Category: Intuitive Development


Can We Try TOO Hard to Communicate with Spirit Guides?

on communicating with Spirit and/or spirit guides
Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

In your experience, do you think that in trying to consciously connect with Spirit or our Spirit Guides, one can try TOO hard and miss the mark totally? I ask this because I make what I feel are real attempts to open myself up to Spirit, and don’t feel that I ever really do. Thank you for your insights!
Desma

Dear Desma:

Absolutely! We (including YOU) are actually in communication with Spirit all the time, but few of us are consciously aware of it. When we act on “impulses,” where do those impulses come from? When we have a “bad feeling” or a “hunch” about something or someone, where does that come from? Sometimes it is from our own intuition and inner knowing, but often it is from a source beyond ourselves.

If we “try too hard,” not only do we block ourselves from receiving what we desire, but we lock ourselves into our conscious, logical minds, which deafens us to our intuitive faculties. Psychic perception is about receiving, not about attaining. A radio does not have to try hard to receive a signal; it just needs to be turned on and tuned in.

If you think about it, you’ll realize that every psychic exercise begins with the same step: relaxation. This is because in order to perceive anything psychically, we have to alter our state of consciousness so that we’re in a day-dreamy “alpha state.” While this may not be wise if we’re driving a car or chopping vegetables, it’s ideal if we’re seeking communication with non-physical entities.

Further, when we “try too hard,” it’s like we’re at war with our goal. Instead of trying to conquer this challenge, we are wise to make love to it, play with it, experiment! If you’re hard on yourself, you’ll only lower your vibration, which will effectively prevent you from reaching that higher state wherein spirit communication is possible. Try to embrace a sense of anticipation, joy and gratitude about all the magic in the universe, the amazing things humans are capable of, how wonderful beings like guides and angels are weaving in and out of our experience every day. Try to get out of your head and open your heart and soul to Spirit. You can not logically find your way to what you desire here; you must let your heart lead you. While your head plays a key role in interpreting what you receive and in discerning fact from fantasy, you have to be willing to take an initial leap of faith and BELIEVE in order to receive the kind of proof logic demands.

Connecting with Spirit is a psychic ability, and psychic perception is not a science: it’s an art form. Like any creative process, you have to be willing to “mess up” – to be experimental in your approach.

Be light about it. You might begin by manifesting signs from Spirit that you’re on the right track, or that you’re capable of doing what you desire. Decide what your sign will be, ask with all your heart for Spirit to send you validation, and then begin to look for that sign wherever you go. Let’s say you decide you want your sign to be a “thumbs up.” As you’re flipping through the television channels, your attention may be caught by a basketball player giving a “thumbs up” to someone in the stands, or while driving you may see a “thumbs up” on a billboard, or a coworker may walk by and just give you a “thumbs up” to communicate that you’re doing a good job. These are proof that you are already dialoguing with the Universe. When you determine the form of the sign/communication, it’s much easier to spot. The more you acknowledge such experiences as meaningful, the more Spirit will say, “Hey, we’ve got her attention, send more, send more!”

I believe that many “coincidences” are not necessarily meaningful in and of themselves; they’re simply little wake-up calls to pay attention. For example, the other night when I left karate class with my husband, this total stranger struck up a conversation with us, and ended up massaging my neck and shoulders right there on the sidewalk. (He was showing my husband some great techniques). We walked on and several blocks and turns later, my husband introduced me to an old friend who was standing outside her store. In the five minutes we spoke to her, she mentioned that she used to be a massage therapist, but that now, “there is a guy doing massage on every street corner.” Zing!

The next day I was again at karate, talking with a friend about the power blackout last summer, and I thought to myself, “I’d better stop talking about this, or else the power will go out again.” An hour later my husband stopped by as I was leaving class to let me know that our power was out. The rest of the city was fine, mind you; only our neighborhood was out. Now, I don’t think I “caused” the power to go out. I think that I was nudged to think about the power outage before it happened. I realized then that I had been running my usual hectic pace through life on auto-pilot, and that Spirit had been trying to get me to stop and pay attention.

In addition to seeking signs like this, you might try just “making stuff up.” If you COULD connect with a spirit guide, what might he/she be like? Draw a picture or write a description and conversation with this spirit guide. It’s all based on what he/she MIGHT be like “IF” you could communicate with him/her. Honor whatever comes to you as VALID FOR YOU, even if you think you’re making it all up. (Even if you ARE making it up, it’s coming from SOMEWHERE. Just like dreams, it’s all meaningful and valid for you personally.)

The more you communicate with these deeper/other parts of yourself, the more your awareness will expand.There is a whole lot of clutter in our subconscious, waiting for our conscious awareness. This is why meditation is so powerful. It’s something you begin to do like cleaning your house: when your mind is all cluttered and crammed with stuff, it’s time to clear it out so you can see everything in your inner environment clearly again.

Begin to honor your hunches, impulses and intuitions. If someone pops into your mind, give that person a call or look around for them. I will know I’m going to see someone in an unlikely place because as I’m going along, that person will just pop into my mind. You often hear people say, “Oh my gosh, I was just thinking about you!” Begin to pay attention to your state of mind when things like this happen. I’m sure you’ll notice that you aren’t “trying hard,” but rather, are just going along in your life, probably doing something that allows your mind to “wander.” This is the state of mind you need to recreate to purposefully connect.

When you do try to consciously connect with Spirit, set your intention with your heart, not your mind. You can’t force your mind to do it, but you can wish with all your heart and succeed. Feel the desire to communicate with spirit burning in your heart, and allow the calm certainty of your faith to keep it in balance. You can RELAX while wanting if you believe you’re going to get what you want. That is the perfect state of mind and heart for receiving Divine guidance.

Above all, remember that if you don’t feel good about yourself, you’re going to lower your vibration right out of the psychic range. Frustration will only block you. The more gratitude and love you’re flowing, the higher your vibration, and the easier it will be to connect. Raise your vibration via meditation, prayer, a healthy diet, exercise, positive thinking, affirmations, etc., and it will be much easier for you to connect with Spirit.

– Soul Arcanum


Getting Ready for Psychic Development

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC.  All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I have been getting readings from a gifted psychic for years. I recently tried to sign up for her psychic development course, but she told me that I wasn’t ready yet, which left me feeling rejected. When I asked her what made me not ready, she pointed out my dependence on prescription medication for a mental health problem, and some deep issues I have been struggling to get past in my own life for a number of years. She also mentioned that I often fail to take the advice given in readings, and said that this indicates a lack of readiness for new lessons. I’m really upset by all of this, and I’m wondering if she was offended or something because I didn’t follow her advice. I also regret telling her about the mental health issue. Does someone have to be “perfect” to be ready for psychic development? Would you ever refuse a student as not ready like this?
– G.

Dear G.:

My sense is that your teacher is wisely trying to guide you to the safest path for you, for psychic development without a strong spiritual foundation is always a foolish undertaking.

There is a definite relationship between spiritual awakening (which includes the natural development of psychic abilities) and “madness.” If we are reckless with this powerful process, we risk temporary insanity, by which I mean the ability to cope with life on a psychological level. (This is not to be confused with the very normal experience of awakening and wondering if we’re losing our minds. If we’re suddenly seeing things others can’t and having all kinds of far out experiences, wondering if we could be nuts is a very healthy sign.)

Interest in psychic phenomena often develops naturally in the early stages of spiritual awakening, for that is when folks usually have their first psychic experiences. However, awakening and immediately leaping into psychic development is sort of like being born on Earth and as an infant, being thrust out into the hustle and bustle of worldly affairs. We’re fragile and thin-skinned and we know nothing about this strange new realm. We need time to grow and get used to our new bodies and this new dimension of experience before we go exploring its strangest corners.

Many awakening people in the process of getting acclimated are overwhelmed by everyday life. This is because they are now “hypersensitive.” On a physical level, stimuli that others consider normal or tolerable may be literally painful to them. Psychologically and emotionally, they are deeply affected by everything around them, and may care so much it hurts. At the same time, they frequently experience surges of kundalini (life force energy) that they have no creative outlets for.

Modern Western culture has no real knowledge of this spiritual awakening process and no established course for navigating its unique challenges, so early awakening is often a time of profound struggle, and many people develop addictions as coping mechanisms. Alcohol is a very quick remedy for hypersensitivity, for it brings temporary relief by dulling the senses. Compulsive eating, drug use, sexual addiction – anything that may feel comforting or offer an outlet for overwhelming energy may become an addiction at this point.

Conversely, a person may cope by “shutting down” into depression and withdrawing from life in general. They may also seek help from “experts” who tell them what is “wrong” with them and give them a magic pill like Prozac to help them limp by. I am not saying any of these things are “wrong,” mind you – sometimes, they are the only way an individual can cope given the spiritual ignorance of the modern world. They are all crutches, however, and to be ready for big spiritual adventures, we must be able to stand on our own two feet. When one has a sprained ankle, the crutches are not the problem; they are a sign that there is a problem, and that undertaking a big journey now would probably prove dangerous or painful.

Just as a baby learns and grows and gets acclimated, all of this will eventually work itself out. Part of getting comfortable at this new vibration involves honestly facing and healing fears and wounds. When our shadows and self-deceptions have been burned off through the fire of spiritual growth, we will rise from our own ashes into new personal power and understanding. This doesn’t happen just once of course; it’s an endless spiraling process of personal evolution.

As the lower self/ego resists its demise, it will try to defend itself with all kinds of tactics designed to distract us from our spiritual path. These may be frightening experiences, addictions, cyclic problems and dramas, physical pain, romantic/ sexual addictions, unusual habits or obsessions, etc. The more these things hold our attention and energy, the more the lower self is in control.

Some of the things you mentioned, such as the dependence on psychiatric drugs and your failure to move past recurring personal problems, suggest that you’re having trouble rising above the lower self and coping with everyday life. Again, there is nothing “wrong” with this. I know few people who don’t have trouble coping now and then, myself included. However, if we can’t manage to get up in the morning and handle the tasks of the day, or we can’t deal with normal people and normal situations without medication, then we’ve got no business galloping off into strange new realms. This is not just my opinion; many teachers and healers report that certain psychoactive drugs, including commonly prescribed medications, can profoundly aggravate spiritual emergencies.

Folks in the fragile state of early awakening don’t need new spiritual challenges; they need help with getting comfortable in their new skin. Before we start seeking greater powers, we must learn how to handle the power we’ve already acquired.

As a student, I used to think warnings about being ready before exploring psi experiences were just plain paranoid, but as a teacher, I’ve learned how important it is for students to be strong, capable and grounded. Now before I’d teach someone struggling with “normal life” how to explore subtle realms of experience, I’d help them learn how to cope with their hypersensitivity, face their own inner shadows, heal buried wounds, and find their way to a place of new strength, well-being and discernment. I’d insist my students be healthy in body and mind and free from addictions and other “coping” mechanisms. While they might have “problems” or issues like anyone else, they could not be dependent on psychiatric drugs in order to cope with everyday life.

While I’m all for taking the path of least resistance, spiritual development does require discipline and character. The popular New Age attachment to doing only whatever most pleases us in the moment often traps those with strong egos in endless loops of temporal avoidance and gratification. There’s nothing wrong with wanting pleasure all the time, but NEEDING it is a sign that the lower self is steering the ship. To prepare to develop higher powers, we must master the drives of the lower self, such as our endless hunger for emotional comfort and pleasure.

Cultivating self-awareness and stretching yourself into ever greater competency with your normal life will naturally ready you for conscious spiritual development. When you feel grounded, comfortable, and capable of standing on your own two feet in everyday situations, you will be ready for extraordinary new spiritual adventures.

– Soul Arcanum


Learning to Trust Your Psychic Abilities


Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC, 2011. All rights reserved.  
All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I have had psychic abilities over the years and have been able to predict the future for myself and a very close friend about 80 percent of the time. I usually only read for myself and her.(She is psychic but can’t read for herself at times.) I have trouble reading for others as I doubt my abilities due to insecurity. I have often missed opportunities for myself because I did not trust my ability. How can I get more faith in myself and the Universe? I know Spirit tries to get through to guide me but I feel I block it. Do you have any advice for me on all of this?

Karan

Dear Karan:

Trust plays a huge role in psychic ability. The problem is that this is something of a Catch-22: you have to trust your intuition for it to give you reason to trust it!

When I was in training to become a Spiritualist minister, trust was the biggest stumbling block for most of the students. At the school I attended, two main specialties were taught: energy healing and mediumship. Out of a class of about 30 people, only two of us were there to focus on spirit communication; everyone else wanted to be a healer. We had to learn both skill sets as part of the program, and the healers suffered all sorts of anguish over this because being a medium involves tremendous pressure to perform. Instead of channeling intangible energy, we have to produce verifiable information.

The two of us who wanted to be mediums differed from the others mainly in this matter of trust. We had already had a number of amazing experiences of spirit communication, which had convinced us that spirit communication is possible and that we were personally capable of succeeding at it. The main challenge our instructors faced in teaching the healers how to bring through information from Spirit was getting them to relax, let go of their fear of being wrong, and trust whatever came through.

There are four main aspects to successfully accessing psychic information. First, you must get into the right state of consciousness. Second, you must set a clear intention. Third, you must trust whatever comes through. Finally, you must be adept at translating clairvoyant, clairaudient, and clairsentient impressions into the answers being sought.

Many new psychics struggle because they aren’t even aware of the first step of getting into the right state of consciousness. They think that they can just mentally ask a question and receive an answer. This is a bit like randomly dialing a phone number and asking whoever answers what you are hoping to find out: to receive reliable information, you have to ask the right source. This is where good training can prove invaluable. In fact, when I am careful to shift my state of consciousness and get into a high vibration before tuning in, I always receive answers, and they always prove valuable and reliable.

Once you know you’re tuned in and you’ve set a clear, high intention, you have to trust what you receive. I’m sure every medium has had the experience of relaying something that seemed totally off the wall, only to have that information prove to be incredibly powerful and accurate. Following is one of the first experiences that cemented for me how important it is to trust what we receive.

I was reading for a woman who was grieving for her departed husband, James. I brought through lots of information about how he had passed and such, but the surprise came when I reached out for James and the spirit who stepped forward and answered my questions ended with the following: “Tell her that Jack sent the butterfly.” This seemed so “off” that I almost didn’t relay that part to her. I could hear my instructors telling me to trust, however, so I went out on a limb, wrote it down, and sent the email reading off to her with a hope and a prayer.

In her letter back to me, she described how she broke down sobbing when she got to that line, for she was sure that I was indeed in contact with her departed husband. Though his name had been James, his friends and family had always called him Jack. On the day of his funeral, she was calling out to him in her heart and mind and staring out the window at the bleak November morning when a huge butterfly appeared and hovered just on the other side of the glass. She thought this very unusual for November, and she had been wondering if this was somehow the spirit of her departed husband trying to give her a sign. I was so glad that I decided to trust what I was getting and pass it on!

Once you are in the right state of consciousness and your heart is centered on a high, pure intention, you are connected to a source of wisdom and information that is very reliable. Of course, sometimes you will receive intuitive impressions when you’re going about your everyday life and you’re not in this special state. When that happens, you can always check on their accuracy by shifting into this state of consciousness and then exploring them further.

You can also exercise your intuitive senses in small ways throughout the day. First you must be adept at controlling your state of consciousness so that you can quickly shift state and “tune in.” It’s also wise and powerful to program yourself to live an intuitive life. If you work with the law of attraction to manifest powerful psychic experiences and you program your subconscious mind to deliver psychic insights to you on a regular basis, you will begin to have all sorts of amazing psychic experiences. The more you cultivate your abilities in this way, the more your intuition will break through at seemingly random moments to deliver helpful information to you.

One powerful way to do this is to meditate each morning and set a psychic intention for the day. You can ask for a general level of experience or something specific. For example, you might ask your higher self and spirit guides to help you align with a smooth journey and a productive day, and to send you insights, intuitions and experiences in support of this aim. You could also ask for something more specific, such being led to the answer to a question or the solution to a problem. One thing I often ask is, “What do I most need to know right now?” Ask for insights and intuitions to come to you throughout the day to lead you to what you are seeking. The more important this is to you, the more powerful experiences will come your way in answer to your prayers.

To find out if your impressions are accurate, you have to trust them enough to act on them and then pay attention to what happens next. Sometimes you won’t see the evidence you’re looking for because too much of it is hidden behind the scenes. For example, you may sense that someone is upset, but when you question them, they may deny it. This doesn’t necessarily mean you were wrong. You may receive a nudge to take a different route home and never know why. You have to be okay with the fact that you may never know why you received a certain impression, and assume that somehow it was designed to help you.

Finally, if you are too hung up on being right or accurate, you will block yourself. Part of being in the right frame of mind is being beyond ego and in a light, easy, relaxed state of being. Instead of putting pressure on yourself, pray for what you desire and then relax and allow it to come to you.

– Soul Arcanum

Shaktipat: Can Psychic Ability Be Transferred from One Person to Another?

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved.
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I recently saw an advertisement from a woman who says she can “transfer” her psychic abilities to others. This is supposedly done in three day-long sessions, and the total cost is several thousand dollars. She claims that this is worth it because one can skip many years of psychic development. Is this possible? What do you think of this idea? Also, is it possible that just being in the presence of a “guru” can cause spiritual enlightenment?
– Jan

Dear Jan:

It is never wise to try to cut spiritual corners in order to access various spiritual “powers.” Psychic abilities unfold as a natural consequence of spiritual development; if we simply focus on spiritual growth, psychic and other spiritual abilities will develop of their own accord. It is foolish to put the powers first and the awakening second. I would thus be very suspicious of a spiritual teacher who was promoting instant psychic ability or suggesting that it’s possible to “sell” enlightenment!

There are good reasons that spiritual practices like meditation and yoga have been prescribed for millennia. When we devote ourselves to lifelong spiritual development via regular spiritual practice, we enjoy a smooth journey where one state of being naturally flows into the next.

Big problems may occur when this natural order isn’t followed. For example, sometimes people have “kundalini experiences” when kundalini (life force energy) is awakened suddenly or “accidentally.” This may happen as a result of a fall or blow to the tail bone, a near death experience, or the use of psychedelic drugs. When awakening occurs like this, one may go through quite an uncomfortable period or experience what some call a “spiritual emergency.”

To me it seems only prudent to listen to the teachings of spiritual masters, and to devote oneself to the work involved in achieving our aims. Trying to become psychic in a weekend is like putting on a black belt after a few days of karate training, or someone with an honorary degree trying to practice law or medicine. You might look the part, but would you really want to be put to the test? You can imagine all the problems that might erupt from such an approach.

Now, all of these matters aside, is it possible for a teacher to transfer spiritual powers to a student? Supposedly, this is one of the greatest blessings of having a “guru.” This gift of spiritual awakening is most commonly called shaktipat. It’s sort of an initiation wherein a master awakens a student into higher levels of consciousness.

Sadly, the sort of guru who can bestow shaktipat is probably very rare, but even if your spiritual teacher can’t enlighten you instantly with a touch or a look, you may still gain great blessings from such a relationship.

For obvious reasons, it is very helpful to have someone who has been where you want to go show you around. Great spiritual teachers can save you tons of time by teaching you what they have mastered themselves. They can help you remain motivated and hold you accountable to your own personal goals. They can help you over stumbling blocks, provide specific answers and personal guidance, and lend you support and understanding when no one else in your life has a clue what you’re going through. The further “out there” we get, the more refreshing and reassuring it is to find someone who truly understands our strange spiritual experiences because they have been through that twilight zone themselves.

Further, just being in the presence of some people can instantly alter our own vibration. I’ve been in lectures and classes with some great spiritual teachers, and felt everyone present move into synch with that teacher’s energy. It is said that one who is connected to the stream of pure positive energy is more powerful than thousands who are not, and this can be directly experienced in such situations.

Ram Dass and Deepak Chopra are two such teachers who come to mind. Deepak’s aura was the biggest I’ve ever seen; it extended beyond the walls of the huge auditorium he spoke in. This was very surprising to me, as I had some prejudices about him beforehand that I realized were totally unwarranted. Similarly, when I went to a lecture by Ram Dass many years ago, I was in an altered state of consciousness the entire time. I have no recollection of anything he said, in fact, but I was blissed out for days following this experience.

When in the presence of such a person, we may feel like we’ve been hypnotized, but I believe this is not a matter of brainwashing – we’re just “under the influence” of this master’s energy. It only makes sense that the more time we spend with such a person, the more our own vibration will entrain to theirs.

It is thus wise to spend time with people you admire, people who embody qualities you are trying to develop or who have already learned the knowledge and skills you wish to make your own. At the same time, however, it is NOT wise to deify human beings or to see them as somehow superior to us. This is disempowering to ourselves, and it’s a pretty heavy trip to lay on the teacher. Remember: we can not see in another anything we do not possess ourselves, so we might say that a “guru” is simply embodying some part of ourselves that we are in the process of discovering and developing.

So if you find yourself in the presence of some great spiritual teacher, know that it is because you are in harmony with their energy and with moving in this direction yourself. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. In time, you may outgrow this teacher and move on to a new one – someone who can guide you further along your path. This doesn’t mean each one of our teachers will be somehow better than the last, however – just that whatever we need at the time is what we will attract.

Even when people find themselves caught up with ‘false gurus’ to whom they have given away their personal power, it seems to me that they’ve attracted just what they needed. What a powerful lesson! Through this experience, they are learning not to deify human beings, but rather, to value their own inner truth and wisdom above all.

In summary, if you’re longing for a guru, make sure you’re not trying to skip over some of the work you see before you. When we try to take spiritual “short-cuts,” we often end up lost and far off course. Also, make sure you’re not looking for something outside of yourself that can only be found within. The ultimate guru (teacher) is within you, and can be accessed at any time by honoring your own inner knowing as your ultimate connection to divine wisdom. If you’re satisfied that neither of these is the case, then longing for a guru may in fact be a sign that you are being led to a new teacher.

If and when you do find a wonderful spiritual teacher, question everything and be very careful not to worship this individual. Remember that your “guru” is no more divine than you are, and is not infallible. Do not expect your teacher to be a living saint, either; just because someone knows more than we do about something, that doesn’t make them perfect. Gratefully accept from spiritual teachers the lessons, knowledge and experiences that resonate with you as true and useful, and leave the rest behind.

Remember too that this is not a one-way relationship, and even spiritual teachers must earn a living. Offer your teacher the same courtesy, kindness and understanding you would to anyone else, and make sure you are giving back in equal measure to what you receive, whether you do that by paying for your lessons, volunteering your time and energy, or expressing your heartfelt gratitude.

– Soul Arcanum


The Accidental Medium

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I have sensed spirits and other energies around me for a long time now. I see spirits most often, and I try my best to be brave about it. This has been going on my whole life. I talk to as many people as I can about all of this, and rarely find anyone who has similar experiences. Sometimes I ask myself if I’m going insane, but more often I find myself wondering what it is I should do with this gift. I do feel a sense of emptiness like I’m not fulfilling something that I should be doing. I also have dreams that predict the future. My four-year-old son is having experiences of his own; he is talking about shadows and people around him that aren’t there, and telling me about them in great detail. I want to know why I have these abilities while people around me do not, and what I should be doing with this so I can better educate myself and help my son.

Matt

 

Dear Matt:

In order to answer you, I’m going to divide mediums into two different categories: those who are born with the ability to perceive spirits, and those who develop that ability through focused effort. For obvious reasons, those who are born with the ability tend to have a harder time with their psychic experiences than those who actively pursue psychic development.

The experiences of most natural mediums tend to follow certain patterns. Their ability to perceive spirits is usually present from birth, so when they learn to talk, they begin to speak of people that the rest of the family can’t see or hear. Sometimes this is frightening to the child and he will cry and tell his parents about a man or woman or monster who is frightening him. Sometimes, his experiences are wholly positive, and the parents will simply notice that he seems to have an imaginary friend with whom he chatters away. Usually, there is a mixed bag of both positive and negative experiences: they may start out positive, but if the child senses his parents are uncomfortable or frightened by the whole subject, he also gets uneasy or frightened, which opens him up to experiences of a more negative nature.

At that point, the child may start to reject interaction with spirits and seek a way to shut down his abilities. If this is accomplished, there will be a lull in psychic activity until adolescence, when it may flare up again. (Adolescence entails a surge of life force energy coupled with a tendency to deeply question and/or reject what we’ve been told, which naturally tends to produce spiritual experiences.) Unfortunately, because adolescence tends to be a time of great emotional turmoil, those psychic experiences tend to be frightening or negative in nature, which leads the medium to again try to shut them down. There are many, many natural mediums in the world who no longer perceive spirits because they found a way to shut down their abilities in the past. Psychic abilities that have been shut down can remain dormant indefinitely until something happens to trigger them again.

Of course, like you, there are some natural mediums who never tried or managed to psychically shut down, and they often feel just as you do: They wonder if they are crazy or losing their minds, and they have no idea why these things are happening or what they are supposed to do about them.

This course of experience is very different from that of a person who purposefully strives to develop their spirit communication abilities. These folks experience none of the inner conflict of the natural medium, for they very much want to be able to connect with spirits. They are almost always initially motivated by the personal loss of a loved one with whom they very much want to connect. Experiencing the pain and grief of losing a loved one also fills them with great compassion for the grieving and the desire to help others who are struggling with loss. Instead of spontaneously experiencing more spirit contact than they are comfortable with, these seekers must struggle and strive to experience any at all.

I imagine that natural mediums were all seekers like this in a past life; that they had a tremendous desire to connect with the spirit world and worked hard on developing that ability, and this is why they came into this life with that ability already in place. Frequently, natural mediums whose abilities have long been dormant become active spiritual seekers when something happens to trigger that desire; indeed, most gifted mediums have a good amount of natural ability that they have spent a lot of time and energy refining over the years.

It is also clear that genetics play a role, as you can see in the fact that both you and your son are natural mediums. Psychic ability seems to run in families, much like musical ability, athletic ability, and other talents. When this is the case, the question isn’t so much what you are supposed to do with your ability, but what do you want to do with it? There are many people in the world who have a lot of athletic ability who never had the drive or desire to become professional athletes, and that is perfectly okay. Just because we developed an ability in a past life or were born with the genes to excel in a certain endeavor doesn’t mean that we have to go in that direction now.

Desire and motivation are key here. To be a great medium, you have to have more than an ability to perceive and communicate with beings in other dimensions; you also need to have compassion for the grieving, a strong desire to help, and the willingness to live a life of service. So instead of asking yourself, “What am I supposed to be doing with this ability?” I encourage you to ask “What do I WANT to do with it?”

I think the key to all of this for you is your feeling of emptiness: that feeling that you are not fulfilling something that you “should” be doing. I am so glad you included that detail, for it is a huge clue that your inner guidance is trying to tell you something about all of this.

It could be that you are simply meant to learn more about how to control your abilities so you can help your son; perhaps he is the one who is going to apply his natural mediumship abilities to a life of helping others. Maybe, however, you are meant to move in this direction yourself and begin to put your natural psychic talents to good use by working with the grieving. If that feels right to you, then there are all sorts of ways to refine your abilities. The most time-honored methods and traditions can be found in the Spiritualist church, but as all paths are unique, it is really important to pray and ask to be guided to the best path for you.

I was once in your shoes: I was experiencing spontaneous spirit communication and didn’t know why or what to do about it. When I made clear, conscious decision to use my mediumship to help others, all I needed in order to do that began to show up in my life in wonderful ways. I recommend that you pray for guidance and dialogue with Spirit, and listen to that feeling/voice within you that has been pulling at you. This is your inner guidance system; it is how the divine will answer the questions burning in your mind and heart and lead you to whatever you personally need to know or do next.

Yoga and Psychic Ability

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I have always associated yoga with spirituality, and I am keenly interested in developing my psychic abilities, so recently I took my first yoga class. While I really liked it, I was surprised to find it basically just a gentle form of exercise. Do you think yoga can enhance our spiritual paths and help us develop psychically?
– Kelly

Dear Kelly:

When I speak here of yoga, I am not referring to the physical practices designed to increase strength and flexibility that most Westerners associate with the term. Yoga is far more than this. Traditionally, yoga (which means “yoke”) is a spiritual discipline designed to lead aspirants to unite their individual soul with God or the Universal soul.

This is achieved through the study and practice of moral and ethical principles, spiritual teachings, meditation, and special bodily and breathing exercises. Where its focus is physical, it aims to purify and transform the body into a vehicle ripe for enlightenment. It also aims to improve our physical health and well-being; after all, it’s hard to focus on spiritual growth when our bodies are causing us pain or discomfort.

Many of the yoga classes available in the United States have been stripped of their more spiritual elements. Yoga has many branches, however, and some are far more spiritually focused than others.

In the yogic tradition, psychic powers are known as “siddhis,” which literally means “perfections.” Accomplished yogis have been known to not only develop telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, and mediumship abilities, but also amazing gifts such as the ability to levitate, bilocate, instantly heal others and materialize physical objects.

As a rule, however, one does not practice yoga in order to develop siddhis; instead, they are viewed as natural “by-products” of general spiritual development. I agree that focusing primarily on spiritual development is wise, for a strong spiritual foundation ensures a safe, sane, positive experience with psychic phenomena.

Further, yoga is a discipline, and discipline is essential to a strong spiritual foundation. If someone has the desire and discipline to practice yoga on a regular basis, then they must be sincere in their desire for spiritual development. People who explore psychic matters who are mentally or emotionally unstable, morally weak, or lacking in character and discipline may have “paranormal” experiences of an unattractive nature, or even experience mental breakdown. Practices like yoga thus ensure a natural and healthy psychic progression, and also offer the immeasurable benefit of a wise teacher.

Many yogis are warned not to get caught up in siddhis because they may just distract them from their higher spiritual aims or ensnare their egos. Others believe that siddhis are blessings that allow us to better know and understand the nature of the divine. Certainly the development of psychic powers generally indicates a higher spiritual vibration, which is at least a sign that one is making spiritual progress.

Though initially I was as enthralled with psychic phenomena as anyone, over time I have come to see that the development of psychic abilities is not an ultimate spiritual goal. While such phenomena may enchant us for a while, in time we will evolve beyond this fascination; we’ll eventually lose interest in such matters and the desire to use the psychic abilities we’ve attained.

The ultimate goal of a yogi is liberation from the cycle of rebirth via enlightenment. Essential to this process is the integration of body, mind and spirit. This is where yoga can be a very special tool for spiritual growth. Unlike practices that focus entirely on our so-called “inner worlds,” yoga incorporates the body as an important aspect of our beings. By opening our chakras, balancing our prana, and raising kundalini, we can both support the spiritual progress we attain through other methods and initiate greater awakening.

A key element of yoga is the practice of focus or concentration. In this way, it is a form of active meditation. Further, as a physical discipline it is so much more than most other forms of sport and exercise, for in addition to what we might call “striving,” it emphasizes to an equal degree surrender or letting go. In this way it mirrors the experience of life itself, which is a practice in learning how to simultaneously create what we desire and accept all as it is.

As I mentioned above, there are many different types of yoga and I don’t have space to go into them here, but if your aim is the development of psychic abilities, then kundalini yoga would be of particular interest to you. Kundalini yoga’s main focus is the raising of kundalini and the opening of the higher chakra centers. Kundalini is a powerful reserve of life force energy that sleeps at the base of our spines, in our root chakras. By awakening kundalini, we expand our awareness and begin to tap more of our spiritual potential.

We each have a habit of viewing life through one of our chakras more than the others; this is the chakra that is dominant for us at that time. Ordinary consciousness is generally perception of reality from one of the lower chakra centers. As we open and move our awareness into the higher chakras, we view life through a more spiritual lens. We also tend to have mystical experiences and gain new spiritual abilities.

Our chakras correspond to our glandular system, and by working on the body (glands) and the spirit (chakras) at the same time, we can harmonize and integrate the two. This leads to higher awareness and the wisdom and freedom to choose from that enhanced perspective. It also generally leads to the blossoming of psychic abilities.

Kundalini is a very powerful force and it must be respected. Many people have awakened kundalini unintentionally through drug use, physical accidents, and casual dabbling in esoteric practices, and had very negative experiences. In order for kundalini to rise through us with ease, our inner energetic channels must be open and clear. If we awaken kundalini before the body is prepared for this level of intense energy, we may have a very uncomfortable experience physically, emotionally, and/or mentally.

Rest assured, however, that we are all flowing a degree of kundalini all the time. This is the force that keeps us “alive.” We are all also evolving spiritually, and the more we evolve, the more kundalini we tap into. Our aim should be a gradual, gentle awakening, one that we are prepared to handle. Yoga is a valuable tool in this regard.

There are some great kundalini yoga DVDs you can start with at home. I recommend DVDs by Ravi Singh/Ana Brett and Gurmukh. There are a number of them available at amazon.com. If you find this practice as enriching as I did, however, then I highly recommend you find a local class that feels right to you, because having a teacher is a great blessing, and you will meet some of the most amazing people on this path.

– Soul Arcanum


Visual Phenomena and Psychic Awakening


Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I have begun to see things I never used to see. For example, I see various shadows and lights in empty space; they are so subtle that they are almost imperceptible. I have been to the eye doctor and even a neurologist and they can find no reason for this. The reason I am writing to you is because in the past week or so, I started to see light and color around people’s heads. At first I thought this was another issue with my vision, but then the word “aura” popped into my mind, and it hit me that maybe what I’m experiencing is more metaphysical than physical. (I have only seen these auras around two individuals; I don’t see them all the time.) I feel really spaced out these days; I can’t focus like I used to, which has made it hard to be productive in my job as a paralegal. Do you think what I’m experiencing is spiritual in nature? I hope so, because I’ve been afraid that I have a brain tumor!

K.

Dear K.:

While I’m very glad that you’ve seen doctors about this, it breaks my heart that you went through all of that testing fearing that you had a brain tumor. In other times and places, these sorts of experiences were better understood. Can you imagine how different your experience would have been if you had been immediately directed to the neighborhood shaman, guru or spiritual healer, and promptly received a clear explanation and helpful advice? It seems like “modern science” is even eradicating spirit in cultures with the strongest foundations of spiritual knowledge, for I keep hearing from people in India who are experiencing classic psychic phenomena who are writing to me half a world a way for help. When I recommend they find a local guru to help them, they say they wouldn’t know where to find such an individual! In any case, it is helpful that you’ve ruled out physical causes, for now we can feel free to explore metaphysical explanations.

There are hundreds of “symptoms” associated with spiritual/psychic awakening. (I hesitate to use the word “symptoms” because this connotes pathology, so from here on out, we’ll call them “signs.”) In your question, you present two of the most common: seeing/sensing subtle energy and feeling spaced out or out of touch with mundane reality. These signs are especially common in early spiritual awakening. I experienced the exact same thing way back when I first began to explore spiritual practices. I had had a number of spontaneous psychic experiences prior to choosing to actively explore spiritual matters; it was these experiences that ignited my interest in metaphysics. When I began to spend a lot of time in altered states of consciousness via practices like meditation, all sorts of interesting things began to happen.

For me, seeing auras came first. It is normal to see auras around some people and not others, especially when this is happening spontaneously as opposed to it happening as a result of your own conscious effort. The first time I ever saw an aura, I was in a university lecture for an Eastern Religions class. I had been dabbling in meditation for a few weeks at this point. The lecture was held in a very large hall with the professor on a stage with a spotlight on him at the podium. As is common in long lectures, I kept drifting in and out of a trance state. As my mind wandered, my vision went into a soft focus so I was no longer really focused on anything or anyone in particular. That’s when I noticed something amazing: the professor had a huge yellow light all around him! At first I assumed this had something to do with the spotlight, but when he wandered away from it and into the shadows on the stage, the light remained the same. That’s when I realized that it was coming from him instead of from some outside source.

Like you, it took me a moment to realize that I was probably seeing his aura. Needless to say, I don’t think I heard much of the lecture after that, for all sorts of thoughts began to race through my mind. I found myself thinking about pictures of Jesus and the saints and how they were depicted with this same golden light around them. I wondered if the artists who painted them this way were clairvoyant or if these subjects were so spiritually bright that their auras shone forth for all the world to see. I thought it was fascinating that the aura I was seeing belonged to a professor of Eastern Religion. What sort of spiritual development might he have undertaken over his many years of studying various mystical paths? Certainly he would be more spiritually developed than the average person; was this why I was seeing his aura and no one else’s? I wondered how many of my fellow students might be seeing the same thing I was, so I started looking around the large auditorium, but everyone else seemed to be experiencing nothing more than an ordinary lecture. I tried to see their auras to no avail. I dove more deeply into meditation after this, however, and over the course of the semester, I did begin to see auras on most people when I tried to make that happen.

Some time after this, I began to practice astral projection, which involves spending a lot of time in a deep meditative state. That is when I began to notice what appeared to be shadowy lines and structures in otherwise empty space. It was like seeing a vague shadow of another world. I would see walls and beams and objects so faint that it wasn’t clear what they were, it was just clear that “something” was there. It sounds like you are seeing the same things I was.

These perceptions happen when we’re in a “spaced out” or trance state of mind. As we begin to awaken spiritually, we naturally get “spacey” like this, for our left brain and its psychic/intuitive abilities kick on more and more. It’s also normal to feel drawn into introspection and called to explore deep questions and issues instead of mundane reality. The more time you spend in trance/deep reflection, the more subtle energy you tend to perceive. This is true whether you are purposefully entering altered states of consciousness via practices like meditation, taking mind altering drugs, or simply lost in deep contemplation.

As you naturally evolve spiritually, your vibration rises to the point where you’re able to perceive a higher range of frequencies than you could before. You also become more and more sensitive, which makes you more perceptive and more consciously aware of what your psychic senses are picking up. When you then focus your attention beyond this world by entering a trance state, you begin to perceive things that exist beyond the physical. (This is why meditation naturally leads to psychic development.)

I encourage you to research the many other signs of spiritual awakening, for if you’re not experiencing them now, you may be soon, and I don’t want you to worry that something is wrong with you! This is a normal, natural process. Try to relax, go with the spiritual flow, and trust that whatever you need will come to you as you move forward.

– Soul Arcanum

Controlling Spirit Communication


Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I have spontaneously brought through amazing messages from someone else’s loved one in Spirit a few times. Since then, I have tried to do this for others, but it is rare that I can bring through a particular spirit on request. Sometimes, the spirit that comes through seems random; other times I feel like I have a spirit that is connected with the person but they don’t recognize the spirit based on what I bring through. This leads me to doubt my spirit communication abilities and to feel bad because I know I am disappointing someone who needs to hear from someone they have lost. Do you have any advice for me?

Martha:

Dear Martha:

I wish I had easy answers for you, but what you describe is actually similar to my own experiences as a medium. My first spirit communication experiences were also spontaneous. I would be talking with someone when I would become aware of a presence around them that was trying to talk to me in my mind. When I got up the nerve to relay what I was being told, I was amazed at the profound healing that unfolded. From this I developed a strong desire to help the grieving in this way, and eventually, I was guided to The School of Spiritual Healing and Prophecy in Lily Dale, New York, where I learned how to refine my spirit communication abilities.

While I received wonderful training there, I still can’t guarantee that I will be able to connect with a particular spirit, and I have never met any medium who can. Famous mediums on TV may look like they can, but it’s simply because we are only being shown their greatest successes. Of course, I could be wrong about this; if you are a medium who can connect with any spirit at any time, please email me and set me straight – I want to meet you!

There are all sorts of factors that affect spirit communication. I have noticed that my own abilities seem to wax and wane. While I haven’t been able to determine why this would be, one element is clearly the level of my own desire. When I’m focused on spirit communication and full of compassion for the grieving, amazing spirit communication tends to happen; when I am caught up in other interests and endeavors, it naturally tends to fall back.

I also feel that we can evolve beyond the vibration essential to spirit communication. There is a natural progression in psychic development from frightening experiences to spirit communication to awareness of higher beings like spirit guides and angels. If we become accustomed to reaching as high as we can vibrationally, we may have to step down our vibration a few notches to connect with human beings who have passed. This is like working with a highly sensitive radio tuner; it’s simpler to turn it all the way to the right than to find a specific frequency in the middle.

Because I can’t guarantee that I will be able to bring through the individual being sought, I will try for evidential information and if I don’t get it, encourage the person to try another medium or try again at a later date. (I never charge anything for tuning in to see if I can get someone on the line.)

Communication is a two-way street. Often when spirits first cross over, they don’t know any more about how to communicate with us here than the average person knows about how to communicate with the dearly departed. Someone who thought spirit communication was a bunch of hogwash when alive may not instantly change his mind upon crossing over. When my best friend from high school died, I found it impossible to contact her at first. When I asked Spirit about this, I was reminded that my friend didn’t believe in an afterlife, and made to understand that she was experiencing what she expected to experience when she died: a state of nothingness. In time, she would begin to wonder who was experiencing that nothingness and open up to new awareness. Some months after she died, I began to get dream visits from her.

Sometimes there are simply communication problems either because the spirit isn’t great at communicating in general or because the styles of communication between the medium and the spirit are too different. To compound the problem, you can try to connect with a particular spirit only to have another individual burst in. Last week when I was tuning in for a woman who had lost her partner, I was shown lots of images of cooking. I was then shown a man in full military uniform in an old photograph. I knew this was a male spirit and that I was being shown him as he looked when he was younger. I relayed all of this to my potential client, and none of it clicked with her. The NEXT day I received an email from a woman wanting to connect with her departed father, with a link to his obituary. He was a celebrated chef and had been in the military. The obituary featured a picture of him when he was a young man; his was the face in the photograph I had been shown the day before. So when I tuned in for the first woman, a spirit came through for someone I hadn’t had any contact with yet! This has happened a number of times over the years. This spirit was so eager to come through that he “cut in line” and popped through when a different spirit was being sought.

You wrote that sometimes you feel you have the right spirit on the line, but the person isn’t recognizing what you’re bringing through. This has happened to me a number of times. For example, I was reading for a woman who was devastated by the loss of her husband. He kept showing me a framed picture with birds in it in their living room. When I relayed this to her, she said there was no such picture in her home, and she had no idea what it meant. Based on other verifiable information, we proceeded with the reading. I read for her perhaps a dozen times over several years, and each time, he showed me this picture of birds. I eventually stopped including that information because it didn’t mean anything to her.

A few years after he had died, she wrote to me for another reading. She needed to know what to do with her departed husband’s beloved birds, which were in a cage in their living room. She had been caring for them ever since his death. She sometimes felt that he was trying to talk to her through the birds. On the whole, however, the noise they made drove her crazy, so she wanted to know from him what he wanted her to do with them: keep them or give them to someone else. I was dumbfounded! Somehow she did not connect the “picture of birds in the living room” with the ACTUAL birds in the living room! All that time, he had been trying to answer the question in her heart. My point is that sometimes, you DO have the right spirit on the line, but for some reason, the person receiving the message just can’t put it all together.

Not being able to connect with a spirit does not mean that they are lost or confused on the other side or that you are incapable of spirit communication in general, for there are many factors that influence our ability to connect with certain spirits. Further, we need to remember that spirit communication is more of a miracle than a given. While I would love to be able to connect with any spirit at any time, I have learned to be grateful for those experiences that do shine through with amazing evidential information.

– Soul Arcanum


Psychic Interference


Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I’ve been working on psychic development for more than ten years and been doing some psychic reading work for the past three years or so. Most of the time, everything goes great; now and then, however, I feel psychically blocked. I’m wondering if you’ve ever experienced psychic interference like this and how I can work through it.

Sandy

Dear Sandy:

I think all psychics experience this sometimes; I know I certainly do. If psychic work was painting, I think it would be more like creating a masterpiece than covering walls with a certain color. Like other artistic talents, psychic abilities can be unpredictable and temperamental. After many years of involvement in psychic realms, tuning in can begin to seem pretty mundane, but we must remember that we’re trying to achieve things most of the world would deem to be magical if not downright miraculous.

There is a difference between being temporarily blocked and going through a period during which you just can’t connect the way you used to. Occasional blocks are common and usually short-lived; they typically last for just a few hours or a single day. There are all sorts of reasons temporary blocks come up, and many easy ways to work through them.

For example, I know many psychics who report that they find it hard to connect when the weather is gray. Cloudy days tend to bring our mood down, which makes it harder to achieve a high vibration. Since gray days tend to bring down the mood and energy of everyone around us, psychically sensitive individuals can find it especially difficult to achieve a high vibration at these times. Of course, the more masterful we become at controlling our own vibration, the less outside factors will influence us and our abilities.

Similarly, being tired, physically unwell, or emotionally upset can really mess with our psychic abilities. Again, it takes a lot of focus and energy to achieve the high vibration of psychic clarity, so if we’re low on energy, we’re in for a struggle. Negative emotions also bring our vibration down, so unless we know how to put our own feelings aside, any personal upsets can prevent us from psychically tuning in.

Doubt and fear are formidable barriers to clear-seeing, especially fear of failure or being wrong in our psychic impressions. Even psychics who have many years of success behind them sometimes get anxious. If you are reading for someone and you are worried about impressing them or otherwise attached to the result, you will grow anxious, sink into ego, and find it impossible to connect. Similarly, if you’re reading on a subject that seems daunting, you can block yourself with anxiety. This is why general spiritual development is such an essential foundation for psychic ability: The more we embody peace and faith, the less likely we are to be mired down in doubts, fears, and other ego-driven feelings.

It is important to wait until we have a “green light” feeling before pushing forward with psychic work. While I trust that anyone who comes to me comes for a good reason, there are times when I feel I have to do a lot of work in advance in order to align a positive level of experience. There are all sorts of reasons this may happen. One common one is when people come to me with an agenda regarding what they want to hear and are not really open to hearing anything but that. Along the same lines, I often have clients refer their partners, family members and close friends to me. When they all start asking about each other, things get pretty tricky. The same is true when someone wants me to bring through information about a third party. Everyone who strives to fulfill higher spiritual values first and foremost will be prevented from accessing psychic information if doing so would not be for the good of all involved. In this case, being blocked is a good thing, for it keeps us from stumbling forward without thinking things through.

Most psychics will also go through longer periods when their psychic abilities just don’t seem to be working so well. Usually, they have simply fallen into some bad habits or fallen out of the good habits that led them to reliable psychic ability in the first place. For example, I’ve known psychics who engaged in all sorts of spiritual practices in order to awaken their abilities, but then over time, become a bit complacent. Maintaining a lifestyle conducive to regular psychic work can be difficult in the modern world. When our good spiritual habits fell away, our abilities may follow suit.

Since psychic work is a highly specialized art form, it’s not something that can be rushed or thrown together; it must be carefully prepared for and aligned. Just as athletes warm up, stretch, and do all sorts of other things to be able to perform well, psychics have to engage in certain processes in order to be able to do what they do. Fortunately, just like training the body, we have only to return to the spiritual practices that work for us to quickly get psychically “back in shape.”

While every psychic is different, when I feel my ability starting to slip, I know to pull back from worldly endeavors and engage in more yoga and meditation. It also helps to read spiritual books and study esoteric teachings. While yoga and meditation are time-honored traditions, it’s important for you to find what works for you.

I’ve known many a psychic who felt blocked from using their abilities and could not figure out why until they realized that they were ignoring their own intuition for some reason. In essence, they had turned the volume all the way down on their intuition because they didn’t want to hear what it was trying to tell them. If your intuition has been telling you that you need to get out of your marriage, quit your job, or make some other big change in your life that you are afraid to make, you may have blocked it from speaking to you without realizing it.

Finally, it often happens that longer periods of psychic interference precede new spiritual breakthroughs. We all get in ruts sometimes, and if we aren’t paying keen attention and responding to Spirit’s guidance, we can be blocked from what we’ve been doing in order to wake up and try something else so that we can start moving forward again. When what we used to do stops working for us, we become motivated to explore new options and possibilities. It thus often happens that psychic lulls are followed by periods of high activity in which we are able to use our psychic abilities in new or more powerful ways.

When we find ourselves blocked from doing something psychic in particular, it’s always wise to step back and reach for a connection with our spirit guides. Our guides are always there for us, so if we have trouble connecting with them, we should look for both the problem and its remedy within. The first thing I would do is engage in some yoga and deep meditation while reaching for a high vibration in order to reconnect to Spirit. Once our connection to our guides is back in place, we can simply ask Spirit to help us figure out what’s happening with our abilities and what we need to know in order to get past troublesome blocks.

Soul Arcanum

The Purpose Behind Premonitions


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Dear Soul Arcanum:

I’m highly intuitive. Sometimes I experience dreams and premonitions that end up coming true. Sometimes these events are seemingly insignificant, while at other times they prove to be very important. My question is why do I get these images? What am I supposed to do with them between the time they come to me and when they occur? Usually they involve other people contacting me and other events over which I have little control.

Sonia

Dear Sonia:

When we first start having psychic experiences, it’s normal to be amazed to see evidence of a higher plan at work and all sorts of things happening around us that we were previously unaware of. If we have a premonition of something happening and it actually occurs, we assume that the event was destined and therefore important. This revelation can be so mind-blowing that we begin to question the whole nature of reality and if everything we experience is meaningful.

People are often surprised when I say that our psychic senses are no more “important” than our physical senses – they are simply rooted in metaphysical dimensions of experience instead of the physical plane. If you look out your window and you see the mailman coming up your street, do you ask yourself why you’re seeing the mailman and what you’re supposed to do about it? If you push your cart toward the cash registers at the grocery store and you notice that all the lines are really long, do you wonder about the deeper meaning of that experience? I’m not trying to make fun of your question by any means; I’m just trying to illustrate that being able to perceive something doesn’t mean there is a deep message in it for us.

Many people assume that premonitions are meaningful because most people ONLY have psychic experiences when something important is happening. In fact, many people only have a few extraordinary experiences in their whole lives. Those experiences tend to involve warnings of danger, encounters with departed loved ones, or instant recognition of a soul mate/future spouse. As these are all highly charged, potentially life-changing events, many people assume that psychic experiences are designed to warn us of some potential harm or lead us toward some important choice or turning point.

Though people may assume that all psychic experiences are important or meaningful, the truth is that most people only have conscious psychic experiences when that input is so charged or intense that it breaks through their normal state of consciousness to get their attention.

In our everyday lives, it’s like we are totally engrossed in a television show about life on Earth. In fact, we are so absorbed that it’s hard for anything in the universe beyond this show to get our attention. A person’s mother (in Spirit) could be calling their name over and over, and they wouldn’t even blink. It would take a sudden loud noise like an alarm or someone jumping in front of the television to get their attention, and only then would they have the extraordinary experience of perceiving something from beyond the physical story of their lives – something “paranormal” or “supernatural.”

Psychics are different in that they aren’t so locked into that physical story on TV. Since they are very sensitive, they tend to keep the volume turned down on the set, which means they’re able to hear and see things around them that most people can’t. As a result of this, it’s much easier for metaphysical influences to get their attention. The more this sort of thing happens, the more psychics tend to look beyond the physical show instead of gazing right at the TV, and the more they look into the so-called unseen, the more they tend to see. When they learn how to “shift into an altered state of consciousness,” they turn away from the TV set and open up to whatever may be happening on a metaphysical level.

You’re like someone who is highly sensitive but is mainly focused on the TV. Though you’re not purposefully exploring the unseen world around you, you are picking up input from it. Like many people, you’ve assumed that you are receiving these impressions because someone or something must be trying to get your attention for a good reason.

However, just as is true when we are caught up in watching a television show, most of the things we might see and hear around us are just part of the metaphysical backdrop to this world. For example, when watching television, you may hear other people in the vicinity getting a snack from the kitchen and a lawn mower in the distance. In your peripheral vision, you may see birds flying by the window and neighbor kids running through your yard. Most people do perceive these things but they don’t do so on a conscious level because their conscious minds are so absorbed in what’s happening on TV. That you are aware of these things while the other people watching television with you are not just means that you’re more aware of subtle energies and influences.

Of course, there are times when something or someone is trying to get your attention, just as is true when you’re watching television and the phone rings or someone comes in the room to tell you something or ask you a question. These are the psychic experiences you have that seem to be important or meaningful.

So how can you tell the difference between a psychic event that is just background and a meaningful experience? The main thing is to pay attention to how you feel. The more important a psychic impression is, the more of an energetic charge it will carry. At one end of the spectrum, we have warnings of danger, which throw our entire being into hyper-alert mode and usually feel so compelling that we act on them without hesitation. At the other end of the spectrum, we have niggly little thoughts and feelings that simply let us know what’s happening beneath surface reality.

To determine what we’re “supposed to do” about the premonitions we may experience, it’s helpful to develop our abilities to the point where we can ask for more information and get clear answers. By intuitively asking why we’re receiving this information and if we’re supposed to do something in particular with it, we can make the most of our psychic senses.

Of course, at some point, this simply becomes impractical, for the deeper we move into psychic territory, the more psychic impressions we tend to receive. If every day is chock full of little visions and psychic impressions, it’s too hard to both fully engage in our physical life story and at the same time take in everything around it and dialogue with sources of intuitive guidance to determine if there is something important we may need to know.

This is why I recommend relying on how we feel and trusting that if there is something we need to pay attention to, we’ll be alerted by a strong feeling that something important is happening or soon to occur. Of course, when we do have a sense that something important is happening, it’s immeasurably helpful to have developed our abilities to the point where we can then ask what we’re supposed to do with that information. I therefore recommend that you dig into expanding your psychic senses so you can purposefully use them to interpret and work with the visions that come to you spontaneously.

Soul Arcanum