Family doubts

Dear Brandi

I'm a hyper-sensitive empath and I work with a small group of other gifted individuals. However, my family is uber-Christian (Catholic), and non-sensitive, except possibly my father. My mother is completely shut to the idea, and thinks that I am completely full of it. Any ideas on ways to open their minds to it a bit? Also, any help on calming the telempathy and possibly helping develop a bit of telekinesis would be great! Thank you!

AM

Hi there! I know the kind of struggle you are facing. My own family are all fundamentalist Pentecostal evangelical Christians, and believe it or not, I've found most Catholics are more tolerant and understanding of psychic abilities than most folks in my family.

I wish that I could provide some kind of magic wand to make your family understand you, but in all honesty that kind of magic is beyond my abilities. The best argument I have is to recommend that Christians have a good read through I Corinthians ... ask them what Paul wrote about the "Gifts of the Spirit". I believe he is referring to the kinds of gifts we call "healers, psychics and mediums", and he says these gifts come from God. But sometimes people are so stuck in their beliefs, they just can't accept an argument.

What I found helpful in dealing with some of my family members was to stop trying to change them, and accept them for who they are. That can be easier said than done. But James Roswell Quinn, in his book "Controlling Others for Love and Profit" (http://www.controllingothers.com) recommends a tool called the Trust Formula:

I love you and I accept you, even when I don't understand you

Whenever I find myself challenged by the intolerance or poor behaviour of others, I repeat this, quietly in my mind. Believe it or not, this simple techniques helps a lot!

Ironically, when we stop trying to control others, and learn to control our own reactions to them, they often make amazing changes for the better. If we try to manipulate them or make them change, they resist or react even worse (Quinn's book is kind of a play on words that way ).
Just focus on being yourself, and on accepting your loved ones as they are right now. Don't try to change them. Oddly enough, you may find that they come around. In the meantime, start keeping a journal. That way, if their minds do begin to open a little, you'll be able to back up some of your intuitions, and you will have all kinds of interesting memories to share with them when they are ready to hear about them.

On calming your empathic gifts, I highly recommend the "Centering" meditation in Quinn's book, done both morning and evening, again, journaling, and of course the meditations and grounding exercises in Living With Your Psychic Gifts.

On telekinesis ... that is a subject I find intriguing, but I have yet to see any demonstration of it outside of stage magic. The only suggestion I have is to practice visualization techniques, and some kind of regular daily meditation. I believe that telekinesis is possible on the astral plane, but I am skeptical about any practical application in conscious awareness.

Brandi