Soul Arcanum

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Dear Soul Arcanum:

I’ve long had a secret interest in spiritual/psychic matters. I’ve kept it secret because of the general stereotype of “New Age” people. I’m sure you’re familiar with it: most “psychics” seem to be flakey, out of touch with reality and lacking in common sense. Further, they often seem to have trouble with some pretty basic stuff, like being on time and paying their bills. They also dress funny and freak people out with their strange views. For example, my brother’s wife is a very kind person, but she says some crazy stuff. At the wake following my father’s funeral, she announced to all within earshot that my dad was present and enjoying the party immensely. She made us get very quiet and then asked if we could feel him there too. While I believed it was entirely possible that my dad WAS present, I thought my poor mother would faint! Later when the family was talking about how freaky my sister-in-law is, I didn’t say a word, because I don’t want to viewed as a freak too. Why do so many “spiritual” people seem to be so darn weird?
Deanna

Dear Deanna:

While stereotypes often cause all sorts of problems, that doesn’t mean they’re totally false. You’re right: a lot of “spiritual” people have many of the traits you describe. What you probably don’t know is that there are whole lot of similar spiritual folks who slip past your weirdo radar. I know because I’m one of them. You don’t even know that we’re “psychic” or “New Agey” because we’re undercover!

Like you, we keep a low profile because sadly in this world, being a kind-hearted, spiritually focused student of esoteric wisdom often leads to social rejection. Being unconventional in any way has always been socially damning. At other times and places, being psychic or into the “paranormal” would bring one status and respect. It’s currently out of vogue in the Western world, however. This is simply a matter of “fashion” – the masses will eventually catch up with the world’s leading scientists, who are awakening to the wisdom of ancient mystical teachings via discoveries in quantum physics.

Additionally, a few high profile con-artists (like those %&*#$!!! psychic 900 lines) have created a climate where anyone who vocalizes an interest in psychic matters is deemed to be just plain gullible. Highly popular religions have of course never let up with what they do best either: demonizing freethinkers of every breed. There are many other reasons psychic subjects are treated with scorn, fear and ridicule. Suffice it to say that I learned early on how freaked out some people are by even the word psychic, so I wasn’t about to openly share my strange personal experiences!

For years I thus remained quiet about my spirituality in my personal life, and to a large extent, I still do. If you met me at the gym or my kids’ school, you would never guess what I’m into spiritually. The point of all of this is that you are probably surrounded by people just like you: people who have psychic experiences or are at least interested in these subjects, but never let on.

I’m not proud of being undercover. In fact, I admire people like your sister-in-law, who don’t seem to give a darn what other people think of them. As I grow older, I’m learning how to be more and more like them. I like people who say what they think, wear what they want, and seem unconcerned about what other people think of them. Personally, I couldn’t bear the thought of my children being ostracized from the neighborhood play group because their mommy is a weirdo. I didn’t want them to suffer just because many people are incapable of getting past their social conditioning.

In my unique psychic view, everyone is “weird” beneath the surface. The more “normal” we seem to be, the more hung up we are by our social conditioning. Thus people who seem “weird” have just grown very good at being themselves. When we honor who we really are and live from our inner truth, we honor the Divine forces that created us.

Those of us who are uptight enough to keep our idiosyncrasies secret also tend to be good at things like being on time and paying our bills. We dress normally and adhere to other social conventions as well. We certainly don’t tell strangers what we see in their futures, admire their auras, or deliver every message from Spirit that comes our way. Because we care what others think, we rein our “weirdness” in.

It only makes sense that people who don’t care so much what other people of them wouldn’t worry if they are on time, if others think they dress funny, or even if their creditors are happy with them. They’re less likely to adhere to all sorts of conventions, including organized religious teachings. These are free thinkers and free spirits, God bless them every one! They are my favorite sort of people, for they demonstrate something I truly long for: the courage to honor all of who they really are.

Perhaps being highly psychic gives me a unique appreciation for people like this. You see, a psychic can feel the chasm between what a person says and does and who they really are. I’m sure everyone has had the experience of knowing that someone’s polite responses were not sincere. It’s an unsettling feeling, and someone who is highly psychic senses things like this constantly. It’s thus very refreshing to meet a free spirit and to have no jarring feelings of incongruity. What they say and do is who they really are!

Now, why are spiritual people so “out there” to begin with? Well, first of all, the more we walk a conscious spiritual path, the less centered we’ll be in mundane reality. Our heads are literally “in the clouds.” We ponder profound ideas and pay more attention to subtle energies than to little details such as what time it is. As I mentioned, we’re also more into honoring our true spirits than worrying about what others think of us. Thus we do what we like, dress as we like, and generally live as we like instead of conforming to social conventions. Further, free thinking, spiritual types tend to be more right-brained. This makes us less logical and practical, and more artistic and creative – more prone to act outside the box of convention.

Ideally, we will achieve a healthy balance between grounded competence in the physical world and wise awareness and understanding of all that transcends it. Those who achieve this balance often become spiritual leaders and teachers, for they are recognized by those in the mainstream as being both “sane” and wise. It sounds to me like you’re a great candidate for developing that sort of balance, but first, you’ll have to overcome your socially programmed bias against non-conformity.

To explore psychic matters and spiritual growth, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. It’s not like you’re going to catch some syndrome that leaves you sailing around outer space in gypsy skirts, spouting off every far out notion that pops into your head. You don’t have to give up common sense to explore higher worlds! There are lots of us who question everything we encounter in life. We research and test it, and only trust our own direct experiences. I don’t believe in anything I’ve not personally experienced – I’ve just learned that we can experience with far more than our five physical senses.

I encourage you to rethink your view of “spiritual” people, for you’ll not find a kinder bunch of people anywhere. If they push your buttons, it’s because you’ve got buttons ripe for pushing, my dear. While you’re busily judging them to be flakey, I’m sure they’re not labeling you uptight and critical; instead, they’re probably really paying attention to what you say, noticing who you are beneath the surface, and wishing you great health and happiness.

– Soul Arcanum