On Stomach Pains and Stolen Mojos – A Health Reading
“I can feel it in my stomach.” We often hear this phrase when someone experiences profound unease. Our stomachs endure a great deal, not just physically but also in response to our mental state. It is well established that the gastrointestinal system is sensitive to our emotions and thought processes. Medical science has repeatedly demonstrated the intricate connection between the brain and the digestive system, with both influencing each other in a continuous feedback loop.
Simply thinking about food can trigger the release of digestive juices before a single bite is taken. Likewise, distress in the intestines can send signals to the brain, just as mental strain—such as anxiety, stress, or depression—can manifest in the gut. This bidirectional relationship means that digestive discomfort can be both a cause and a consequence of psychological distress.
When physical symptoms persist without a clear medical cause, it becomes necessary to look beyond the body and into the deeper layers of experience—where emotions, unresolved grief, and personal dynamics shape our well-being just as much as any physical factor. This is where the cards can provide insight, revealing what might otherwise remain hidden.
Given this profound connection, when a querent presents us with gut-related health concerns, their psychological state must be seriously considered. One of my clients had been experiencing stabbing stomach pains followed by acid reflux for several years. Multiple visits to the gastroenterologist yielded no answers—there were no ulcers or identifiable physical causes to treat. Frustrated and seeking clarity, he wanted to know how he could resolve the issue. For this purpose, I cast a Do/Don’t spread: three cards for the situation at hand, one for what to do, and one for what to avoid.
The 1960s edition of Piatnik’s Gypsy Fortune-telling Cards in my private collection.
The situation cards painted a clear picture—his sense of security, his personal power, had been taken from him through grief over an intimate loss (Constancy, Thief, Fidelity). He had been deeply connected to someone who, metaphorically speaking, stole his mojo and left. Even now, he remained stuck in that loss, clinging to it like a faithful dog mourning at its master’s grave—except in this case, his fidelity was entirely misplaced.
What he needed to do was actively reflect on this situation through meditation. The Death card appearing at the bottom of the deck left no ambiguity: these meditations had to focus on the necessity of letting go. If he did not release this grief, it would become his own undoing.
What needed to be avoided was the belief that a strict schedule and an ascetic diet alone would resolve the issue. They wouldn’t.
When our mojos are ripped away by the thieves that inevitably pass through our lives, we must learn to cut—cut the supply tube and reclaim what was rightfully ours to begin with. We are often all too willing to “pour our guts out” for people along our path, investing time and energy without considering whether anything will be returned. At first, this may seem inconsequential, but such an imbalance can leave deep wounds on both body and soul. Worse still, by lingering over a broken relationship, we risk surrendering whatever power and dignity we still have left.
The only conclusion I could offer my client was this: get yourself a good pair of scissors and cut away. I can only hope he listened.
Health-related readings require a sharp eye for patterns and an ability to connect the dots between physical symptoms and underlying causes. As seen in this case, the Piatnik Gypsy Fortune-Telling Cards offer a direct yet nuanced approach to such questions, revealing insights that may not be immediately obvious. If you’re interested in refining your skills in this area, my upcoming workshop on reading Gypsy Fortune-Telling Cards for health questions will provide both foundational techniques and a collaborative space for deeper exploration. Together, we’ll examine how to approach these readings with clarity and precision, moving beyond surface meanings to uncover the true function of the cards in context.
