Santa Maria Sun / Biz Brief

Spotlight on: Divine Guidance

BY JEREMY THOMAS

I emerge from a cave overlooking a beach, clothed in animal skins and moccasins. Hunting for game, I’m suddenly struck in the head by a blunt object. I fall, and lose consciousness, rising out of my body and into the clouds above.

Soul worker: Helen Piceno takes her clients on a journey to spiritual healing from her home in Old Town Orcutt. PHOTO BY JEREMY THOMAS

No, I haven’t discovered the secret of time travel; I’m actually in the Orcutt home of intuitive healer Helen Piceno, who’s guiding me through a past life regression session.

A “soul coach” since 2007, Piceno says she’s always had the gift of seeing into spiritual realms, though she was reluctant to share her ability with others. She found her calling by attending spiritual counseling seminars, finding she was able to perform readings with a skill that wowed her cohorts.

“Something was tugging at my shirt and I couldn’t ignore it anymore,” she said. “Once you open up to the spiritual realm and follow this path, things just seem to flow for you.”

Piceno studied and lived briefly with soul coach Denise Lynn, and began healing sessions with her family. Seeing the impact the work made in their lives, and following a car accident that forced her to end her waitressing job, Piceno began offering public readings out of her home. Over the past few months, she’s been building up her client base through word-of-mouth referrals.

“All my clients have been happy,” she said. “It’s been really rewarding on both ends. I’m able to help them, and it makes me feel good.”

Of all the services she offers, Piceno calls chakra readings her “forte.” To begin, Piceno puts her clients in a highly relaxed state, peering into the seven energy centers located at different points on the body. After the reading, which evokes dream-like imagery, Piceno engages her clients in discussion, suggesting real-world methods for reaching their highest potential. Then, she takes them on a guided meditation, connecting them to their “higher self.” This state, Piceno said, can reveal spirit guides, hidden talents, and a renewed purpose to life.“It’s like discovering your own well of knowledge,” she said. “Instead of calling your friends and asking, ‘What should I do?’ you can just sit quietly, meditate and find the answers within, because that is the best advice you will ever get.”

In her past life regression sessions, Piceno’s clients experience a previous incarnation and death, in order to free them from negative energies they’ve accumulated. According to Piceno, regression therapy has cured her son of asthma and freed her daughter from claustrophobia. Piceno says the intuitions she gets are subtle, but strike at the root of a person’s troubles. Aware of the stigma associated with her work, she stresses it isn’t witchcraft or black magic, and is certainly nothing to fear.

    “Don’t judge it until you’ve tried it,” she said. “We’re all intuitive, we all have a soul, and we could live a more harmonious and pleasurable experience here on earth if you can learn to open yourself to your own unique gifts and follow divine guidance.”

Piceno offers readings, soul coaching, meditations, and space clearing by appointment. To schedule a session, call 744-SOUL or e-mail soulcoach222@yahoo.com.

For more information, visit divineguidance.info.

Highlights

• The Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce announced the retirement of Barbara O’Malley, the Chamber’s vice president of operations since 2008. 

O’Malley began with the Chamber as a bookkeeper and worked for the organization for more than 15 years.

In addition, the chamber welcomed Terri Oneschuck, who was recently hired as finance manager. In this role, she will be responsible for accounting and business management.

Oneschuck graduated with a degree in business administration from Pepperdine University, and did bookkeeping and payroll services for non-profit, retail, and service businesses throughout the Central Coast.

Most recently, she worked for Transitions-Mental Health Association in San Luis Obispo, where she designed curriculum and oversaw the instruction of clients learning computer skills to obtain competitive employment.

Oneschuck can be reached via e-mail atTerriO@santamaria.com or by phone at 925-2403, Ext. 824. 

Biz Spotlight/ Highlights are written and compiled by Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.