In Vancouver’s DTES
Volunteering at WISH Foundation
From the summer of 2023 to the spring of 2025, I volunteered once a month, doing card readings at WISH Foundation in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside from 7-9 pm or longer, as wanted. In the spring of 2025. the part of WISH that offered food and other services, where I was doing the card readings, shut down due to funding issues. Below is an account of what it was like to do this volunteer work and how I am holding the vision for extensive services to open up for our ones struggling with addiction.
When I arrive at WISH there is usually parking right outside the door where I’m buzzed in. Up 2 flights of stairs to the cafeteria-style eating area and I set up in the Art Room. I haven’t asked to take photos; maybe in the New Year we’ll do a group photo. I’m pleased to see the ones I’ve seen before, and there are always new faces, every time I visit.
Tibetan singing bowl
Usually I bring my cards and singing bowl. Often, I’ll play the singing bowl, to demonstrate how the energies spin for the letting go.
Addiction stems from our tendency to not want to face into pain, usually from this life, but often a carry-over from other lifetimes. Earth is not an easy place to incarnate.
Last night, Christmas was being celebrated at WISH, including a nice dinner with gifts. Jenny, my contact person, was happy for the readings to be added into the festivities. When I arrive, someone runs around putting names on a list, and we proceed in an orderly fashion. . . or not so orderly. One never knows what is going to happen.
Before I leave my apartment, I always call in the Other Side; I sense who’s up for a visit into the drug-addled world. I feel totally protected knowing my Circle and other beings are all around me. It is really sad to see the devastating effects drugs and alcohol have on these beautiful people.
I’ll never forget my first time at WISH. I had an older lady lambast me when I arrived, “What good will Tarot readings do?!” Not sure where my calmness came from but I asked her if she would like a reading, and when she said, “Yes” we sat down where her things were, and proceeded. She did not want to leave her things to be in the Art Room. Theft of personal items is a big issue.
My readings help to understand inner balance very simply. She was agitated, but this angry one was able to hear what I was saying, and after, she blessed me — introduction by fire to doing readings at WISH — that night I did not leave until after 10 pm.
In many of the readings, I just listen to the woes, but I’m always surprised how deep individual understandings are about How Things Work in the higher realms, their connections to their many friends and relatives who have passed over, their guides, Archangel Michael and the Divine Mother energy.
Often staff want readings on their breaks. With these readings I tend to ask questions about how they feel the government is proceeding with help for our people. Unfortunately, not much has changed. This year we lost over 2000 loved ones to overdose, the highest number recorded in one year for our province.
A few years ago, I designed a therapeutic community, put it on paper, and am holding the vision for my province of British Columbia, the other provinces across Canada and the states in America to build many of these, to provide the funding to those with this as their sacred purpose to get going . . .
Often the Other Side will send beings to me, where I do readings (not volunteering) in Fort Langley, who are working on projects. I had a lady in the summer excited about BC opening up new funding for the expansion of her therapeutic community.
The Alberta government is revamping their health system and building 10 therapeutic communities for those ready to go into recovery.
Click on video above to learn more about addiction in Canada; at 1 hour 8 minutes in, Aarron Gunn talks about Alberta’s plan for those struggling with addiction.
The Alberta Model is based on a therapeutic community, San Patrignano, in Rimini, Italy. San Pat has a 72% success rate, has helped thousands:
Going into our DTES or other places of recovery is a way for me to keep a finger on the pulse of what is happening and add a little comfort to those in the dark night of the soul or on the other side of it.
I have been volunteering since 2016 at 
Several years ago after volunteering at a therapeutic community weekly here, just outside of Vancouver, in Surrey (an hours’ drive from where I live) – 
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