Jane Anne Thomas is a very unique and powerful woman. She was born and raised in Dallas and Abilene, Texas by a deeply devoted and loving mother alongside her twin brother and older brother in a very tight knit unit. Jane Anne recalls her mother always encouraging them to express themselves fully both spiritually and emotionally regardless of what the outside world thought of their expression. This open mindedness allowed Jane Anne to explore without judgment and craft her passion for ballet, art, history, writing and acting. When her psychic abilities came forward unexpectedly, it set her on a path as a devoted student of meditation, yoga and ancient wisdom traditions that helped to ground and develop her gifts into a thriving practice. She now shares her knowledge and innate gifts as a seer and reader to clients around the world.
Jane wears The Painter Jumper in Peach Corduroy
You have an interesting array of magical skills and such a beautiful way of integrating them all to create a very detailed perspective about each of your clients. Now I’m included in that. That reading was amazing, can you share with us how each came into your life: Animal Totem Reading, Vedic Astrology and finally your ability to see psychically. (What came first, second, third?)
Wow, Thanks! It’s funny to put it all together in a timeline because each step into this way of working was a total surprise for me and felt like an evolutionary epic, it’s been a true Odysseian journey for me privately.
The psychic piece was first and foremost. I had always experienced vivid supernatural events from the time I was a small child, and found myself deeply spiritual at a young age as a result. But like most of us I kept these experiences generally to myself, operating under the assumption that this phenomena was something that would dissipate as I matured and be relegated to that fuzzy etheric realm of half-forgotten memories; something to be put away like so many childhood relics.
I did go through periods of dormancy with it through my teenage years but, wow, in my 20s right after I moved to California, it resurfaced with a vengeance!
I spent the greater part of my 20s privately battling, and at times desperately seeking reconciliation with, my place at the apparent intersection of time, reality, sanity, and self-concept. I was set on a crash course in juggling multiple realities and the beginning of an initiatory journey that would take about a decade to metabolize. Needless to say, it was a process that took patience and permission, but which in time came to define my path entirely.
It wasn’t until my early 30s that nature really stepped in and joined the mix. Owls, crows, and ravens started showing up in large numbers when I was thrust into visions, visited by “the other side,” or in the presence of danger. Next up was the arrival of the larger four-legged and sea animals who began teaching me in a series of very direct and astounding dreams. All of this was a complete surprise; I had been allergic to many animals, grasses, and trees growing up and never had even remote access to shamanic teachings before. So it was all the more profound to me because I had been forced to mitigate my access to many aspects of nature most of my life to this point.
The animals were actually the ones who told me I had to begin to offer readings, so that’s how it formally started… I offered readings as gifts to a few of my closest friends who knew about my experiences and supported me through my evolution. After that, friends started asking me to read for their friends and eventually I was reading for progressively larger circles of clients whom I had never met. That was the point when the plants started talking, then the crystals, and then elements. They essentially volunteered me and told me what to do and what to share when people came.
The last crew to “arrive” consciously were the planets. They started speaking to me in sessions around 2013 and my mystic journey took a new trajectory which has deepened my understanding of the bigger picture in a profound way.
In the Medicine Cards deck, there are three main categories, animals of land, sea, and air. What are some of the basic traits of each category?
Nice question! I love that you are noticing the deeper details.
The Medicine Cards deck by David Carson & Jamie Sams is actually rooted in very ancient Choctaw teachings which have been held with a certain secrecy in their presentation on purpose. Out of respect and sensitivity for that tradition, I cannot speak directly to those teachings publicly although the Medicine Cards are a profound tool and it is the deck that initiated my journey and opened my psychic gifts to the world of Wisdom held in the animal kingdom.
At the same time I can share what I have been given over the last 12 years and am happy to do so.
I’ll begin by saying that the animals are a vast world of evolutionary wisdom and each has a distinct articulation from species to species but there are themes of “jurisdiction” and aspects that remain a living mystery school in their own right. In my experience there are layers to the way the animals communicate, some of which are universal and some of which are totally unique to each person / circumstance and are meant to be completely private.
That said, there are some beautiful through lines that can be distilled in a shareable way. First I would say that land animals are interested in bringing balance to our physical lives, our bodies, and immediate behavioral patterns. They are most concerned with how to open our hearts and bring peace into our lives in a very direct way. They may shake things up to get us there, but getting us out of our heads and into our bodies, connecting us to our gut instinct and helping us identify right action with maturity is their M.O.
Sea animals are teachers of innocence, flow, spontaneity and adaptability. They are decidedly creative, curious, and enthusiastic as a group. Balancing the emotional body with special attention to our fears (especially unconscious fears) and also our enthusiasm with a fluid understanding of its consequences and effects on our loved ones, larger communities, our planet.
Last but definitely not least, the flyers are famously messengers of illumination of the path. They are here to bring us out of the darkness and into our higher selves. Levity, laughter, joy, relationship to breath and the seed spark of spirit in our lives is one of their primary goals. The flyers as a group have a special relationship to our word and its ability to determine our direction in life. They listen to the wind and so should we.
What do the directions mean for each animal card you pull?
When you study the directions, you’ll find that they vary according to different lineages and traditions across the world. Depending on where you are or who you are with, the assigned meaning will shift and can become an interior adjustment if you are used to calling in a certain way.
I’d love to pour through all of the details, but the most important thing to say from the outset is that the directions each contain very deep teachings that are considered a mystery school and are traditionally meant to be passed down formally and in person by someone who is a lineage carrier. The reason for that is not to be coy or elitist; rather, it gives the holder of that knowledge the ability to accurately gauge what information the seeker is actually ready to receive, while offering the highest respect for the teachings themselves.
The Medicine Cards deck does reveal some aspects of the directions in the accompanying book which became a bit of a controversy in magical circles when it came out. But it’s a good starting place for those who are called to learn from the wheel. In my own journey I first poured over those particular tidbits, and that led me to a teacher with whom I’ve studied for the last seven years with the intent of being able to share the fullness of the wheel with permission in the future.
In other words: How much time do you have? ;)
Jane wears The Aimee Dress in Night
“True transformation can only happen in
our lives when we greet it”
I read that “Astrology is an incomparable asset to assess the potential possibilities of our lives.” What do you think about that?
I couldn’t agree more!
Then how do you feel about the sea of people that don’t believe in astrology? Do you think there’s a fear of the unknown involved, or disbelief that it could be “written in the stars?” Every skeptic I’ve sent to someone of your caliber becomes a believer quite quickly; have you noticed that tending to happen?
I used to be one of those people that didn’t believe in astrology so I have a special affinity and extra compassion for this crew.
Astrology brings up powerful questions of free will that are absolutely valid and worth visiting from many angles. My relationship to astrology came from an unusual initiation of experiencing the planets directly in readings as forms of consciousness holding an invitation to mastery. Once that became an active personal dialogue for me, it peeled back the onion a bit and I realized that we have forms of support - allies that are pouring in to help us evolve from places that our consciousness cannot even imagine sometimes.
Also I am a firm believer that we are not here to hand over our self-authority; that true transformation can only happen in our lives when we greet it. Trust is an earned space, particularly when we are dealing with ownership of our journey on every level. So we must first trust ourselves. Much of what I open my session work with is about connecting first and foremost to that place within my clients. Respecting that self-authority first, that is where the journey really begins.
Jane wears The Aimee Dress in Night
Most people are familiar with western astrology and the signs that rule them like Scorpio, Aries, etc...but it seems like the Vedic astrology is much more detailed and even observes time and the position of the stars quite differently. Can you share some of the major differences between western and Vedic astrology? It seems to be much more detailed from my reading.
This topic is a hotly debated one in Astro circles with experts on both sides and astronomers alike weighing in passionately to say one system is superior to the other, or that one predates the other. Arguments get complex very quickly, as there are fundamental differences in the way the sky is measured, and how changes in the sky are calculated over time. While there is a world of difference between the two systems; I am of the personal opinion that both can be invaluable tools to anyone who is passionate and serious about personal growth ~ which is the bottom line to me.
That said, Vedic astrology has clearly won my heart. I find it fascinating in that it is a lunar (moon-based) astrology which some say dates as far back as 5,000 - 10,000 BC. Western astrology is believed to be based historically on Ptolemy’s writings which use methods of measuring the year on solar (and other planetary) relationships to the earth dating from the 2nd Century BC which is an elaboration on the Hellenistic tradition by way of ancient Babylonia. So it’s hard to say exactly which came first really.
Vedic astrology is called ‘Jyotish’ or the science of light in Sanskrit, which was born out of the spiritual principle of the interconnectedness of all things (ie. as above, so below).
On the technical side, the Vedic system of astrology offers an astounding level of intricacy and very personal articulation because observational astronomy in ancient Hindu culture was not just wildly advanced but completely interwoven with a spiritual worldview.
As a lunar astrology, the Vedic system measures the movement of planetary bodies against fixed stars within constellations beyond our solar system which allows for changes in the sky over time without separating the stars from their zodiacal placements. So it is “true to the stars,” meaning it accounts for the actual observational placement of the planets in the sky in real time right now. This is why it is called “Sidereal,” meaning “determined by or from the stars.” For example, if you were to take a telescope (or your phone star app lol) and point it into the sky tonight you’d see that a huge cluster of planets are all hanging out in Sagittarius. However with Western astrology the planets will be referred to as being placed in Capricorn which would have been true for Hellenistic Greece thousands of years ago, but obviously not when you look up into the sky today at this living moment in time.
This is the result of the Western system of astrology being based on the position of the earth to the sun and the planets from the spring equinox as the point of orientation which changes slightly over time when you calculate for the wobble of the earth across hundreds of years. So the perceived placement of the zodiac itself in Western astrology slowly drifts away from their actual placement in the sky, making it a little awkward when you see a planet that is clearly placed in the eye of the bull in the constellation of Taurus referred to as being in Gemini.
Many astrologers consider this to be a large portion of why Vedic Astrology is “more accurate.” Other reasons for its eloquence are that Vedic Astrology elaborates the traditional 12 Hellenic zodiac signs by dividing it instead into 27 signs called nakshatras (or lunar mansions) and each of those 27 signs later get divided into 4 more delineations which each hold a different meaning, so it allows not just for observational accuracy but a mind-bending level of specificity that goes beyond anything I’ve ever come across. You could study Vedic Astrology essentially your entire life and never feel like you’d reached its limit or ability to teach you, which I find a powerful testament to its enduring potency and relevance across centuries of time.
Do you see much crossover with traits and characteristics with clients when they share their Western chart with you and you share their Vedic chart?
Clients do not generally share their western charts with me. Usually my clients are ready to explore the depth and intricacies of the Vedic perspective and generally understand there are differences.
Most are really just ready to understand themselves on a deeper level. At the core they are most interested in putting their journey into a larger, more articulate, and hopefully more compassionate context no matter which system they employ to get there. Vedic astrology just happens to be the most eloquent system I’ve encountered and in the hands of the right reader can really come to life in powerful ways. One of the greatest gifts of Jyotish is in allowing you to sculpt and evolve how you perceive not just your path, but how you perceive yourself on that path. Working in this way is, in my experience, a deepening of how to greet our collective journey as gracefully as possible in any given moment.
Now your psychic abilities are staggering, my session with you was mind blowing...are you attached in some way to how and what is coming?
It’s deeply moving to have lived out my journey to this moment and to hear that it can culminate in serving to help others in a real way - thank you so much for offering that!
Many times you are so in the moment as a reader and you have no idea what the reading is moving for that person or how the session will live on in their life experience. It’s one of the biggest things you let go of - an outcome or a desire to “get it right” really - your job is to get out of the way completely. So it means a lot to hear that from the other side.
It is interesting to learn how spaces, land, objects, clothing can hold our trauma, our joy. It’s beautiful psychically to experience firsthand how our energetic signature is something that lives beyond us; that our love, our hearts are so powerful that they bend time in wild ways.
Christy wears The Paloma Dress
How has it been living with this ability? I could definitely see it being a gift and also a bit intense to navigate. Can you shut this ability off and control it to a certain degree?
Whew - yeah - I won’t lie, it’s been a wild ride that’s for sure! Thankfully with the grace of time, a mountain of questions, and lots of experience I’ve come to a place where I can say it is truly the gift it was meant to become. I wouldn’t say I can completely control it all the time even now, but I have learned to work with it and to navigate my needs as a human alongside it. Learning to set boundaries, to identify and establish my alignments was and continues to be a complex process because the gifts evolve as I do. So it is an ever-changing entity in many ways; as my capacity to hold increases, “they” ask different things of me.
It seems like you have a lot of wisdom from several other lineages, what else have you studied and how do you incorporate that in what you share with each person?
What I share with each person varies depending on what I am guided to share. I have been lucky enough to study with several profound teachers at different points on the path to grounding my gifts. Learning to meditate and work with my mind through Kundalini yoga was a strong grounding piece for me. I was deeply affected by my time working for the Golden Bridge family in LA back in 2004-6. My connection to that practice prepared me in many ways to connect my body through mantra and movement to the astrological work I do now.
After 2012 I was introduced to a medicine woman who is a lineage carrier for an intersection of both Celtic and Diné (Navajo) teachings. Formally learning from her and her circle of devoted students over the last eight years has been a profound grounding piece for taking ownership of my journey and my bond with the natural and magical worlds.
I have also been lovingly mentored by a Choctaw and Lakota elder, a Gnostic therapist, and a Russian ballet master. Each unlocking a piece of compassionate wisdom and support when I needed it most. I worked and studied intensely as an actor for 12 years as well and much of my understanding of the primacy of our emotional life and how that plays out behaviorally is rooted from integral teachings I was lucky enough to encounter from master coaches and fellow actors in New York and Los Angeles.
It seems like you have no other option but to go very deep with each person/client. How do you take care of yourself and find time to restore and ground in? Do you eat healthy? Practice various health and wellness modalities?
Eating well is a very big piece of the equation for me. My system has a very delicate balance and my body has taught me to respect that or it shuts down pretty fast! So I am always in a rhythm of refining what I eat and listening to my body’s needs. Sleep is my big reset so I’m very big on showering, bathing, cleansing self-care rituals before bed. I worked with an amazing community acupuncturist in LA for about six years who saved me when I was juggling about four jobs, so I take my herbs religiously still and practice Qi Gong to this day. As the Vedic Astrology mind meld with my writing partner continues, she is teaching me amazing Ayurvedic health practices as well. We are currently in a rhythm of waking up for Sadhana everyday before dawn and offering traditional Vedic prayers, ritual and meditation. I am in awe of how much beautiful supportive Wisdom comes my way to help me keep up with the energetic acceleration of this time.
Jane wears The Aimee Dress in Night
How do you “Honor Mother Earth?”
Best question!
I honor Mother Earth by helping the human world reconnect with Her heart!
My work is to help bridge our hearts to the truth of our interconnectedness with all things. From stone to star we are surrounded in a wealth of wisdom, support, and beauty to touch our highest potential individually and collectively as a species.
Follow Jane Anne @janeannethomas