Tag Archive: psychic ability


How Does Psychic Information Help Us Create Change?

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

A little over a year ago, I fell down some stairs and hit the top of my neck. It’s been a long path to healing, but when I realized that I could consciously relax this area, the level of chronic pain became much more bearable. What hasn’t really helped was the information given to me by a healer who said that the reason I hurt my neck was because in a past life I was tortured and killed by a “dark energy cult” who did something gruesome to my neck. It’s not like I find this unbelievable or even particularly frightening; I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do with it. I’ve experienced plenty of things in this life to explain why I remain inert in the face of approaching danger or why I walk carelessly down a wet spiral staircase. To what extent are we defined by our past lives? I find it difficult to imagine why I would recreate a shadow experience of something terrible. Are we even supposed to know what happened in past lives? I ask this because I have never found self-awareness to be a major impetus for behavioral/physical change.
– Karla

Dear Karla:

I think this question is really about the power of conscious awareness. Whether the experiences affecting us at a subconscious level stem from our past in this life or another life, if we are unaware of why we are doing what we are doing, then those experiences are controlling our behavior. When we become conscious of why we do what we do, then we gain the power to make a conscious choice to do something else.

Here’s a simple, classic example that is sadly all too common: Let’s say that when Sandy was little, she was molested by her father. She may have a vague recollection of this, or have totally repressed her memories of it. It doesn’t really matter, so long as she is not conscious of how those early experiences are affecting her today.

Fast forward twenty or thirty years, and now Sandy has a hard time getting close to men. As soon as a man begins to get too close, she finds fault with him or starts acting “crazy” and pushing him away.

She may come to me for a reading, asking, “Why can’t I find the right guy?” Or, if she has some self-awareness, she might ask, “Why do I sabotage these relationships? Why do I always treat the nicest guys like dirt?”

Well, Sandy learned at an early age that it is the men you should be able to trust the most – the ones who are supposed to protect you and take care of you – that you have to watch out for. When a man says he loves you, beware. Thus as soon as a guy seems to care too much, she feels panicked and starts to flail around to get out of the relationship.

If she can get conscious about why she is doing what she is doing, then she can work through the irrational, self-defeating aspects of her belief system, and choose a more empowering and fulfilling approach to relationships.

I know this works myself. When I was a teenager, like many girls that age, all I wanted was to be pretty and popular. I put a lot of effort into being skinny, attractive, etc. Then I was stalked and raped by a man who saw me as so “desirable” that he had to have me for himself.

In the wake of that experience, I blamed myself. I said things to myself like, “Well, you wanted to be irresistible! That’s what you get!” I then started gaining weight and wearing huge clothes. I stopped wearing makeup. I stopped getting a lot of male attention. I wasn’t happy being out of shape and unattractive, but I felt safer.

I woke up one day and realized WHY I was overeating, not exercising, and dressing in baggy clothes. I then decided to “empower” myself by getting very strong and fit. I started eating right, lifting weights, running, and training in karate. I became obsessed with being fit and strong.

To this day, I still work out a lot. There are some healthy, positive reasons for this, but there is also a bit of that desire to be able to protect myself too. Maybe that’s unhealthy, or maybe it’s just wise given the nature of the world. I do know that becoming conscious of why I was doing what I was doing freed me to find the healthiest way to deal with it. I’m happy feeling strong and fit. I feel empowered.

Our past lives often do continue to affect us. The more intense/traumatic an experience in our past was, the greater its potential power over us will be. Since we don’t usually remember our past life experiences, they tend to influence us in unconscious ways.

When a big past life trauma is swept under the rug of our conscious awareness, it forms a lump in our lives that we can’t really see. We then trip over that lump again and again until we make a connection between walking in that area and getting hurt. Then we may be able to walk around it to avoid it, but of course, the hazard is still there. If we aren’t “paying attention,” we could trip over it again. If we consciously address that lump – if we lift up the rug and drag it out into the light and clean it out of there, we won’t have that vulnerability anymore.

Just because something happened in a past life, however, that doesn’t mean that we’re doomed to experience it again. While I won’t comment on the accuracy of the unusual reading you received, I find it rather strange to be seeking the reason for an accident in a past life in the first place. Accidents happen; they don’t always have some deep or higher meaning. We can have an accident if we simply fail to consciously manifest well-being. If we’re not grounded, not paying attention, not fully in our bodies, then accidents happen, and we’re snapped back to reality. If we keep finding ourselves in the same sort of pattern of experience, however, then it may be helpful to seek the metaphysical reasons why.

You asked if we’re even supposed to know about past life experiences. I found that a most interesting question. Why indeed would we generally not remember them unless there was a good reason?

I asked Spirit, and it was explained to me that we gain access to power and information as we become ready for it. Thus the more evolved we are spiritually, the more spiritual abilities we’ll gain, and the more awareness we’ll have of things like our past lives, the deeper meaning behind our experiences, etc. Spiritual evolution is a journey of ever expanding conscious awareness. We can trust that if we are made aware of something, it is natural and right for us now.

I feel that this fall sparked a big surge forward spiritually for you. Often accidents release a surge in kundalini. If you look back, you will see how this fall launched you into a period of deep spiritual questioning. That may not have been its “purpose,” but it was the result. Take it for what it is, and make the most of it. Instead of looking back and asking “Why?” look forward and ask, “Where do I want to go from here?”

We are not doomed to repeat past life experiences. In fact, the whole point of accessing past life information is to become more aware of any unconscious programs that are driving self-defeating habits so we can create what we want instead. Regardless of what happened in the past, we have the power to choose what we will create in our lives now.

We’ve all had hard times and dark experiences in this and in other lives. Becoming conscious of the deep fears we carry as a result of these experiences can empower us to release them. As all great spiritual teachers have taught, the path to realization is one of self-awareness. The more we know ourselves, the more empowered we are to consciously work with natural spiritual law.

– Soul Arcanum


Unsolicited Psychic Information – To Tell Others or Not?

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I have kitties, and some are not doing too well. One has been diagnosed with oral cancer, the other has no definite diagnosis, and almost all of them developed upper respiratory infections. I recently learned about Quantum Touch, and had been using it on them when I got the feeling I should meditate. To shorten the story, a person in my meditation told me a certain thing about the infections they were all experiencing. I accepted what he said to be true, even though it’s a bit “out there,” and the next day, they were all basically “cured.” What do I do with this information? It sounds pretty wacky, but it seems to work. There are many ramifications to letting people know about it, however. I am really confused. I am thankful I was told this, and amazed at how well it’s worked, but what do I do with this spiritual information now? Thanks and many blessings!
– Joanna

Dear Joanna:

Welcome to my psychic world!

Your question reminds me of the television show Medium, which I started watching recently, even though I don’t generally watch TV, and certainly steer clear of shows that are dark with violence such as those about crimes. Everyone kept telling me about this show, however, so I checked it out. As soon as I saw it, I told my family, “They definitely have a real medium consulting on this show!” (I didn’t know yet that the character of Allison Dubois is based on a real medium of the same name.)

So many elements in the show’s storylines ring true to me. For example, no one knows what Allison does for a living, or that she is even a medium, except for her husband and the people she works with. Even her kids are basically in the dark about what she is really doing. Due to society’s general view of “psychics” as either nuts or frauds, many remain “in the closet” about their ability for a long time � some never come out.

Allison also often doesn’t know what to make of the dreams she has or the information she receives herself. Instead of being all-knowing, she is usually just as baffled by her experiences as everyone else. When we first open psychically, this is just how it is. We don’t know how to explain what is happening or how to figure out what our experiences “mean” – we just know that we had them and that when we pursue their meaning, it usually takes shape in amazing ways.

I’m mentioning all of this because one of Allison’s many struggles with her psychic perceptions is figuring out what she should do with them. She often doesn’t know if she should share the information she receives via visions and dreams. When she does share them, the people who receive her insights usually don’t know what to do with them either. She faces a lot of judgment and rejection by skeptics, yet she always finds a way to trust her own truth above all else, and when she does, things work out.

If you haven’t seen the show yet, I encourage you to check it out, for it will help you to make sense of what you pick up and the best way to deal with it. I must warn you, however, that it’s not for super sensitive folks who lack faith that all is well, for it centers on solving violent crimes.

Like Allison, if we trust that we receive information for a reason and we trust our own intuition when deciding what to do with that information, everything will work out just fine. This doesn’t mean that everyone will be open to hearing what we have to say, or that our lives will be simple and carefree. If that’s what you’re hoping for, you might as well ask Spirit to turn your psychic abilities off right now – and move to fantasyland while you’re at it.

When we first begin to have amazing spiritual experiences such as the insights you were given and the healing that followed, it’s natural and kind to want to tell the whole world about it. After all, when we figure out that we are the creators of our own experiences, and thus there is no need for anyone to suffer ill health or lack of any kind, we want to tell everyone who is still walking around in a dark cloud of disempowerment how they can use our truth to create something better in their lives.

It can be especially hard to watch loved ones struggle with problems that we know how to solve, such as the health issues you describe. Similarly, it can be very hard to watch loved ones heading for a huge mistake and not try to warn them, even if we know they won’t listen. If we do try to warn them, it can be even harder to sit back when they refuse to listen to us.

On top of all this, we have to figure out what to do with the information we pick up for perfect strangers. We have less at stake personally there, but how in the world does one begin to approach such a subject? Perhaps hardest of all is determining what we should do with messages for people we don’t like very much, or who don’t like us for some reason. For a couple of months now, I’ve been sitting on a message about impending health problems for woman who really resents me. We never speak, so I’m not about to ring her up with the “bad news.”

To make matters even more complicated, because we create our own realities, we are juggling a lot of responsibility for how our words will affect others’ outcomes, for if we tell them they’re heading for disaster, it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy. We don’t want to be proven right just because they believe our dire prediction and go on to manifest it.

To figure out what we should do with certain information, we have to develop a clear conscious connection to Spirit. This is where a spontaneous medium like Allison Dubois’ character is at a disadvantage. Her impressions come to her randomly, spontaneously – it’s like she is at their mercy. By contrast, a developed medium will have cultivated strong relationships with guides in Spirit, and know how to receive answers and guidance at will. A medium who has mastered her abilities like this will then just ask Spirit what she should do with certain information, and receive a clear answer. For example, when I ask Spirit what I should do with that health information for the woman who doesn’t like me, I hear, “wait, watch and see.”

Anyone who has spontaneous psychic experiences or receives insights and information from Spirit like you did should further develop their abilities like this, so they can ask Spirit for guidance on what to do with their perceptions. There are no hard and fast rules we can learn, for each individual and situation is unique. We have to be able to ask our intuition in the moment, and trust it enough to act on it.

Ponder this possibility: sometimes we are actually meant to deliver information to someone who will reject it, because this will prove more powerful than preventing a “mistake.” When they realize we were right and wish they had listened to us, their spiritual belief system could be blown open. So even if our impressions are rejected up front, it doesn’t mean it was all for nothing. Some people have to walk through a lot of pain before they’ll change their ways and views.

As for what you might do with general spiritual epiphanies, such as knowing that we can heal with the energy of our minds, again – ask your intuition. Perhaps this experience/knowing was a gift just for you. Perhaps you will feel compelled to share it with certain individuals you meet along your journey. Maybe you’ll end up writing a book about the knowledge you’ve been given, and enlighten the world at large.

If you feel compelled to share your insights and experiences in some way, then there is nothing more important for you to do. So long as what you are sharing is of love and light, and your overall intention is to be helpful, you can’t go wrong.

Whenever you don’t know what to do, remember: you can always ask Spirit!

– Soul Arcanum

Tension Before Big Earthquake

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I had such a hard time the week or two before the big tsunami hit in Indonesia, and the period just following it. I just wasn’t myself. I didn’t feel well either, but I sense that this was not a medical problem, but rather a spiritual one. I was frequently dizzy, nauseous and disoriented, and I had wild nightmares. I’m wondering if this is related to the massive earthquake that caused the tsunami. While I’m not one to usually worry about “earth changes,” this time I was so personally affected that I’m kind of freaked out!
– Erica

Dear Erica:

As our bodies are naturally attuned to the Earth, all animals and humans are sensitive to some degree to the Earth’s energy, especially when it peaks or builds in tension as with earthquakes. Some people have experiences like this before every local earthquake, and every big one around the globe. The symptoms you experienced – dizziness, nausea and disorientation – are common ones. Others include mood swings, irritability, headaches/migraines, ringing tones or pressure in the ears, sleep disruptions, heart palpitations, anxiety, and physical pain in certain parts of the body.

It makes sense that bigger earthquakes would produce longer periods of tension and affect more people, and this was a whopper. In an article in the Montreal Gazette, I read that the total energy of the tsunami waves was greater than twice the total explosive energy used during all of World War II (including the two atomic bombs), but that even this was far less than the energy released in the earthquake itself. Further, NASA scientists have determined that this earthquake affected the Earth’s rotation, slightly altered the planet’s shape, and shifted the North Pole by centimeters. Given the magnitude of this event, I imagine everyone was affected to some degree either consciously or subconsciously.

While I’m not a scientist by any means, somewhere along the line I picked up a very simple model of the Earth’s energy patterns that has helped me to visualize what is happening with various phenomena such as earthquakes. Picture waves of energy that are in constant motion around and through the planet. These are like radio or sound waves. Via lightning and other means, the Earth is sort of cordlessly “plugged in” to the Sun, and thus the energy/power never stops flowing. The Earth is thus like a complex toy “top” that is constantly “on.”

As the Earth is “on” and spinning, it produces sort of a “hum.” That is the sound of the Earth. This “hum” is actually more like a symphony than a single note, however. While there is an overall “sound” to a symphony, if we listen very carefully, we can hear that there are actually many instruments and different notes playing, and the “song” is always changing, always in motion. Further, depending on where we stand in relationship to the symphony, it will sound different. In one spot we’ll hear more flute, while in another, we’ll hear more percussion, etc. Someone who is very sensitive and aware of this “music” will of course be able to discern the subtle differences in sound from one moment to another, and in one location versus another.

This has helped me to understand why and how every place in the world has its own unique feeling, and how places very far apart can feel similar to each other, and yet unique at the same time. The town I live in is a long way from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and yet there is something similar about these two places. They’re not identical, but they have an overall “tone” that is comparable. This tone produces an atmosphere that is open, laid back and “groovy,” and very different from the energy of New York City, for example.

While there are places on Earth that usually “sound” light and sweet, and others that are generally deeper, darker or more “exciting,” there are also places where occasionally cymbals crash. Fault lines are places where energy peaks like this. (It is most likely the energy building in those areas that creates the fault line, as opposed to the fault line producing that energy.)

There are some people who are so consciously or biologically tuned in to the music of the Earth that they can sense a crescendo building toward a “storm” or earthquake. Animals are known to be able to predict storms like this. If, however, that symphony starts to play louder or with more tension/intensity than it has for a long time, as with the recent earthquake in Indonesia, even those of us who are normally not tuned in could be affected.

Imagine a stereo that is constantly “on” with the volume turned all the way down. Some people with extraordinary hearing might be able to pick up the hum of that stereo all the time, while the rest of us remain oblivious. If the volume is turned up just slightly, however, then those with sensitive hearing (sensitive people) would “hear it,” while those less sensitive might never notice a thing. If we have never heard a particular sound before, or perceive it at a less than conscious level, we might say, “What’s that noise?” and not figure out until the music peaked (the earthquake hit) that we were sensing the music of the Earth building toward a crescendo.

This is what I think caused the phenomena experienced by many sensitive people during the weeks surrounding the Indonesian earthquake. I am not usually affected by natural disasters around the globe, nor do I ever predict such things, and yet I and a remarkable number of the most sensitive people I know all experienced a period of extreme tension preceding and following this event, similar to what you describe.

The most common symptom reported to me was a very disturbed sleep pattern. Starting a few weeks before the earthquake, we would fall asleep only to awaken about an hour later, and then drift in and out of sleep all night long. We all experienced weeks of extreme irritability as well, though this could have been caused by a lack of sleep. There were other striking shared experiences, such as dealing with major health crises of family members. While at first glance it may seem unlikely that these were more than coincidence, perhaps extreme tension building in the Earth can throw people with fragile health into crisis.

Since an earthquake is basically the Earth releasing stress/tension, and as we’re all energetically interconnected, we might relate this build up of tension to our inner processes. As balance will ultimately prevail, when we allow stress and tension to build in our own lives, we will eventually erupt ourselves. When the Earth’s plates shift in an earthquake, we’re wise to ponder if we need to make a paradigm shift ourselves.

I recently visited a very gifted spiritual healer whose experiences with the earthquake energy mirrored my own, and she pointed out that somewhere along the line, we’d misplaced our “inner child.” This struck me as an important insight. The sleepless irritability so many of us experienced was indeed the antithesis of the playful, happy, carefree energy of a child. In any case, our discomfort did force us to reflect on our lives and what was going on, and to make some positive changes in our own energy.

When we pay attention to our bodies and our subtle senses like this, and start to understand how the Earth’s energy affects us, we see more and more meaning in our patterns of experience. Then we can consciously work with the wisdom of our bodies and natural spiritual law to create more of what we want in our lives.

– Soul Arcanum


When Your Intuition Conflicts with the Advice of Psychics

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

Most of the psychics I have consulted have told me to wait for this married man because they see us together someday. He has been married about 35 years, and although the marriage is not good, I have a hard time believing he will ever divorce because of family pressure. We had a brief relationship two years ago, when I fell in love with him. I have waited for him to divorce so that maybe we could have another chance at a relationship. A number of psychics have told me they see us together possibly next year, and that he will decide to divorce. Should I trust what I feel inside (that it’s not going to happen), or am I just being insecure and wanting more than he can give me right now, and thus clouding my intuition? Should I listen to those who have “gifts” I don’t possess, trust that they see something I don’t, and take their advice to wait for this man? I do love him and would like to have the faith that they tell me to have, but the waiting is hard and I also don’t want to be stupid. I am advised to wait more often than I am not, but frankly, I don’t hear from him much any more.
Thank you!
– Rosanne

Dear Rosanne:

Basically, your question is what you should do if your own gut/intuition disagrees with what a psychic tells you. The answer: always put your own inner truth first! When we go against our own instincts to do what our parents tell us to do, what our spouse thinks is right, or what a psychic advises, we grow away from our true path and feel more and more like something is missing in our lives. We also find it harder and harder to access our inner guidance, so we end up feeling more and more lost and frustrated.

You are the ultimate authority on your own life, not just because you are the closest to it, but also because what you believe will happen is what you will generally experience. We get what we expect in life because we do create our own realities. Thus a hundred psychics could tell you that you will marry this man, but if you don’t believe it’s possible or destined yourself, it won’t come together. A hundred psychics could tell you that you won’t find true love, but if you believe in your heart you will, then you WILL.

It is very important to view psychic readings as simply one perspective on your situation. Hopefully, that perspective will prove to be a source of comfort, inspiration, encouragement and enlightenment. It will help you to determine how you really feel, what you really want, what is really happening beneath the surface, where things are heading, and how you can align with true fulfillment. The guidance in a reading should resonate with you deep within. If it doesn’t, throw it out!

One of the first psychics I ever consulted (many years ago) told me that I had no psychic gifts and would never end up working in this field. As soon as she said those words, I knew how wrong they were. I learned a lot from that experience – like what NOT to do as a reader, as well as what I knew to be true myself.

I encourage every one of my clients to trust their own inner knowing above anything I might communicate in a reading. Here is an excerpt to the introduction I always use in my email readings:

“I pray that you will listen to your own inner guidance in interpreting this reading, and disregard anything that does not ring true to you. You already know the answers you are seeking, but perhaps have trouble believing those answers or consciously accessing that knowledge. When something in this reading makes you say to yourself, ‘Ah, yes, that is so true,’ that is you recognizing that which you already knew to be true in your heart.”

We all have an inner compass that gauges the truth for us. When someone says something that really “hits the nail on the head,” this little switch inside lights up. When someone tells us something that is untrue or off somehow, it feels like something in our guts actually pushes it away, rejecting it.

We become confused or unsure of our true paths when we’re blinded by attachments to things going a certain way, and can’t be objective. The reading process is designed to lift us above this confusion born of ego/fear/desire. This will only happen, however, if we infuse the reading with this power by taking a sacred approach.

While there are many advantages of consulting psychics online or via the phone, the downside is that it’s too easy to be casual about it. When you go see a spiritual counselor in person, she can draw you into the sacred vibration of true communion with Spirit. When you’re consulting with a psychic from a distance, you have to take responsibility for that yourself. When a reading is approached carelessly, it’s not going to prove powerful and useful, for the energy you put into it will determine what you get out of it. If you pray sincerely for answers to come to you from Spirit, then THEY WILL COME. They will either come to you through the words in the reading or through your own inner knowing. As I described above, sometimes that inner knowing is a strong rejection of what the psychic says. If this happens in a reading, the psychic may not have come through for you, but Spirit sure did.

Which will you trust more: a psychic stranger, or the Divine whispering in your own heart?

As for your situation in particular, I see a man who is all tied up in knots, and while he may claim that others have tied him up, those knots are of his own making. If you think about it, he really is “free to go.” He is choosing to put other matters before his feelings for you. That’s entirely his prerogative – but it’s not what you really want in love.

You are being urged to rise above the question of whether this man is going to get a divorce to be with you and simply focus on what YOU want in love with faith that it will come you. Visualize a man who puts nothing before his love for you. Imagine yourself feeling like the center of someone’s universe: adored, cherished and appreciated. You deserve more and better than waiting for some guy you had a fling with two years ago to wake up, get a divorce, and devote his heart to you. The odds of him choosing to do this are slim, while your ability to manifest the kind of love you want in general is infinite – provided you work with the law of attraction to manifest this in your life. If you align with fulfillment then this man might step up to the plate, but if he doesn’t, then another will. Stay open to your good coming to you through whatever channel is most open. Your only job is to become the adored, cherished lover you wish to be in your own mind and heart.

Psychics are not infallible any more than stock brokers, therapists or doctors are infallible, and even the best psychic won’t prove powerful and helpful to a client who is blocked or blinded by her own fears and desires. I advise everyone to check what they are told against their own inner knowing. If you regularly consult psychics and often feel they’re “wrong” then quit consulting psychics – you don’t need them anymore! If you find a psychic who always resonates with your own inner knowing, who knows how to help you to get clear on what you want and should do, then stick with her. If she should ever feel “off,” however, keep her words in mind as you move forward, but go with your own gut.

We’ve all been given a divine inner compass to help us feel our way through life. The more we listen to our intuition, the stronger and clearer it will get. To be truly fulfilled, we have to do more than just listen, however; we have to honor our intuition by basing our choices on it above all else.

– Soul Arcanum


How Do You Know You’re Ready for Psychic Development?

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I’ve long been interested in developing my own psychic abilities, but something in me keeps holding back. Are there reasons one should NOT pursue this? How do you know when you’re ready, when this is what you’re supposed to do?
– Jan

Dear Jan:

It has been my experience that the way one approaches psychic development – the quality of energy one puts into it – will determine the quality of the experiences that unfold. The following questions will hopefully illuminate the attributes that facilitate a pleasant, positive, successful psychic journey.

Fear/Faith

Do you believe the Universe is a benevolent place? Do you trust your own judgment, or do you dismiss your own experiences as “unreal” if they don’t match what you’ve been taught to believe by others? Are you afraid of delving into psychic matters?

Faith is important because it both fuels success and protects us from negativity. Whatever we focus upon expands, so if we explore psychic matters with fear that we will come to harm, we will have scary experiences. One does not have to be totally fearless, mind you; a little fear of the new and as yet unknown is what I call excitement! Fearing eternal damnation, however, is not the kind of fear you want to push through. Lose the fear by educating yourself first.

Ethics

Do you have a strong sense of integrity? Are you honest with others and yourself? What is your motivation for delving into psychic matters?

Integrity is important because psychic knowledge is a huge responsibility. We will be held accountable for our knowledge, therefore, those who unwittingly blunder may feel the undesirable effects of that “mistake,” but those who should know better and choose to do wrong will experience far greater consequences. Picture a child riding a tricycle and crashing full speed into a tree, versus a man driving a Porsche full speed into a tree – the greater power of the Porsche means greater consequences if mistakes are made.

Respect

Do you have a healthy respect for spiritual phenomena? Can you respect these matters without fearing them?

This is important because those who play at spirit communication and fail to respect psychic processes are generally careless, and often attract mischievous entities and undesirable experiences. This approach can become a pointless game or drama – which is exactly what these folks signed up for.

Timing

Is your life sailing along smoothly for the most part, or do you have a lot of dramas to manage? Do you have the time and the inner resources to devote to psychic development now?

Timing is important for obvious reasons. If we’re already overwhelmed with normal life, how can we expect to take on a new paranormal realm of experience? One must master one level of experience before messing around with another. To leap ahead would be like the little boy on the tricycle getting behind the wheel of that Porsche.

Courage

Are you willing to face and conquer your own fears? Are you at peace with the fact that there is a shadow side of life? Are you prepared for your personal life to be turned on its head?

Courage is essential because we will be tested as we move forward. These tests are similar to driving tests; they’re meant to prevent us from getting hurt. Before we’re allowed to take off down the road in a Porsche, we have to prove we can handle ourselves on slippery pavement, in unfavorable conditions, etc. Also, when we begin to develop psychically, our personal lives often get turned upside down because as we devote ourselves to this path, the people and circumstances that could hinder us naturally get cleared out of our way.

Physical Health:

Are you strong and healthy? Do you use drugs (either recreational or medicinal) on a regular basis? Do you have unhealthy addictions to food, alcohol, drama, certain people – whatever – that are getting the better of you? Do you enjoy high energy and a sense of well-being?

Physical health is important because a high vibration is needed to access psychic realms. If we strain for those realms while in poor health, it’s like someone who is out of shape trying to climb a mountain. It will be much harder (if not impossible), and the odds of getting hurt are greater.

Emotional Health:

Are you emotionally stable? Have you moved past the common pattern of dependent/codependent, victim/rescuer? Do you take responsibility for what you create in your life, and do you expect others to do the same?

Emotional health is important because opening psychically means opening to outside influences. If we are emotionally fragile or unbalanced, then when we are down or out of control, we’ll attract similar energies, which will just send us further in that direction. It can be overwhelming to feel others’ emotions. We’re all doing this the time, of course, but before we cultivate even greater sensitivity, we’re wise to have our own emotions balanced.

Psychological Health:

Are you clear-thinking and discerning? Are you grounded in this reality? Are you engaged in other strenuous studies, or are you ready for new challenging courses? Are you curious and prepared to study and practice?

Psychological health is important because it’s so easy to lose touch with common reality when we move into this realm where incredible things happen right and left. This is one of the biggest risks in psychic development. We’re all familiar with the stereotype of the “New Ager” who sees meaning in every dust mote and blade of grass she encounters. As with most stereotypes, there is some truth to this one; we have to be very grounded psychologically to walk the fine line between being open-minded and being so far “out there” that we can no longer relate to others.

Spiritual Health:

Do you strive for the high ideals of love, forgiveness and compassion in your daily life? Do you have a sense of yourself as part of a larger whole? Do you feel connected to God/Spirit/the Divine? Is a desire to grow spiritually a central driving force in your life?

The more we trust in Spirit, the more open we are to being helped by Spirit. By aligning with high ideals, we align with Divine guidance and with the conditions essential to a positive psychic experience.

Beliefs:

Do you believe psychic ability is real and possible? That it is natural and normal? Have you ever had psychic experiences yourself? Did you trust those experiences as real? Are you well-read regarding psychic subjects?

It is wise to maintain healthy skepticism, but an active disbelief in psychic abilities will bar us from them. This has been proven in experiment after experiment; those who believe in psychic abilities demonstrate the most psychic ability.

Being Called

Finally, do you feel called to develop psychically? Are you fascinated by these subjects, and do you feel compelled to explore them?

While meeting the above criteria is helpful, it’s not essential. A strong calling from deep within is all you really need. You don’t have to wrangle with the questions above if your heart knows its true path. Just honor that calling, and you will be led.

I don’t want to give the impression that psychic development is only for a perfect chosen few, or that it is rare or even hard to achieve. No one is 100% together. Heck, I felt intimidated by the above questions, and I wrote them! If you’re not ready, however, you won’t go as far as fast, and your path may be bumpier. If you approach this with a solid foundation, it can be an easy, wondrous, delightful journey.

– Soul Arcanum


Her Pendulum Isn’t “Working”

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Dear Soul Arcanum: I bought a pendulum from a website, and no matter how many questions I ask it, it doesn’t swing for me. How come? Is there any power infused in it at all? A fortune teller told me I will never win big in the lottery. Do you think this is true? How can I get winning numbers with a pendulum?
– S.

Dear S.:

I would be very surprised if you had written that you WERE able to get winning lottery numbers with your pendulum.

First, there is nothing “magical” in the pendulum itself. It’s just an inanimate object that can be used as a tool for accessing our own higher awareness. No “magic” is infused in the object; the magic must come from within. Hence, the quality of information that that we can access with a pendulum will depend on our own inner development. If we’re not very “enlightened,” then we certainly can’t expect to work miracles (such as winning the lottery) with a pendulum.

Everything in the universe has a vibration, and that vibration determines the quality of its energy/experience. Psychic ability is found at the upper range of vibration for the Earth plane. So-called “fortune tellers” generally vibrate below that level. They may at times stretch “up” into that range, but on the whole, they’re too focused on the material world to consistently be able to access meta-physical information. Psychics have a very high vibration, but there are some who are even higher, like mediums and spiritual healers. Then there are spiritual teachers, monks and ascetics who are so high up there it’s a wonder they’re physically still here at all.

By contrast, those who expect to win the lottery tend to have a much lower vibration than psychics. First, their focus on material wealth is a world away from higher spiritual awareness. While natural abundance is a divine blessing, attachment to physical wealth is born of fear. There’s nothing wrong with desiring abundance so long as our priorities remain straight.

Lottery seekers also tend to have weak wills. They may say they want very badly to win, but if you ask them what they are willing to do to attain that wealth on their own, you will get the real story – one full of excuses about how they can’t, they wouldn’t know where to start, etc.

As our will is central to forming our future experiences, folks who want millions just handed to them should bet on it NOT happening. If they owned their power as creators of their own experiences, instead of grasping at the unlikely “solution” of winning the lottery, they’d just focus on abundance and let it come through whatever doorway was most open. They tend to feel frustrated and cheated in life, which just lowers their vibration further. They are simply not in harmony with success and fulfillment, nor with psychic ability.

When our motivation is self-focused, our vibration plummets. When we are full of love, compassion and the desire to serve others, then our vibration soars into the psychic range. It’s really very simple if you think about it. Picture that psychic ability is available to anyone – at an altitude of a mile up. We can “float up” there via meditation, or use different practices to reach that vibratory level. The more we purify our hearts and minds, the lighter we become. This is sort of like filling ourselves with helium. Every time we allow doubt to enter in or we become self-focused, grasping, fearful, frustrated, etc., we get heavier and start sinking back down to the ground again. To be able to freely float up and stay aloft, we have to stay “light.”

The safe and reliable path to psychic development is to purify the heart and mind of negativity so that one naturally rises into that range. Someone who abides at the upper reaches of the physical dimension’s vibratory range has to actually work at staying grounded in “this reality” just as much as those who are “heavy” have to work at accessing higher realms.

The first thing anyone should do if they wish to develop psychic ability is engage in some serious self-analysis. Many lottery seekers will quit reading right here, because this just sounds like too much darn work. That’s perfectly fine – they’ll eventually tire of feeling like life is an unfair, uphill battle and become motivated to examine how they’re creating their own experiences.

For those who are still reading, please note that knowing and purifying oneself of selfish motivations and negativity is essential to spiritual growth and psychic development. You must ask yourself WHY you wish to develop (or for that matter why you think and do everything in life). If you want to be psychic because you want to win the lottery or know whether your spouse is cheating on you, you’re in for a long, frustrating journey. If you want to understand the nature of life, to know that there is indeed a benevolent purpose behind it all so that you can help humankind find the faith to carry on, then psychic experiences and powers will fall into your lap with very little conscious effort on your part.

This sense of higher purpose ignites spiritual growth. It shoots your vibration straight up into the realm of psychic ability. Once you’re at that level, lottery numbers are no longer important. You know that what you need will come to you, and you’re so inspired by the view and your potency as a creator and the richness of the NOW that you don’t think at all the way you did when winning the lottery seemed like the answer to your every prayer.

Now, if you did have an altruistic reason for wanting to win the lottery – to help a sick child or even just demonstrate what is possible to the world – it may be workable. Then, however, we have to consider who would be capable of this psychic feat. A fledgling psychic expecting to get winning lottery numbers with a pendulum is a bit like a piano student who has just learned how to plunk out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” sitting down and trying to play “Flight of the Bumble Bee” like one pianist in 10 million. Nevertheless, with the perfect alignment of energy, it could be done.

The important thing to take from all of this is the knowledge that attachment to the pleasures of the physical world and psychic ability are not a good match. While we all have latent psychic abilities, as with any other sort of skill, we have to develop a strong foundation for their development. Those who are wise will simply focus on spiritual growth with trust that all that follows will divinely fulfill their highest needs.

– Soul Arcanum


How Can Psychic Deal with “Difficult Clients?”

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Dear Soul Arcanum:

About a year and a half ago, I started giving readings professionally. I love my work with one exception: some of my clients are “difficult.” When I have a client like this scheduled, I just dread the whole reading. I’m nervous, on edge, and find my confidence wavering. My intuition tells me it’s not going to be worth it to work with them, but I often do it anyway, as I feel I have to rise above my negative feelings and find a way to use the gifts I’ve been given. I give great readings to clients who want to work with me, who are open and easy to connect with. How do you deal with “difficult” clients?
– Maria

Dear Maria:

Thanks for this wonderful question. I can relate!

I have a long-time client who is a kind, brilliant young man. He’s a research physicist, and he always has some heavy questions for me about his latest theories. Fortunately, he also has some brilliant scientists working with him from the other side. I usually don’t understand half of what I channel through for him, but he tells me that he does, and that he always finds my readings helpful.

Given his scientific mind, he tends to want to test me. He will request a reading with vague or confusing questions, such as, “What does Spirit have to say about the molecular gravity simulation thingamajig?” Now, I don’t really need to understand all the jargon, but “what does Spirit have to say about…” is wide open. So when pursuing his latest reading a few months ago, he threw some really vague, confusing questions at me, and when I wrote to tell him that he was going to have to formulate something clearer, he said, “Well, I trust you and I trust Spirit. It always works out. I want to see what you get with this.”

This is where I tripped up. It felt wrong to me, and I knew I was not going to be able to bring through the sort of clear, helpful, useful information that I insist upon in my work. Something in me decided to defer to his judgment, and I said I’d see what I could do. It was one of the worst readings I’ve ever done. I had to strain for every answer, and when I got it, it made no sense to me. I was exhausted when the reading was over, and I didn’t feel I’d even produced anything really valuable for all that effort. The worst part of it all was that I KNEW better than to go ahead with this reading, yet I did it anyway.

He was surprised at the disappointing quality of the reading as well. I then laughed and apologized to him, and told him that I had made a mistake and would do the whole thing over on one condition: that he provide me with clear questions. He agreed, and in the second reading, we accessed the clear, helpful information and insights he was looking for.

This whole experience made me realize anew that it is my job to stay “in charge” of the reading. After all, I am the one performing it! If my clients don’t want to work with what works for me, they can always go see someone else. Through many years of experience, I have learned that it’s never wise to ignore our intuition, and this includes pushing forward before the energy is fully aligned for the reading (which in my case means that both the client and I clearly understand what he or she wants to know).

As it is a huge honor and responsibility to read for someone, we must approach this work with great care. We hold our clients’ inner lives in our hands; they hang on our words. This is why it’s so important to always approach issues from a positive angle, and to make sure that our true meaning is understood, for people can have intense, life changing emotional responses to what they THINK we’re saying, whether that’s what we’re trying to communicate or not.

Young or novice readers often struggle with “difficult clients” because they’re unsure of asserting themselves as the authority in the reading process. I began reading when I was in my mid twenties. When delivering spiritual advice to people twice my age, I had to keep reminding myself that I was just a channel for Spirit, so my personal age and wisdom had little to do with it. Readers must be able to stand tall in their authority to maintain the energetic integrity of the reading process.

Further, regardless of our field of work, we are all wise to learn about the law of attraction and to consciously align the quality of people/experiences we desire. When I first started reading, I was foolishly thrilled to work with anyone who wanted to work with me. I quickly learned to be more discerning. I vividly remember the turning point: I had a young woman who got angry with me when Spirit gently informed her that her ex-boyfriend (who was now engaged to another woman and living in another country) was not going to be reuniting with her this lifetime, and that she had to let go of this attachment to tap the new love potential on the horizon. It just was not what she wanted to hear.

After this experience, I asked Spirit to send me only kind, sincere clients who are self-aware and honest both with me and with themselves, and from that point on, I began attracting the most wonderful clients in the world. They are warm, wonderful, appreciative people who have deep questions and issues at stake – not folks who just want winning lottery numbers or spells to make a lover return to them.

So while I never meet “difficult clients” anymore, I know they’re out there. As even great clients may need some clear boundaries and direction, we have to stay awake and keep listening to our intuition. Since our business is “being psychic,” this is especially important!

Also, while it’s great to be appreciative of your gifts, you’re not really serving Spirit if you’re hurting yourself. There are many valid reasons you might refuse to read for someone. I don’t recommend reading for people who are fooling themselves and seeking validation for their subjective perspective; who recently got a reading on the same subject but didn’t act on any of the advice given in that reading; are coming to you from another psychic in hopes of hearing a different answer; are rude, pushy, or trying to get something for nothing; are too close to you personally such as a very close friend or family member (because of how it could affect your relationship); have a closed and challenging attitude; have ill intentions such as revenge or selfish gain; want you to “save” them as opposed to wanting you to help them help themselves. Nothing good will come from working with such clients, so there is no need to feel obligated or guilty for deciding you deserve a higher quality of experience.

In summary, I highly recommend that all readers clarify and affirm what they want in terms of quality of experience. In return, promise Spirit that you will do your very best for clients who are open, friendly, kind and sincere, etc. Then embrace your authority as a reader by honoring what works for you, and by sending anyone who wants you to compromise your truth on with your full blessings. I firmly believe that this approach will greatly enhance your reading practice, both for you AND for your clients.

– Soul Arcanum


How Do Mediums Experience Spirit Communication?

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You recently ran an inspirational message in which you wrote that one day you realized that memories you had shared with a departed love were running in the background of your mind, and by this, you knew that he was trying to connect with you. Since you’re a medium, it surprised me that you didn’t just know he was there as soon as he showed up. I guess I have no idea how spirit communication works. I mean, I know they don’t call up on the telephone, but can you explain about how you experience communication like this?
– Beth

 

Dear Beth:

Actually, spirits do sometimes call up on the telephone. (They also affect communication through radios, computers and other electronic equipment). There are even researchers who get voicemails from Spirit! For more information on this fascinating subject, try an Internet search for EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena).

The tremendous majority of spirit communication, however, does not take place through anything the five senses can perceive. It is an inner experience. This only makes sense if you think about it, for spirits are non-physical beings. It takes tremendous energy and interdimensional savvy for spirits to affect things in the physical, or manifest in a “physical” form.

Many people fail to understand how subtle spirit communication tends to be, and thus they fail to recognize much of the spirit contact that is taking place in their own lives at a subconscious level all the time. For example, they may have a “feeling” of the presence of a loved one in Spirit as they are remembering them with affection, but dismiss it as wishful thinking and hold out for a more tangible encounter. While stories abound of loved ones appearing in a ghostly mist at the foot of a bed at the time of their departure from this plane, the tremendous bulk of spirit communication takes place at a mental level. Even when a medium on a platform is looking over an audience member’s head, saying, “I see a gentleman in a tuxedo and top hat standing behind you,” she most likely is “seeing” that in her mind, not in the physical space near that person.

I have also found that the people we are closest to in life are often the hardest to distinguish as “voices” or energies outside of ourselves. People who can connect with friends, coworkers and strangers in spirit are often hurt and confused when they can’t do the same with the love of their lives. I often find that instead of being absent, those most beloved in Spirit are SO CLOSE that we can’t distinguish them as energies distinct from and outside of us. They were “in our hearts” before they crossed over, and they remain in them after.

So just as it can be hard to discern between our own intuition and the guidance of spirit guides, it can be especially hard to discern between our own minds/imaginations and the messages or impressions of dear loved ones in Spirit. If your Aunt Betty came through to me for you in a reading, I would know this is an energy that is “foreign” to me, like a stranger. When my own grandmother comes through however, as she has been for many years now, it’s comfortable and familiar, and I may at first not notice she’s there. (She’s always around, so there is no big shift occurring). Imagine the energetic difference between having your spouse of 25 years slip into bed beside you while you’re reading the paper. You might keep reading without realizing they’d come to bed. Now imagine that a stranger has slipped into bed with you. Pretty hard to ignore!

Further, loved ones we were very close to tend to be around more and come through to us of their own volition, where we have to purposefully reach out to other spirits. While both can and will come through to me when I center myself and try to consciously connect, my own loved ones and guides will reach out while I’m doing various mundane tasks (just as yours will try to do with you). So I may be focused on something else entirely, and then suddenly “notice” that there is a quiet “knocking” at the back of my mind. Often, this takes the form of memories we shared. The most common such “knock” for me is visual images and memories of places we spent a lot of time in together when they were living.

I now know that when I notice certain images are running in the back of my mind, certain spirits are trying to get my attention. If you’re not visual like me, this is sort of like realizing that a certain song is running through your mind if you’re auditory, or a certain feeling is present in some area your being if you’re kinesthetic. When I begin to see images/ memories of my beloved grandmother’s house coming to the surface of my awareness, then I know that she is trying to get my attention. I may be writing this column, taking a shower, doing the dishes, etc. Similarly, when I see images of the high school parking lot and football stadium where I met my first love every day after school, I know he is trying to get my attention. (Why else would a parking lot keep pushing up into my conscious awareness?)

We are all in communication with non-physical entities all the time, but most people are not conscious of it. Imagine that you’ve grown up in a rustic village on a remote tropical island, and due to the limited gene pool, 90% of the population has sorely compromised eyesight. They think this is “normal” of course, and that those who can see tiny things they cannot are either “gifted” or “crazy.” Some “seers” on this island would probably learn to keep quiet about the things they can see when very young. I imagine a child pointing at something and everyone around her saying, “There’s nothing there! You’re crazy!”

Now imagine that a doctor visits the island and makes you a pair of magnifying glasses. Suddenly, your whole world expands. Behind, beneath and between everything you’ve always seen you discover so much more. Those things were there all the while, and a few of the others were perceiving them too, but you were all too shy or scared to talk about it. You are now capable of things you could never do before as well. Of course, the glasses are only good for seeing small things up close; to see the “old way,” you have to take them off.

Becoming conscious of the spirit communication that is ever taking place is much like this. When we “notice” signs “knocking” at the back of our minds and then we turn our conscious attention to it, we put on our “psychic glasses” (attune our vibration to that subtle energy). Then conscious communication can take place. This vibration is not where we want to be when we’re cutting vegetables, driving a car, or even editing papers, however, so spirit communication naturally involves a shift from one state of awareness to another.

“Knocks” from loved ones in Spirit such as the memories/images I describe here are like calling cards from the other side. They announce the arrival of a visitor, and alert us to prepare ourselves for a visit by consciously shifting our awareness.

 


What’s Happening When Someone “Gives Us the Creeps?”

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Dear Soul Arcanum:

I’m a 33-year-old married mother of two. I work as an administrative assistant in a corporate environment. About nine months ago, the company hired a new executive, and while I don’t work directly for him, I often see him around the office and sometimes have to interact with him for my boss. Here’s the thing: he totally gives me the creeps. I don’t know what it is about him. He usually looks away when we make eye contact, but I swear I can FEEL his eyes roving over me when my back is to him. He doesn’t seem dangerous or anything, just creepy. What’s happening here and what should I do?
– Andrea

Dear Andrea:

Thanks for a great question! First we must remember that everything in the universe is composed (ultimately) of energy. Living beings (people, plants, animals) are composed of dynamic energy, which is to say that they are constantly interacting with other energy systems. If you’ve ever had a fuzzy radio station suddenly come through clearer as you approached the receiver to fix the dial, you’ve experienced firsthand the interaction between your energy field/aura and the energy field of the radio.

At some level, we are all aware of these energetic interactions, though for most people this awareness is subconscious. We are drawn to some people and naturally avoid others. When we accurately sense someone looking at us, what we are sensing is their energy interacting with ours. Some clairvoyants can perceive not only the auras of individuals, but also interactions between people’s auras.

These interactions are happening constantly, not only when we literally interact with others, but also when we just think about them. Whenever we give someone our attention, we are giving them energy. For the sake of illumination, we might imagine that non-living objects (such as bowls, spoons, rugs, etc.) are composed of rock, while living beings are like sponges, and energy is like water. When we focus on the bowl, our energy-water just rolls over it. It will be “wet” for a while with our energy, but otherwise unaffected. When we focus on a person, however, she will soak up our energy, and in focusing back on us, she will squeeze some energy-water our way as well.

Praying for someone is a very powerful energy exchange in that it’s a very concentrated, focused flow of positive energy toward that person. Energy healing is similar though even more powerful because the recipient is generally aware and consciously accepting and absorbing that healing energy. Just as healers can use energy to positively affect those they are trying to heal, anyone can use energy to try to do whatever they want to others. If we’re “creeped out by” or afraid of someone, our intuition is alerting us to an undesirable energetic interaction. Further, if we succumb to fear or other negative emotion when this happens, we basically open up our auras to those outside influences.

If you think about this, it only makes sense. When we’re not afraid of someone or don’t give a darn what they think of us, they don’t have the power to affect us. When we worry about what others think or succumb to fear of them, then we are definitely letting them affect us, and this is true both psychologically and at an auric level. People who want things from us that we don’t really want to give naturally make us uncomfortable. This feeling is our intuition raising a self-protective alert.

The more time we spend with people, the more their energy will affect ours. With people who make us feel good, we will open up our energy field the minute we see them coming, because we expect to get a nice boost. With people who generally make us feel bad (whether that means we feel insecure, frustrated, angry, creeped out, jealous, etc.), even though we may “brace” ourselves, we will tend to open up our energy field (unintentionally) as soon as we see them coming by succumbing to negative emotion. That negative emotion lowers our vibration and thus our “psychic defenses” come down. The best “psychic defense” is thus to send out bright loving energy, for it instantly obliterates all darker energies.

When we get over our negative feelings about various people and situations, we do become immune to them, but this is easier said than done much of the time. It’s easier and more effective to radiate love and light than to ignore a source of discomfort, for while we may think we’re ignoring someone, in ignoring them actively, we’re actually thinking about them. It’s sort of like telling yourself not to think about the color yellow.

As for what is happening your case, your coworker is probably fantasizing about you, and you are “feeling” this at a semi-conscious level. Your intuition is alerting you via that “creepy” feeling that his energy is creeping up on you. Then when you “confront” this man with eye contact, he immediately withdraws his energy for he fears being “detected.”

The best thing you can do is drop your fear/uneasiness around him. Start by recognizing that he’s not really doing you any harm, and thank your intuition for “alerting you” to the situation. Then whenever he creeps you out, just counter his energy by turning up your own light. Don’t be antagonistic, just stand very tall in your aura and let the contrast of the feeling/experience remind you to consciously align with something more desirable. Affirm that you live in a reality that is divinely bright and beautiful, where everything happens for a good reason, and only good things come to you. Blind him with a bright smile/burst of light, and then shift your thoughts to something or someone you find divine. While he may still be attracted to your lovely energy, he won’t really be able to get near you, because your high vibration will put you out of his “range.”

For more information on auric interactions, I highly recommend the classic book Hands of Light and by Barbara Brennan.

– Soul Arcanum

Relationship Between Astral Projection and Psychic Ability

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Dear Soul Arcanum:
I recently had what I believe to be my first out of body experience, and since then, all kinds of strange and exciting things have been happening. I had read about OOBE’s in a book and felt I just had to try it. I began all kinds of different exercises, and though it took me almost two months of regular practice, finally had an experience where I was out of my body and sort of bouncing around my room. It was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I’ve been able to get out a number of times since this first experience. Since this began, all kinds of strange things have been happening. My psychic abilities have just gone through the roof! I can’t even begin to explain in the space here. Is there a connection between psychic abilities and astral projection, and what is that connection? Is projecting a good way to develop psychically? Thanks so much!
June

Dear June:
Thanks for a great question. Yes, psychic skills and the ability to astral project are absolutely related. Everything I’ve read and everyone I have discussed the matter with have agreed that there is a strong relationship between the ability to astral project and psychic ability in general. For example, my friend Bob Peterson (author of Out of Body Experiences: How to Have Them and What to Expect, among other astral projection books) experienced a surge in strange/psychic experiences when he began practicing astral projection. He writes, “I had many different types of psychic experiences. Remarkably, they all seemed to happen overnight. As crazy as it sounds, wishes started coming true. Suddenly the world was magical.” It’s important to note that he became interested in astral projection first; his intuitive development and interest in psychic matters were born as a result of the unusual experiences he had after he began projecting.

This is relatively uncommon, for most folks are already interested in psychic matters when they begin to explore astral projection, and then usually because they’ve read about it somewhere. As for the relationship between the two, astral projection is one of many practices that can lead to psychic development, and the more one has mastered either, the easier the other skill will become.

Here’s an analogy that may help: Imagine that instead of psychic development, your goal is to lose weight and get in shape. One thing that could help you achieve your goal is to take up jogging (practicing astral projection). Now, you can lose weight without jogging, and you can jog without losing weight, but of course jogging will enhance your weight loss efforts, and losing weight makes it easier to jog.

Similarly, practicing astral projection can help you develop psychically, and developing psychically can make it easier to astral project. Both involve a shift into an altered state of consciousness, preferably one that is self-induced instead of accidental or spontaneous.

This distinction is an important one. Many people have intuitive flashes. A good number of people also have spontaneous out of body experiences. These may arise unexpectedly during meditation, or they may be caused by an accident or some other trauma. While such experiences may enhance one’s interest in psychic development, they don’t contribute much to one’s conscious ability to induce the state of consciousness necessary to activate those experiences.

Accessing psychic information and leaving one’s body at will both require learning how to control one’s state of consciousness. In my experience, astral projection is far more difficult to master than general psychic development. To carry the earlier analogy forward, this is like “losing weight” as compared to completing a triathlon. Losing weight/ developing psychically can be achieved many ways, some of them easier than others, but astral projecting/ completing a triathlon is going to be challenging no matter what. While you can develop psychically (get in shape) without ever projecting, it would be hard to project (train for a triathlon) without developing psychically (getting in shape). Hence, those who practice astral projection naturally develop psychically in the process.

It’s important to note that one does not need to leave one’s body to psychically access information. As I see it, our minds are not “in our bodies” to begin with. If I ask you, “Where is your left big toe?” you know right where to point. If I ask you, “Where is your mind?” what do you say? Our minds are already unbound by the laws of space and time. As astral projection is far harder to master and control than psychic ability is, if what we’re seeking is wisdom and guidance, then there is no reason to go to the trouble of leaving the body in order to meet with metaphysical guides or access information from others times and places.

There are some great benefits of learning how to astral project, however. As has been stated, practicing projection will naturally develop psychic abilities further; because it is a very high level ability, mastering it can lead to leaps and bounds in psychic and spiritual development.

It’s also an amazing, transformational experience in and of itself. Through astral projection, we come to know via direct experience that we are more than our physical bodies. This can erase fear of death because we know without a doubt that our existence is not dependent on anything in the physical realm. The indescribably blissful feeling of being out of the body and not really giving a darn about the physical or whether or not we ever return to it is very freeing and enlightening.

Astral projecting is also a wonderful way to experience the power of our minds to affect and create reality. While in the astral, we have only to think of something and it will appear or happen. Experiencing the creative power of the mind in this immediate, responsive environment deepens our awareness of how we’re creating our realities with our thoughts all the time, just in less direct and obvious ways.

So in summary, you can develop psychically without ever projecting, but you can’t master projection without developing psychically any more than you could train for a triathlon and fail to get more fit. The sudden flood of psychic experiences you’ve encountered in the wake of your astral projection experiences is totally normal and to be expected. Given that you’re well on your way to mastering astral projection, you can assume that you already have a high level of psychic ability, and that your potential in that arena is extraordinary.

– Soul Arcanum