"The only difference between a coach and a fortune-teller is that fortune-tellers declare the future that exists outside of you, while the therapist will put more emphasis on the future possibilities that exist within you, that you can create. "

This month we met Ashika, tarot card reader and coach, who will offer private sessions and workshops at Kocoon spa starting in May.

How would you describe yourself and your work?
If I describe myself in relation to my work, I would describe myself as a therapist or a coach – and definitely not a fortune-teller.

What a pity! I thought you could tell me when I will get married or when I will die…?
In therapy we will talk about the past, the present and the future. We will even put a lot of emphasis on the future. The only difference between a coach and a fortune-teller is that fortune-tellers tell you about the future that exists outside of you, while the therapist will put more emphasis on the future possibilities that exist within you, that you can create.   

So I am the creator of my future? 
Everyone of us is different, your age, your education, etc… which means that all of us have different possibilities and different things to accomplish and  bring to the world. I believe that within this life there are a lot more possibilities than what we actually think in general. We see a very small portion of what is possible in our lives. I think this is my work–to make those possibilities more visible, to work towards those possibilities. That is why I also feel like a therapist. Dealing with blockages and fear, this is therapy.

How did you “get into it”?
When I came to China at the age of 19, I first rejected tarot because I grew up with it, so I did not want this anymore. I started doing a lot of Tai Qi and meditation. I felt that it was very good for me actually. It was a way of healing myself. Then I went to India where I attended a tarot workshop to develop intuition. 

Tarot has taught me to look at life in a different way. If you look at one tarot card, there is a picture on it. The way you look at the picture and the way I look at the picture will be different. All of us are projecting ideas in the outside world. If you are looking at a problem from only one side, then the problem will always stay the same–but if you loosen up your vision and start seeing with different perspectives, often the problem will not be as big as before. 

What led you to what you are doing today? Who inspired you the most?
The first big influence came from my parents. My mother was giving sessions to people at home, so I grew up in this environment of therapy. 

I have also two teachers who really influenced me. My Tai Qi teacher and my hypnosis teacher. When I was doing Tai Qi, I believed that this was only a meditation movement, but I learned that it was also way of looking of life, a way of being. My hypnosis teacher, Stephen Gilligan, who I've know for 5 years now, has been a very strong influence. The way he deals with spirituality and people makes this man somebody I can look up to–as a teacher but also as another human.

What would you like to bring to us with your work at Kocoon spa?
What I would like to bring to the Kocoon spa community is a creative way to look at individual lives.
And tarot is a way to do this–as a friend, sometimes as a teacher, sometimes as a guide. 

Is there a minimum age to learn tarot card reading?
I think 15 years is a good age to start learning it. At this age you start rebelling and you try to look at the world trough your own eyes which is what I am trying to teach with tarot cards. I ask the students not to read the manual because I don’t care what the manual says, I care what they say, what they see and what they think, feel, experience. 

Do you think meeting your wife was destiny or luck?
It was definitely destiny. Well, there is a definition of luck that I really like. “Luck is half preparation and half opportunities.” So if opportunities come, but you don’t prepare before, then you won’t be able to seize them. If you prepare well, but the opportunities don’t come, then it will not happen. I can do everything in my power to be prepared for what comes, but in the end–if it happens or not–it’s not up to me to decide.

What was the last great book you read?
Actually I am always reading several books at the same time. So the last few books I have been reading... “Energy Leadership,” “The Soul of Money” and “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease.”

The last novel I read was “This Blinding Absence of Light” (Cette aveuglante absence de lumière) by Tahar Ben Jelloun. It is about a prisoner at the time of the putsch against King Hassan, who spent 18 years in a hole. What I loved about it was that there is so much hope, real life and spirituality in it, which makes it a really inspiring book. 

What would you like to be in your next life?
There are two things that I haven’t accomplished in this life...  I would love to learn to play an instrument. I still have time, so maybe in this life . I would love to be a good singer in my next life. The only regret I have in this life is that I cannot sing–because I really love singing but I just can’t. So when I come back I will make sure I have a good voice!

Are there any words of wisdom you’d like to pass along to me?
Come to my workshop! Life is already serious enough. I think that when we deal with our lives, we surely need to be serious, but we need some tenderness and playfulness. Mother Teresa said “Work through things as if everything depended on it, and leave the rest to God.”
This sentence brings together two polarities. Work as if everything depended on it, which means that you are committed to it and yet, you let go of the result. 

Free Introduction & Demo with Ashika in May

Date: Thursday, May 16, 2013
Time: 19:30 - 21:00
RSVP&INFO: +86 137 179 434 06 or email us at kocooninfo@kocoonspalounom

About Ashika

Ashika, french, living in Beijing for 12 years, with 2 journeys in India, grew up with astrology and therapy.
He mainly uses Tarots but sees himself as a coach and a therapist. His vision of Tarots is alive and flexible. He feels they are an excellent way of communicating and interacting with people, helping us reflect on our life in a more holistic way, perceiving the flux around our daily life, both in our inner experience and outer world. Answers are often to be uncovered from inside, where hidden resources are dormant and waiting to be used. Sometimes, shifting our perception is enough to bring about change.

Tarots are a friend on the path, a coach, a mirror when needed.
They are not here to lead our lives but to support us in times of change, to help bring new insights to old situations and allow us to look situations and allow us to look forward to a future that isn't predestined but open to be created in a way that suits us best, bringing us, joy, curiosity and creativity.