Your Psychic Unconscious Mind?

| victoriazaitz

Many of you may be familiar with the scientific (yes, scientific!) field of parapsychology.  This is the scientific study of psychic, or “psi” phenomena.  I will have much more to say on this blog about this topic. I feel as a practitioner, it is very important that people understand that psychic ability has already been proven.  There are a sufficient number of studies (thousands, perhaps)  offering proof beyond chance of the existence of psi phenomena, from very controlled, scientifically viable experiments.  If you don’t know about this, you should.  Dean Radin’s books, The Conscious Universe and Entangled Minds are two very excellent places to start.  Eventually, I will publish my last lecture given on this subject that will point you to all the particulars (probably several posts.)  If I weren’t of a calm mind about most things, though, I would be outraged that this information is not as widely known as it should be.  I can think of one of my friends who might say, is there a conspiracy theory behind this?  🙂 (You know who you are.)

I think there are reasons why you don’t know about it.  If it is ever going to be widely recognized, I think it is important that two major avenues be explored: 1) the ‘marketing’ of the evidence and especially  its resulting exposure into the mainstream culture and the scientific establishment, and 2) a greater understanding of how psi phenomena function.  As Dean Radin has eloquently pointed out, the reason why the results of these studies are not more widely known has more to do with the history and philosophy of science than the strength of the studies.  It seems important that beyond the concession of skeptics and critics, that the information is also brought to a wider audience, who would, according to polls regarding public experiences and beliefs, be very receptive to the information. (The majority of people believe in psychic abilities and experiences of all sorts.) I wonder who is working on that, if it in fact can be sufficiently addressed? If there is a marketing campaign for the evidence, please somebody point me to it.

As far as how psi functions…As Dean Radin notes, the Congressional Research Service in their 1981 report, concludes that parapsychological studies “suggest that there exists an ‘interconnectiveness’ of the human mind with other minds and with matter.  This…would appear to be functional in nature and amplified by intent and emotion.”  I think this is one of the key points in understanding the nature of psi phenomena.

Luckily, today’s parapsychologists are focusing on more process-oriented questions rather than evidence-based ones.  IE, how this stuff works.  One of the most interesting implications is the interconnected web of life, including the human mind and heart.  It is fascinating that the strength of connection between two human beings, through emotion and intent, can best facilitate this type of communication through telepathy, clairvoyance, etc.  This suggests the naturalness of the process—rather than a “supernatural” origin.  Many cases of spontaneous ESP are associated with emotional crises and dangers.  It suggests that the strength of an emotion or an emotional connection may serve as a psychic connector, used to convey messages of extreme importance and meaning.

It is interesting to speculate that the unconscious mind may receive such signals more often than reaches our conscious awareness.  If we are interconnected, perhaps on an unconscious level (Jung’s collective unconscious), that may be an excellent theory to explain the means by which psi operates.  Access to this information may be facilitated by a greater relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind—which can occur through cultivation of meditation practices, hypnosis, the dream state, sensory deprivation, and even psychotherapy.  If our conscious minds act as a filter, perhaps it has too much material to work through, and simplifying our intake through reduced sensory awareness may help to develop psychic ability. This is my theory, anyway. And I certainly teach methods to my students that have to do with accessing altered states of consciousness.  I am currently going through James P. Carpenter’s theory that the unconscious plays a large part in psychic experiences, you can check out his book, First Sight: ESP and Parapsychology in Everyday Life.  If you want the Cliff Notes version, go here.

Conversely, I find it interesting but also troubling that evidence from the study of remote viewers indicates that practice and training did not significantly improve their abilities.  WTH? This seems counter-intuitive to me, based on the research regarding psi-conducive states.  Perhaps this question reveals only more questions regarding other possible “blocks” of ESP ability, similar to the difference in ability that exists between believers and non-believers. People who believe in the ability are significantly more likely to have their own experiences. But with my own experiences with remote viewing, I have found my own methods easier to use for me, personally speaking, than ones I have tried from former government employed remote viewers.  I will also post on this blog, my own informal experiment conducted in graduate school that talks about what works best for me in taking on the task of remote viewing.

I believe the ability is widely distributed, and simply poorly recognized or misunderstood.  As research indicates, perhaps certain people are better able to “tune in” to the psychic channel, based on experiences or personality, rather than innate ability. Certain highly sensitive people, do seem to be more prone to psychic experiences (me included.) For more on this, please read this excellent book, highly recommended if you are one of those sensitive people: The HISS of the ASP.

I find it fascinating that all ESP could be based on communication from a “future” self.  This again, could be relayed in an unconscious way.  Wouldn’t that be super cool?

Overall, I believe it is useful for many reasons to continue to study psi ability scientifically, but if the ability is to be cultivated, it is more useful to view it as many shamanistic cultures do—as everyday, normal, culturally accepted spiritual experiences (that can be learned and developed.)  This is the basis from which I teach my students, as I think we all have the ability to learn this.

Early Psychic Experiences

| victoriazaitz

I have been “psychic” since childhood.  There is a picture of me as a young child in a high chair, with an ominous-looking dark hallway behind me.  My subjective memory of that hallway includes the sensation that other beings were present and watching the movement of shadows.  As a child I wondered if other people could sense what I did—and since they did not discuss specific incidents with me, I assumed they did not. Granted, It is not a topic that is easily discussed. I remember being afraid of what I sensed, and others regarded them as normal, childhood fears (and perhaps they are, children are very open to psychic experiences, and I especially enjoy mentoring them!) 🙂

When  I was 5, I had a very vivid vision of what I interpreted to be the Virgin Mary (I was raised Roman Catholic.)  This beautiful female figure appeared to me in striking detail on the ceiling of my bedroom with my eyes wide open.  The entire experience was incredible and super-real.  I also heard her speak, she gave guidance to me on what my life would be like, what my purpose was (to help others,) and she encouraged me to follow my path.  I do not know for sure exactly who this figure was (how can you know?) but I interpret it now to be a type of guide.  It was, and is, one of the most amazing, and deeply impactful, experiences of my life that will never leave me.

I remember several other early experiences: “déjà vu” regarding quite ordinary events and conversations–when I could predict what was going to happen next; sensing and seeing beings and energies, and going into “trance-like,” dissociative states.  My grandmother especially understood my interest with her own beliefs and stories: watches would stop when she wore them, electrical devices would act up, and she told me many stories of seeing apparitions of deceased family members.

I also remember a great deal of experiences that occurred during adolescence and throughout college.  When I was particularly upset about something, I felt a protective energy around me while smelling roses when none were present.  I had later linked this experience back to the vision I had when I was 5.  After my grandfather died, I had a series of realistic dreams where we had conversations that contained messages for my grandmother.  I had a telepathic connection with my first love—I knew when he was away or at home, and when he was in emotional distress, which was later verified.  For a long time I remember a great deal of success in knowing who was calling me on the phone.  I was always very good at knowing when people were lying to me.  I seemed to know when someone’s intentions were good or bad, and was able to quickly get a sense of someone’s character when meeting them for the first time.

After honing my interest in developing my abilities, sparked by a dedication to a spiritual path, I developed very rapidly through taking classes and working with teachers.   I began investigating “haunted” locations with a scientific team and found that my impressions (and my ability to communicate with spirits) were over-riding my investigative skills.  I felt that I could “read” places as well as people and objects.  I have also had vivid experiences of what could be understood as past-lives through regressions and dream experiences.  I have seen apparitions, although most often they are hazy and not complete. Some of the very clear apparitions I have experienced have certainly shaken me up–one was so real I thought someone had broken into my house!  However, most mediums such as myself do not see apparitions and dead people walking around all day long.  When your beloved relative comes to me in a reading, it is mostly through mental pictures, sensations, feelings, words and other internal impressions.

I see colors, shapes, and forms of energy moving through the environment.  I have had a few out-of-body experiences.  I have had electrical devices act strangely around me, and have heard external voices and noises, and have had objects move from one location to another in one particular house I lived in.  I have also had episodes of psychokinesis (pk.)  During periods of really difficult stress, pictures have flown off of mantles and electrical appliances have malfunctioned in unusual ways.  That certainly gets your attention, and motivates you to deal with your stress! 🙂

For me, psychic experiences come with the territory and no longer seem paranormal.  Obviously, I believe in psi phenomena and have from an early age.  I think that largely my beliefs and attitudes stem from personal experience that has been undeniable, though at times unproven objectively.  I also feel that my interest and curiosity probably contributed to my experiences in addition to growing up with someone who understood my beliefs.  I value and trust the meaning that I create from these experiences, and living my life in an intuitive way has become very second-nature to me—it is something that need not be proven.  However, I value parapsychology greatly as another methodology—another way of knowing the same subject matter.  I value logical deduction, especially because it is a cultural necessity that assists us to open and consider other ways of knowing. I find many of the details of parapsychological investigation and research fascinating, particularly the study of types of personalities that tend to develop psi abilities.  From my own experience and that of my friends and teachers, I have found these observations to be accurate.

My attitude about psi phenomena is that it is wonderful, sometimes mysterious and unexplainable, and fascinating.  But I also feel that it is incredibly healing and useful.  Particularly in my experience with clients, I feel that it opens them to a broader, more spiritual perspective, helps them heal and make meaning from their lives, provides comfort, teaches them to listen to themselves, and can sometimes be an experience of awakening to who they really are as part of the divine.  Of course, psi experiences can be baffling, frightening, and painful as they often shake up one’s worldview quite significantly.  This is one reason why I find it so important to counsel those who are having these experiences, as many do not know who to turn to in a world that largely pathologizes them.

That being said, I do not think that all psi experiences are accurately interpreted; I believe that the nature of my work is far from an exact science, and that there is little that we truly understand about such experiences.  Therefore, it is useful to question experiences—but in my field, I feel it is more useful to trust them and learn from them.   In my opinion, the great majority of mentally sane children and adults have these experiences frequently, although they may not be paying much attention to them.  It is simply a natural, rather than supernatural, realm of human experience that needs to be recognized and validated as an important part of our perceptions.

Dynamics of a Soul Mate Relationship

| victoriazaitz
“The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind cannot understand” –Robert Vallett

Soul mate relationships follow a pattern and have many similarities in the their dynamics.  One person’s experience is fairly relatable to other people’s experiences.  I know this from going through it multiple times, and from reading, hearing about, and researching people’s experiences.  That is what I find most fascinating about the topic.  Plenty of people have new age theories about soul mates and twin flames, which are all interesting, but they can’t be proven.  You would not expect a psychic such as myself to be skeptical, but I like to think that I can back up what I believe with personal experience and evidence.  That is why I don’t go into theories in great detail in my classes on the subject.  I present interesting thoughts, but I am sure to say they are theories, not facts. So, the pattern explained below  is based on actual personal experiences of people who have been through the soul mate trip.

 

If you want to know what a soul mate is, please read Soul Mates 101.  For the common signs that you have met a soul mate or twin flame (they are similar, especially at the beginning,) please read Signs of  a Soul Mate or Twin Flame. Please know that when I am talking about soul mates, I am referencing a specific type of relationship.  Soul mate relationships are not necessarily healthy or “good” relationships (of course, good is relative!)  Because of our cultural conditioning, many people wrongly equate the term soul mate with an ideal relationship.  But if you read anything worth its salt on the subject, that is not fluff, you will see that soul mates are less about things turning out exactly the way you want, and more about things turning out the way you need them to, in order to grow, as a SOUL.  I will write more about what makes a spiritual partnership and a healthy relationship, as these are important, (and, what most people are really looking for,) but not necessarily the same as a soul mate.

 

This post is meant as an additional identifier, describing the pattern and the likely series of events so a soul mate situation can be understood for what it is, and so you understand you are not alone in this.  Thousands–if not more–people are going through this right now and probably even more have been through it.  People like to say that soul mates only happen to old souls.  One clarification on that–I think we attract what we are and what we need, and if you are not in touch with your soul, or even recognize that you have one–you are not likely to be ready for a soul mate.

 

You meet a soul mate.  What is this like?  It varies slightly.  At some point, there is what I call a “moment of recognition.”  This can happen immediately, as in love at first sight (or at first type, if it is online.)  Or, it can take a little bit of time.  But it always happens at some point.  If it hits you later, such as after being friends with someone for a while (and maybe you had not thought of them in “that way,”) it will hit you hard.  If it happens immediately, you know it.  It can be any number of things, from an energetic feeling in your heart chakra, third eye, or sacral chakra…to a sense of familiarity and knowing them before, to full downloads of past life memories.  But you know it is different.  You know you have a special connection that is probably hard to put words to.

 

After this, there is a strange series of events.  These are detailed in the Signs of a Soul Mate or Twin Flame post.  Synchronicities happen.  For those of you who don’t know, this is an event that has a sense of meaning to it, it seems like a coincidence, but you know better.  Example: Your soul mate’s name is Bennett.  I pick that name because it is different.  The next thing you know, you see Bennett on a license plate, there are songs on the radio about Bennett, you meet 3 other people named Bennett, etc.  You get the idea.  This is the universe’s way of saying, hey, pay attention, this is important.  Generally, you will have synchronicities happen throughout the relationship, but especially at critical points, when shifts and changes are happening and you need to pay attention.

 

At some point, soul mates usually have psychic and telepathic communication.  Awareness of this varies, and you have to be open to noticing it, but I can say that, even as a professional psychic (I was a professional when I had my first soul mate encounter), this part was intense.  Example:  your soul mate has chronic headaches, and now, you seem to, also.  Your soul mate has a bad day, gets angry at work, and at the same moment out of the blue, you feel angry.  You ask her about it later and true enough, you were correct.  Your soul mate is married (c0mmon) and you know when your soul mate and husband have had a fight.  You may even know what it was about.  This can also be full-blown conversations–how you distinguish this from wishful thinking on your part, is–does the conversation sound like your soul mate would sound?  Words they use, how they talk, figures of speech, grammar?  Especially if they are telling you things that maybe you don’t like.  You’re head is not going to make that up.  Generally you will have a good idea about what is going on with them at any given point, even if you are no longer talking to them or you are in another country.  Time and space are not relevant to this connection in the same way that Newton’s physics works.  Why? Because you are connected, deeply.

 

Prior to meeting, you may have had a dream of meeting this person.  There may be a lot of communication in dreams.  I have learned a lot of things about soul mates in this way.  Sometimes the SOUL of a soul mate wishes to communicate with you, but may not be able to communicate because their ego is blocking it.  (Sounds a little batcrap nuts, but I assure you, it is not.)  You could then have these dreams and “visits.”  And yes, even sexual types of encounters, that may seem or may actually be, very physical.

 

You may be aware of meeting this person before, with a vague sense that maybe you have lived a past life together.  You may have memories of this, or it may play out in the dynamics of the relationship.  Example:  you have a compelling feeling that you are responsible for and need to protect your soul mate.  You are not sure where this comes from, but for some reason you are always worried about this.  You do a soul journey, or a meditation, and the source of this feeling is revealed. Maybe you could not protect her from something in the past, and now, you overcompensate.

 

Soul mates generally trigger some form of spiritual awakening in each other.  What does this mean?  It means even if you have only peripherally been exploring  your spirituality or you are a beginner, this now seems to be quite a large part of your consciousness and, of the connection.  You may have mystical experiences with that person that open your eyes to a whole new level of reality.  You may have transcendent sexual experiences with them that you have never had before.  You become more aware that you are a soul, having a human experience.

 

 

A lot of the above will happen when you are in contact with your soul mate, but often will still happen without any contact at all.  Which brings me to the next phase.

 

Meeting a soul mate is an intense experience.  If someone has never met one before, chances are it’s going to scare them, at least a little bit.  Heck, it will probably scare you too.  Even so, it will be very hard for you to resist the connection, no matter what the circumstances are (soul mate is unavailable or married, soul mate is on another continent, etc.)  You will be in a near-constant tug back to this person, usually for quite some time.  But, at some point, for whatever reason, a “runner” and a “stayer” dynamic is commonly established.  If you are the “runner,”  you will try to escape in some form or another.  Maybe you will stop talking to your soul mate out of the blue, with never another word.  If you are the “stayer,” you will most likely be mystified by the runner’s reasoning for this.  I mean, wow–we are having this incredible, mind-blowing connection, and the runner wants to give that up?  What are the reasons for this?  Well, the reasons can vary but you can bet it has to do with their “issues” that they don’t choose to face at this point in time.  Maybe they are married and don’t want to lose their current partner.  Maybe they are afraid of having such a deep connection (afraid of intimacy and even love.)  Now keep in mind that these roles can reverse, too, whenever there is “stuff” and  issues that come up, because a lot of times, people (including you) may just not want to deal with their “stuff.” Hey, we are human.

 

But here’s the deal.  Even if they run, or you run, there is no running really, because you remain connected.  All of the signs and symbols continue to happen, even when one cuts ties.  What’s happening is that both of you are feeling the confusion of having your issues laid before you, not knowing what to do about this connection, being blown out of the water, and realizing, that if you want to be together, that would require some major, personal growth or changes.

 

This is where the separation period comes in.  This can last a long time.  Years, even.  You may play the “push and pull” game for a while.  The purpose of this time, if we use it wisely, is to reflect on ourselves.  To look at what this relationship brings up for us, and to decide what we are going to do about it.  It is a time of deep introspection.  Sometimes, this is good, despite the fact that it feels so wrong and bad, because each of you needs time to get your head together, process the connection, what it is, and what it means.  This is where you and your soul mate process lessons and feelings.  And often, this really needs to be done separately.  Now, all of your issues (or at least some significant ones) have been outed.  You are a little exposed.  Y0u are feeling vulnerable.  Your soul mate may “mirror” you with the exact same issues as you (you are both alcoholics and something needs to be done about that, for example) or the issues can be different but related.  But boy, you will trigger things to be cleared out in one another.

 

What happens next?  In the case of karmic soul mates, one or both of you will learn the lessons, and slowly move on.  Yes, moving on is possible.  Example of karmic soul mate:  You have been in a relationship for a very long time.  You are vaguely aware that it is really over, but you can’t bring yourself to leave it, because it makes you feel secure in some way, but for all the wrong reasons.  In pops a karmic soul mate.  All of a sudden, you have these intense feelings for someone else, which at minimum, will make you question your long-term relationship.  You meet the soul mate on vacation with some friends.  You are only going to see each other for 2 weeks.  But in that time, you know that this person has changed your life.  You may never talk to them or see them again, but they have done something for you.  You realize that you are holding on to a relationship that is no longer good for you.  Suddenly, you see that abuse has been happening, and you have been justifying that.  So, as a result of this encounter, you decide to make a positive change.  You are not with the soul mate, in fact, you are now alone.  But happier, because you are no longer unhappy with your mate.  You may try to hold on to this soul mate, but you see, they were not meant for that.  Maybe they are in a relationship with someone else.  You learn what you are meant to, and eventually, you are able to move forward.

 

If you and your soul mate are able to learn from your experience together what you are meant to learn, and you are not karmic soul mates, you may re-unite at some point (when the time is right!) to learn more lessons.  You may re-unite because there is a further purpose for the relationship.  We only know this by going through it.

 

If one or both of you do not choose to learn from this experience, guess what?  Lessons have a way of coming around again to bite you in the behind.  If we don’t get it the first time around, we often try, try again.  The lessons appear again in another form, or person, and maybe even another soul mate.  So, there is value in doing this self-work.  It may help you to stop repeating negative relationship patterns.  One thing is for sure, if you do the work, you are going to be a stronger, better person.  I guarantee it 🙂

Hate is Bitter, Love is Rich

| victoriazaitz

Dr. Emoto is famous for his experiments with water and how directed intentions affect it, outlined in the book The Hidden Messages of Water .  Here is a video from You Tube that demonstrates this.

Water, Consciousness & Intent: Dr. Masaru Emoto

As the video points out, our bodies are made up of mostly water.  Here is an experiment you can try at home for yourself, and see what happens!

First I wrote the words love and hate on separate pieces of paper and took the time to visualize and experience those emotions while holding each piece of paper separately.  I thought of someone I loved and this created the feeling of love, and someone I disliked, which I tried to amplify for the sake of the experiment.   I placed equal amounts of water from the tap into identical glasses, and taped each word to the bottom of the glass, where they were not visible and placed them in the freezer for a week.  I wanted to see if I could notice anything different visually in the way the water would freeze, similar to Emoto.

I did not notice any difference in the way the water froze, but the taste was the real test! I allowed the frozen glasses to sit on my counter for about a half hour before drinking.  What I discovered was that the “hate-filled” water was bitter tasting.  It had somewhat of a metallic taste and an aftertaste.  The “love water” was better than any water I have ever tasted.  It reminded me of the fresh spring water that I sampled several weeks ago on a camping trip in the woods.  It was smooth, soft, and rich—it just seemed like there was something extra in it that held it together.  I usually don’t notice the differences in the taste of water (whether it is from the tap or bottled) so this really surprised me.  I also tried to see if time had any affect on how the water tasted, and was surprised to discover that as time went on, the “hate-filled” water neutralized in flavor and most definitely lost its bitter elements.  Perhaps there is neutralizing love force that brings things back to a homoeostasis.

As Emoto said, there is a great lesson in the power of words, and in this case, emotions and visualizations, on water—which comprises a large percentage of our organs and tissues.  I found it equally interesting that given time, the effect of negative emotions seem to be healed or neutralized whereas the effect of positive emotion tended to remain.  It seems that one could deduce that although a negative output on our part certainly has a negative effect, healing certainly does happen—perhaps almost immediately to correct the situation.

What kind of water would you rather drink? 🙂