.Thisallowsheramuch largerpatient base thanif she were tosegregate her
practice to a single denomination.She charges$150 dollarsanhour,comparative tothe average hourly
wage of a first-rate psychiatrist.Statingshe hasaPhD. inMetaphysicsappearsprestigiousuntil itis
divulgedshe obtainedhercredentialsvia anonline school (the actual institutionitself islocatedin
Arcadia). MarxistAnthropologistsmaydejectwhatevertheywant,however,Jeanette paida
considerable amountof moneytoattendspiritualconferencesandbecome anordainedmetaphysical
practitioner,whichleadsme tobelieveshe isfullyinvestedinherbeliefsystem.However,one couldstill
argue she is a satellite forthe institutionwhoallottedheraPhD. inmetaphysicsinthe firstplace,and
the dynamicisstill a monetaryone,none-the-less.The Christianonthe streetmaybe an authentic,firm
believerbutthatdoesn’tmeanthe Churchitself islegitimate (i.e.robbingyoublind),necessarily.
Indeed,AngelTherapyis incorporated bythe federalgovernment.
Jeanette saidshe was initiallyherself askeptic,“equallyrightandleftbrained”and still is,butas
she said,“there are just thingsone cannotexplain”andshe couldn’tignore the “signs,”anymore.
However,asGeertzperhapswouldargue,due toherinitial exposure toChristianityoranyconceptof
“faith”ingeneral alreadypavedthe wayfora susceptibilitytoareligiousdisposition.Furthermore,
GeertzwouldalsomaintainJeanette’sbeliefsystemprovidesa“cosmicguarantee”to comprehendthe

8. world,“give aprecision, […]feeling,adefinition[…] toendure it”(Geertz104). I wentintothe interview
expectinghertoutilize aformalizedmethodof speakinginordertoemitan impressionof authority(i.e.
Maurice Bloch).Onthe contrary,some jargon haddivine associationsbutwasimplicatedvaguely.She
spoke inthe vernacular,didnothave a rigidnarrative,andwas notintentonconvertingme “to believe,”
perse. The angel cards sidedmore onthe side of imitative magic,but again,the symbolisminvolvedwas
free-form;subjective tothe client.There were notalismansorcontagiousmagical entitiesinvolved.
However,HardingwouldprobablycontendwhatJeanetteengagedme inwasa sort of discourse in
whichbelief isentwinedineverydaylife.Infact,one couldargue the assumptionof the existence of the
notionof “energyas a life-force,”(howevervaguelyimplicated)isaneither/orconviction.Tothispoint,
Jeanette stated duringthe interviewthat“everythingisconstructedof [divine] energy.”Once she has
engagedherpatientinthisloose,neo-psychologicalnarrative;itbecomesasimplematterof faith.
CliffordGeerts—Onthe Interpretationsof Culture
--Celebrate YourLife isa “spiritual pilgrimage”inwhichone paysa fee toattenda conference featuring
variousspiritual teachers,workshops,etc.
More informationat: http://www.mishkaproductions.com/content/celebrate-your-life
--DoreenVirtue isaspiritual doctorof psychologyandspecializesinmetaphysics
More informationat: Angeltherapy.com

9. Jeanette andherAngel Cards