Tag Archive: Spirit


Can We Try TOO Hard to Communicate with Spirit Guides?

Filed Under: Divine Guidance, Energy/Vibration, Intuitive Development, Spirit Communication by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on 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

Tags: , , , , ,
Permalink

How Do Loved Ones Watch Over Us from Spirit?

Filed Under: Divine Guidance, Spirits by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on How Do Loved Ones Watch Over Us from Spirit?

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

I’ve often heard it said that someone in Spirit is “watching over us.” How does that happen? I mean, what do they do to try to help us?
– Bob

Dear Bob:

Just like our living friends and family, loved ones who pass on will do all sorts of things to try to protect and help us. While spirit guides and angels have their own methods, here I’ll focus on the ways that our loved ones watch over us from Spirit.

The most striking ways spirits intervene on our behalf usually involve warnings of danger, for in matters of life or death, the desire to help us is so strong that it can produce seeming “miracles.” These interventions may manifest in ominous feelings or intuitions, such as a strong sense of foreboding that causes us to change our plans. I’ve often heard from people who had “feelings” that caused them to cancel a trip or reconsider their trust in a certain individual. While sometimes these feelings had an uncertain origin, other times folks had vivid dreams in which a loved one in Spirit was warning them, or they heard or otherwise perceived that spirit communicating a warning.

Occasionally, spirits even seem to be able to affect physical reality. For example, in the moments before a major car accident, a driver may sense the presence of a loved one in Spirit and then somehow emerge from the accident unscathed. Sometimes they may feel the steering wheel gripped by an invisible force, or they may brace themselves for a seemingly unavoidable impact that never comes.

I had such an experience myself long ago. I was driving late at night and I was very upset. I was crying and feeling reckless. I was driving through a deserted parking lot when in my despair I mentally reached out to my first love, who had died many years before. Instantly I felt his presence in the passenger seat. When I looked to see if he was actually there, my moving car shifted from drive into park!

The most amazing part of this experience was the fact that when I was 15 years old, he was the one who had taught me how to drive a car. At one point, I wanted to continue out onto a main road, and he told me not to. When it became apparent that I was going to do just what I wanted, he very calmly grabbed the center gear shift and put the car in park. So the night he put the car in park from Spirit, he was both preventing me from driving when I was upset, and confirming his presence in a very personal way.

Fortunately we’re not in danger often, but whenever something is very important to us, our desire will draw love and support from loved ones in Spirit just as it does from those who love us here on Earth. If we are longing for a health cure, a new job or a soul mate experience, our friends in Spirit will try to help us by guiding us to the answers, opportunities and people who can aid us in fulfilling our dreams.

They do this a number of ways, most of which involve planting ideas, impulses and suggestions in our minds. Sudden urges to go somewhere or do something are hallmarks of spiritual intercession. As this is similar to our own instincts and intuitions, we usually fail to recognize that these “nudges” came from an outside source.

Spirits can plant ideas in others’ minds as well. For example, if we’re desperately needing a new job, they may plant the idea of going through a certain employment service, and then when we’re in an interview, they may plant certain feelings and impulses in the interviewer. That person may inexplicably have a “good feeling” about us or an urge to give us the job. Similarly, when we suddenly find ourselves wanting to help someone or “seeing them in a new light,” it’s often because spirits are casting them in a different light so we will like them and want to help them.

Now, if you’re having a hard time in life, it doesn’t mean you lack friends “upstairs!” We determine the amount of help we can receive from Spirit. Nothing outside of ourselves can energetically align us with what we want – we have to do that. We also have to ask for help through prayer or at least clear longing. In my story above, I prayed with all my heart to connect with someone in Spirit, and “magic” happened.

Further, the more receptive we are to being guided, the easier it is to help us. If we’re blind to our faults and weaknesses or stubbornly insist on feeling sorry for ourselves or blaming outside influences for all our problems, then Spirit is not going to be able to break through our denial to help us. (We might call this “learning the hard way.”)

The people who may be able to help us must also be receptive. The more open and sensitive they are, the more impulses from spirits will be able to “get through.” Mediums often receive nudges from loved ones in Spirit to help the people they care about here on Earth. It only makes sense if you think about it, for we’re psychically sensitive and also already engaged in helping these folks with their biggest problems.

For this reason, mediums must remain especially conscious of strong impulses to “go the extra mile” or “save” clients. There is a difference between caring about people and the intense love of a personal connection. When I suddenly find myself wanting to “adopt” someone, I look to see if someone in Spirit is trying to care for them through me.

I recently did a reading for a woman whose teenage son died a few years ago. This young man is very devoted to his mother, and doing all he can to help her to heal from her grief and find fulfillment in other areas of her life. In the week prior to her reading, all sorts of “coincidences” started to crop up.

For example, she lives on an island, and suddenly, I was encountering references to this place right and left. It was mentioned in movies, books and conversations. I met people from this obscure place and had other people tell me stories about it from out of the blue. I also had a strong urge not only to go there, but to make this woman my new best friend, help her solve all her problems, and devote my life to facilitating communication between her and her son.

When these coincidences finally got my attention, I realized that her son was behind them. As soon as I became conscious that he was trying to get me to love her on his behalf, his influence over me ended.

People who are open and sensitive but unconscious or mentally weak are easy to influence both by the living and “the dead.” As all sorts of entities will try to influence us for both loving and selfish reasons, it’s very important that we are conscious enough to make our own choices. Since I have devoted myself to doing the work of Spirit in the world, my guides often send me on missions, and I have no problem with that. When loved ones in Spirit try to “slip under my radar” however, it’s important to make sure I’m acting of my own free will. If we are conscious of where impulses are coming from, then we’e free to choose to honor them or not.

This is one reason developing the ability to consciously communicate with Spirit is so wise and powerful. Then we can reject those ideas and impulses that won’t serve us well, empower our loved ones and guides to help us, and consciously choose to serve Spirit by honoring kind impulses from beyond. This intuitive way of life is rich with synchronicity, “magic” and endless blessings!

So the next time you get a strong impulse of some kind or you notice others suddenly wanting to help you, stop and put out your feelers for spiritual intervention. If you sense some force working on your behalf, ask for some sign or evidence to validate that intuition. The more you honor and give thanks for all the magic in your experience, the more you’ll empower your loved ones in Spirit to watch over you.

– Soul Arcanum

Tags: , ,
Permalink

Do You Sometimes Feel Disconnected from Spirit?

Filed Under: Divine Guidance, Energy/Vibration, Intuitive Development, Psychic Ability, Spiritual Growth by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on Do You Sometimes Feel Disconnected from Spirit?

 

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum: Do you feel that once you are connected with Spirit, you are always connected with Spirit? As a psychic, lately I have been feeling extremely disconnected from Spirit, almost as if my guides have stopped speaking to me, but it seems to always happen right before Mercury goes retrograde.
– B.

Dear B.:

Thanks for this great question. I think many people view a consciously developed connection to Spirit sort of like “enlightenment.” Once you attain it, you’re “enlightened” and will be so forevermore. In truth, there are many things that can cause us to feel disconnected.

Staying connected is sort of like “staying in shape.” Getting there in the first place is the hardest part, but we can’t then forget about it: we have to maintain it by practicing the habits that led us to success in the first place, and by paying attention to how we feel and what is needed on a regular basis.

Basically, to consciously communicate with guides and others in Spirit, we have to maintain a high frequency or vibration. I’ve written about how to go about this in depth in many other articles. If we stop doing things to keep our vibration high, or start doing things that will lower it, then it’s natural to get disconnected.

Since this is a recurring experience for you, I’m assuming that you’re not doing anything obvious to disconnect, like using your ability in ways you know you shouldn’t, or making life choices that you know are wrong. Once we’ve been “allowed past” a certain point spiritually, so to speak, we not only have greater power to work with spiritual laws, but we also suffer greater consequences when we fail to honor them. If most folks are walking through life, then consciously connecting with Spirit is like learning how to fly. We can see farther and go wherever we want to go much faster, but if we crash, we have a long ways to fall.

I don’t feel you’ve blundered, however. What you’re experiencing is much more common – what we might call natural “wear and tear” on your conscious connection to Spirit. We all struggle with this, because unless we constantly counteract it, life itself will tend to make us disconnect. Every time we react to an experience with negative emotion, our vibration lowers. Every time we get stressed out about anything, we pop out of connection mode. Life these days is harried and full of distractions and stress. Maintaining a clear, healthy, conscious spiritual connection is a lot like maintaining a strong, flexible, radiantly healthy body. Even with daily care and attention, everyone gets “sick” or weary sometimes.

So while we can aim to remain constantly, perfectly connected, we should be prepared for life to happen. It’s human nature to get distracted by dramas or to start to take things for granted after a while, and when we do that, they naturally start to slide. When we see them sliding, our appreciation of them is renewed, and then we put more focus and effort into them to restore them. We go through this up and down cycle in all areas of our lives all the time.

Since we’re both psychics, let’s look at readings as an example. When we first begin to read for others, it’s all fascinating and amazing. We love to tune in and work with people this way; we can’t get enough of it. Years later, however, it’s become routine. Now we’re more interested in our personal lives or our latest spiritual interest, and we may start to rush through meditation or readings so we can do what we “want” to do. This is when the disconnection starts. Spirit hasn’t changed: we’ve changed. As a church bulletin near my house reads, “If God [Spirit] feels far away, who moved?”

So the first thing to do when you feel disconnected is to examine how you may have changed. Look for the patterns involved. This is where Mercury Retrograde comes in. While I’m no astrologer, I do know that Mercury rules the mind and communication, and when a planet is retrograde, it means the issues it governs will be obscured or unavailable. Thus it makes perfect sense that Mercury Retrograde could throw a glitch into spirit communication.

Instead of feeling thwarted by this astrological influence, however, I recommend you decide that this is a helpful period of realignment. This is a time when life is forcing you to stop and get back on track in whatever ways you’ve gotten off. It’s a period when you’ll be pushed to move past your prior limits, reevaluate your approach, and repair or resolve issues that need your attention. It’s a time when it will be easier to see your life and your spiritual path in a new light. Feeling disconnected will motivate you to remember how important your connection to Spirit is, and to restore and recharge it if need be.

So whenever this happens, stop and ask yourself how you have changed from times when you felt strongly connected. Have you dropped some of the habits that got you connected in the first place? If not, do you need to let go of them and try something new? Has your desire for and appreciation of your connection grown dim with time? Have you gotten lazy with your meditation or other disciplines? Has your faith become tarnished by your interpretation of your life experiences? Are you being hard on yourself, and thus lowering your vibration? Has your personal life become dramatic and distracting? Has your enthusiasm waned?

I go through periods of feeling disconnected too, and it is usually the result of an emotional upset that threw me “off center,” distracted me from my higher purpose and lowered my vibration. To remain consciously connected, we have to constantly work through the hurt, fear and anger that arise in response to our life experiences. If we don’t deal with our own “stuff,” we won’t be able to help others deal with theirs. When I don’t know how to realign with my best self and my peak abilities, I just start doing the things that have worked for me before: meditating, eating really well, exercising, reading positive books, eliminating negative or distracting influences, energy healing work, practicing kindness and compassion, cultivating gratitude for all I’ve been blessed with, and remembering my many amazing spiritual experiences.

Don’t be dismayed or think you’re doing something wrong if you feel disconnected sometimes. Throughout history, shamanic cultures around the world have undertaken vision quests to consciously reconnect with Spirit. Even Jesus went off for 40 days in the wilderness, and the Buddha fasted and meditated for 40 days under the Bodhi tree. Now and then, we all need to work at transcending mundane reality and elevating our awareness of Spirit. If the simple suggestions above don’t work, you might explore the idea of going on your own vision quest. It doesn’t have to be a week of fasting in the wilderness; it can be any day that you set ordinary life aside for the express purpose of reconnecting with Spirit.

– Soul Arcanum

Tags: , , ,
Permalink

How to Get Signs from Spirit

Filed Under: Divine Guidance, Psychic Ability, Spirit Communication, Spirits by Soul Arcanum — Comments Off on How to Get Signs from Spirit

Copyright Soul Arcanum LLC. All rights reserved. :)
 

Dear Soul Arcanum:

You sometimes write about getting signs from Spirit. For example, you wrote a few weeks ago about three crows that showed up outside your window, and how they brought you a meaningful message. How can I get signs from Spirit like this?
– Becky

Dear Becky:

You don’t have to be officially “psychic” or undertake any elaborate training to start receiving signs – you just need to ask for and then look for them. In fact, Spirit is sending every one of us signs all the time. Every time we ask a question in our hearts, Spirit answers. It may seem like an impossible amount of work for Spirit to handle, but I believe it’s a natural or automatic process. If we drop a rubber ball, Spirit does not have to “work” to make it bounce, and I believe that asking for and receiving signs is natural like this. Unfortunately, not many people actually expect personal answers from Spirit, much less know where and how to look for them.

Sometimes we sense that something is a sign, but we’re not sure. We generally label these experiences “coincidences.” At one end of the spectrum, some people believe there is no higher meaning behind “coincidences,” while folks at the other end believe there is no such thing as a true coincidence at all, because every experience we have carries some purpose or meaning. I believe that not everything in life is purposeful, but the more we cultivate a conscious approach to creating what we desire, the more purpose and meaning we’ll weave into our experiences.

To sort random “coincidences” from meaningful synchronicities, we must employ both logic and intuition. Sometimes, a very striking combination of details can be random, and at other times, seemingly mundane experiences can be ripe with deeper meaning. The only way to really “know” is by checking how the experience feels deep within us.

For example, a book we’ll call “The Best Spiritual Book Ever” may come up in conversation. Three days later, I may be browsing in a metaphysical bookstore, carefully scanning the titles on the shelf, and see that same book there. Is this coincidence, or a sign? If I feel pretty indifferent about it, it’s probably just coincidence. If, however, my eyes lock onto that title and something in my gut sort of revs up, then I’m supposed to pay attention, for it’s probably a book I’m meant to read.

Learning how to accurately determine signs and their meanings takes some practice. Fortunately, the more we work with this, the clearer and easier it gets. This is not only because we become more adept at reading our intuition, but also because the more we ask for signs and then honor the signs we receive, the more signs come to us! It’s like exercising a muscle; as we practice, our skill and our conscious connection to Spirit grows stronger.

Looking for signs in nature is a practice as old as humankind. Native peoples around the world have long believed that animals, for example, often bear spiritual messages. You mentioned the “crow story,” and this is a classic example. For those of you who missed it, this is what happened: I was working at my desk when I heard some loud cawing, which drew my attention to the window. There, I saw three crows squabbling in the street. I then felt something grip me, so I got up and went to the window. The three crows then promptly flew into my own yard and landed right in front of me. There, they proceeded to act out a conflict: one crow was cawing very loudly as it chased another around, trying to get whatever was in this other one’s mouth. The third crow just followed the other two rather nervously, as though it was fretting about an escalation of the conflict. I was mesmerized. Finally, the first crow gave up whatever was in its mouth to the one harassing it, and then the three birds promptly flew off.

A few hours later, I was involved in a conflict where someone wanted something that my husband had, and he was not about to just give it up. I remained in the background, fretting about the situation and trying to “tune in” and determine what to do. Remembering the crows, I asked my husband if it was really worth the hassle, and he decided it wasn’t and gave in, which promptly ended the squabble.

Sometimes, signs just come to us like this out of the blue. At other times, however, they are a response to our conscious request for them. If something is weighing heavily on your mind, you might ask Spirit for clarity and insight, and then just go for a walk. One of my favorite spiritual teachers (Sig Lonegren) taught me this method of looking for “day signs.” It involves just walking through nature and noticing whatever grabs your attention. If a hawk lands on a branch ahead of you, for example, you can either interpret this in light of your personal associations with hawks, or you can look up possible meanings on the internet or in a book. One such internet resource can be found at earthwonders.com, but there are many more out there. Ted Andrews has written a couple of very useful books: Animal-Speak: The Spiritual & Magical Powers of Creatures Great & Small and Animal-Wise: The Spirit Language and Signs of Nature, both of which are available at amazon.com.

Please note that day signs do not have to come through animals or nature. If you’re trying to decide if you should end a relationship, and you find yourself at a “dead end” on your trail, this could be your answer. Or you might be driving and thinking about the situation when a song comes on the radio about moving on with your life.

If you’re looking for confirmation or validation, you can also determine what you want the sign to be, and then watch for that. Many people, for example, ask for a loved one who has passed into Spirit to give them a sign that they are okay via a butterfly or a certain bird. You can ask for your sign to take any form you desire: rainbows, butterflies, cupcakes, tennis balls, guys named George: the possibilities are endless. It’s an amazing experience to select a very unusual sign and then have it show up like crazy in your life!

Here are some of the many forms signs from Spirit can take:

  • Real “signs” such as billboards, road signs, advertisements, etc.
  • Songs that come on the radio at meaningful moments, or songs that you can’t get out of your mind
  • The words of others, both in conversations overheard, and words spoken directly to you
  • Written words, either those that seem to leap out at you in books, magazines, etc., or those you find by opening books like the Bible at random (A great book for this is The Book of Secrets by Osho, but any spiritual teaching should work)
  •  Information, words or ideas that leap out at you from television shows or movies
  •  Unexplainable or unlikely developments, such as your car not starting or losing your keys when you’re about to take some unwise action, or your internet connection going down when you’re about to send a potentially regrettable email
  • Unlikely patterns that catch your attention, such as hearing of five different people in one week who are trying a certain diet, or who have decided to go into business for themselves, etc., especially if this pattern relates to a decision you’re weighing yourself.

There are actually endless ways we can request and receive signs from Spirit. So often when we’re lost and confused, we forget to simply ask Spirit for answers. We don’t have to wait until we’re desperate; we can ask at any time. Begin today to “dialogue” with Spirit in this way, and not only will you receive helpful guidance for improving your life, but your everyday reality will begin to grow more magical and more meaningful in delightful and inspiring ways.

– Soul Arcanum

Tags: , , , , ,
Permalink