Today my guest blog post was published on the Magic of Synchronicity, you can check it out here:
http://thecolormage.com/2014/12/15/the-magic-of-synchronicity/
I am also having an awesome sale until Jan 1st. Check out the sale prices here:
Psychic Ability
Qualified, Genuine, & Talented Psychic? How to Find One
How do you get a good quality reading from a real, talented, genuine, and qualified reader? There are so many elements that I think are very important to consider when choosing someone in this field. I am not proud or happy to say it, but the field in which I work is filled with charlatans, frauds, and people who really just want to make a buck. There are people who are deliberately fradulent, and there are people who are genuinely in it for the right reasons, but may not be very aware of what they are doing. Especially when ego gets in the way, and this field can have plenty of ego. Examples of possible good intentions but not a very good reading are: selling you advice-column information, esoteric gobbly-gook that requires a new age belief system to accept, and/or personal biases and opinions. The scale is grand, ranging from deliberately lying to you–to people who are very good at what they do. I have encountered quite a bit of everything (although I have to say, people who are very good at this I have personally found to be very hard to find, maybe it is hard to read for a reader? LOL) There are some things that you should consider when choosing a reader.
Things you absolutely should never accept:
- People who tell you there is a bad spell or joo-joo hoo doo, or bad energy etc, on you that only they can remove with a large chunk of change, or tell you that you are possessed and only they can right your ills, anyone requiring any large sum of money from you for any reason. These people prey on fear and will tell you anything to get your cash.
- Ridiculous claims of accuracy or incredible powers (changing your reality FOR YOU.) No psychic, anywhere, ever, is 100% accurate. These numbers are pretty much a marketing ploy. Anybody who says they need your money to remove “bad” things for you or improve your life by bringing back your ex-lover, guaranteed, is giving you a lot of crapola. And, NO ONE can do the work that you need to do in your life for you, there are no shortcuts.
- Are they more focused on themselves then they are on you? Readers who talk about themselves in readings, other than very briefly to illustrate a specific, related point in YOUR life—basically like to hear themselves talk, while you pay them to sound important. There are other ways, though, that it becomes more obvious that readers are more concerned about how they appear rather than the quality of the work they do (which should speak for itself.) These include: showmanship, name dropping and linking themselves with famous people, and a less than humble attitude. Some have gone so far as to bring camera crews (and, their “help” unsolicited by the families involved) to scenes of crimes to garner attention for themselves. Generally any signs that you are dealing with a larger than life ego, are signs that you are dealing with someone who is more concerned about their image than what they are providing for you, and this is a big stumbling block (similar to what is often found with ‘gurus’ that have ego issues.)
- A “one size fits all” reading that a reader simply regurgitates to everyone. I have gotten a “cut and paste job” email reading from people before that I found suspect, only to google one or two phrases to see that this is the same reading the reader gives to EVERYONE. I have sat next to people at events who market themselves very well, and have heard them give the exact same reading to every person in their seat. Every person’s situation, although we are a lot a like on the inside, is their very own. True intuitive information will not be the same from person to person. It is specific to YOU.
- Personal biased opinions. You go to a reader because they have the ability to use their intuitive skill to help you. This means we have to turn off our left-brained tendency to judge you, and not give you our personal opinions. Intuitive guidance is never judgmental. Here is an example. Let’s say hypothetically a reader is personally against inter-racial relationships, and you are in one. Their intuition is not going to tell you to get out of it because the reader thinks its bad. But their ego might. That is an example of personal bias getting in the way. You can have all the good intentions in the world but if you are not aware of how your ego and your own biases and personal psychology can get in the way of your intuition, you are not a qualified reader.
Things that make a GOOD reader:
- Personal recommendation and word of mouth. If the person comes recommended to you by someone you trust, chances are they will be able to help you. (Although , this is not always the case, it is a good bet.) This says volumes more than any slick website, nice marketing campaigns, good charismatic personality, sales or business tactics.
- Are their prices reasonable? People who just want your money, and also, are full of themselves, will have outrageous prices. They may also try to sell you things you don’t need (buy my other services, products, etc., that you do NOT want or need.)
- They know their field, whether it is tarot, mediumship, or whatever system they are using to work with you. A good tarot reader will not open up a book and tell you what the cards mean by reading from it. They should have a grasp of their tool. However, their reading should not just be about the symbolism, it should be directly applicable to your life. A good reading can include esoteric information, but I personally think that stuff is better learned in a class (because it is general and not specific to you or your reading.) A reading is specific to YOU, it should not be a lot of “filler” information that is general and could apply to anybody.
Things that make a GREAT reader:
- Experience. How long have they been at their craft? There is nothing wrong with people who are new, but the more experience the person has, the more comfortable they will be with their own ability, and the more experience they have had dealing with all kinds of people, situations, departed loved ones, etc. They also understand their own symbols, ways of working, and are better equipped to interpret what they receive. Education in their field will help them to be a better reader, but actual years of experience says more than all the classes taken, teachers had, and books read. In this case intellectual knowledge is meant to assist practice and experience. The best learning in this field is acquired through practice.
- The person very seriously makes spiritual practice a part of their life. This may be hard to ascertain, but if there is any information available about them on the internet, they should mention somewhere, that they have some sort of spiritual basis and practice. I don’t care what it is, what religion or system it is, as long as they have one–you are ensuring a few things. One–they are more likely to have, at least in theory, some system of ethics that they follow. Two–that they are doing their own spiritual work on themselves (so important, for reasons I will explain further another time.) Especially, a meditation practice, as this is very important for the work that we do for so many reasons.
- Do they have a reputation for being honest and genuine with people? Honesty–many readers will tell you just what you want to hear. They may not even realize they are doing this, because they genuinely may care and want you to feel better. But if all you get from a reader is nothing but good news, this is just not in any way realistic. Just because someone comes off as love and light does not mean they are honest. There is, of course, a difference between empowering a client with honesty and removing a client’s power with honesty. A great reader will know how to be honest in the right way.
- Are they compassionate? You would be surprised at how many clients have told me that even if they went to a very talented reader, if they are lacking in people skills and just don’t seem to care, how unhelpful that attitude is for them, and how much they wish they had someone more caring. And they will go to the person who genuinely connects with them.
There are probably a million more things to say and I will update this post as I think of them. As you can see, it really is a lot of hard work (mostly on yourself) that is required to provide a quality reading for someone. Following these items will help you to get the best, most professional reading possible.
Tips to Increase your Psychic Ability–from Parapsychology
I have written elsewhere on this blog that parapsychology is the valid and legitimate, scientific study of “psi” phenomenon. Rather than justifying it here, I am interested in letting you know about what parapsychology can teach the average person about enhancing their own psychic ability. Yes, we all have it. I give thanks to William Braud’s work, and this work is representative of what others have said about what conditions allow for psychic ability to blossom. As a practitioner and a teacher of psychic development, I attest to each and every one of these, in fact, the great majority of training that I offer people uses most of these methods to increase one’s own natural ability.
This is why I teach my students that to maximize your ability (to do this for a living, for example,) steps need to be taken that are largely a lifestyle choice (or shift, if you are not familiar with these methods.) It does take some discipline and application of hard work and training to be proficient at this work. There are certain conditions that provide an optimal environment for psychic ability to function at its best. Here are some of those criteria (adopted from William Braud’s paper, available here, but this paper is very much in line with many other writings on the subject.)
“Psi” Conducive States
- Relaxation, the relaxation response, and muscular relaxation (as achieved by progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation.)
- A state of low arousal ( a lack of physical and mental stimulus.)
- Cognitive quiet (the ability to slow the stream of thoughts prevalent in the “beta” brain wave, as achieved through meditation.)
- Mild sensory deprivation (reduction of external visual and auditory sensory information.)
- The hypnagogic state (achieved just before falling asleep and before becoming awake and alert, this is why many people have psychic experiences in their beds.)
- Hypnosis (states of hypnosis are especially helpful for past life regressions, life between life sessions, in part because of the state of consciousness achieved, which includes enhanced imagination, suggestibility, absorption, and dissociation.)
- The dream state (this is where your consciousness is more open, particularly to visits from those who have passed, it seems that for the beginner, this may be the most common state of consciousness related to psychic impressions.)
- Psychoactive drugs (certain drugs that encourage shifts in states of consciousness….I do not however, recommend this to my students!!)
- Less distractions or “noise” reduction (in our multi-tasking world, constantly being pulled in this direction or that, it is especially hard to achieve.)
- The ability to turn your attention inward and focus on the internal world and impressions (as achieved through meditation.)
- Confidence, belief in psychic ability, and expectancy of success (confidence and trust in the ability itself, those who believe in psychic ability are much more likely to experience it, also the power of positive thinking. This is where it is important to recognize how you may be blocking yourself here.)
- Positive emotion/affect and states of mind, particularly, faith, hope, and love. (Love, caring and compassion are correlated with greater healing outcomes for healing practitioners, this is also achieved in many forms of meditation.)
- Feedback, in terms of hits/misses and accuracy (Especially in the beginning, when trust has not been established by much practice and familiarity with the ability, it is helpful to have validation and feedback from others. This is a major part of the mentoring program that I offer. Once you are more confident, the need for feedback diminishes.)
- Reduction of Egocentrism and increase in altruism ( A big one, the ego is a big stumbling block not only for the spiritual path, but also for psychic development.)
- Love/Bonds between individuals enhances how the abilities are expressed specifically between them (such as occurs with soul mate telepathy, for example.)
As you can see, a common thread here is–meditation! This is the number one point that I really stress for all of my students. So does any other knowledgeable teacher. If you are interested in exploring this further and becoming my student, please let me know! I currently help students from all walks of life and ability levels individually to open to their inner knowing. Many of my students are applying intuition to practices such as massage therapy, art, music, healing work, and counseling, to name a few. Not to mention that developing your ability is also, coincidentally, a spiritual path that will also dramatically improve your life in so many other ways. I am proud to teach it! 😀
Early Psychic Experiences
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.
Intuit. Empower. Awaken. 